How do you heat your barn/shop?

[keving]

I have an insulated 40x48x14 shop that needs heat! Just wondering what you do to heat yours. I have a 120,000 btu salamander heater that would work but I don't line the noise or smell. What do you know about a LP Ceiling Heater? Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

[fishpick]

What do you know about a LP Ceiling Heater?

I know that's likely what I'll be using in my 30x40x14 shop... and a small wood stove for that extra kick (and burning up wood scraps).

 

[3RRL]

Yeah, I was thinking of a small wood stove too. More than likely you'll be dressed for work anyway, so you don't need it to be blazing hot in there. What about cooling it down, that worries me more than heating at my place? Is your area sectioned off at all or all open?

 

[Highbeam]

The code people seem to get really excited about a woodstove in a garage/shop or a shop that can be parked in. Saying you can't do it. I would love to have a nice big woodstove in a shop since the shop will at some point become manland and having a nice warm stove to back up to will be just the ticket.

I half way bought a house with a 40x60x14 tall shop in it and one of the features was a ceiling hung natural gas heater. It had a chimney and a big old heat exchanger that a lot of air was blown through. Thermostatically controlled it would tick-tick-tick to life, warm up, and then blow a fantastically warm wind through that shop. Very large amounts of heat are produced cleany and safely this way. It might be one of the only legal ways to do it.

You've got a big shop and something smaller like a ceramic propane heater or a kerosene ehater won't cut it. You need the big dogs.

 

[keving]

Yeah, I was thinking of a small wood stove too. More than likely you'll be dressed for work anyway, so you don't need it to be blazing hot in there. What about cooling it down, that worries me more than heating at my place? Is your area sectioned off at all or all open?

I'm on top of a mountain in WV. Even on a hot day, I'm lucky to have a nice breeze. A woodstove would take some time to heat it up, but would be less expensive than oil or propane. LP Ceiling seems cleaner and easier.

 

[scesnick]

I'm on top of a mountain in WV. Even on a hot day, I'm lucky to have a nice breeze. A woodstove would take some time to heat it up, but would be less expensive than oil or propane. LP Ceiling seems cleaner and easier.

I also live on top of a mountain (not far from you actually) in Frostburg Md.
I built a 30x40 pole garage 2 years ago. I have an AHS multifuel boiler inside the garage that heats my house using mostly coal but it will burn wood and has an oil backup.
Anyhoo, I found a large hydronic shop heater and simply pumbed the hot water from the boiler into it ( on the return side from my house) and hung it up in the corner of the garage . It works great. i don't have it on a thermostat yet. I just plug the fan in when I want heat and unplug it when I don't This keeps the water circulating and not freezing up inside the shop heater.

 

[fishpick]

I'm on top of a mountain in WV. Even on a hot day, I'm lucky to have a nice breeze. A woodstove would take some time to heat it up, but would be less expensive than oil or propane. LP Ceiling seems cleaner and easier.

I'm on a hill in NY - my cooling is easy - open the windows and let the fresh air in... even this summer on the hottest days the breeze through the barn made it "tolerable" - add a box fan or two... I'm good.

I was just at TSC last night - picked up their heating options flyer - will be reading up on their options.

 

[InlineDieselFan]

I have a 42x48x15 shop and I use a ceiling LP heater it is great. It only take about 15 minutes to heat things up and then the occasional cycling on and off of the heater.

There is no mess or hassle of wood and it leaves more floor space open.

steve

 

[Taiser]

I use a 75,000 BTU Modine "Hot Dawg" heater. Mine is NG but you can get them LP. My garage is a good size, about 28x34 with 15' ceilings. Even when it's 40 below outside (yeah I'm in Northern Canada ) I just turn on the switch and it takes about 15-20 minutes to get to t-shirt wearing temps in there. My garage is attached to the house and has the same R2000 standard though so it's super well insulated. Got the heater off e-bay for about 300 bucks, absolutely no complaints!!!!

Here are some shot photos during construction!

 

[radman1]

I have a 100,000 btu modine ceiling propane heater in my well insulated 24x24' shop. More than enough heat. I like the forced air type heating and can be in t-shirt in 10 minutes after I start it. For your size shop and with good insulation, 150,000 would probably be ok but I tend to oversize them for rapid heating. I bought a low temp thermostat and keep it set above freezing in the winter. You can get them with pilot light or electric ignition so it uses less fuel. I use a pilot light model since the heat from the pilot light also helps heat the shop when turned down low. They also come with optional power venting, which allows direct venting out the side of a building instead of up through the roof.
Lots of people prefer the propane radiant heaters but for me these take longer to heat the shop. However, the heat produced will heat the surrounding equipment, wall and floors. This makes for a more pleasant type of heat.