Ok, I am going to start a thread on this even tho this discussion has been up before. I am started now on my new post frame building. Half of it is going to be heated and insulated. 30x40x14 is the size of the room. There are two schools of thought when I talk to people. One is floor heat is wonderful and economical. Another is to put in radiant tube heaters, they warm you and whatever is in the shop up. One thought is that radiant tube heaters only use propane when they are running of course. With floor heat you are constantly keeping the liquid in the tubing to the required temperature. Side walls will be sprayfoamed and ceiling will have blow in insulation. What is your advice or expierence?
Heating New Shop
- Thread starter monteu
- Start date
- Views: 2012
PAfarmer
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2003
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- 91
- Location
- Norteastern Pa.
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- JD CTL 319D, JD 5420, JD4700, JDM665
Where are you located ? Climate conditions are a pretty important piece of information. I have my shop spray foam insulated and i could probably heat it with a candle. It's big 100 X 60 X 16 and I use a Hawg Dog 125k BTU propane fired unit and i don't think i could ask for a better system. Good insulation is the most imporatnt thing also good insulated doors, I have 4 overhead doors 10 X 16 R18 and one man door. The Hawg Dog unit is clean, quiet, maintenace free and super efficient in terms of fuel use...
boomer1025
Platinum Member
Put the heat in the floor, Because once the concrete slab gets cold, it stays cold like a chunk ice.
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
One thing to remember about the radiant floor heating (tubes) .... it takes HOURS....maybe a day... for the floor to get hot as it has to heat all that concrete.
I was working on a well insulated woodshop and the floor heat was a great way to heat, but every time they raised the roll up doors for 10-15 min to bring in the forklifts, etc, the temp in the shop really dropped fast (north Idaho) and took a long time to go back up.
I wish i put the tubes in my slab when i pored my 30x40 shop.... just so they could be there if i decided on using a boiler. As it is i installed a propane 125,000 BTU furnace and it warms up my uninsulated shop in about 10 minutes to t shirt temps. I plan on adding wall insulation starting this spring....1 wall at a time as i get the incentive.
I am also thinking of adding a wood burning stove. A friend of mine has a 40x40 shop 14' tall. He insulated all walls and lid and he can get his to 76F real easy. personally id be dying at that high of temp...but hes building his airplane in there and loves it. He admits a wood burner takes several hours to heat it up. But he had 1,000 acres of trees,... so its free wood
I have heard people use water heaters to heat their floor tubes, but they also tell me that the water heaters are running constantly...... whereas a boiler will heat it faster and for less overall energy cost. However a good boiler is about $3,000 +/-.
I was working on a well insulated woodshop and the floor heat was a great way to heat, but every time they raised the roll up doors for 10-15 min to bring in the forklifts, etc, the temp in the shop really dropped fast (north Idaho) and took a long time to go back up.
I wish i put the tubes in my slab when i pored my 30x40 shop.... just so they could be there if i decided on using a boiler. As it is i installed a propane 125,000 BTU furnace and it warms up my uninsulated shop in about 10 minutes to t shirt temps. I plan on adding wall insulation starting this spring....1 wall at a time as i get the incentive.
I am also thinking of adding a wood burning stove. A friend of mine has a 40x40 shop 14' tall. He insulated all walls and lid and he can get his to 76F real easy. personally id be dying at that high of temp...but hes building his airplane in there and loves it. He admits a wood burner takes several hours to heat it up. But he had 1,000 acres of trees,... so its free wood
I have heard people use water heaters to heat their floor tubes, but they also tell me that the water heaters are running constantly...... whereas a boiler will heat it faster and for less overall energy cost. However a good boiler is about $3,000 +/-.
I agree on radient heat it is great. Some things do need to known.
1 Insulate under the cement.
2 If not using heat all the time during cold months anti-freeze will be needed
and recommended.
3 Can be installed behind walls and above ceilings.
My living space is above my garage(30x40) with heat in the floor of the house. Garage is usually above freezing till outdoor temps dip below 0 degrees f. I have r19 in the walls and ceiling of the garage .
1 Insulate under the cement.
2 If not using heat all the time during cold months anti-freeze will be needed
and recommended.
3 Can be installed behind walls and above ceilings.
My living space is above my garage(30x40) with heat in the floor of the house. Garage is usually above freezing till outdoor temps dip below 0 degrees f. I have r19 in the walls and ceiling of the garage .
Like BMod said, how often are you going to heat this space?
Other factors are important like, how often are you going to open the doors, and let the heat out?
For overall comfort the floor heat is best. For economy, fast recovery, the radiant tube heat is best.
The reason there are choices is no one choice is perfect for every situation.
Other factors are important like, how often are you going to open the doors, and let the heat out?
For overall comfort the floor heat is best. For economy, fast recovery, the radiant tube heat is best.
The reason there are choices is no one choice is perfect for every situation.
Code54
Elite Member
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- Putnam Co. West Virginia
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Im in WV and have a 30x40 x10 shop with open rafters and use propane with a 125 btu ceiling unit. The shop is insulated and the heater is on a thermostat that is set to keep the shop at 42 degrees minimum. I like the idea that nothing freezes in there and when I want to go over and work it takes about 10-15 minutes and the place is very comfortable,