30X40x12'4 pole barn heat options

[tpndrcn1]

I am looking at two different options for heating my 30'x40'x12'4" pole barn.I have a 18'x10' overhead door on one end. It will be insulated with R-19 batt insulation or 2-1/2" R-16 spray foam on the walls and cellulose blown in the ceiling. The walls will be finished with OSB and steel. The ceiling will be finished with steel.

The two different heating options I am considering are :

Modine 100,000 BTU Unit LP unit heater

or

Enerco 100,000 BTU radiant tube heater.

On the sketch i provided the options for mounting the heaters are in red. I would mount the Radiant tube at a 45° angle towards the floor, 18" from the ceiling. The Unit heater would be mounted on the ceiling in one corner above my bathroom .

My shop is used for working on my hotrods, batting practice for my kids , washing vehicles, and parties for family. There will be a retractable batting cage that runs the length of 40' and it is 12' wide X 11' tall. I can't mount the radiant tube in the middle of the shop due to it being to close to the batting cage net and proposed hoist mounting position which is why I have proposed mounting it on the wall. My only concern would be will this create a cold area on the opposite side?

Please let me know of your opinions and experiences and what would be the better direction to go.

Thanks in advance.

 

[matt_i]

Because of the issues in distributing the radiant easily, I would go with a forced air unit. Also I would advise 1-2 ceiling fans, they are useful for summer, blowing downward, and winter ops, gentle breeze going up to fight stratification.

 

[FFRKing]

I have a 30x50x12 pole barn shop with only the 1/4” thick radiant barrier insulation on the walls and r19 above the ceiling. I installed a propane radiant heater 2 years ago and it works great. It is installed about 12 feet from the back wall, opposite the overhead doors. It’s 30 feet long and centered from end to end about 12” from the ceiling. It is a Re-Verber-Ray brand and I think 35,000/50,000 2 stage.
I usually leave it off and just turn it on about 30 Minutes before I go out in the shop. If the temps are below 10-15 degrees at night, I leave it on at the thermostat minimum of 45 degrees. Usually 20 minutes after bumping it up to about 55, it is comfortable to work in with a long sleeve shirt.
I bought it used and it only had a 20’ tube on it. The next summer I added another 10’ tube to balance the shop out better. I’m more than happy with it and would do it again.
Although my house is also on propane, I bought a separate 250 gallon tank just for the shop, so I wouldn’t accidentally run out while using both. I typically go thru just over a tank a year.

Chris

 

[bullnerd]

100k sounds really high?

I have a 3040 also and had heat calc done by a very knowledgeable person on this board, then again by the distributor of the heater and they both came out to 30-40k, two stage radiant tube, down the center of the ceiling.

Good luck, sounds like a nice place to hang out.

 

[tpndrcn]

FFR king

It amazes me to hear that you only have very little wall insulation and it heats that well. I definitely think that some go over board on the insulation but then again it does get cold here in the Midwest. I appreciate you sharing it does help

I have a 30x50x12 pole barn shop with only the 1/4” thick radiant barrier insulation on the walls and r19 above the ceiling. I installed a propane radiant heater 2 years ago and it works great. It is installed about 12 feet from the back wall, opposite the overhead doors. It’s 30 feet long and centered from end to end about 12” from the ceiling. It is a Re-Verber-Ray brand and I think 35,000/50,000 2 stage.
I usually leave it off and just turn it on about 30 Minutes before I go out in the shop. If the temps are below 10-15 degrees at night, I leave it on at the thermostat minimum of 45 degrees. Usually 20 minutes after bumping it up to about 55, it is comfortable to work in with a long sleeve shirt.
I bought it used and it only had a 20’ tube on it. The next summer I added another 10’ tube to balance the shop out better. I’m more than happy with it and would do it again.
Although my house is also on propane, I bought a separate 250 gallon tank just for the shop, so I wouldn’t accidentally run out while using both. I typically go thru just over a tank a year.

Chris

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[tpndrcn]

matt_i , I agree that ceiling fans will be a good idea , it's definitely in the plans

Because of the issues in distributing the radiant easily, I would go with a forced air unit. Also I would advise 1-2 ceiling fans, they are useful for summer, blowing downward, and winter ops, gentle breeze going up to fight stratification.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[bobj49f2]

I have a 50x50 2x6 stick built building with a approximately 40x50 shop area, the office takes up the rest and has it's own heat/AC unit. In the shop there are two 40 foot long Reznor radiant tube heaters. I only use one. It keeps the building nice and warm. I also have two ceiling fans that I run constantly which makes a big difference. I am now moving into a 30x50 pole building that I am going to insulate the 6" walls and use one tube heater. I like the radiant heat.

 

[Dragfluid]

Look at my build thread. Lots of info there about heating My 75,000 btu LP unit heats the area just great.

Oh, and to reply to someone up above,,,,,,,,,,, there is no such thing as too much insulation.