Best way to heat a pole barn

[Industrial Toys]

It would have not suited your application. That thermal mass doesn't heat up and cool down any time quick. I had one customer with in floor heat that in the spring and fall, had to run the AC during the day as the house was too hot, when nights were cold. How stupid is that?

In my last building, I insulated the floor, but didn't bother with in floor heat as the building would never see regular or prolonged occupency.

 

[Trillium Farm]

A parabolic radiant heater IMO as you only need it when you are there.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Northern Tool has a nice electric "hang-up" heater on sale for 90.00..
For 200.00 u could stay nice & toasty..

 

[Dwellonroof]

My insulated building here in Ohio stays above freezing in the winter with no heat at all but I do have an oil furnace for when I want to do some work out there
Around here you can pick up a decent used oil furnace for very little cash

 

[newbury]

I wasn't sure where to put this question so fee free to move it mods. I have a 30'x40' pole barn with 12' walls, OSB sided with vinyl over that, and concrete flooring. I'm in the process of insulating it. Last year I put up a steel ceiling and had insulation blown in. This coming spring I'm having the walls spray foam insulated and want to add heat. I'm looking for suggestions on how to heat it. I store my kids cars and my tractor in it, along with a small work shop/tools. My job keeps me busy in the winter so I don't use the barn much other than for storage, but would like to be able to crank up the heat to comfortable levels for the odd project that might come up. So most of the time I'd like to keep the temperature around 40-50 to keep things from freezing and melt snow from the cars. I have natural gas available as a fuel source. What type of heater setup should I be looking at?

Are you looking for a PERMANENT solution or something to get you through the winter?

I'd wait for a PERMANENT solution until everything is insulated. I'd section off the barn into 3 areas - working warm, don't freeze, whatever. Using greenhouse plastic make an area say 10x10x10 that will give you WORKING WARM/ODD PROJECT area. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ADEQUATE VENTILATION. Then do similar for however much area you need to NOT FREEZE. And the rest would be WHATEVER. Then I could use a propane tank w/ a tank top heater for the WORKING WARM/ODD PROJECT area, and look to put a more expensive permanent solution, maybe hanging gas, in the NOT FREEZE and WHATEVER areas.

 

[searcyfarms]

1) are you using heat for working in full time?
2) do you just want to heat it up for a weekend work or evening job?
3) do you have a propane tank already or is natural gas available?
4) are you going to put in CO2 sensors?

A lot of this depends on what is available and how you want your heat - will you have many gasses to worry about?

A pilot light ignition and explosion turning on that could cause a fire due to fumes from what you are working on ?

I use electric for mine due they make some great forced air heaters - they heat things quickly and I can aim the air at me, they are not super noisy and thermostat controlled - I don't want a propane tank sitting around, the fuel is expensive, and I have to be aware of CO2.

An old clothes dryer will put out TONS of heat they make a great supplement heater and they are NOT very noisy and cheap - check out the BTUs for the average clothes dryer, the problem with most electric heaters is they are 110 which EAT power with little efficiency a 220V heater is so much more efficient so don't make that mistake.

I have twice had CO2 poisoning and lived to tell about it both times from propane heat sources - I don't like GAS even with all of its safety sensors, they don't always work!!!!

A wood stove is great but you have to have time for it to heat things up, start it up the night before etc.....

Many variables to affect how you want to heat and your budget - think it through carefully to find the best solution for your situation.

 

[oosik]

I would suggest a Modine forced air natural gas fired hanging space heater. Thermostat controlled - should do a great job in your barn.

 

[Pete6114]

I have a Reznor Shop heater and it works good. If you want high efficiency, a furnace/duct-work might be of interest.

 

[mikester]

Radiant tube heaters are lower efficiency but work great to heat big empty spaces with tall ceilings - heats objects from the ground up. Forced air heaters can be high efficiency and are better when you have low ceilings - keeps the heat where you want it at ground level.

You are going to go broke heating that space unless you have insulated floors and super insulated walls and roof. On the plus side you won't have any snow build up outside on he ground around the walls...

 

[dnw64]

You are going to go broke heating that space unless you have insulated floors and super insulated walls and roof. On the plus side you won't have any snow build up outside on he ground around the walls...

What?

It's the equivalent of an 1800 SF house with 8' ceilings (30 x 40 x 12). We heat 2800 SF in Vermont with 500-600 gallons of oil. And that is NOT at "mostly 50°"... The house is also not superinsulated (built in 1967, upfitted in 1998), and has a 35 year old boiler.