Recommendations for a heater

[Low50s]

Hello, I have a 30x40x14 going up right now and I am looking for heater recommendations.

I am planning on doing spray foam insulation unsure of open vs closed cell and thickness yet as I have not called any spray contractors yet.

I am torn between Radiant tube heater (LP) and a waste oil furnace as I have access to about 500+ gal oil a year from all the farm equipment.

Located in NE Iowa and just want to see what people would use or prefer

 

[Shop Specialties]

For that size shop and sounds like it will be well insulated the smallest quality built waste oil heater would be overkill. Depending on how much $$$ you want to spend you could go with a waste oil boiler that would heat the shop and house if it is not to far away.

 

[Low50s]

For that size shop and sounds like it will be well insulated the smallest quality built waste oil heater would be overkill. Depending on how much $$$ you want to spend you could go with a waste oil boiler that would heat the shop and house if it is not to far away.

House and garage are 20 ft apart house has brand new HVAC system

I just figured waste oil would kill two birds with one stone but the costs for units are pretty crazy and I think a radiant tube would maybe be the best bet

 

[73RR]

Radiant tube will heat 'objects' but not the air, that is ok if you want to heat yourself at the work bench but will not help if you are under a car.
Look at propane unit heaters if you want 'space' heat.

 

[Jackfre]

Check out the Rinnai EX38C-LP. Easy install. 2.5" hole for supplied vent. Sealed combustion, modulating gas valve and blower. Built in programmable stat. Auto re-start on power outage. Low temp range setting down to 38*. Quiet, cool to touch. To set and trim the unit is about 1 1/2 hrs. Gas Line is additional. Have to note my bias as I represented Rinnai in my business for 20 yrs and consult with them the last 6, but I also heat my homes, shop, basement & garage with them. Most reliable heating appliance I've seen in 50+ yrs in the business.

 

[Low50s]

Thanks I will take a look that brand

73RR I know radiant will heat the objects which is fine with me with everything that I think will be stuffed into this space there will be plenty of objects that hold the heat.

I have had Radiant tube heaters at 2 of the 3 shops I have worked at 1st ones were not real efficient due to old building and 9 glass garage doors and the 2nd one where I am at now has a series of radiant heaters and seems to heat well and recover decently after we pull trucks and maintainers in from the snow.


I was just looking if there was a inexpensive waste oil option to use up the growing supply of waste oil we generate and if the maintenance cost and initial cost be a large enough factor to swing my decision vs a radiant tube heater

 

[Shop Specialties]

Thanks I will take a look that brand

73RR I know radiant will heat the objects which is fine with me with everything that I think will be stuffed into this space there will be plenty of objects that hold the heat.

I have had Radiant tube heaters at 2 of the 3 shops I have worked at 1st ones were not real efficient due to old building and 9 glass garage doors and the 2nd one where I am at now has a series of radiant heaters and seems to heat well and recover decently after we pull trucks and maintainers in from the snow.


I was just looking if there was a inexpensive waste oil option to use up the growing supply of waste oil we generate and if the maintenance cost and initial cost be a large enough factor to swing my decision vs a radiant tube heater

What is your average cost of propane ? Ballpark estimate of how much propane the house uses in the Winter ? You would have to buy at least 650 gallons of propane to equal that 500 gallons of waste oil you generate for free. Lets do a little math to see what kind of a ROI we can come up with.

 

[Dagny]

Waste oil heaters are not without trouble it's the dirt in the oil that causes most problems. Is it going to be heated constantly ? I would find something more efficient if your going to keep it warm. Is there going to be water ran to it.

 

[Shop Specialties]

Waste oil heaters are not without trouble it's the dirt in the oil that causes most problems. Is it going to be heated constantly ? I would find something more efficient if your going to keep it warm. Is there going to be water ran to it.

Dirt in the oil ? On my installs I keep my pickup screen off the bottom of tank and the 2 stainless steel washable filters catch everything that would plug a nozzle and I have zero issues with dirt in the oil. In my 26 years of doing nothing but waste oil heater sales AND service the #1 problem I see is in the way it was installed.

 

[Low50s]

What is your average cost of propane ? Ballpark estimate of how much propane the house uses in the Winter ? You would have to buy at least 650 gallons of propane to equal that 500 gallons of waste oil you generate for free. Lets do a little math to see what kind of a ROI we can come up with.

SS- I cant tell you what I used last winter for LP - I can do some checking to see if the gas company has records for my place of what I used last year

the garage will have zero water. Dagny and yes I would like to keep it at a semi consistent temp 45-55 and then bump it up before I work in it.

so far I think I will have to go with something other than waste oil due to mainly the costs of the unit. As much as I really like the idea of the free(sh) heat I wonder how many years before I would see my ROI doing daily maintenance like draining sediment off the tank and topping off with oil is no big deal. I work on heavy equipment and when I come home I am already covered with oil and grease so that is minor to me.

 

[Shop Specialties]

You can always add a waste oil heater down the road. Go with the gas heater first and keep track of how much gas you burn. Then you will know for sure what your ROI will be.

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