What's the *best* way to heat the shop?


Vyrolan

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I just posted this for the question in General Woodworking, so I'll just copy and paste...

 

"My shop is in a 3-car garage and I use an Enerco HS25NG high-intensity infrared heater. It's a 25,000 BTU unit (there's a propane version as well).

 

I was able to pipe the NG up from the basement with help from a HVAC friend. I'm in Utah and can keep the garage at 65 degrees. I've insulated the doors and ceiling, but not the outer walls. You can see my setup on TWW ( http://www.thewoodwh.../tims-workshop/ ) The unit cycles often when cold, but I haven't noticed any spike in our NG bill. If I could afford it, I would insulation the walls and add 6" more to the current 6" in the ceiling, plus add a second Enerco! (I piped it with that in mind)

 

BTW: The lowest setting on the supplied thermostat will keep the garage at about 55 degrees. You can also get low-temp thermostats to go to 40 or so degrees"...

 

You mention wall space is an issue. Take a look at the pictures, you may have some issues keeping proper clearance. This unit came with a vent that could go in the wall or ceiling. Talking with the supplier, there is enough air leakage that I didn't worry about cutting the vent in. Humidity is a non-issue. I am starting to build guitars again and keep a gauge in the garage. I have been around 25-30% (then again, I'm in Utah)

 

Hope that helps a little

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My shop is in a 3-car garage and I use an Enerco HS25NG high-intensity infrared heater. It's a 25,000 BTU unit (there's a propane version as well).

 

You mention wall space is an issue. Take a look at the pictures, you may have some issues keeping proper clearance. This unit came with a vent that could go in the wall or ceiling.

 

I like the idea of something like that...I could make that work...we have split doors on the front so there is the tiny bit of wall space between the doors that is no good for anything...I could mount it there (that's also where I've though to hang a ceiling-mounted one. 

 

Something lower-profile like that (I always imagine the big boxes when I think heaters) could actually work on the back wall too so it'd be closer to work area (and a helluva lot shorter to run gas).  Ceiling is plenty high to easily cover the 14" clearance above...I see it has 48" clearance below...it doesn't look like yours meets that in the pictures...stuff pretty close around it.  Ever had any problems?  How even is the heating with those?   I hate when you're burning up standing next to it and freezing 10 feet away.

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I have a small residential furnace that is ducted through the attic & down to the floor on each side of the OH door with other registers at the window & man door.  I keep it a few degrees above freezing in the winter.  When I want to work out there it takes just 15 or 20 minutes to get it to a comfortable temperature.  Having the hot air discharge at floor level means my feet never get cold, which is something I hate.  The garage is fully insulated.

 

This works better than in floor radiant heat for me because I don't want it warm all the time & it gives me quick recovery.

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Mike, does your garage get hot as hell in the summer?   I know this last summer was basically non-existent, but certainly in the past we've had extended periods of hotter weather.  It's seemed odd to me that every response has been heat-only.  The only reference to A/C I've seen in any of the threads was Indy Cindy saying her best shop purchase was a window a/c after like 5 people had said a heater. =p

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I can't believe no one mentioned a ductless split unit with a heat pump. You'll have the best of both worlds, heat and a/c and it's probably the most efficient units available today. A good heat pump with a high seer rating uses about as much electricity as a 75w light bulb. They aren't cheap to buy but they are cheap to run. A 1ton unit would be plenty sufficient for a 1 car garage, and run about $1,000.00-$2k All you need is 220v single phase and a friend with a vacuum pump.

 

Here's one for under 1k with inverter technology and runs on 110v.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTEK8H6/ref=ams_at_4482678973848_B0060OU3PW

 

I plan to do a 2 evap head 3 ton unit in my new shop. Did I mention they are whisper quiet?

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I can't believe no one mentioned a ductless split unit with a heat pump.

Well I mentioned them in my original post...

You'll have the best of both worlds, heat and a/c and it's probably the most efficient units available today. A good heat pump with a high seer rating uses about as much electricity as a 75w light bulb. They aren't cheap to buy but they are cheap to run. A 1ton unit would be plenty sufficient for a 1 car garage, and run about $1,000.00-$2k

I plan to do a 2 evap head 3 ton unit in my new shop. Did I mention they are whisper quiet?

I agree that it sounds like an ideal situation, but i don't know how well the heat works when it gets super cold. I've heard they can't heat if it gets into the teens or lower and we certainly get that cold here. Also my garage is a big ~3 car one and I dunno how big it would have to be.
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I can't believe no one mentioned a ductless split unit with a heat pump. You'll have the best of both worlds, heat and a/c and it's probably the most efficient units available today. A good heat pump with a high seer rating uses about as much electricity as a 75w light bulb. They aren't cheap to buy but they are cheap to run. A 1ton unit would be plenty sufficient for a 1 car garage, and run about $1,000.00-$2k All you need is 220v single phase and a friend with a vacuum pump.

Here's one for under 1k with inverter technology and runs on 110v.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTEK8H6/ref=ams_at_4482678973848_B0060OU3PW

I plan to do a 2 evap head 3 ton unit in my new shop. Did I mention they are whisper quiet?

How well do these run when the outside temp is below 20? I think most home heat pumps struggle when the outside temp gets below 20.

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I didn't mention cooling because of your region and since I'm in MN I love the heat since it's only here for three weeks. I have an a/c unit that has a snorkel that gets pinched in the window and then the rest stays inside. I can get info off of it if you'd like. It's in the basement stored since its December.

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Vyrolan: the furnace is in the corner of the garage.  The attic is unheated but the ceiling & duct work is covered with at least 12" of blown in cellulose.  The furnace was free cause it came out of an old house, but the duct work was about $1600.  Could have have done it lots cheaper, but I was in an 'I want the best' mood.

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I didn't mention cooling because of your region and since I'm in MN I love the heat since it's only here for three weeks.

When it gets above 70 I start sweating 5-gallon buckets. Even in the cold garage I have to constantly be careful not to drop sweat all over my workpieces. =p

Truth^^^ Heat pumps are not popular here without auxiliary heat as temps dip below zero weeks out of the year.

Yea, I was afraid of that...and while a/c is really really nice, heat is an absolute must.

Vyrolan: the furnace is in the corner of the garage.

Ok that makes sense. I wish I could just tap into my house systems. The top corner of the basement mechanical room goes right into the garage so it'd be awesome to be able to tap into that for heat or a/c but codes for garage would never allow it.
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Well I mentioned them in my original post...

I agree that it sounds like an ideal situation, but i don't know how well the heat works when it gets super cold. I've heard they can't heat if it gets into the teens or lower and we certainly get that cold here. Also my garage is a big ~3 car one and I dunno how big it would have to be.

 

Stand corrected, I missed you mentioning it in your OP. There are numerous articles debunking the bad rap that split units get for not working in weather that dips into the teens. Here is one such article. http://www2.buildinggreen.com/blogs/cold-weather-tests-limits-our-mini-split-heat-pump

 

If this was a bedroom, I might agree, but we are talking about a shop. Put on a hoodie and your good to go. :D

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My neighbor's froze to in-operation with every dip below -10° F. I was not spouting anything less than real life practical knowledge. There may be multiple factors, but every heat pump home I worked on had supplemental heat for the roughest months.

 

I don't live in that region, so I can't say I know what it's like or how often it stays below zero. What I can say is, they do work in the teens, and I wouldn't dare use it to heat my whole house, even here in New Jersey. But for a shop, here in NJ, I wouldn't hesitate.

 

It also depends on how big your shop is. A cheap 110v electric portable heater would be sufficient supplemental heat for a 1 car garage.

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That code is for people who actually park in the garage. Carbon monoxide moving through ducts is a deadly concern. Garages need to stay sealed away from living space.

My wife does park in the garage. Also "I don't park in the garage so those codes don't matter" isn't going to get an inspection to pass or insurance to pay out.

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We have a heat pump for our house and really like it, especially since we're on propane. One thing is they recommend not setting back the thermostat at night or while gone as they aren't good at recovering and the auxiliary heat could kick on. Are the split systems the same way, and if so, do you plan on keeping a constant temp in your shop?

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Yea for the garage the limitations of the heat pump may not be as big of a deal.   If it gets below say +10F outside, I don't really expect (or need) the garage to stay perfectly 65 or whatever.   It would just be nice if it would stay at least 40 or 45 no matter what...and be able to be 60 when the outside temp is above 10F.   We would probably leave it on all the time since they're pretty efficient and cheap to run, and as others have said, having a warm car to get into is nice.

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I believe that in a garage/shop it is even more important to have over capacity.  When the OH door gets opened, I want it warm again, now.  When I go out there for a couple of hours after work, I want it to heat up in a hurry.  When I put a finish on something I want to be able to get extra heat in there to dry it quickly.

 

In the 15 years or so that I've had that shop I've never once thought "I wish I had a smaller heater in here"

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In the 15 years or so that I've had that shop I've never once thought "I wish I had a smaller heater in here"

 

True...I would probably never say that either...but if I ran natural gas and just got a big heater, there would be TONS of times I'd say, "I wish I had a smaller heater in here that could also be an air conditioner."

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We have a heat pump for our house and really like it, especially since we're on propane. One thing is they recommend not setting back the thermostat at night or while gone as they aren't good at recovering and the auxiliary heat could kick on. Are the split systems the same way, and if so, do you plan on keeping a constant temp in your shop?

 

Exactly. Typically you get your biggest temp drops at night. If you are maintaining temp throughout the day and you have proper insulation it doesn't need to work as hard to maintain temp. If you find yourself woodworking at 4am most nights and live in Alaska, you may not want a ductless split system. I think, in general, people over-react to the notion they don't work when it's cold out. That's exactly what they are designed to do.

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