How do you heat your shop, garage?

[Daron1965 644]

With fall on our doorstep,  I am interested in heating my garage.  It is only 24x24 block garage.  I do have a woodburner that I could install, but I would like to see all other options before I put the time into installing it.  I am also a little concerned about a woodburner with the possibility of gas and chemical fumes. I may be over thinking this. 

What works for all of you?

[ebinmaine 67,277]

It would be best to avoid using any open flame in a garage environment. You are absolutely not over thinking that!

 

In many areas of the country having a wood stove of any kind in a shop is illegal.

 

I'm not saying I would not do it. Just saying that there is a genuine safety concern.

 

I heat my 16 x 20 Workshop with 3 decent sized electric radiant heaters.

I have also been known to hang my heat gun from its extension cord from the rafters and just let it blow into the air.

 

[Daron1965 644]

Although it is legal here,  I do have concerns.   My neighbor has a propane furnace that he heats his garage with, and it has a running pilot light, so I'm torn.  

[steelman 251]

I heat a 32 x 44 two story barn with wood at my farm/ hunting property. Love the wood heat and I have an abundance of wood to burn. My house has a three car garage with a natural gas heater installed. We are just moving into it so I have not spent a winter in it yet but I look forward to using it shortly. 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

5 minutes ago, Daron1965 said:

Although it is legal here,  I do have concerns.  ........, so I'm torn.  

In my job I've trained quite a few people doing different tasks over the years and one of the sayings that we used to go by is this.

If you have to think about it at all, you've already thought about it too long. Just don't do it.

[AMC RULES 37,129]

8 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

In my job I've trained quite a few people doing different tasks over the years and one of the sayings that we used to go by is this.

If you have to think about it at all, you've already thought about it too long. Just don't do it.

 

 I couldn't imagine having a job...

where thinking about what you are doing is wrong.  

[pfrederi 17,667]

How much time will yo be spending in the garage???  Wood is nice but you have to fire it up wait for it to warm up.  Then it will probably be going strong when you are done but will go out before you go back the next day....  My shop is 84 x 30.  i partitioned off an office /work room that is 15 x 22.  That is well insulated and I have an electric baseboard heater i leave on all the time keeps it in low 60s.  I do that as I have paint and other stuff I do not want to freeze.  I have a 220 space heater that gets it quickly up to 73-75.  (as a side note a 5000btu window unit keeps it nice an cool during the summer)

 

If i have to work in the main portion of the shop (something I try to avoid in the dead of winter )  There is a oil fired (kerosene) 150000 BTU heater hung from the ceiling at one end.It does a nice job of heating the air from about 6' and up  not so much on the cold cement floor.. (uses a lot of fuel so I do not use it often)..Picked up a kerosene salamander to use when i have to work near the floor.

[ebinmaine 67,277]

15 minutes ago, AMC RULES said:

 

 I couldn't imagine having a job...

where thinking about what you are doing is wrong.  

Valid point.

One of the things I enjoy most about operating the crane is processing through the jobsite obstacles and coming up with a lift solution.

 

That saying was given in relation to the safety end of things.

What that means is:  

If you are considering or in doubt that something is safe to do.... Be on the safe side and Don't do it.

 

The places I've worked have always been companies that follow safety guidelines very closely.

 

[Machineguy 877]

@ebinmaine

That’s sound advice working on, with or around heavy equipment for sure. If you have to question the safety of something, don’t do it. Find a better solution ,PPE or tooling to make the task safer. 

[953 nut 55,081]

1 hour ago, Daron1965 said:

it is legal here,  I do have concerns.

Have a conversation with your insurance agent before you install a wood burning heating device of any kind. My neighbor had two wood burning fire places in his house and we bricked them up and installed non-vented gas logs a couple years ago. His insurance went down enough to pay for the gas logs in two years.

[squonk 41,028]

1 hour ago, pfrederi said:

How much time will yo be spending in the garage???  Wood is nice but you have to fire it up wait for it to warm up.  Then it will probably be going strong when you are done but will go out before you go back the next day....  My shop is 84 x 30.  i partitioned off an office /work room that is 15 x 22.  That is well insulated and I have an electric baseboard heater i leave on all the time keeps it in low 60s.  I do that as I have paint and other stuff I do not want to freeze.  I have a 220 space heater that gets it quickly up to 73-75.  (as a side note a 5000btu window unit keeps it nice an cool during the summer)

 

If i have to work in the main portion of the shop (something I try to avoid in the dead of winter )  There is a oil fired (kerosene) 150000 BTU heater hung from the ceiling at one end.It does a nice job of heating the air from about 6' and up  not so much on the cold cement floor.. (uses a lot of fuel so I do not use it often)..Picked up a kerosene salamander to use when i have to work near the floor.

2 words: ceiling fans 

[squonk 41,028]

I have a 12X24 garage I heat with an Empire  direct vent propane wall heater.It's very well sealed up to keep out flammable vapors. I have a big honking 2 ton (24,000 BTU) Carrier AC unit if it gets to hot and I "HAVE" to fix something. 

[KC9KAS 4,741]

I have a (free)  high efficiency furnace that was used. Biggest problem I have is there isn't much insulation in the pole barn and it cools quick!

[Digger 66 3,478]

3 hours ago, Daron1965 said:

 

What works for all of you?

 

I tried heating my garage but cannot stand condensation on things .

I have a small space heater now and just warm the ( immediate ) area i'm working in .

Just enough to keep myself from freezing .

[stevasaurus 22,710]

I don't usually work in the garage if it is below 20 F...I'd rather be sitting on the ice, fishing.  I do have a propane salamander that will take the edge off if needed, but after reading this thread, I am going to rethink this.   Maybe it will be enough to warm up my cup of Rock & Rye and put on another layer. 

[Cvans 1,009]

Been burning waste oil in a stove I built. Basically free heat but there is weekly cleaning of the burner involved. 

 

[wallfish 16,985]

Repurposed RV propane heater, forced hot air. My shed is 12 x 24 no insulation so it keeps it warm enough to work. Any ventless type propane heater will add a bunch of humidity and you end up with condensation on everything. I do use a ventless type propane heater to heat it up quickly since the RV heater is a bit slow to heat up, then shut it off as soon as possible and the RV heater maintains it. Wish we had natural gas service in the area.

[rmaynard 15,427]

I have a 24 x 24 wood framed garage. Years ago I installed a 30,000 BTU Hot Dawg vented propane heater. It took hours just to take the chill off. Then two years ago I insulated the walls and ceiling. Now it takes about 20 minutes to warm it up. 

[Retired Wrencher 5,441]

The 24x24 years ago was fully insulted with 5/8 fire code sheet rock because it was joined with the house. I have a two burner and a three burner. the three burner has a 40lb tank and the two has a 20lb tank. I have had all kinds of heaters over the years I have found these to really well. No smell you clothes do not smell and the are easy to use. I use the three burner to warm up the garage then switch to the two burner to maintain the heat. I all so have two 48" celling fans reversed to keep the heat down to the floor. I use a grill ignitor to ignite the heater.

Edited August 27, 2018 by Retierd Wrencher

[RandyLittrell 3,877]

I also have a 24x24 shop, or 2 car garage really, but its more manly to call it a shop. Mine is well insulated, walls and ceiling and I heat it with a 220 electric heater thats built in the wall. It heats up pretty fast too. With the insulation my shop rarely gets very cold anyway, it will be 40 deg inside even if its 20 deg outside. 

 

 

 

Randy

[rjg854 11,350]

I have a coal boiler in the house that's large enough so that I can also heat the 24x28 barn. I keep it at @ 60 degrees . We keep the vehicles in there and the little lady's craft room is on the 2nd floor. The horses are in another building but if I feel like working on one I can bring it in there. 

[Pullstart 62,795]

Keep in mind too, that any open flame that is not FVIR (FLAMMABLE VAPORS IGNITION RESISTANT) like a radiant propane heater, or most wall mounts... are just as dangerous as a wood stove, if not more.  A wood stove if installed with proper venting could at least burn off some vapors before explosion, but storing chemicals correctly could avoid all that hassle and danger.

 

With that said, we have an outdoor wood boiler that heats the house, water heater and has a small radiator in the shop.  The shop stays about 40 or so, good sweatshirt weather.  If I’m working out there or thawing out my plow truck, there is a ducted fan behind the radiator to blow the warm air and bring the temp up to 50 or so.  It’s a pole building with only 1-1/2” styrofoam insulation on the walls, and blown in insulation in the attic... though I’m sure it could use more up there too.  We worked last year to better insulate the house attic, so if that is any inclination of what’s in the shop, we surely need more.

[cleat 5,809]

I had new propane furnaces installed in the house and shop last year to replace oil furnaces.

 

They are high efficiency direct vent units.

 

House unit sits just on patio stones on the basement floor.

 

Garage furnace sits up on a steel frame that I made up to keep the fire up the proper amount to meet code.

 

Also the garage furnace needed to be bolted down where the house furnace just sits on the floor.

 

Here is the furnace being installed.

 

 

Cleat

[ericj 1,578]

I have a 12x20 shed about half insulated, the walls and the ceiling, I have an old mobile home trailer furnace in the corner. I leave the thermostat set as low as I can when not out there, helps keep down on condensation, and warms up fast when i need it to.

 

 

 

 

 

eric j

[Shynon 7,459]

I have a 26x32 garage 2x4 walls insulated and drywalled. Had a 60k home furnace needed more room. I picked up this 50k with 11% rebate. Will be installing soon as @WHX20 shows up to help with the install. Keep mine heated all winter, been doing that for the last 15yrs.