What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

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AdminJeff
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What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by AdminJeff » Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:31 pm

I don’t think this is off topic as without toil, upgrades and maintenance during winter months, our most prized possession wouldn’t be ready to tour all year... however. I Almost passed out today in my shop and I think my heater was the cause.

Granted, I live in CA and not on the east coast so go ahead, call me names related to felines, but it was 25 F inside the shop at 11am. I checked the weather in Boise ID which is close to where I want to retire, and it was warmer there than here. Granted, it’s supposed to be 14 there later this week but I want to hear from others on how you all heat your shops. I started rebuilding my drive assy on my “new” South Bend lathe today and my fingers were freezing, so no bueno. So I fired up the heater, got it warm and continued.

I have a construction quality propane indoor/outdoor floor heater that has a pretty good sized burner and I have a CO detector that always registers 0 until I start my car in the shop, and even with the doors open it always goes wild. But I got NO warning this AM and the detector remained at 0 but I got light headed and figured it was the heater so I opened all the doors and stopped working. Im WELL aware of the dangers of CO, and always have detectors and well vented spaces. I’m also not crazy about an open flame heater either, even if it is rated for indoors. Forced air is out of the question. As is a wood stove. I’m not going to be here long enough to justify installing either. So... what do you frozen diehards use on the east coast? My shop is 30x60 and 15’ tall so it’s not a small space.

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by AndyClary » Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:37 pm

My shop is about a thousand square feet. It is very well insulated and I heat it with a natural gas reznor ceiling mount heater. 4500 feet would require 2 fair sized units. I believe you can get them in propane.

Andy

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Henry K. Lee » Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:38 pm

Jeff,

You might want to section off an area to better manage the conditions needed to work comfortably. That size shop is a killer to control, been there done that. When I had my large shop in Montana it had propane ceiling mounted radiant heaters. I now use and electric heat pump and a wood stove if no flammables are open. Sure is a savings.

All the Best,

Hank

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Mark Gregush » Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:57 pm

It was 26 in the AM and my shop never really gets any sun till all most sunset in the winter, nor do I have heat so didn't do much other then walk in look and go back outside were it was warmer. :lol: All that iron sure holds the cold good!
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by CudaMan » Fri Nov 29, 2019 9:04 pm

Mark Strange
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Scott C. » Fri Nov 29, 2019 9:13 pm

I use a high efficiency natural gas forced air furnace. I have it mounted up on a wall on it's side with a cold air inlet box, with filters, on one side and a warm air outlet, box with vents, in the other side. I keep it set at 60 degrees all the time. It does not cost much to run, as I have my barn well insulated and it is smaller than yours. If you are against using forced air, then go with radiant as Hank suggests. They are pretty efficient because they do not heat the air. They heat up all the objects and mass in the building.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Les Schubert » Fri Nov 29, 2019 9:40 pm

I heat 6,000 sq ft using natural gas fired hot glycol in floor heat. The boiler is not located in the shop to eliminate any risk of CO of from gasoline leaks from cars
I guess it costs me about $150.00 per month in the winter. I only heat to about 50degrees F or so and wear a warm jacket in the winter. This morning it was about-8 F outside here

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Jeff Perkins » Fri Nov 29, 2019 9:47 pm

I have an 800 sq. ft. shop insulated well with a natural gas forced air furnace hung from the ceiling. A ceiling fan helps circulate the warm air and drive it down to the (cold) cement floor. I keep the thermostat at 45 F. all night and put it at 60 F. for daytime use. A comfortable place to work on the cars during the long Minnesota winter.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Hippie » Fri Nov 29, 2019 11:09 pm

I have a smaller garage only 600 square feet, I have 4” of ridgid styrofoam under my concrete Floor with water lines ran 12”on center, poured in the concrete. Their is an on demand boiler running a glycol/water mix through the lines. It’s an amazing way to heat the garage, the concrete holds the heat well, I just have a bathroom fan running to remove the gas fumes (seems to work ok)I’m not sure if I’ll do it again as it wasn’t cheap, but nice. I live in Edmonton so it can get fairly cold in winter. It obviously wouldn’t work for your large shop as you already have the floor poured, but it is a nice heat.

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by AdminJeff » Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:04 am

Hippie wrote:
Fri Nov 29, 2019 11:09 pm
I have a smaller garage only 600 square feet, I have 4” of ridgid styrofoam under my concrete Floor with water lines ran 12”on center, poured in the concrete. Their is an on demand boiler running a glycol/water mix through the lines. It’s an amazing way to heat the garage, the concrete holds the heat well, I just have a bathroom fan running to remove the gas fumes (seems to work ok)I’m not sure if I’ll do it again as it wasn’t cheap, but nice. I live in Edmonton so it can get fairly cold in winter. It obviously wouldn’t work for your large shop as you already have the floor poured, but it is a nice heat.
Brilliant. I think you and Les win! If I ever have to pour another garage/shop floor, this is the hot ticket.

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Ken Buhler » Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:19 am

Like Les, I have a glycol in floor gas fired heat system. My shop is seriously insulated. I can work in a shirt and it has no cold corners. If I open the door for a while, the heat is recovered quickly afterward because everything is at temperature. Radiant floor heat saves money.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by TRDxB2 » Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:24 am

You CO detector should be 4-5 feet off the floor. Most CO & smoke alarms have a lifespan of 7 to 10 years and if not hard wired, replace the batteries every year. A detector with a lithium battery or a hard-wired smoke detector can last 10 years, at which time you would just replace the whole unit. So you need to check your manufactures product. Periodically (as when replacing the batteries) vacuum the inside of the detectors to remove dirt, dust, and debris, which can interfere with the working components.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Ken Buhler » Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:39 am

TRDxB2 wrote:
Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:24 am
You CO detector should be 4-5 feet off the floor. Most CO & smoke alarms have a lifespan of 7 to 10 years and if not hard wired, replace the batteries every year. A detector with a lithium battery or a hard-wired smoke detector can last 10 years, at which time you would just replace the whole unit. So you need to check your manufactures product. Periodically (as when replacing the batteries) vacuum the inside of the detectors to remove dirt, dust, and debris, which can interfere with the working components.
As in my case, if your heat source is not in the subject area, none of this applies. Otherwise, these safety factors should not be taken lightly or ignored.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by aDave » Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:18 am

Jeff,
As has been said...section off a smaller area...as small as you can comfortably fit a vehicle to work on, the tools and workbench. You may move?...no problem...section it off with clear plastic if you wish. Install a propane fired Rinnai (or equivalent)
https://www.totalhomesupply.com/p/rinna ... b7EALw_wcB
wall heater, and either sell it or take it with you when you move.
Can't imagine trying to heat economically a 30' X 60' X 15' area for one person to work on a T in his/her spare time!
In floor heating - with the "new" plastic piping is a great idea - for the next place! ...or, when you move, go south where you won;t need artificial heat! ;)

Stay warm...we Forum readers need your fingers to work efficiently to remove those nasty spammers !! :shock:


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by tdump » Sat Nov 30, 2019 9:05 am

We don't have central heat in our house .We use base board electric.In my shop I use a wood stove until recently I was given 1 of those noisy rocket things that I have fired to get it warm quick then turn it off and let the wood heat maintain.
BUT the house next door was recently remodeled and had a central air unit installed.The base board heaters were all leaning against a tree to be hauled off. Well,they are stored here now in a shed and when I get time, ;) I plan to install 2 of them in the shop.
Now everyone thinks I am nuts."Oh your electric bill must be sky high.". Yes,during the winter months our electric bill is about 125 to 175 dollar higher for about 4 months.
But you know what? Since 1971,No one has ever had to come out and repair the base board heat.I did replace a thermostat because I thought it was sticking but it wasn't. In other words,NO maintance at all other than blow dust out of them before you turn them on after the summer.The money saved from having to call hvac techs out twice or 3 times a year alone covers the extra electric and we stay warm,with no noise.No propane truck sneeking in while you are gone to send a big bill,no oil tank.
.So the shop is getting some base board heaters in case I can't cut wood or if I will not be in it for a few days to keep it about 50.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Rich Eagle » Sat Nov 30, 2019 11:15 am

A small oil heater warms my shop in the Fall and Spring. However I plan my projects so I can work in the basement during the colder months. I have build 4 Model T bodies and 1 Buick there. Disassembling them in the Spring and reassembling them in the garage works. I take them apart to treat the wood anyway. There are always small pieces to work on where it is warm. I have walled off smaller sections at times to conserve heat in the garage when necessary but not often.
When did I do that?

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Steve Jelf » Sat Nov 30, 2019 11:39 am

My shop is 22' x 38' with a 9' ceiling. I heat it with a Mr. Heater Big Maxx ceiling mounted gas heater. That's way above any potential gasoline fumes, which are heavier than air and go to the floor. I am a cold weather sissy, so my thermostat is set at 68º F. My office/storage room above the shop is also 22' x 38', and has an 8' 4" ceiling. Warm air coming up the stairwell keeps it about as warm as the shop downstairs.The building is well insulated but has single pane windows.

IMG_2570 copy 2.JPG
img093.jpg
My most expensive gas bill last winter was for January 17-February 15, when I used 17.2 MCF and paid $139.86. My only other gas usage is for the water heater in the house, which is about $25 a month, so I figure my winter spending for shop heat is about $100 to $115 a month.

If I ever build a new shop I'll go with pipes-in-the-floor heat.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by CudaMan » Sat Nov 30, 2019 11:41 am

I got a PM asking specifically which electric heater I have. I have a well insulated 3 car garage. I insulated my metal garage door with pop-in foam panels from Texas Garages.

The heater I have is a Fahrenheat FUH 724. It is rated at 25,598 BTU. It draws 7500 Watts at 240 volts. I bought it from Northern Tool, but many other vendors carry it:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fahrenheat- ... /202043070

I usually keep it turned down so that the garage temp is 50-60 deg F, but I can turn it up to shirtsleeve temps when I'm spending a lot of time in the garage.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by rickg » Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:38 pm

You need one square inch of free area of outside air for each 1000 btuh of input, you should also have a vented system if possible, I use a 18000 btuh infrared vent free radiant heater with a fan it keeps my oversize two car garage as warm as I need it, it is mounted 6.5 ft above the floor, it has an oxygen depletion sensor so that if the oxygen level drops below 20% it shuts off the pilot,it generates little to no carbon monoxide which is a combustible gas so it burns up. 47 years of heating and air cond experience.

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Dave Frost » Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:49 pm

Wood burning stove is what I use in my 30x30 barn work space. Have 4 acres of woods and always have had enough wood to use for the limited time I spend there. Can get it up to around 50 on a cold day. But, I'm from Indiana and like cold weather for working.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by dmdeaton » Sat Nov 30, 2019 8:33 pm

+1 on the wood burner. I have a furnace addon and it works great. I don't think you want to be burning wood in your state?


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Hippie » Sat Nov 30, 2019 8:59 pm

Mack I also have a little old garage with a cracked up concrete floor, I strapped the floor with 2x4’s and 2x12’ where the car tires drive, put 1 1/2” ridgid insulation in between and sheeted the floor with 5/8” tongue and groove plywood, insulated the 2x4 walls and the roof, I heat that with 3 electrical baseboard heaters, it’s a great warm little shop to work in. I did that cause it was easy and cheap, a little expensive to run, but I turn the heat down when I’m not in there. The electric heaters warm it up quickly. One thing is having good insulation makes a world of difference.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Burger in Spokane » Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:19 pm

The shop is 30 x 70, but cut in halves of 30 x 35. The rear half has a 2nd floor over one half,
with the roof rafters being the ceiling in the other half. The roof rakes from 16' to 26' in that
area (everywhere else, they are 10').

At present, I do not heat the rear half, ground level, or any of the 2nd floor, that covers all
of the front 35' and half of the rear 35'. What I do heat is the ground level front 35', which I
use a wood stove in. It keeps the, as yet uninsulated building comfortable for sweatshirt work
down to about 25ºf. Temps below that tend to get a little cold in the far corners and require
a jacket. Kind of like Rich, I tend to do work during the really cold stretches closer to the heat
source. Once insulated, I expect the woodstove to cook me out. Frankly, I am surprised at how
well that woodstove kicks out the heat.
More people are doing it today than ever before !

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by kelly mt » Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:21 pm

I use a 250,000 btu Modine propane heater and wood. I use the propane heater to take the edge off in the morning then wood. I use a mobile home size propane unit to keep my machine shop at 40* which is a good working temp. The coldest I've seen in the shop is +2*, that was a bit to cold to work in.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Peter, Memphis TN » Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:42 pm

I'm a lot more concerned by your "almost passed out" comment than the actual temperature of the shop. It sounds like your heater may have used up enough of the Oxygen to put you in a dangerous situation. This is serious business.

It goes without saying that the combustion products of any heater should be vented to the outside of the building.

Even though your heater may be efficient enough to put out little enough CO that it doesn't trigger your CO detector, it's still burning Oxygen to produce the flame. I don't know of any available home-use detector that will tell you when that becomes dangerous, except a canary in a cage, like they used in mines.

If venting the heater to the outside won't work because of its construction, then you should provide a fresh-air inlet and an exhaust fan, situated so they sweep air across the room. I know that's COLD air your sucking in, and it seems to be counter-productive, but to put it simply, you need the Oxygen more than you need the heat. One's for comfort, the other sustains your life..

If you vent this or another heater to the outside, don't forget to add the fresh-air inlet, situated so the combustion products can't simply turn around and come back in. Generally that means the other side of the building.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Peter, Memphis TN » Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:44 pm

Sorry, I meant to specify any heater that burns fuel -- not electric heaters.

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by HalSched » Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:56 pm

Here's the heater of my shop after it has completed it's work:
IMG_1983.jpeg
IMG_1983.jpeg (64.59 KiB) Viewed 12364 times

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by AdminJeff » Sat Nov 30, 2019 11:12 pm

This has become a hot topic for sure. Such great info!

There are as many approaches to heating a shop as there are folks in this hobby. The O2 depletion theory makes sense. I'm sure that's what I experienced with my "indoor" propane construction heater, and for the last time. I have a new radiant heater coming from Amazon next week. Damn it was cold in the shop today but I did manage to get the gearbox on the '43 South Bend lathe completely rebuilt and put back together. The rebuild of the 100 year old Ooga horn will just have to wait until my fingers can be warm enough to where they function...

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by DickC » Sun Dec 01, 2019 7:18 am

Granted I live in the "South" but temps frequently hover in the mid twenties to mid thirties. My shop/barn is 30 X 40 divided with a wall to create a wood working carpenter shop 16 X 30 and car shop/storage 26 X 30. I have a floor/ceiling over the wood shop and the entire metal building is heavily insulated. I have a 4' wide door from the wood shop to the car barn with a heavy curtain (split plastic panels) on the door opening. All that said, I have installed a split system heat pump (2 ton) high up on the outside wall of the wood shop. I only turn the heat pump on when I am working in the shop and it takes but 15 to 20 minutes to bring the temp to a working level of 65 degrees. Because of the insulation, the wood shop has never gotten below 40 degrees and the car shop hovers in the 30's. I was afraid to use open flame heating in the shop because of dust. I used a propane heater one time and saw saw dust sparks. Shut is down quickly. If I was able to see saw dust sparks, what would happen if I were to be working with gas from one of my cars? I hardly notice the extra cost and the heat pump unit (self installed) cost about $1200. Best investment I have made in a long time.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Mountainrider » Sun Dec 01, 2019 8:15 am

If your garage is airtight your heater might have been using up your O2 and still have kept your CO2 levels low enough not to set off the alarm. I use ceiling mount Modine Hotdog with a sealed combustion chamber.

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AndyClary
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by AndyClary » Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:32 am

But Jeff, that's why we pay extra to live here. Wait a week and the weather will change.

Andy

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by AdminJeff » Mon Dec 02, 2019 6:30 pm

AndyClary wrote:
Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:32 am
But Jeff, that's why we pay extra to live here. Wait a week and the weather will change.

Andy
I'm sick of paying that "extra" to live here... I'm certainly not getting my money's worth!

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Burger in Spokane » Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:08 pm

Look, Jeff .... it's either you, or a lot of your neighbors that keep electing those morons ! :roll:
More people are doing it today than ever before !


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Dennis_Brown » Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:05 pm

I open the garage doors , turn on a box fan and try to blow some warm air to those freezing up north. When I was much younger we had no means of heating our detached garage in SD but to open the door and let the morning sun shine in if it was out. My problem is heat and humidity in the summer.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Hippie » Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:48 pm

It must be working, it’s above the freezing mark today, and that’s good for Alberta


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Graybeard77 » Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:41 am

I work outside year round. I keep my driver in the trailer and so far it starts down to 15 pretty easy. We have good weather here most of the time. Nice about being retired now I can work when I want to. The ole saying here in Missouri is “wait a couple of hours the weather will change”. Have a good day. Clyde


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Banjoe » Tue Dec 03, 2019 9:15 am

In floor heating is the way to go but a huge retrofit cost. Wait until the move to Boise to invest that level of energy.

For now, you are heating a huge volume when trying to work in a small space. If you can partition this off, it will make an impressive change in heating demand. A simple tarp can be effective for this task and the better sealed and insulated, the better off the heat containment.

Non-vented combustion heaters will always present a danger so I can't recommend one for a workshop while working in it.

Radiant heaters perform exceptionally well as they heat only the surfaces that they can "see" and not the entire shop. If you can vent a propane radiant heater outdoors you will have a winner. The electric models are cheaper and are less complicated but the electrical costs in California are jaw dropping.

A combination of systems could work for you if you want to go through a lot of effort before getting to do some fun work. Partition your workspace off, preheat everything with your direct fired propane heater, have a coffee, when floors, walls, tools, and machinery have been warmed nicely, shut off the propane heater, vent the space of all fumes until your CO detector relaxes, shut everything up tightly, and then fire up an electric radiant heater to keep things comfy while working.

The good news here is that you can plan ahead for your Boise workshop and be ready to handle any weather conditions there.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Tiger Tim » Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:06 pm

My new (to me) shop has an oil-fired forced air furnace that can warm about a thousand square feet up like nobody’s business. Well, until it quit yesterday. Hopefully I just ran the oil tank dry, gotta get out back and check.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Burger in Spokane » Wed Dec 04, 2019 2:26 am

I moved about a cord of wood into the shop and neatly stacked it on the bed of the TT
tonight. Supposed to get a freezing rain tomorrow and doing that chore in that weather
would not be near so fun ..... :roll:

This will ensure it is nice and dry. Been having a fire a lot lately, doing a front end tear
down and an engine rebuild. It is quite pleasant out there. Pretty much my second all-
time favorite place to be. 👍
More people are doing it today than ever before !


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by John Illinois » Wed Dec 04, 2019 8:50 am

I have had this shop and propane heater for about 30 years. It was first a small engine shop to supplement my farming income.
Now it holds 3 hobby cars and 1 driver. Several years ago I updated the insulation to 4” foam. I have a program thermostat and keep it 45* at night and 68* day during winter.
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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Piewagon » Wed Dec 04, 2019 9:39 am

I have a "T stall" where I work on my T's. I bought a surplus "in the wall" furnace made by Williams which was new but dented on the side where it would never show. It uses natural gas and is a "counterflow" furnace pulling air from above and exhausting it down at the floor. No ducting at all required. It comes with a wall thermostat that controls its output and I only bring it up to work temperatures when I am out there and otherwise is doesn't turn on. It vents directly through the wall since it is mounted in an outside wall cavity. It measures 14-3/8 wide and about 6 or 7 feet top to bottom so it slips between studs. I also installed the same item in my son's 2 car garage so he could work on his cars. They come in various BTU amounts and both units have been trouble free. These are a bit pricey if purchased new from Grainger but shop around and you can find them new at less than half the retail price. Can't remember what I paid but it wasn't too much money. It was easy to install and hook up. They don't cost you any shop space and are up off the floor which helps at cleaning time.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Loftfield » Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:14 am

I try to sequester the work area of my shop from the car storage area. Not only does this approach save $$$$ for heating, but I have found that heating the car storage area results in shrinkage of wooden parts, especially wheel spokes, as heated air is dry air. From the mountains of western North Carolina where winters are short (Jan-Feb) but temps can get down to single digits F.

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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by DanTreace » Fri Dec 06, 2019 9:31 am

Garage too is separated with storage and work/storage.

Since weather is mostly hot in summer, the little split system heat pump cools the 30 x 24 work area that is fully insulated with insulated overhead doors just great. When the cold sets in the heat pump is so nice ;) Actually use it more than the A/C.

IeNztrcLSCKZTwpu6s4+jg.jpg

Now since last night was chilly, the shop is cold from overnight, just have to open the doors and let in the warm today air, expecting 71 degrees by noon :lol:

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HEAT PUMP

Post by Novice » Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:07 pm

Most Heat Pumps use outside air heat exchangers and stop working when the temp gets close to 40 degrees . and switch over to a resistance heating element. A water source heat pump that uses a loop of pipe buried under the ground or well water is most efficient and will work year round. even up North. I have a Frigidaire Window A/C heat pump work great gets up to 86 degrees but heat output drops rapidly when it get's into the low 50/40s and switches over to Resistance heating. works off 110 Volts would take a large 220 volt heater to put out the same amount of heat. great down South.


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Re: What do you use to heat your (freezing) shop for your T?

Post by Scott_Conger » Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:20 pm

Jim

the data you're refering to is old data. I was amazed to find that (some) heat pumps will now work down to -4F with heat strips conditioning the coil and then switch over to pure resistance heat strips below that temperature.

I am waiting a year or two to start getting feedback on their reliability vs brand, and then am considering switching my cabin over, at that time.

I'm not an expert, but have seen the system. For anyone who wishes to dispute the low temp operating range, I can't/won't get into that contest: https://www.nordicghp.com/2017/01/heat- ... ure-range/
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