How do you heat your shop ?

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I just this week installed a Rennai hot air furnace. Its wall mounted and fueled by a propane tank outside the shop. When I built the house I put radiant everywhere, but when it came to the shop I was just so sick of stringing PEX pipe I could not face another thousand feet or so. I installed a baseboard heat loop, but it never was adequate, and was really wasting heat. The boiler is as far from the shop as possible.

So after 3 day experience I like the Rennai, but of course I have no guess yet as to fuel consumption.
 
I just got a heater set up in my shop it's 125000 btu on propane, now understand the whole shop is 35"x51" with 15" ceiling the problem I'm finding is it takes a long time to heat all that darn steel. The metal shop and the wood shop are 24"x17" in the back half the front is a 12000# two post car lift. At this point it's so cold here I don't spend a lot of time out there but Ive' set it at 55F to take off the chill and see if it stops the machines from sweating. I've found that if I close the metal shops doors it seems to stay about 60F which isn't to bad to work in. Before this I had a 10000 Btu kerosine blaster or we call them a salamander.

Todd
Hey Todd,
How ever do you manage with a fifteen inch high ceiling... :D:D:D
 
but I have a 90 something percent efficient furnace so not much waste heat is leaked into the basement; no ducts venting to the basement; high walls made of old stone and weak mortar letting in drafts likely. All adds up to pretty darn cold down there when it is hovering near zero (-17.7 C), which it has been doing a lot of this winter.

So, I have recently moved my shop to a smaller room with a door (same basement) in the hopes of getting some heat in there but haven't figured out how. I tapped the plenum on the furnace with a 3 inch duct, but with all the others at 6" that one doesn't do much; air, like electricity takes the path of least resistance I guess. I would have to chop a hole through a brick wall to get a 6 incher through and that idea doesn't thrill me somehow. One thought was a small fan on the 3" duct to help pull some more of that heated air through when the main furnace fan starts.

I do have a 1500W electric heater with a fan which will bring up the temperature while I'm down there but not instantly with all that cold iron and concrete and stone absorbing heat.

Paul
 
but I have a 90 something percent efficient furnace so not much waste heat is leaked into the basement; no ducts venting to the basement; high walls made of old stone and weak mortar letting in drafts likely. All adds up to pretty darn cold down there when it is hovering near zero (-17.7 C), which it has been doing a lot of this winter.

So, I have recently moved my shop to a smaller room with a door (same basement) in the hopes of getting some heat in there but haven't figured out how. I tapped the plenum on the furnace with a 3 inch duct, but with all the others at 6" that one doesn't do much; air, like electricity takes the path of least resistance I guess. I would have to chop a hole through a brick wall to get a 6 incher through and that idea doesn't thrill me somehow. One thought was a small fan on the 3" duct to help pull some more of that heated air through when the main furnace fan starts.

I do have a 1500W electric heater with a fan which will bring up the temperature while I'm down there but not instantly with all that cold iron and concrete and stone absorbing heat.

Paul

Paul,
If you take that 3" off the top of the supply plenum you'll get way more air flow.

HVAC Tech
Generator Tech
 
Hey Todd,
How ever do you manage with a fifteen inch high ceiling... :D:D:D

OPPS!

That's what I get for using the Ipad, pain in the butt auto corrects every thing I at times I miss it. How about 35' x 51' x 15' high with another 24' x 35' to park cars out of the sun. Bad part is it's still not big enough!!!

Todd
hide.gif
 
Paul,
If you take that 3" off the top of the supply plenum you'll get way more air flow.

HVAC Tech
Generator Tech

It is pulling from right up at the top but on a side panel. If you mean literally the top, I don't think I can get there. Low basement ceiling. I may remove a bit of brick and put a six incher through if I get back to it. Been busy with other stuff lately.

Paul (not from Oz)
 
I use an natural gas fired radiant heater (similar to what you would find in a hockey rink). Does an outstanding job, as it warms everything in the shop.


Sent from my iPhone using Model Engines
 
In floor radiant heat using a Takagi Jr tankless water heater fueled by propane. Leave the thermostat set at 55 and you can work in there with a t shirt on all day long.Shop is 32 x 40 with 10'-6" ceiling.Just wish I had the time to work in it all day long.
 
I don't, nature does it for me. Here is Southeast Texas the winters are "usually" mild. The problem for me is the Heat in the summer. My shop isn't insulated and I haven't installed the window a/c in the wall yet. So it is in the 90s for most of the summer. :(

Dennis L.
 
Heating really isn't a huge problem in Louisiana. I have a small propane heater that knocks off the chill. In the summer the heat kills. Today at 6am it is 80F with 90% humidity. The high today is expected to reach 95F. For cooling I am planning for an 8000 BTU AC unit. For now I have a home made solution. A 25" fan with fifty feet of 3/8" copper tubing. I circulate ice water through the tubing with a fountain pump. It really keeps the shop cool.

shop_fan_zps9b0f4e0a.jpg


Thanks,
"G"
 
ConductorX,
That sounds familiar when I was a kid my dad used to hook up the garden hose to an old car radiator, the outlet end to the downspout drain and run a fan behind it. Was probably 20 degrees F cooler than outside the garage. We didn't live in town I might add.
Art
 
Heating really isn't a huge problem in Louisiana. I have a small propane heater that knocks off the chill. In the summer the heat kills. Today at 6am it is 80F with 90% humidity. The high today is expected to reach 95F. For cooling I am planning for an 8000 BTU AC unit. For now I have a home made solution. A 25" fan with fifty feet of 3/8" copper tubing. I circulate ice water through the tubing with a fountain pump. It really keeps the shop cool.

shop_fan_zps9b0f4e0a.jpg


Thanks,
"G"


That is awesome.


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines
 

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