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06-10-2020, 11:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-10-2020, 11:38 PM by Tapper.)
(06-10-2020, 07:51 PM)Robert Adams Wrote: Radiant floors are good if you plan to keep it at a consistent temp. They are horrible for infrequently used buildings since they can take days to warm up from dead cold. Also if it's a poorly insulated building the floor temp will have to be high to add enough heat and working on a hot floor is uncomfortable on the feet. It has been done in hangars and it sucks as a heating source since your feet get hot.
Forced air is better for quick climate control but you need large units to get it to temp quickly so those manual J calcs won't help other than to tell you that you need way larger than what it suggests.
The most important part is to insulate the building well including under the slab before you pour it. I'm not sure what type of building construction you are planning but... If you are planning a conventional metal building butilt with welded 2x2 square tube make sure you use sheet foam insulation attached to the outside of the frame then attach the steel. If you do the typical metal building fiberglass you will be sorely disappointed as all that framing will radiate heat in and out to the skin since there is no insulation between it and the skin. Spray foam is slightly better and Ok for a garage since you don't need to attach anything to the walls.
Robert,
The building will be made of dimensional lumber (2x6 studs) around the perimeter with roof trusses that span the entire space, on a concrete slab. Exterior will probably be synthetic paneling (thinking of reverse board and batten) for the sides and some synthetic shingles on the gables. Architectural asphalt roof shingles to match the house.
Doug
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Of course it's none of my business, but I wonder why you would want to keep this building at 55 - 60F all Winter. That seems like an expensive solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I can see having the ability to heat the space when needed, like if you want to work on one of the vehicles, but for vehicles that will rarely get used during the Winter I don't see the point. Put a trickle charger on the batteries and let them have a good sleep till Spring. Also, if these vehicles will rarely be used in Winter I wouldn't bother with floor drains either.
John
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Good point; can easily dial that in when the time comes. On another note, I've begun working on getting subs lined up. Not going to be easy as building is booming once again and the construction season is relatively short out here. Everybody is busy!
Doug
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(06-11-2020, 09:36 AM)jteneyck Wrote: Of course it's none of my business, but I wonder why you would want to keep this building at 55 - 60F all Winter. That seems like an expensive solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I can see having the ability to heat the space when needed, like if you want to work on one of the vehicles, but for vehicles that will rarely get used during the Winter I don't see the point. Put a trickle charger on the batteries and let them have a good sleep till Spring. Also, if these vehicles will rarely be used in Winter I wouldn't bother with floor drains either.
John
True. Cars don't mind the cold just keep the coolant from freezing and all is good. Batteries actually last longer in cold weather. It's storage in hot weather that is the issue. Heat ruins plastics, rubber and severely shortens the life of batteries.
