Shop heat

[Phil S.]

For the last 25 years I've heated my shop with a small oil stove, a Laser 56 Toyostove, that can put out 22,000 BTU/hr (https://www.toyotomiusa.com/factoryOutle...uct_id=171).  It has worked well, reliably keeping the shop comfortable and my pipes from freezing on about 350 gallons of fuel a year.  I had to replace the stove a few years back and the serviceman recommended replacing the nearly 20 year old fuel tank, a standard 275 gallon one, guessing the new tank, labor and disposal of the old tank will run close to $2K.  My house is right on the beach and a failure in the tank or a fuel line would result in a costly clean-up (some multiples of $10K), something I'd like to avoid.  I thought about moving the tank farther from the beach up the hill to where we park, about 100' farther away, but I'd still have to worry about something going haywire and a fuel line that long looks like a prime candidate.

So now I'm trying to figure out if there is a better alternative.  Gas isn't an option so I think the only other possibility is an electric heater, no fuel to worry about.  I heat the rest of my house with electric base board heaters so it seems workable.  Cost for the installation of an electric heater would probably be somewhat less that a new fuel tank.  Not sure about operating costs, but I'm spending $1-2K/year (about $4/gallon) for fuel now and I don't think electricity would be anymore than that.  It takes about 6.5 kw to match the 22,000 btu/hr output of my current stove, if theoretical numbers hold up in the real world.  Thinking about the Fahrenheat UH-724, a 7.5 kw fan assisted ceiling suspended heater (http://www.marleymep.com/products/qmark/...iuh-series), but I'm wondering about reliability, how well it would heat my 800 square foot shop and if dust will cause problems with an electric heater.  Reading comments about them it sounds like they are more suitable as a space heater for occasional use rather than a reliable source of heat 24/7 without continual maintenance headaches.  I usually keep the shop at about 60°.

So what do you say?  Are there better alternatives?  I'd like to stick with what I know works or at least with something with a pretty good recommendation.  Would there be a way to safe guard against fuel leaks?

TIA!
Phil

[fredhargis]

I suppose LP isn't an option, or you would have considered it. But if I was paying $4/gallon for fuel oil, I'd be searching for an alternative. At 12¢/KWH, electric would compare favorably in cost to the oil. You would still have the disposal costs of the old equipment to consider, but it sure looks like the way I would go. If you haven't looked at LP (and if it's at all feasible), it would be way ahead in environmental safety and quite a bit cheaper (probably).

[chips ahoy]

Phil
I am in Nova Scotia and heat with electricity.I use a Steffes unit,one on the main floor and a smaller one in my basement shop.They re an ETS system,contain ceramic bricks which are energized in off peak hours.11 p.m to 7 a.m. and all weekends and holidays.try www.steffes.com for information.I have used it as my main heating for the past three years and am very happy with it. I think your electricity is cheaper than mine.

Mel

[daddo]

I always advise to look at the shop first. Tighten it up, insulate better and seal windows/doors and so on, then size the heat.

It's better to put the money into the shop than give it to the power company.

In my own house for example, I went from 140k btu's down to 40k btu's to heat it by insulating and fixing infiltration.

[fishhh4]

I have the equivalent Dayton . 5 kw version . It has been heating my garage for the last 6 years .  My shop is a thousand sq ft . Keeps it plenty warm if I want.
I put a thermostat on the wall for it. Blow it out occasionally . Pretty expensive .
Last winter I started to leave it at 45 to 50 , and I heat up and maintain with a Mr. Heater . 20 pounder sits on back of it .

I got two of them pretty cheap . One still in box . I stuck a little cyclone fan on top .
Thinking about getting my LP company to drop a 50 gallon behind my garage .

[Splinter Puller]

I heated my first shop with electric base boards and electric cove heaters.  (high mounted base boards but radiant instead of convection)  They worked fine... were quiet and had not fans blowing air.   I kept them clean by blowing them out with compressed air every few weeks.

[pprobus]

Phil,

Where are you at?  The reason I ask is that if you are about MD Latitude or south of there, a heat pump would be a better choice than pure electric heat.  On the cold days, you will still need pure electric, but with the high efficiency units, the HP part will heat when the outside temperature is in the low 30's.  But if you're north of Maryland, then a HP probably won't work well enough to bother getting one.

Paul

[Phil S.]

Thanks for the replies gents!  

Fred - I wish LP was an option.  There is a gas dealer here, but installation might be a problem.  I need to find out how big a tank would necessary.  Access to my place for a bigger truck like one for gas delivery is sketchy and not reliable during the winter (1/2 mile steep driveway with snow and ice).  I'd be looking at one delivery in the autumn to last the winter.  I'm too geezerly to move say a 100# cylinder out to my place by myself.  Would also need to get an estimate on installation cost and running a gas line from where a vehicle can get to, about 120' from the house.

Mel - that Steffes heater looks really interesting.  I checked their web site and the downside is their nearest dealer is in Whitehorse, a 4 hour ferry ride, a 130 mile drive north of Skagway and crossing an international border.  Not that that will stop me, but it sounds like this is a dealer installed piece of equipment.  I'll check with them and see if a DIY approach is possible.

Daddo - My house is built on pilings and my shop is under it.  I replaced the skirting with 2X4 walls, T-111 sheathing, vapor barrier, fiberglass insulation and sheet rock and added a floor instead of the dirt that was there.  There might be a bit I could do with some weather stripping, but I don't think I can gain much more efficiency.

fishbh4 - I looked at Dayton heaters.  They do make a 7.5 kw one.  It looks identical to the Fahrenheat heater I was looking at except for the Dayton sticker on the front and a 3X higher price tag.  They could both be made in the same Chinese factory.

Splinter puller - Our neighborhood just had new transformers installed by the local utility and new service run to each house.  The electrician working on that recommended against base board heaters for the shop.  I think he was looking at the difficulty of installation versus a suspended forced air heater, like the Fahrenheat.

Paul - I'm in SE Alaska.  I looked into heat pumps, but I think the weather here is too cold for them to be workable.  It's not as cold as it is inland, but temps in the teens aren't unusual.  Coldest I've seen here is about -5°.  I'm a bit leery of a heat source that works the worst when you need it the most.

Thanks again guys.  My head scratching continues.

[chips ahoy]

Phil
 I purchased my Steffes through the power company and it was installed by an electrician that I use and he does any warranty work if it is required.They are very popular in this area,I am not sure where the supplier is located,but can check.The one in my shop I set to low in the summer to keep the condensation down.works great.Any certified electrician can install them.

Phil did some checking and they are located in Dickenson ,North Dakota phone # 888-783-3337. Won't hurt to call.

Mel

[Phil S.]

Mel-

I sent an email to them and had a reply back in a couple of hours from a gal named Connie.  She recommended against using their stove in a shop, saying I'd have problems with wood dust settling on the bricks and creating soot and a tendency for the stove to accentuate odors from any solvents used.  She thought I'd need their largest size stove running about $2500 plus shipping.  Heck - I was already planning a road trip to Whitehorse to pick it up.  Seems like the exchange rate is pretty favorable now, but maybe the shipping between North Dakota and the Yukon will take care of that advantage.

Phil