I used the 500 watt farenheat hanging electric heater very happy ,
leave on all time on low. Shop 24×14×9. Insulated . I considered propane but the coat of heater and tank would take long time to pay for itself.
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Heating The Shop
- Thread starter mcoak
- Start date
leave on all time on low. Shop 24×14×9. Insulated . I considered propane but the coat of heater and tank would take long time to pay for itself.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2013
- Messages
- 584
Hello Mitch 
I have a shop that is 26'x 36' with a 10'6" ceiling that I heat with electric baseboard heaters. My walls are R-20 and ceiling is R-40 insulated. My heaters will automatically come on at 5* celsius during the colder parts of the year and I have no problems with any machinery rusting, whatsoever. We have brutal winters up here, and I only use my shop on weekends as well... My electric bill goes from $90.00 a month in the summer, to around $160.00 in the winter... Oh, I must add, that my shop is below my living quarters and this cost is for heating my entire house...
Brian
I have a shop that is 26'x 36' with a 10'6" ceiling that I heat with electric baseboard heaters. My walls are R-20 and ceiling is R-40 insulated. My heaters will automatically come on at 5* celsius during the colder parts of the year and I have no problems with any machinery rusting, whatsoever. We have brutal winters up here, and I only use my shop on weekends as well... My electric bill goes from $90.00 a month in the summer, to around $160.00 in the winter... Oh, I must add, that my shop is below my living quarters and this cost is for heating my entire house...
Brian
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2015
- Messages
- 44
Thanks to everyone for their responses.
The shop walls will be R29 and the ceiling R42. My location is in the zone 5 area of West Virginia, the past few winters have been colder than usual. I am leaning toward a propane Modine Hot Dawg. If I were to use electric heat it would probably require a separate service to the garage. The power company quoted $2800 for that, if I dig the trench, build the transformer pad and run in the conduit.
The shop walls will be R29 and the ceiling R42. My location is in the zone 5 area of West Virginia, the past few winters have been colder than usual. I am leaning toward a propane Modine Hot Dawg. If I were to use electric heat it would probably require a separate service to the garage. The power company quoted $2800 for that, if I dig the trench, build the transformer pad and run in the conduit.
My shop is 25 x 50 and I originally installed a natural gas 40,000 BTU ceiling mounted heater. This worked well for winter heat in southern Ontario.
Our summers do get hot sometimes so I decided I needed something to cool off the shop.
I tried a window A/C unit but that was noisy and didn't work all that well.
I ended up getting a 18,000 BTU Ductless Heat Pump. $1200 on ebay. Installed it myself then paid licensed A/C guy $200 to charge it with gas and check it over. Extremely efficient. Maximum draw is 10 A @ 220 V. I use it summer and winter and never turn on the gas heat.
Our summers do get hot sometimes so I decided I needed something to cool off the shop.
I tried a window A/C unit but that was noisy and didn't work all that well.
I ended up getting a 18,000 BTU Ductless Heat Pump. $1200 on ebay. Installed it myself then paid licensed A/C guy $200 to charge it with gas and check it over. Extremely efficient. Maximum draw is 10 A @ 220 V. I use it summer and winter and never turn on the gas heat.
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2014
- Messages
- 349
My shop is 40x40 with 12' ceiling. I have one 20' propane fired infrared tube heater and that keeps the shop nice and warm all winter. I keep it at 50* when I'm not out there and crank it up to 68* when I'm working. I'll burn about 400 gallons for an average winter and I'm on the Jersey coast and it does get cold here.
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2014
- Messages
- 225
We're more concerned with cool here than heat, but I get a lot of mileage out of my Dayton G73 5kW heater. Even in cold - that's 20s here - I can warm 960 sq/ft to a workable temp in about an hour. It's mounted to the ceiling and swivels so I can point it where I need it. In the 12x24 work room, it'll keep that space in the 70s when set just below LO on the thermostat. The shop has an 8' ceiling and is R13 in all directions.
Hanging in front of the Hispanic Heritage Sliding Door.
I have a turbo propane heater that I just had to have (was on sale for $99) and I haven't used it once in 2 years. I also have a dual burner Mr. Heater that mounts on a 20~40lb cylinder - haven't used it since I insulated the building back in 2011.
If you go with propane, I'd look at a 45K BTU vented ceiling mount type unit.
Hanging in front of the Hispanic Heritage Sliding Door.
I have a turbo propane heater that I just had to have (was on sale for $99) and I haven't used it once in 2 years. I also have a dual burner Mr. Heater that mounts on a 20~40lb cylinder - haven't used it since I insulated the building back in 2011.
If you go with propane, I'd look at a 45K BTU vented ceiling mount type unit.
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2013
- Messages
- 5,083
In a space that small I would go with something like a 35k direct vent wall mount propane heater. They terminate directly behind the heater on the exterior wall and also provide make up air from the same location. Doesn't take up much space and fairly efficient. I ran an add in the wanted section of Craigs List and found a 500 gal. tank for $300. Mike
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2010
- Messages
- 1,602
I'm in the same boat Mitch, construction started, adding on 15x30 8ft high. The main shop is 35 x 50 with 16ft
ceiling. This was a bear to heat then this Jan. the oil fired furnace took dump. My boy installed a new one,
smaller with a tiny little Becket. Fuel tank is a standard 275 gal. This is like 4 to 1 (old furnace used 4
tanks to this one's 1 tank. Instant heat & and its left on 24 / 7. What can I say. I would not go electric
electric is killer round here. Propane our locals usually will supply the "pig" they call it to buy their
propane. But with oil deals can be found your choice. Electric and natural gas you are locked
in. But oil there were times we ran out usually in storms when the oil guys were out straight, and
we just would go to gas station for 5 gal of diesel. Back to the new shop, there will be a service door
into the main shop so the ceiling fan should blow some heat in the addition. This will be well insulated
so my Kerosun heater should do (uses 1 gal 3 days on low). The street enterance will have A/C
office, not needed here yet but will be there; when we get global warming. My boy should have
it all built this coming week. How in hell to move machines is the next feat. All these are 3-4-5 ton
heavy weights .
good luck sam
ceiling. This was a bear to heat then this Jan. the oil fired furnace took dump. My boy installed a new one,
smaller with a tiny little Becket. Fuel tank is a standard 275 gal. This is like 4 to 1 (old furnace used 4
tanks to this one's 1 tank. Instant heat & and its left on 24 / 7. What can I say. I would not go electric
electric is killer round here. Propane our locals usually will supply the "pig" they call it to buy their
propane. But with oil deals can be found your choice. Electric and natural gas you are locked
in. But oil there were times we ran out usually in storms when the oil guys were out straight, and
we just would go to gas station for 5 gal of diesel. Back to the new shop, there will be a service door
into the main shop so the ceiling fan should blow some heat in the addition. This will be well insulated
so my Kerosun heater should do (uses 1 gal 3 days on low). The street enterance will have A/C
office, not needed here yet but will be there; when we get global warming. My boy should have
it all built this coming week. How in hell to move machines is the next feat. All these are 3-4-5 ton
heavy weights .
good luck sam
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2015
- Messages
- 121
Living down south here, we don't get as cold as you guys up north. We do have particularly cold periods where I use a little 750 watt elect heater to keep the shop at 50-60 degrees- other times, the older 42" big screen TV at 600 watts puts off a lot of heat and (watching the tool man Taylor, DVD's and so on- or just listening) keeps the shop warm enough.