Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 22

Thread: Ahhhh...heat in the shop....

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Charlotte, Michigan
    Posts
    1,218

    Ahhhh...heat in the shop....

    I've always had to use those smelly kerosene Reddy heaters to keep my shop warm in the winter......not so now. I went down to the local Tractor Supply store and bought a propane fired radiant heat source a few days ago. My shop is 32 x 48 but sectioned to a 32 x 32 pretty well insulated area. The heater puts out 28,000 btu's which seems fine for the size I'm heating.

    It sure is nice to go out in a warm shop now that doesn't stink of kerosene fumes.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Water Park Capital of the World
    Posts
    2,219
    So when should I expect mine and how did you ship it?

    Good score. A similar heater will have to be on my short list before next winter I guess.

    Oh, I see you changed your avatar, though I can't see much difference.

    Karl
    Creeker Visits. They're the best.

  3. #3
    Love my wood heat!!


    Glad you are comfy now Steve. Sure is nice to have a warm shop.


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    66,001
    Someday I'll have something like that in the shop...enjoy!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    steve, what insurance carrier are you using? mine said they`d drop me if i even mentioned wood heat. tod

  6. #6
    One of the byproducts of burning propane is water. Watch the humidity and rust on the machines.

    I head with a vented propane heater and you bet the shop is warm. congrats on getting some heat!!

    I also backup my propane with wood. I have a 55 gal barrel stove outside of the shop and a metal box around it. I have a 8" hole cut in the top of the box and 8" duct work going into the shop. I installed a 8" duct booster fan in the duct and it draws air from around the box and pulls it into the shop. When I am burning scraps my propane does not come one once! Great savings and the fire is outside! Yes I do have to go outside to feed it now and then.

    Next revision will be to blow inside air into the box and then push heated air back into the shop but this is a test run for this year. So far, it works great!

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans
    steve, what insurance carrier are you using? mine said they`d drop me if i even mentioned wood heat. tod
    No insurance Tod. It's all paid for.
    Yea I know. It's a risk, but paying out 4-500.00 a month on shop insurance, I can live without it.
    My wood heat is inside.
    Have you considered a outside wood heater? Most insurance companies will insure if wood heat is outside, away from the structure.
    Steve


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Charlotte, Michigan
    Posts
    1,218
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Clardy
    No insurance Tod. It's all paid for.
    Yea I know. It's a risk, but paying out 4-500.00 a month on shop insurance, I can live without it.
    My wood heat is inside.
    Have you considered a outside wood heater? Most insurance companies will insure if wood heat is outside, away from the structure.
    Steve
    Ooppss....sorry wrong Steve, thought the question was directed at me....

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Charlotte, Michigan
    Posts
    1,218
    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Laustrup

    Oh, I see you changed your avatar, though I can't see much difference.

    Karl
    Karl, Yeah winters are hard on me....

    Tod, it isn't wood heat it is propane like the one in the attachment, only I have a 100 lb. tank (Thanks to SMC member Keith July).

    Ed, Thanks for the advice, I'll keep an eye out for that dreaded four letter word (rust)

    I just came in from planing a stack of Ash lumber for window casing......nice to work in a T shirt when the white stuff is coming down outside the window.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. Steve, Congrats on the heat. I can remember as a kid, having numb fingers and toes carrying in coal and wood, working on the the car trying to make it run, and swore I would have a heated garage when I grew up. Well I haven't grown up, but I do have that heated garage and workshop, and man do I appreciate it! Again, Congratulations. Bill

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    3,789
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Ash
    Karl, Yeah winters are hard on me....
    ...
    It is propane like the one in the attachment, only I have a 100 lb. tank
    ...
    Steve, I also have a propane heater of about 30,000 BTU and I think that you will find the 100 pound tank doesn't last long. My tank is 450 pounds and that is a lot better (I started with two 60 pound tanks).

    My propane heater is only used to make sure the heat never goes below 10 degrees (Celcius). I warm the shop to temperatures above that using the wood stove.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pellow
    My propane heater is only used to make sure the heat never goes below 10 degrees (Celcius). I warm the shop to temperatures above that using the wood stove.

    Thinking out loud...
    hmmmm ((10/5)x9)+32=50.... now I understand...

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Pacific, Mo.
    Posts
    2,835
    Steve, with the temp flux.-5 to 50, do you get any moisture on your tools??

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Charlotte, Michigan
    Posts
    1,218
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Dunn
    Steve, with the temp flux.-5 to 50, do you get any moisture on your tools??
    Jim, that fluctuation was just the first time I used it to get the shop warmed up. No I haven't noticed any moisture on my tools (3 days)...but I did take John's advice and turned on a squirrel cage fan I have in the shop tonight.

    I turned the heat off the last couple of nights and the shop is still pleasant in the morning when I restart the heater.

  15. The propane will put out about 1.5 gallons of moisture into the air for every 100,000 btu you burn ... so that's 3 - 4 hours of usage. Your air is probably dry to begin with, so over that period of time it probably is dissipating well.

    The burner has an oxygen depletion sensor on it, right? If you bought it new it would have (they are required).

Similar Threads

  1. Shop Tour #2: The Kindt Collins 2SP Spindle Sander.
    By Dev Emch in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 03-11-2013, 1:13 PM
  2. Building My Basement Shop
    By JayStPeter in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 31
    Last Post: 08-19-2007, 9:40 PM
  3. Tour of my small shop (PICS)
    By Bob Noles in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 57
    Last Post: 05-03-2006, 7:05 PM
  4. Shop Tour #1: Le-ca-getty Central. The Power House
    By Dev Emch in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 10-01-2005, 11:19 PM
  5. Well, since everybody else is working on their shop...PICS....
    By Terry Hatfield in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 07-19-2004, 12:14 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •