What's a good kero or diesel heater to get for shop?

[sixdogs]

I'm looking for help to buy some sort of salamander or whatever heater for the 42' x 60' uninsulated shop but I know nothing about them and am confused over which ones are reliable and which ones aren't. Diesel is my first choice and some kerosene ones say they are checked for use with diesel. Doesn't say you can use diesel so not sure what that means. Kerosene is pricey while diesel and propane are pretty cheap. 150,000 BTU, maybe more seems like the right amount?

Propane would also work but none seem to throw enough BTU's.

Salamander styles come to mind as a good choice only because I don't know any different. There is the VAL6 heater that looks terrific and uses diesel but it seems they only sell through a wholesale guy and then a dealer so likely they are marked up to be expensive. Can you use any of these heaters indoors?

Can anyone point me in a direction or suggest a type or brand name that works for you and has been reliable?

 

[KennyG]

How often are you heating the space and how warm do you want it? If you are heating it a lot of the time, you really need to insulate it. A salamander will do a good job of heating the local area you are working in but trying to heat an entire uninsulated building is probably a losing battle.

I just took a quick look on line and it seems prices are up on these. I think they are all quite similar and pretty simple. I have a 70k Remington (from Menards) which is an economy priced brand but it has been 100% trouble free for over 5 years, even though I don't do the annual cleaning you are supposed to do. I use mine to heat the pole barn up until I get the wood stove going so I don't use it for a lot of extended runs. I use only diesel in mine and am surprised that there's no odor. The noise level is annoying though, and this will be true for almost all of the salamanders.

 

[bigtiller]

I used a 60,000 btu LB White portable heater with propane for several years. I built a rolling cart to put it on, added a firewall to the cart and put a 100 pound tank on the cart. It rolled around the garage to various projects. It is now hanging in an out building and ready to use.

L.B. White | Guardian® Forced Air Heaters for Pig Buildings

 

[George2615]

I just bought a 135,000 BTU salamander at TSC about a month ago to supplement heating my garage when I need to work out there. TSC mailed out a 10% coupon so that knocked off almost $30. from the $299. price. The heater has its own T-stat and will run on #1 or 2 kerosene or diesel.
I already had an 80,000 BTU mobile home furnace in the garage but the 135K warms it up quick then the furnace can maintain it to where I have it set about 60*.
I have a 24x24 garage with an 18X32 attached pole barn. Only 1152 Sq. Ft total but nice to have heat when I need to work on something. Your space is a little more than double mine but the 135K is rated to heat up to 3375 Sq.Ft. The next model up is a 215K BTU and heats up to 5300 Sq.Ft. for about $100 more. Name on the heater is Master.

 

[sixdogs]

I know I can't heat an uninsulated metal building but can warm the area I want to work in during moderate temperatures. That's good enough and will give me another 30 or so days when I can work out there. That's all I'm looking to do.

 

[George2615]

A friend of mine built a 40x40x16 pole barn a few months ago. It is currently not insulated. He just bought the 215K salamander to heat his building when he needs to be in there. He hasn't decided yet but he will be adding either a wood stove or a furnace of some type.
I keep my pole barn heated (for my guard dogs) to 45* in winter. I separate the main garage from the pole barn with a tarp. The main garage stays between 25-30* even when below 0 outside. When I need to work in the garage I roll up the tarp, set the furnace T-stat at 60* and the salamander at 60*. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to get both bldgs. up to 60. The salamander, like the furnace, shuts off when the stat is satisfied. The salamander will certainly take the chill off the area so you can work in there.

 

[Jstpssng]

I had a 40K BTU Knipco that my father gave me which used to be backup heat for one of the greenhouses. It wouldn't heat my entire garage in winter (No walls or roof.) The last time that I used it before it died was to install a block heater when it was too cold for the 'Bota to start; -10'F plus the wind was howling; I stayed warm and got the tractor going even though the heater never worked. (My 3rd and last Kat heater in <5 years... but that's a story for my own thread.)

You might also consider a Miller furnace for your purposes. Around here you can find a used unit for a reasonable price, and if memory serves me they burn about .7 glons per operating hour.

 

[bucktaker]

I dont like the fumes from kero or diesel... I have a Propane tube style for like you are describing......connects to a 20 lb bottle or larger if necessary

 

[Jstpssng]

I dont like the fumes from kero or diesel... I have a Propane tube style for like you are describing......connects to a 20 lb bottle or larger if necessary

Just out of curiosity, do you have your tank inside or outside the building while it's running? I've seen the former many times but itnever seemed like a good idea to me.

 

[bucktaker]

Just out of curiosity, do you have your tank inside or outside the building while it's running? I've seen the former many times but itnever seemed like a good idea to me.

Six foot hose is what it came with.... Not sure why that would be a problem