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Shop Heaters?

RV7Factory

RV7Factory

Chief Obfuscation Officer
I have already noticed a slight chill in the shop late at night. In preparation for cooler weather, I am thinking of picking up some sort of shop heater for those chilly 40-degree nights here in Northern California :D ;) .

There are all sorts of choices, but since I have never owned one, I am not sure what is best for use in an enclosed shop. I am considering a tank-top propane infra-red heater, but most I see say for outdoor use only. Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
Biggest problem with infrared heaters is that they heat you instead of the air. Therefore you must be directly in front of it to be warmed. Better to have a heater with a fan for air circulation.
Mel...DAR
 
Avoid the kerosene heaters space heaters popular with contractors- they warm well, but have a tendency to smell. Electric or Propane are better but a little more expensive to run.

A statement of the obvious- unless the combustion fumes are piped outside (natural gas fireplace), keep several windows open for ventallation- most fuel-fed heaters give off CO2 and CO (carbon monoxide).
 
Another reason for proper ventilation is that fuel fed heaters burn oxygen. The more it burns, the less you have to breathe.
Mel...DAR
 
Shop Heater

To just take the cold edge off, I use a
Marvin overhead Quartz heater.
It heats what is in front of it and not the air.
The model # is 7260. There is also the 7060,
which doesn't have a light in it.
Northern Tool sells it on the web, as well as Lowes.
(Maybe Home Depot also.)
I use it in Ohio in an insulated unheated garage.
I usually run on low at 750 watts. High is 1500 watts.
Used it all of last winter.
It pulls about 12 amps at 120 volts ac on high. Cost is about $70.
The Marvin website is:

http://wbmarvin.com

Tom Webster
 
Brad,

Funny you post this. I stopped by HD on the way home to look at heaters and left more confused than I went in. There were many that said they could be used indoors, but I still am a little uncomfortable with that in my workshop/garage.

I like the electric ones. Seems easy. May have to buy one and see how much heat they put out.

Take care,

Jim
 
I used a kerosene heater the first winter. It stunk and ended up being too hot for my insulated garage. It would turn the wick down to the minimum recommended and it would still cook me out of there after half an hour. I switched to an electric space heater, which works much better. It cycles on and off by itself. However, I doubt it would keep up if it were really cold (<40) outside or a larger space like a hangar.

One more note. I was reading West System's info on their epoxy. They specifically mention not to use kerosene or propane heaters when the epoxy is curing--something about the chemicals from combustion interfering with the cure of the epoxy. I've never heard of that before, but it was in their literature.
 
I too am hoping to actually buy something this weekend as it is getting down right nippy here in Wisconsin. Most people I have talked with have recomended PROPANE heaters as ok to use in an ENCLOSED garage because they burn 100% pure. Is this for real?
 
Shop Heaters

First of all make sure your attic is insulated if it's a Garage. I blew in 25 bags of insulation from Menards with the Free rental of the Machine (20 Bags or more) Then I purchased an Electric overhead Heater (http://www.air-n-water.com/product/G73.html) like this one. Had it wired up from the Basement in a couple hours. No Gas pipes no fuss. Even in the North when it gets down below zero it has no problem keeping the Garage above 65 without a problem. INSULATE FIRST!
Richard Glick
RV7A
Slinger, WI
 
Um, insulation? Uh... that might be a problem. I live your typical 40 yr old California ranch home, with exposed roof beams, as in no ceiling, in the garage. Whatever I do has to be no-isulation-required solution. ;)

Will, it was 52 here last night, so I know what you mean when you say "nippy". I almost had to change out of my shorts and into pants. Ok, I will stop now. :)

No kerosene for me... too stinky, overhead looks cool but not sure about the lack of portability, so maybe just electric and maybe with a fan.

All good advise... thanks!
 
I live in North Georgia and used a multi-faceted approach to heat my garage in the winter...

1) I cut a vent into the conditioned air side of the HVAC system for my house, and made a cover that completely sealed the vent if I didn't need HVAC. I could heat or cool (depending on the season) by opening the vent.

2) I used an electric heater (on a dedicated circuit) to take the edge off on cooler nights.

3) I added a propane heater for two purposes: A) To warm the shop quickly after I got home on really cold nights. B) To keep the shop warm on really, really cold nights.

If you have a detached shop, I'd suggest an electric heater for moderately cool nights, and a propane heater for genuinely cool nights. Remember that forced air propane heaters have an annoyingly loud continuous roar...

KB
 
Here's an option. Talk to one of your larger heating and cooling vendors and ask him if he has any old, worn out furnaces that he's pulled out of a house. They usually keep a couple around. You can install one sitting up on blocks and drive it with either LP gas or fuel oil from a drum. A friend of mine heats his entire 45 X 50 hangar with one. (He actually uses Jet-A in it.) :eek:
 
I've got a solution for mild climate residents

RV7Factory said:
I have already noticed a slight chill in the shop late at night
Click to expand...

Come to Chicago for Christmas like I do. A small cheapy electric heater is all I need for the rest of the year in St. Louis after that. Geez, I wait all summer for the temps to get down to 52 at night.
 
Shop Heaters

Brad,
I started off with one of those single element round "mount on top of the propane tank" heaters... think it was called a "Mr. Heater" and used it for most of my project. After wearing it out, I upgraded to a similar tank mounted type with two square white porclean block deals with a stainless steel reflector hood, and it worked much better in my N. Cal garage similar to what you have mentioned. I tried a bunch of different types - electric, kerosene and was happiest with the propane tank mounted versions. I ended up with a total of 4 tanks to always have extra fuel on hand, the two burner deal does seem to go a long way on a tank, and heats the garage up nicely in a pretty short time, just always remember that it IS an ignition source and to always turn the thing off when breaking out the flammables!
Dale
Santa Rosa CA, RV6 flying two years...
 
I have an electric space heater similar to what Richard purchased. I also have a ceiling in the garage/shop with blown insulation above and I highly recommend both the insulation and the electric heater. Installation will require a 230 V, 30 A circuit, but it is well worth it.

The advantages are: quick recovery from low temperature when you enter the garage and start working; thermostatic control; no combustion by-products to dirty the air; the ability to leave the heat on overnight to allow paint, proseal, or fiberglass to cure without worry about fire from an external combustion heater; and you never run out of fuel.

I installed my heater 15 years ago and have always enjoyed having it. I live in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, so our temperatures are often cold enough in the winter to need heat in the shop.

Dave Cole
RV-7 wings
 
I just use a couple of countractor 500W halogen lights on a stand that I picked up from Home Depot. I can aim them to heat things up (like if I'm trying to cure something quickly) or aim them around for lights. They get pretty warm and keep me toasty down to about 60 degrees. Warm enough to work at any rate.

I dunno...it's kinda hokey and I don't recommend it as a heating solution but I need the light anyway and it seems to be working for me so far. Don't know what I'm going to do when winter comes along.

-John
 
i'm doing the exact same thing as kyle, but no propane heater. i do have a fully insulated garage including the ceiling (some parts in the ceiling are double insulated). the sealable vent and an electric space heater work well.
 
Go electric

The problem with propane, kerosene, etc. is they have an open flame and some of the chemicals and paints might just be explosive.

One of the guys I work with just bought a 2nd. one of these $49.99 Oil Heaters from Target and he swears by them. Apparently they use electricity to heat the oil and then the oil heats the air.

BTW, the contractor 500W halogen lights on a stand that John mentioned work great. Just don't put them close to anything flammable because they will.
 
Electric baseboard heaters here (in my small 12 x 20 shop).

They work better than I thought! I think one is a 3' and the other a 2'. They have calculators on the web to determine the heating capacity you need.
 
Last year I ran gas out to the garage and installed one of those unvented heaters. Worked to heat the garage just fine, and the fumes weren't bad. I even put a CO detector out there during a full day and it never gave any reading. The real problem is that all combustion produces moisture - which condensed wherever it touches a cold surface (a real problem in MN). My garage doors, walls, and more importantly, my tools would get real wet from all the humidity. Need to replace it with a vented heater before the cold sets in this year.
 
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