Another Pole building heating ?

[stangkid14]

I am very confused as to what type of heating I should go with for my shop I am about to build. I will give you the specs of my shop so you can give me a recommendation on type if you dont mind

I do not have natural gas hookup FYI, I am in eastern PA

I am removing an existing 40x80 metal building and putting up the pole building in the same spot. In floor heating is NOT an option as i am reusing the floor so I only have to pour the rest of the 20x80'

60x80x16 pole building, r38 blown in cieling, r19 walls, Tyvek building wrap on the outside and vapor barrier on the inside. tin lined interior
4- 12wx14h' insulated overhead doors on gable, 4 man doors, 6 insulated windows

this will be a fabrication shop in about 3/4 of the building with a paint booth and I will park trucks in the rest, in front of two of the doors. It will be heated all winter to a comfortable level.I would like it around 50-60 when its freezing outside. thanks fellas

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Is this a rural setting or in town/city? Is wood fired an option?

 

[RCPro87]

^^^^^^^ cheapest option if you can get wood for free and have the time.

 

[stangkid14]

its a rural setting, I have thought about a fireplace. I will have to check with my insurance to see if Its covered. I dont know if a wood stove would heat 4800 sqft very well

 

[markietas]

A forced air wood Furnace will, it can be in a separate fire resistant room, or even building.

Not a fire place and I don't think that it would count as one as far as insurance goes.

A fire place wood be a bad move as far as heating is concerned 90% of the heat it makes goes up the chimney and it pulls combustion air from your heated space. A modern wood furnace or boiler is a completely different animal.

Make sure to air seal VERY well it makes a massive difference as far as your btu needs go.

 

[stangkid14]

sorry I didnt mean fire place. I meant wood stove

 

[astroracer]

The issue with wood is you have to be there to feed the fire. And cut it and haul it and store it. That's up to you but I know I am well past being able to do all of that AND get any work done in the shop.
A forced air furnace, propane in your situation, is probably the best solution in your case. Consistant heat, no "second job" keeping the fire lit and it will keep the shop comfortable, the tools and equipment warm and the condensation at bay when and if you aren't working for a few days.
Of course an add on wood furnace would be do-able to help alleviate the propane cost.
Mark

 

[TheEquineFencer]

You build a separate out building for the heater, then duct the hot air back into the building. If you build it right, you can pull most of the heat from the heater and very little heat is wasted. With a regular wood heater a lot of the heat does go out the chimney, much less than 90% though, with a properly built one, most of the heat goes to the building. You can buy or build one. If you're like me, the woods free, the real cost is your labor to process it.

 

[Highbeam]

These days you can buy 82% efficient woodstoves that do not send much heat up the chimney.

 

[theoldwizard1]

its a rural setting, I have thought about a fireplace. I will have to check with my insurance to see if Its covered. I dont know if a wood stove would heat 4800 sqft very well

Forget the fireplace. You need a woods stove and with 4800 sq ft, you will need 2 or more !

Do you really have the time to cut an haul wood ? If you are going to pay someone to deliver split wood, it is not much cheaper than any other fuel.

 

[theoldwizard1]

this will be a fabrication shop in about 3/4 of the building with a paint booth and I will park trucks in the rest, in front of two of the doors. It will be heated all winter to a comfortable level.I would like it around 50-60 when its freezing outside. thanks fellas

You did not mention what type of heat if any you had in there now !

I would seriously look into a mini-split heat pump with probably 4 indoor units. Actually, you would be better off with 2 outdoor units each driving 2 indoor units. This would keep the lengths of the line sets lower.

BONUS : You now have A/C !

Make sure to check the specs on whatever you plan on buying to be sure it will provide heat down to 0F ! Many lesser expensive models "give up" around 30-40F !

Also plan on multiple ceiling fans (obviously not in the paint booth).

 

[stangkid14]

I am starting to reconsider anything using wood as fuel. I do not have a steady supply and would rather not have it as the main source of heat. I will likely have one in the office but not something I NEED to have going to heat the shop. Is a single radiant propane tube down the center of the shop sufficient? I am having a hard time figuring out If i want to heat the air or objects? What about the recovery time when a garage door goes up? It wont be more then a few times a day but what will be more efficient for heat recovery inside?

The existing building I just demo'd had an oil furnace that pumped hot water to the hanging radiators with fans behind them.(forget what that style is called)

 

[TheEquineFencer]

I am starting to reconsider anything using wood as fuel. I do not have a steady supply and would rather not have it as the main source of heat. I will likely have one in the office but not something I NEED to have going to heat the shop. Is a single radiant propane tube down the center of the shop sufficient? I am having a hard time figuring out If i want to heat the air or objects? What about the recovery time when a garage door goes up? It wont be more then a few times a day but what will be more efficient for heat recovery inside?

The existing building I just demo'd had an oil furnace that pumped hot water to the hanging radiators with fans behind them.(forget what that style is called)

It sounds like you may have had steam, not hot water. If you saved that heater, you buy/build a kit for it to burn WMO fairly cheap. Steam heat is cheap heat per BTU exchange if I'm not mistaken.

 

[theoldwizard1]

... Is a single radiant propane tube down the center of the shop sufficient?

Properly sized, it would be "sufficient". But propane IS A TRAP ! Cheap to install, but you will be crying the blues every time they fill up that tank.


Read some other threads. When you don't have natural gas, the cheapest operational heating system is a mini-split heat pump. Check into Mitsubishi HyperHeat mini-split heat pump.

Yes, they are a lot more expensive, but it should pay back in 5 years or less. After that, it is money in your pocket.

 

[Moose364]

Ive been a shop around 3000sf that was heated by a wood pellet stove he said a bag would burn 8-12 hours

 

[TheEquineFencer]

As off the wall as this sounds, do you have any farmers with a lot of manure? Cow manure I hear works pretty good. You can build an insulated pad with walls all around it, put Pex inside the pad and the inside wall of it, fill it with compost and plumb the heated water to the shop. I think the water temp stays around 120*-150*, when it get's rolling. In the spring, you rake, shovel it, or get a loader to take it out, lay it on another pad to dry after mixing it with wood shavings and sell it for organic fertilizer.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Ive been a shop around 3000sf that was heated by a wood pellet stove he said a bag would burn 8-12 hours

Wood pellets are a good alternative to firewood. Cheaper than propane. With a building that big you will probably need more than one stove and you will need ceiling fans to help distribute the heat.

I think the 8-12 hour burn time is VERY optimistic. What would happen to your shop if there was a hard freeze because the fire went ot ?