New shop up north, need advise for winter / summer

[Joseph Abenhaim]

Hey there guys,

I'm upstate NY right now, and by upstate I mean right by lake ontario so as north as you can go before going into canada lol. I am trying to "weather-ize" my shop. as it stands currently, this summer has been brutal, with temps outside reaching 95+ I wasn't able to stay in. The shop is in a 3 car garage, 3 of the walls are insulated along with the ceiling as there is a bedroom above. The doors arent insulated at the moment. Any recommendation as to what solution I could use to cool/heat the garage ?

Thanks! 

[Guest]

What type of utilities do you have?

I am in a 3 car garage in Chicago.  Similar climate to upstate NY, perhaps a little hotter (or longer) summer.  

I have a a 60 or 80,000 BTU natural gas garage furnace.  The kind that hangs from the ceiling.  I keep it at 50 from October - April and that is warm enough for me.

https://www.appliancedepot.com/cayenne-series-60-000-btu-low-profile-natural-gas-garage-space-heater-fsan-60

I don't have AC but might get a window unit or mini split at some point.  I work mostly at night and the garage is a northwest exposure, so it doesn't get beat by the sun for most of the day.  Fans work good enough for now. 

[Joseph Abenhaim]

Hi Mike, 

I have gas & electric service. Although I do not have a gas line going into the garage, it is available in the house. If possible I was looking at a unit that may be doing both heat and ac, not sure if that exists. I do have 220 in the garage on a dedicated 100amp sub panel so if a unit is electric base I could power it up.

[pkinneb]

I have a 26 x 36 shop in MN that I heat with a forced air furnace and also a central air conditioner. I have ceiling vents through out including my upstairs space (floor vents upstairs) and it works well. The single units look cool and I would definitely check into them if your space is all open. In my case it was not an option since I have 3 enclosed spaces on the main floor and one upstairs. Bottom line Insulation is the key, get some two inch foam on your doors if you can.

[Joseph Abenhaim]

Thanks Pkineeb, by single unit you mean like mini splits ?

[pkinneb]

7 minutes ago, Joseph Abenhaim said:

Thanks Pkineeb, by single unit you mean like mini splits ?

Yes. I don't know a lot about them but they certainly look and sound like a great system and in the end probably cheaper then what I did. My only concern would be warming the whole space even in a singe space. In my previous shop I had a ceiling heater Hot Daug I think and it worked fairly well but there were spots in the single car garage that were cooler then others. Not a huge deal but those things that could freeze glue and such may need extra care depending how low you turn it down. My current set up is at 50 when not in the shop and the forced air system will get it up to 70 really quick when I'm ready to go. 

[Alan G]

Before you do anything heating or cooling wise I would put insulated doors on the garage. At a minimum you could do one of those DIY garage door insulated kits or make your own. You will be shocked at what a difference it makes.

[prov163]

I live in GA where it can be very hot and humid.  I have at Air King fan in my shop that keeps the air moving and that works for me.  Luckily it's also shaded by trees.  In the Winter I use those sealed oil space heaters. Works fine for me.  I have several friends who have mini-splits and love them.  I have one in a room at work and it's great - keeps the room a constant temperature.  Not cheap to buy, but works well.

[Ryan Grondin]

If you need heat and ac.. go Minisplit.

[elrodk]

I have a Trane minisplit in SC. It's super efficient for cooling. The shop is insulated to code, R19 walls, R30 ceiling. 30x34 feet. Last month's electric bill for 32 days was about $70 and it was over 90 every single day. Maybe half the bill is cooling? Not sure on that but it's a no brainer to me to be comfortable and control the shop humidity. Last year was the first winter in the new shop and heating was a little more than I expected. I'll have to check my records so I don't tell you wrong. Insulation is key no matter what method you choose.

The system we purchased will support 3 indoor units and I have two installed. If you have separate spaces to heat & cool you can control them independently. My wife can keep her stained glass area at the temp she wantsome and I can do the same. Absolutely no regrets.

Sent from my woodshop using duct tape, twine, and a bit of sawdust.

[Tpt life]

Consider your needs. Finishing is the only task that requires true warm for me. Keeping the worst of the chill away is good enough for most things. Glue ups can be set close to the heat source. For most spaces the killer is the inefficiency of the air seal around the garage door. 

[Woodenskye]

The technology with mini splits have advanced enough so even in extreme cold, the units will have no trouble keeping a well insulated house comfortable even when well below zero outside.  

[Tpt life]

55 minutes ago, Mike. said:

I agree with C, it is a shop and not a house, so the needs are different   

My only caution is it will be more energy efficient to run a properly sized unit than to run an undersized unit constantly.   A mini split but have to run constantly to heat a space to 50 when it is 0 outside. 

Can an HVAC and have him come out price a few options.   It will be good, free advice   

Just to add some weight to the call an HVAC guy out comment, you need a guy in your zone that can comment with authority on two fronts. Mike, you are dead on about not buying under powered gear and use of the word "proper". The flip is that conditioning has moved away from merely buying bigger because there is an inefficiency in short cycling. Homes are more and more moving to modular response units that respond according to need with some lower energy demands over longer run cycles in milder seasons. This speaks to buying smarter tech sometimes instead of just buying big.