Shop heat

[m16ty]

I have a wood stove in my shop and I can build a good fire in it where you can work in your short sleeves in there in the winter. That is great when I'm going to be in there most of the day like the weekend but I'd like to go in there and work a couple hours during the evenings when I get home from work. The wood stove doesn't really work for that, by the time I get home and build a fire it will be bedtime before they wood stove heats everything up. I had a old forced air Ready heater that I ran off diesel that I would use to knock the chill off quicky in the shop, but it took a dump last year.

Other than leaving heat on in the shop all the time, I need some way to warm the shop quickly so I can work a few hours in the evenings. I was first thinking of just buying another forced air diesel heater, but while looking around on the web I came across natural gas forced air heaters. I do have natural gas at the shop. What does everybody think is the best, diesel, propane, or natural gas? I'll still use wood heat mainly, just need something to knock the chill off on the evenings I want to go out there and work for a few hours. Also, is there some heat setup people use that I don't know about that works better than any of the above mentioned?

The only real down side I see with natural gas is portability. I'd be tied to however long the hose is I use to go from the gas service to the heater.

 

[Mule Meat]

Dad had a 125k BTU Dyna-Glo forced air NG heater in his shop. Plumbed it without quick disconnects using a 50', 1/2" air hose so that he could move it around. Worked fine for many years without any problems.

 

[Tony in SD]

I’ve got a hanging LP forced air heater in my shop which also housed my Bobcat skid steer (for snow removal) and tractor with the standby PTO generator (for immediate starting when needed). I keep the shop around 45F all winter. It gets to comfortable shirt sleeve working temperature in no time when I turn the heat up. BTW I have no access to natural gas.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Back when I was working I had the same problem which usually meant nothing but emergency repairs got done when it was cold out during the week. Big double barrel stove and kerosene space heater. I had messed with home made devices to burn waste oil in the barrel stove and none were very reliable or safe. Finally 10 years ago I decided that I just needed to spend a bit of money on heating my 35x45 shop and bought a reconditioned Lanair waste oil burner. One of the smarter decisions I've ever made. Now I get work done in my shop instead of fooling with heaters and then standing beside them to warm up. Thermostat stays at 64 24/7. The furnace has been 99% reliable over the years and requires a small amount of cleaning. Supply of oil has gotten to the point that I can't burn it all thus I can be very particular about what I let people bring me and turn away a good bit of I have to very far to pick it up.

 

[circus]

You've got natural gas! Get a used gas house furnace with a cheap box fan near the ceiling to stir things up. That what I use in Wisconsin, keeping in mind, my 30x48' shop is easier to heat than my house. Ready heaters running on diesel are awful.

 

[JOCCO]

Got rid of wood years ago, went to propane.

 

[timcasbolt]

You've got natural gas! Get a used gas house furnace with a cheap box fan near the ceiling to stir things up. That what I use in Wisconsin, keeping in mind, my 30x48' shop is easier to heat than my house. Ready heaters running on diesel are awful.

This sounds like the best idea so far.

 

[Dusty MI]

Tube type radiant heater.

 

[joeysmith]

Tube type radiant heater.

This will be your fastest heat
That said they make me nauseous if I work under them to long

Haven't heard many others complain about that so im probably an oddball

 

[showcrop]

I have a non-vented catalytic heater hanging on the wall. I Keep it at 55 degrees and kick it up to 60 when I go in and it takes just a few minutes for it to heat up. You could run one on natural gas as well. I don't know why you couldn't plumb your natural gas to wherever you want the heater. These units uses so little gas that it is affordable to leave it on. Mine runs me $500.00 for the winter here in NH.

 

[Texasmark]

I have a wood stove in my shop and I can build a good fire in it where you can work in your short sleeves in there in the winter. That is great when I'm going to be in there most of the day like the weekend but I'd like to go in there and work a couple hours during the evenings when I get home from work. The wood stove doesn't really work for that, by the time I get home and build a fire it will be bedtime before they wood stove heats everything up. I had a old forced air Ready heater that I ran off diesel that I would use to knock the chill off quicky in the shop, but it took a dump last year.

Other than leaving heat on in the shop all the time, I need some way to warm the shop quickly so I can work a few hours in the evenings. I was first thinking of just buying another forced air diesel heater, but while looking around on the web I came across natural gas forced air heaters. I do have natural gas at the shop. What does everybody think is the best, diesel, propane, or natural gas? I'll still use wood heat mainly, just need something to knock the chill off on the evenings I want to go out there and work for a few hours. Also, is there some heat setup people use that I don't know about that works better than any of the above mentioned?

The only real down side I see with natural gas is portability. I'd be tied to however long the hose is I use to go from the gas service to the heater.

I use a 20# bottle of Propane with a burner on the top. Easy to move the heater around with one hand on one of the built in brackets. Heat is directed at you, most reliable form of heat in an unheated building I can think of....can't imagine the cost of trying to heat my whole shop.

 

[Dusty MI]

I have an L.P. 4 inch tube radiant in my shop, it has an aluminum reflector above it.

 

[moresmoke]

You've got natural gas! Get a used gas house furnace with a cheap box fan near the ceiling to stir things up. That what I use in Wisconsin, keeping in mind, my 30x48' shop is easier to heat than my house. Ready heaters running on diesel are awful.

Depending where the OP is, used hanging unit heaters may be cheap as well. Something oversized out of a commercial building can heat the air to comfortable pretty quick.

 

[Davidj]

I use oil myself. Picked up the furnace and chimney for a couple hunnerd bucks. It's on a thermostat kept at 50. I crank it up to 70 or so when I'm out there. 18x 24 foot takes about 100-125 gallons a year to heat. If the furnace craps out, good used ones are readily available around here.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

In general there is not any more economical way to heat anything other than good old, reliable and inexpensive natural gas.

 

[Eman85]

I had a wood stove in my shop, I spent more time starting a fire, keeping a fire, carrying wood and cleaning out ashes then it was worth. Like you took too long to get useable heat quickly. I put an overhead gas heater in with a blower, had propane to start and then when they ran natural gas had it converted, and never looked back. My shop stays 40* as I just turn the heat down when I leave the shop and doesn't take long to get comfortable to work in shirt sleeves. My tools don't hurt my hands from the cold and my chemicals don't freeze. I like it being overhead and not taking up floor space, I've worked with the overhead heaters and my neck was warm and my feet would freeze. A home unit would work if you raised it up and ran some duct work. I have ceiling fans that I run on slow speed to push the heat back down.
Last year we put a home cabinet on the wall with the AC split unit from my home so now I have AC in the shop also.

 

[Blackhole49]

Tube type radiant heater.

If your space is insulated, with natural gas, I highly recommend a radiant tube heater. I keep my 24x40x9 barn at 45 in the winter and turn it up to 55 when I'm in there. Heater runs for about 20 minutes to get to 55 and will only run 3 or 4 times in the next 8 hrs to stay there.

 

[m16ty]

My shop is 48x30 insulated. I’m also in middle TN so I don’t deal with the cold as bad as some of y’all do. Still though, us southerners can’t take the cold northern folks can.
Just can’t hardly stand working with a coat on, I like to be comfortable with just long sleeves on.

We’ve got the radiant tube heaters at a warehouse I own, they seem to work ok. Main reason I was wanting a portable forced air is I could move and aim it exactly where I’m working. I like the idea of just keeping some heat on all the time at around 50 when I’m not there, but it just seems wasteful to me to have heat on when I’m not there. Sometimes it may go 2-3 days or more that I’m not able to work in the shop.

 

[circus]

I’m also in middle TN ... can’t hardly stand working with a coat on, I like to be comfortable with just long sleeves on.

Personally I prefer working at 55°or so, only cranking up the heat when the work requires. Paint etc.
A cold blooded friend owns a battery powered sweatshirt and wool socks.

 

[Fawteen]

Keeping the heat on all the time obviously costs more, but consider that temperature swings cause condensation and condensation causes rust. Plus tools and slab cold soak and it takes longer to get the space up to temperature.

I heat my shop with oil and forced hot air and it's set at 50 at the thermostat which is, according to my thermometer, 52-53 at the tool box. I might go a week or more without using the shop, but when I do it's walk in and go to work. Worth every penny to me and have had ZERO rust issues since putting in the furnace.