garage shop heater
#11
how do you guys heat your shop for you guys with garage shops, i was thiinking about 240 space heater.
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#12
(12-01-2020, 09:06 AM)wing nut Wrote: how do you guys heat your shop for you guys with garage shops, i was thiinking about 240 space heater.
Before breakfast I back the car out and start the 18,000 BTU Mr. Heater

Mr. Heater Big Buddy Indoor/Outdoor Propane Heater — 18,000 BTU, Model# MH18B | Northern Tool


By the time I get out to start doing something in the shop I turn off the propane heater and turn on the 14,000 BTU Heater/AC. I think they call it a heat exchanger. It will maintain the temperature. It is also great for cooling and dehumidifying in the warm weather.

Whynter 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable AC w/ Heat | Sylvane

My garage is about 540 sq/ft w/9ft cieling.

--
See ya later,
Bill
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#13
When we lived in the Tidewater area in Virginia, my first shop was in the garage.  The natural gas-fueled house furnace was out there, too.  Since winters there are mild, the "wasted" heat from the inefficient furnace unit kept the shop heated, quite nicely at that. 

Then we moved to the Omaha area, and my shop was in a two-car (~500 sq ft) unheated, uninsulated garage, I started out with a 22K BTU kerosene-fueled convection heater like this one:

Kerosene heater

It was very inadequate when the outside air temps were below 20 degrees, which in this area is frequent for three months of the year.  In addition to poor performance in that space, there was no way to stop the migration of stinky fumes into the living area of the house.  The intractable cold, along with the stink, meant that I loathed being in the shop from Thanksgiving through the first day of Spring.  It also brought the need to find a source for kerosene other than the $7/gallon stuff at the big box stores.  Can't forget that you have to mess with wicks and all that other hoo-haw, too. 

Then I upgraded to this unit:

Mr. Heater 60K BTU propane forced air 

This unit was much better at warming the place up, but like the kerosene unit, it stunk, and the smell would go into the house as well.  Easier, but still not ideal.

My current shop is in a separate building, and is heated with a sealed-combustion unit fueled by propane.  When we were looking to move, LOML was insistent that the shop be in a separate building to avoid the stink and the noise.  So, from that perspective, my devious, secret plan using stinky heaters to get a separate shop area worked. 

If you can, at all, swing a sealed-combustion unit, even in a two-car garage, do so.  It's safer (fire and fumes-wise), there's no stink, and it just works better.
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#14
My garage shop is about 24x24, 14 ft ceilings-ceiling hung 240 heater-here when I bought the place.
The biggest issue I see is the heat all sits up high.
I put in a 52" ceiling fan-didn't help much, so I mounted a box fan, horizontally, on top of legs, near the floor, so it blows the cold air up-that seems to work-and keeps things comfortable.
I don't have a gas option, and would have to cut through brick wall, to use anything vented.
I've hardly noticed any effect on the electric bill, either.
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#15
I have four little space heaters, each about 1500W.  So that's 6000W [20,500 BTU/hr], which is more than enough to warm the place enough to take my coat off, and after a while, start shutting some of them off.  The garage is only half insulated, where it meets the house of course, and the ceiling has no insulation.  And it gets plenty cold up here, though it's hardly Bismarck, ND.

Electric heaters are 100% efficient at turning electric power into heat.  Even the fan motor, which because it is far less than 100% efficient, makes heat, plus moves air.  And friction stops the air from moving, which makes heat.

The only difference in the types of electric heaters is what form the heat takes initially.  Convection heaters, both forced (with a little fan), and natural (like oil-filled radiators), heat the air, which heats the space.  Radiant heaters generate infrared radiation, which heats you and other objects, which also depends on how 'reflective' the objects are.  They won't heat a mirror very well, but our bodies absorb IR pretty well, so we feel warm.   But in the end, that heat stays in the space, other than what shines out a window.  And if you're standing in the IR beam, you feel warm instantly.  Like under a heat lamp, which is all they are anyway.  A good option for a place that's very leaky and or poorly insulated.

So don't get hung up on claims of electric heater ads or listings bragging about efficiency - they're all 100% efficient.  240V only comes into play where the power is high enough to warrant that voltage, to keep wiring small.  Nobody wants to run #4 copper for 60A at 120V when you can run #10 copper for 30A at 240V, for instance.  But watts is watts, regardless of the voltage.


Fuel burning heaters are another animal, though.  Others can speak to that better than I can.
Tom

“This place smells like that odd combination of flop sweat, hopelessness, aaaand feet"
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#16
(12-01-2020, 09:06 AM)wing nut Wrote: how do you guys heat your shop for you guys with garage shops, i was thiinking about 240 space heater.

Different locations need different solutions.  Where are you located?
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently motivated fool.
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#17
   

Have had one of these going on 14 years. Had to replace the main valve unit thingy one time, otherwise maintenance free. Works great if you have plumbed for NG, or I suppose LP. 24x24x10' attached garage. Ventless and no issues with humidity, but my garage is a little drafty. Mine sits in a corner and pointed at the center of the garage and keeps the whole space relatively evenly heated. I keep it around 65 but I can make it 80 in the shop if I want to. Very efficient at least as far as I can tell, I've never gone a heating season without having this run.
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#18
I use a 7700kw electric heater I got at Menards. I barely have the t-stat on it turned on and heat the 3 car garage up enough to be comfortable in long sleeve shirt.

I supposed I could crank it and wear shorts but that would be overkill. Based on our electric rates it cost about $5-$7 a day and I probably use it a dozen times a year. Maybe it will get more use with Covid this winter.
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#19
This 240V heater has served me very well in my garage shop in upstate NY

https://www.amazon.com/Fahrenheat-FUH54-...B0000AXEZV
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#20
I put a mini split in my shop in VA, (24x30 10' ceiling) and it kept the shop at 68 degrees year round, running about $15 a month.  The initial cost is higher, but if you are staying any length of time, you'll recoup the cost in savings.  The mini split covers heat and ac. 
Big Grin

When we moved, i insulated the new shop, and added the mini split.  Boom, 68 degrees, and set it and forget it.

Smile
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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