Finally - the Shop Heater Thread

[Huskinhano]

Just watch using spray paint, solvents, etc! My old shop in MI had the furnace in a work room off the back of the shop and ducted into the shop space - that way the combustion air didn't come out of the space I was painting in. That just wasn't going to work out in this shop. Oh, well. I may build a booth with plastic sheeting if I find myself doing much paint work.

I expect that this heater will be a bit on the loud side but it seemed to be the best compromise. It's really WAY oversized but it's what I found on CL when I was looking. The shop isn't sealed up all that well (need to get busy with some spray foam) so I'm not worried about sucking all the O2 out of the building.

Dan

Garages are typically a class I, division II location meaning combustable vapors may be present. That's why you'll see outlets, ect above 48".

[ls7gto]

if anyone is looking for a large torpedo heater, i have one listed in the classifieds. 375,000 btus, gas fired. Nice shop Dan.

[DanStokes]

If you have any cold torpedos Doug has the solution!

Dan

[Bob Holmes]

Garages are typically a class I, division II location meaning combustable vapors may be present. That's why you'll see outlets, ect above 48".

Ah, there is the key. Thanks.

I'm a homebuilder, so I have some familiarity with forced air. And I don't mean to cast aspersions on Dan's solution. But my issue with forced air is that it is used for convenience as opposed to efficacy. I've used or had the opportunity to work in a space with just about every type of heating solution mentioned here. The only one that seems to provide even, non-directional heat is radiant.

I'd really like to put in a wood stove, with the caveat that it can't be used when any combustible vapors are present. At the moment I use a couple of those oil filled electric radiant heaters, which can be reasonably satisfactory. You just have to turn them on a while before you intend to work. However, I've seen electrical flashes when they go on and off, which tells me that they probably shouldn't be used when vapors are present, either.

Again, just thinking out loud.

[DanStokes]

Radiant would have been my first choice but was just not in the budget when I was having the shop floor poured. And here it would have had to be electrical resistance heat which would be pretty pricey to operate. Although now that I'm getting propane maybe that could have been an option...... Anyhow, this is what's left out of the available options.

Dan

[JRoberts]

Boy Dan I wish I had something like that in my shop. I am trying to figure out what to do about heat as what I have now is just not doing the job.

[DanStokes]

Good to hear from you, Joe! You can always swing by and warm up at my shop!

Dan

[Beagle]

Bob, stop farting around the heater...

[Bob Holmes]

Bob, stop farting around the heater...

That means I can't be in the shop...I'll have to wait until it's warmer.

[BKBridges]

The Blaze King...
Even though my shop is in Socal, its at 4400feet in the high desert and it gets cold. When we cobbed the new shop annex on, we decided to go with wood heat to improve winter productivity. Until then we would put a milk room heater between our legs and a few more around each machine to get things going... No bueno. Now I get up at 5:00 and stoke the stove up and by 7:30 the shop is pretty dang warm. The stove has some blowers in it that really kick the heat out. The stove is a take-out from Sequoia Ntl park when they got rid of some old cabins and is a pretty robust unit (Blaze King). Pardon the permitless amature building construction. The wood came from a temporary Haunted house (free!) and sort of shaped the way we knocked it together.

[DanStokes]

Free is my favorite price! Looks good enough to me.

I didn't want to have to bring in fuel or fire up and wait for enough heat to get to workin'. But that looks like it ought to do the job handsomely.

Carry On!

Dan

[milner351]

I have had a cleanburn waste oil furnace for several winters - one of the best investments I've made - I put a 105 gal transfer tank in the back of my truck - go to a few different shops in town to get about 50-100 gal on their drain oil at a time - then pump into the furnace tank through a 50 micron filter - put a tap in the bottom to drain off any water/ antifreeze / condensation periodically, all is well, mine is 185,000 btu and it heats my 30x50x12 with horrible old slider doors. It's not "Free heat" any more than a wood stove is - but it's as close as you can practically get... especially if you know guys that run diesel trucks that are many gallons per oil change.

[DanStokes]

FINALLY! Automated heat in the shop! Walk out and turn up the thermostat. Like that.

Took a while to get the tank set (no natural gas in the sub) and the system converted to 2PSI as the inspector didn't like it at 11 "H2O. They filled the tank yesterday so that should last me probably 'till Spring.

So now the Reznor is up and flying. I had the furnace guy come out for the initial start-up and that turned out to be a good thing. For some reason the PO had wired past the heat-activated switch that controls the fan on/off and so I had fan as soon as the power was switched on. Turns out all the bits were there and they all worked, just bypassed. I'd never have found it but the furnace guy tracked it down in short order and a quick test proved that all was OK.

Hot times in the Shop!

Dan