Need Help Figuring out a Heating Solution

[Techniker]

All,

So the temperatures have been dropping here (mainly because of the incredible rain downpours we've been having) and it has got me to thinking about heat for this fall/winter in the shop.

Now, let me preface this by saying I work in a real shithole of a shop with real assholes of management- we have no AC in the summer (when temperatures in the shop rise above temperatures outside, reaching into the upper 100s inside and being forced to wear long pants and heavy uniform shirts), we also have no fans. I'm planning on buying an evap cooler when the prices drop, but I'm also not planning on staying with this shop much longer.

During the winter/fall, we have no heat. I can't bring in a torpedo heater because they won't allow kerosene burning in the shop. So what do you guys suggest? I have thought about a way of hooking up a quartz infrared heater, which I think I am going to do, above my box, but that will only give me heat when i'm under it. I would also like some sort of warm air near me as well. Obviously I'm not going to heat the entire shop with it, but it would be nice to be able to heat the general area, that way the other unfortunates in my shop don't freeze to death either.

So, any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Techniker

 

[vartz04]

Call OSHA. You'll have heat

 

[darkk]

Call OSHA. You'll have heat

By the sounds of things if he calls OSHA, he won't have a job.....

 

[Techniker]

The other problem is...I don't think OHSA actually covers it- there are suggestions, but I don't think they have requirements.

So, ideas, suggestions?

 

[pseudorealityx]

What do you do at this shop? There are certainly OSHA requirements and regulations about certain things.

For instance, if you do any sort of paint or spraying that has an exhaust system to the outide, OSHA requires heated make up air if the rest of the space is not heated. [1910.94(c)(7)(iv)(a)]

Call your local fire marshal/code enforcement authority about the lack of fans in both summer and winter. ANY vehicle repair shop has to meet minimum exhaust requirements to prevent the build up of various fumes. Cite NFPA 88B - Standard for Repair Garages

 

[Techniker]

We're a regular auto repair shop- I'm the shop's diagnostic tech. We don't do body work. We have fans, but they're the kind for just moving air- we never actually feel anything. I'm planning on calling OSHA just to see what they say, but barring that I want to have a plan in place- I can't always control the world around me but I can at least attempt to control my own personal bubble.

So, any heating suggestions? I'm thinking about mounting that quartz heater on/above my box, but like I said, that's more like being a lizard under a heat lamp; I also want something to just heat the air around me. Thoughts still greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Techniker

 

[JB40]

There's no way to heat only the "air around you". You're correct to think radiant, but electric units are very weak. If you have LP or NG available, go with a infrared tube heater. They are vented, only heat objects below, and you can also hook up fresh air to them for combustion. For an auto shop, any fan forced unit is a complete waste of money. Every time the overhead door opens up, bye bye heat. Here's a good place to start: http://www.h-mac.com/heating/gas-heaters/gas-infrared-heaters.html?hmac_product_type_gih=161

 

[Techniker]

There's no way to heat only the "air around you". You're correct to think radiant, but electric units are very weak. If you have LP or NG available, go with a infrared tube heater. They are vented, only heat objects below, and you can also hook up fresh air to them for combustion. For an auto shop, any fan forced unit is a complete waste of money. Every time the overhead door opens up, bye bye heat. Here's a good place to start: http://www.h-mac.com/heating/gas-heaters/gas-infrared-heaters.html?hmac_product_type_gih=161

Unfortunately, there's no way this shop is going to let me use a burning fuel to heat the place (even if I provided the fuel myself, which I shouldn't have to). I just want to make the area around me comfortable, not so much concerned with the heat staying there (as you and I said, there's no way an electric heater is going to heat an entire shop). The idea I have is that the quartz heater will actually be my heat, but with some sort of cheap electric heater near me just to make the air "feel" warm.

-Techniker

 

[Techniker]

By the way, also checked with both OSHA, Fed and state, and there is no requirement for a shop to provide heat or AC as I said earlier.

 

[pseudorealityx]

Try and find some of those big old incandescent flood/work lights, before they all became LED's. Those things threw a lot of heat, and you can use the excuse that you're just trying to see better.

You're correct that they don't need to provide heat or A/C, only ventilate, and provide ventilation. If they have any exposed water pipes, it would do them good to provide heat so they don't possible burst a pipe, but 40 degrees isn't exactly comfortable to work in.

And yes, you can certainly heat a whole shop with electric, it just requires a LOT of juice. We've done some projects for the electric company around here, and you better believe they will ONLY use electric heat, no matter what. In fact, we're doing a current project with a big maintenance shop for their big tractors/bulldozers/etc, and it's all electric heat, and we've done big storage ware houses with the same thing. That one had at least a dozen big 30 KW heaters.

 

[Techniker]

Try and find some of those big old incandescent flood/work lights, before they all became LED's. Those things threw a lot of heat, and you can use the excuse that you're just trying to see better.

You're correct that they don't need to provide heat or A/C, only ventilate, and provide ventilation. If they have any exposed water pipes, it would do them good to provide heat so they don't possible burst a pipe, but 40 degrees isn't exactly comfortable to work in.

And yes, you can certainly heat a whole shop with electric, it just requires a LOT of juice. We've done some projects for the electric company around here, and you better believe they will ONLY use electric heat, no matter what. In fact, we're doing a current project with a big maintenance shop for their big tractors/bulldozers/etc, and it's all electric heat, and we've done big storage ware houses with the same thing. That one had at least a dozen big 30 KW heaters.

Yeah, the electric route is pretty much my only option; unfortunately, the nice ones are 240V and/or require direct wiring which isn't really an option, so I'll have to stick with the 120V route. As for the cost of using that much electricity, I have no problem bleeding this place dry; actually, all the more reason to use it!

Keep the good ideas coming guys, I know you have them!

-Techniker