Heating options for 42x80

[Cummon]

I am getting a 42 by 80 pole barn built in the next week or two. Heading into winter I'm looking at what my options are for heat. I have 18 ft walls. I will eventually be insulating the whole shop but for right now just to increase the Comfort level while working inside. It would also be nice to have a mini split for activities in the area where the lift and the majority of the working will be done...

What do you all recommend?

 

[theoldwizard1]

Insulate the roof/ceiling NOW ! Heating a building with no insulation in the roof/ceiling is a major waste of money. Put as much insulation up there as you possibly can. Insulation in the roof/ceiling helps keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.

Is this one big room, or is it going to be divided ?

If you have natural gas available AND you do not ever plan on having A/C then force air is the cheapest and very efficient way to go. It will likely take more than one furnace and a lot of duct work.

You could do mini splits, but on a building that big you are probably going to need 4 or 6, half on each long side. You will probably also need some ceiling fans. Installation will be $$,$$$, but operating costs will be less.

You need to educate yourself on min split when it comes to efficiency and cold weather operation. This definitely a "buyer beware" situation.

 

[Bert_]

Radiant tube heater. It will even do a good job without insulation, but if your going to do it easier just to insulate it right away.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Radiant tube heater. It will even do a good job without insulation,

I always forget about those ! If you have natural gas and don't want/need A/C by far the cheapest and they work quite well.

 

[matt_i]

I also like the idea of radiant tube heat. A big "cube" meaning high ceilings is going to need a lot of heated air if you go with natural gas forced air. Plus ceiling fans so all of the heat doesn't concentrate up high. You didn't mention it above but do you have the natural gas utility available on your property?

 

[finn]

Without insulation, just burn dollar bills in a wood stove.

Otherwise, insulate and go with radiant tube heaters or hanging forced air unit heaters.

 

[Cummon]

Without insulation, just burn dollar bills in a wood stove.

Otherwise, insulate and go with radiant tube heaters or hanging forced air unit heaters.

I have no personal experience with radiant heaters but from what I've heard that heat grade if your directly underneath them but that's about it?

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[6768rogues]

I like Reznor hanging heaters. When I work with radiant tube heaters, I am either out from under them and cold or under them and feeling like I am in a broiler.

 

[bobj49f2]

I am in the same situation, I have an uninsulated 50'x30' pole building. I am planning to insulate with matts on the walls, cover with plywood from floor to 8' foot up and finish with corrugated steel on the rest of the walls and ceiling with blown insulation on the ceiling.

I have a wood frame building I bought ten years ago that I had the builder install IR tube heater. The buildings came standard with the boxed forced air heater units but I never liked them, during the cold times I either got cooked or froze, never a happy medium. With the IR tube heat it gave a nice constant heat. Never experience hot spots. They took a little longer to heat the space but I would set the thermostat to start the heater 15 minutes before I came into the shop in the morning. I want to go with IR tube heat in my new shop but butting heads with my son who wants used oil heater because we can get a pretty much endless supply of waste oil.

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[James-W]

I have a hanging 60K BTU Hot Dawg natural gas heater and I really like it. My garage is 24X36 with 8ft ceilings. It is well insulated, walls and ceiling, and I have an insulated overhead door. I am not a big fan of the radiant tube heaters, they work OK if that is what you want for heat, I guess I just prefer forced air.

 

[nomadskidoo]

James-W How's the ceiling Fan working in Shop with IR?Any Issues,good or bad?Thanks!

 

[bobj49f2]

I have two ceiling fans in my other shop with the IR tube heat. They really contribute to keeping the shop warm. I usually have them running all of the time. I hadn't been in the shop for an extended period of time and had them off. One day I was working in the shop on a cold day and it just didn't seem to warm up. I noticed the fans,were off. Turned them on and after a few minutes the place warmed up. No matter the heating system heat will collect up toward the ceiling.

 

[Cummon]

My father-in-law has a waste oil burner setup he used to used to heat an auction building and has offered it up to me.... Any opinions?

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[bobj49f2]

From what I have gathered waste oil heat systems are OK if you don't use the heat on a regular basis or if you have an unlimited volume of waste oil. They can be high maintenance. You oil has to be clean and free of any contaminants like water and anti-freeze. If you get either in your burner it will clog it up and you will have to take it apart to clean it. It also can be a mess to store the oil.

I'm no expert, just what I the information I have gathered since trying to find out if waste oil heat is a good option for me.

 

[nsula_country]

I'm following this too. We have a 40x60x17 standard metal building insulation. Was thinking of air handler and 20kw-30kw electric heat strips and some ducting. Don't have gas and have 4 industrial ceiling fans... Would not be used daily.

CT

 

[Repsolracer22]

just get 2 reznor 125k BTU hanging units. one on each side of shop. done deal. these cost about $1300ea. They will work with propane or natural gas. You can get away with 75k BTU actually but the cost difference is so minimal. get the 125k BTUs and you'll be good. Ive got the same setup but ceiling is a little shorter. but under no circumstances would i do anything without insulation. Total Home Supply (.com) has great deals on them.

if you're thinking of spray foam, thats gonna be pricey. but if you have a nice 6" cavity, just do the R19/R21 and knock it out quick. not very expensive. you doing a metal liner on inside? (metal walls and ceiling)

 

[bobj49f2]

The plan is to use plywood for the first 8 feet and then corrugated steel the rest of the way. The plywood would allow us to hang things and if I happen to bang into the wall I would just replace a piece of plywood.

 

[finn]

A single 75k hanging heater serves a well insulated 32x75 section of my shop quite well.

The key is “well insulated”

Oversized heaters will short cycle, so be aware.