how do you heat your garage/ workshop

[Clint S]

For my 24/24 attached garage which is nicely insulated I run a salamander to get the temp up and then maintain it with an old gas grill I converted into a heater. The sali is too loud (and expensive) to run all the time. I try to do all the work I can in there When I have to work in the pole barn that is not insulated I start the wood stove, which barely helps and just blow the sali right on the the area I am working.

 

[grsthegreat]

i have a 125,000 btu propane furnace in my shop. the shop isnt insulated yet...but i plan on doing this over the summer. Im tired of it not being insulated.

when it was built the place was going to be storage only.

I also sometimes use the salamander heater to jump start the heating also. thats 225000 btu gets it up and hot fast.



For a 1-2 car garage i install lots of 5,000 watt electric heaters. these cost about $200 plus install and work ok as long as the garage is insulated. Not the cheapest thing to run, but ok if its only occasional use.

 

[Rustyiron]

Insulation is the gift that keeps on giving! Money well spent. (and should be spent before you start heating)
Got any snow out there yet Grsthegreat? or did your new front blower setup jinx you

 

[grsthegreat]

Insulation is the gift that keeps on giving! Money well spent. (and should be spent before you start heating)
Got any snow out there yet Grsthegreat? or did your new front blower setup jinx you

the front blower jinxed me again. only have used it 3 times this winter season. i removed the blower section from the front weeks ago and im running the bucket. I left the hydro pack and hoses hooked up...cause ya never know.

 

[Gunny]

I use a homemade wood stove, 1/4 steel with a small firebox to keep floorspace usage down, but my woodworking shop is insulated. I do need to add some double pane windows and get a better entrance door, but it works pretty well.

I usually get the fire started, then go back to the house and drink coffee while waiting for it to warm up. It's pretty easy during the day to occasionally add a couple of chunks to maintain it.

I've got an oil mobile home furnace and an electric mobile home furnace sitting in my storage building, but I just couldn't get myself to hook either one up when I've got so much firewood and having a wood stove in a woodworking shop makes sense to me, I've always got plenty of kindling to get a fire started.

 

[Ken45101]

My wood shop is in the basement and leaving the halogen lights on warms it up a bit.

My welding shop is a shed attached to the barn. I have a "tophat" type propane heater in it that brings up the temp fairly quickly but frankly I don't do much welding in the winter. That's more a warm weather thing when I can have the doors open for ventilation.

 

[dodge man]

Like Grsthegreat, I have one of those forced air heaters that is LP that mounts in the corner of my shop. Its 28'x30' and even on a really cold day it will warm it up from 45 to 65 degrees in just a few minutes. It doesn't take any duct work and is vented to the outside with a small flue. The only thing is it wouldn't work well in a large shop.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I keep a 1500 watt electric heater (small coil type) in the 10x12 bathroom of my shop next to the commode just to keep it from freezing. It supplies enough heat to my well insulated 30x30 shop to keep it comfortable to work in even on those 15F days we have had lately. I have a small catalytic propane heater that I keep in my house for emergency heat should we loose power.
I also run a little 1500 watt ceramic coil heater in my house. It is enough that the central HVAC unit wont come on very often even on the coldest days.
GOOD insulation is the key to easy heating.

 

[s219]

I have a "PTAC" unit on the wall of my 16x24 workshop, which is a walled off bay in our garage. It's the same thing you'd find in many hotel units -- basically a self contained heat pump that mounts in the wall. It's about 16" high and 48" long. Does AC in the summer and heat in the winter. Been working great so far. When we built, this was the best affordable option available for part time heating/cooling that was acceptable to the building inspector and insurance.

I normally set it to a nominal temperature -- like 55F in winter and 85F in summer, then crank it to a comfortable temperature when working in there.

The workshop is framed with 2x6 exterior walls, spray foam insulation, and blown cellulose. Despite having a garage door (R-20 insulated I believe), it stays cozy in there.

 

[rrrkkk]

In my 36x40x14 shop I use a 30' infrared tube heater hung from the ceiling. It's natural gas. Shop is insulated and I keep it at 50. It's sometimes pricey but it keeps the equipment including the motorhome warm and dry.