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Location: Mid Hudson Valley, NY
I have a 2 car detached garage for my workshop. Unfortunately, the 2 garage doors I have were installed prior to me buying the house, and with 2 kids in college, there ain't no room in the budget for new doors. However, I did take my pellet stove from my old house, and installed it in the shop. It takes some time to heat up space, but once it gets going, it does a great job. Very low maintenance, and pellets are very reasonable. The vent pipe is the size of a standard dryer vent, and it is very simple to install. You don't need any fire protection behind or around the unit, since the unit itself doesn't get hot. It has fan with multiple speeds that blows the heat out, and you can also control the burn rate.
Enjoy retirement. I have another 15yrs to go. Hopefully.
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I too am looking for a heater for my shop. Am considering a propane heater with the separated combustion chamber to keep any fumes from contacting a flame. They are pricey but may be worth it for peace of mind.
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Location: PnW
Not much help in your situation as the place is alreay built. Did radiant floor heat when the shop was built, but took me about 6 years to finish getting the rest of it hooked up (e.g. i was being cheap). LOVE that, it's pretty quiet if I need to turn it on when I am out there. Much over 60 in there and it's too warm if you get moving, we get below freezing for a few weeks a year and the warm floor is lovely to work on.
Hot Dawg gets good reviews, a former co-worker loves his in the garage, turns it on a bit before he goes out, keeps it set to not let the garage freeze, and in 30 minutes he says he has to work in a t-shirt.
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i have about 3.5 car space for the shop and use a ceiling mount reznor heater - runs on propane (or natural gas) and vents through the roof. a similar heater is a modine hot dawg.
puts out good heat and doesn't use any floor space.
thermostat control
jerry
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Location: Burke, VA
Don't know what your winter projects will be but if they require glue ups and finishing, your work space needs to be 55 or above. Posting in the hand tool forum suggests your projects will be made with hand tools on or near a work bench so heat sources above or near the work bench should do it. And since hand tool projects are normally small they can be glued up and or finished upstairs -- somewhere.
Retirement: Free at last! Now, YOU are in charge of your daily schedule. No more stops and starts on a project. You work at your own pace and if don't get done today, tomorrow's another day. Enjoy.
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(11-16-2016, 05:45 AM)Sawdustd Wrote: Don't know what your winter projects will be but if they require glue ups and finishing, your work space needs to be 55 or above.
More important, the shop needs to be kept warmer than the dewpoint, or heated to that place before your moisture-filled lungs enter and rust your cold tools.
Better to follow the leader than the pack. Less to step in.
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Location: s.w. pa
+1 for pellet stove price for the stove a bit high this time of year but they do a great job
south vietnam war collage
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Insulated subfloor panels from OvRX will help. Concrete is an effective heat sink, and will draw heat from you during Winter.
A simple vented gas space heater would be effective, but a radiant heater should be easier to install.
With any heat source, keep it clean.
This is an opportunity to install high quality windows and garage doors that seal properly. Those might be eligible for tax credits.
http://earthwisewindows.com
https://www.houselogic.com/organize-main...rage-door/
http://ovrx.com
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My 12 x 16 shop is well insulated yet I only heat with an old Perfection 525 Kerosene heater. After about an hour I have to open the door to cool the shop off. There is no smell and I can move it to anywhere I have free floor space. That is kind of nice since I have a big ole' table saw which I have to continually move around. Oh, the heartache of a small shop.
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Pls forgive my bad manners in not thanking those who responded. Thanks.
As for the last entry on kerosene heaters, I've been around a fair number of those (remember in the 70's and early 80's when it seemed that every other person on the block bought one of those cylindrical Kero-Sun versions?). Every one of those and other models that I've been around smelled to high heaven. I don't mean to doubt Dayle1960's experience, just to note that mine has been different.
Tony
