Kerosene Heaters for Large Building

[poci1957]

I have the metal shed, 45x70 and am interested in what those of us with big buildings are doing for heat. I plan to buy the ReadyHeater kerosene heater and would like to know if I am better with one large one (175-200,000 BTU) or two small ones (100,000 ea). Any ideas? Thanks, Todd

[trovato]

I'd come up with a different plan. Unvented heaters add moisture to the air and cause things to rust. They also give me a headache. I use vented propane heaters.

[MXtras]

I use a kerosene heater, but I really don't care to. It warms things up fine but the fumes suck and the film it leaves on everything sucks, too.

I would investigate the propane heaters - I borrowed on as a trial and loved it.

I think ideally, a oil fired heat exchanger unit would be the way to go - clean, less expensive heat without fumes.

Scott

[poci1957]

Hmmm, I did not know about a film over everything, I did of course know about the noise and fumes. Have you got a link for the propane heaters? Thanks, Todd C

[kartracer55]

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=503599&R=503599

Oh look at that, they are on sale too...

however they say that runs on a 100lb propane tank.

I have a small propane heater and its great, id go propane again.

[MXtras]

Na - go with this:

http://www.reddyheat.com/products/rlp100.html

Nice site - dig around a little.

I have had their kerosene version for over 17 years and it gets used constantly in the cold months, despite the fumes....and the nausea...and the film....and the stink. It's a good quality heater and reasonably priced locally. I want the propane version.

Scott

[MXtras]

Hmmm, I did not know about a film over everything, I did of course know about the noise and fumes. Have you got a link for the propane heaters? Thanks, Todd C

Yeah - it's a thin, oily film. It's not all that bad - it takes a while (days) to really accumulate, but if you are prepping for paint you will find the film offensive. It also shows up on your cars' finish and on your windows. Mine heats very, very well and I put up with the film and the funk (for now). Just keep fresh air rolling in, and if you have an attached garage do yourself a favor - get the propane job. Especially if you are married and/or have kids. They won't speak to you if you burn a kerosene heater.....hey - there's an idea....uhmm..

:lol:

Of course, they don't suggest the kerosene heater for indoor use - they suggest the propane and I would agree with them 110%. The propane heater is very clean. You may even be able to tie it into a natural gas supply, except the cost of natural gas is going up 140% this season. Yippee.



Scott

[poci1957]

Guys, thanks for the tips, I was ready to get the kerosene version and your suggesting the propane is probably better for my situation. SO with that, what about the difference in forced air and convection? The Reddyheat site describes the difference, I think I probably need the forced air. OR should I go with 2 or 3 of the lower cost convection units? Thanks, Todd

[MXtras]

Boy - I can't say for sure. With the propane, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but it will consume your oxygen so you need to be cautious and have Co2 detectors for sure in addition to a constant supply of fresh air.

If you have the luxury of being able to afford it, I would go for the gold and get a heat exchanger (convection?). They are not as efficient as the direct units, though but you wouldn't have to keep a window open to stay warm, ya know?

I can't really recommend one over the other....I am torn....sorry.

Scott

[kartracer55]

A friend of ours has a "radiant" style heater (looks like a convection, I think its just a fancy name) and he uses it in his garage all the time. Its a 2 1/4 car (hahaha) and in the winter we regularly close the door... kinda like "the man zone" hes got a bar and a tv.

We use our propane heater in the garage all the time in the winter, with the door shut. It will take a long long time for all the oxygen to be removed from the air, longer than you will be in a shop that size. Also, calculate the heater size to just take the chill out of the air (ie bring iit up to 60-65, not 70-75) and you may find a smaller unit will work for you.

Jim

[poci1957]

Sounds good, thanks for the tips, Todd

[kartracer55]

Ill find out what brand heater my friend uses. I just have a small one from HD, I eventually plan to get a second one of a larger one.

Jim

[krooser]

Clean, quiet, efficient..it's what I have in my shop...

[poci1957]

Krooser, are those electric or gas? I would love to use electric if they would be satisfactory, can you tell me more about these? Thanks, Todd

[bje31]

me too...what are those?

[MXtras]

They use those at Home Chepo and Lowe's, don't they?

[MN_Pete]

Todd,
If you're interested in electric infrared heaters, check out these.

http://www.bbcind.com/thermazoneheaters.asp

My electric company is recommending these for my 1300 sq ft garage. Three 6000 watt units would give me 61000 BTU.

Ask your electric company about off-peak (interruptable) heating. Mine offers it at 3.9 cents per kwh, which is cheaper than propane.

Pete

[DynoDave]

Well, I'll throw in on BEHALF of kero.

I have a Reddy 55k unit. I've had it since I moved to MI, 16+ years ago. It has needed virtually 0 maintanence ( I rinse out the foam air filter every season...big deal). I started out using twins to heat a pole building, and they worked well. The building was so drafty and tall, fumes were never a concern.

More recently, used with a thermostat, it's left on 24/7, and keeps my 3 car heated very nicely. There are fumes, no doubt, but not too bad.

And allow me to say one thing for them. I have NEVER gotten ANY kind of oily film on ANYTHING from using them. I have also NEVER had a problem with moisture. But my friend has a ventless propane, and it produces copious amount of water. So much so he HATE'S to use it. Go figure.

I would say if you are getting a film of unburnt kero, and excessive fumes, your unit is not providing proper combustion, and should be looked over by a service center. Clogged or partially clogged fuel pick-up, weak pump, wrong mixture, fouled spray nozel, mis-aligned plug, etc, can all lead to incomplete combustion.

Now that said, there are other, cleaner options. And if you can afford them, then by all means, go that route. But if a pair of these is what you can afford, I would not be too concerned with using them. I have recieved excellent service from mine, with 0% hassle. It all depends on what you can afford, and expect. Kero isn't my dream source of heat. When I get my new shop built (how many years have I been saying that?) it will have some form of forced air natural gas furface.

Oh, and I guess I'd go with 2 small rather than one large. If one goes out, you still have some heat with 2 smalls.

[Jay H 237]

I agree with Dave on the kero heaters.

I have a 40,000 BTU Reddy Heater that I use in a two car garage. I also never had any film left on anything in the garage. The heater is only used when I'm out there, in other words, it's not left on all the time.

The garage is well insulated, caulked, and drywalled so it holds heat well. Both garage doors are insulated vinyl. When I run the heater I open one of the doors about a foot which also opens some space at the top where the top panel starts pulling away from the frame. This gives some fresh air to help eliminate the fumes and CO2 and with the door partially open it still has no problem heating the garage. Once I get my garage to the temp I want I turn off the heater and close the door fully and it stays nice and warm for a few hours until I have to run it again. There's living space, a family room, above the garage and I've never noticed any smell from it in that room nor have I gotten any headaches from it. If you use common sense and run the heater properly you shouldn't have any problems with it.

One thing Dave didn't mention is what you run in them. There's different grades of kerosene plus they can also run diesel/ home heating oil. If you ONLY use the grade K-1 kerosene then the smell is kept down plus there's less particles emitted from them while in use. When you hear stories of residue and a strong smell from these heaters you have to wonder what they were dumping in them. If someone occassionaly adds some diesel in there then they have no reason to complain about the smell.

[malibu101]

I also have used a 55K kerosene Reddy-Heater for many years in my 2-car garage. I completly agree with all the above comments, I don't have a problem with residue or excessive stink. Noise is another issue.
On the smell issue- it says you can run kero or #1 fuel oil. 1 night a few years ago I was working late at night and ran out of kero. BRAINSTORM! Go in the house and tap a few gallons of my home heating oil. Dumped it in and it worked perfectly fine BUT smelled so bad it drove me out, and I'm not easily offended by fumes.
So, I too must reccomend, use only K-1 kerosene.
I must admit, I don't know if I had #1 fuel oil in my tank or not.

[trovato]

I would say that unless you have a special situation, your home heating oil was probably #2 fuel oil. It does not burn as cleanly as #1 fuel oil.