Remember when it was warm enough to work in your garage?

[tpdimock]

Yeah...me neither.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

Well...I'm in San Diego...so ya.

 

[drewsifer714]

I feel like I might remember something like that...
could have been a dream though.

You should probably put your location in your profile so folks can commiserate with, or make fun of you, accordingly.

 

[Blue XJ]

I worked in mine The other day, just have to dress accordingly. With the exception of 2 days last week, it's been highs in the teens for the last month here.

 

[tpdimock]

I live in upstate NY. Installed a Modine Hot Dawg last year which works fine and has definitely extended my working months in my garage. Problem is once the concrete slab gets cold, it's a costly and losing battle. To say nothing about the frost heaving the slab around my entryway door, making it difficult to get into the garage without opening the overhead door. I'll stop whining now and go back to loading up my woodstove and find a good book. May be time for a glass of wine.

 

[drewsifer714]

I do know what you're saying with the slab leaching the heat. My problem is that, and the lack of insulation. You can only trap so much heat in a metal box full of holes.

Its expensive (kerosene) and only works down to a certain temp.
If the wind isn't blowing.
Then it's not even worth trying.
To heat it, that is, I still try to work out there.
But when all your machines and tools and materials are approximately -5°F, it's a little demotivating.

 

[rlitman]

My kerosene heater will raise my garage temperature about 20 degrees when I use it.
That's not always enough to get it above freezing, but it's enough to take the edge off. Especially when you have gloves to keep the cold metal tools from sapping any heat from your fingers, and an electric radiant heater to supplement where you're standing.

 

[drewsifer714]

I do wear gloves, but they only reflect your own body heat. Guess my bony old hands don't make much to start with.

That or I immediately soak them in something, engine oil, tapping fluid, kerosene, etc. Then they're about useless so I take them off.

Electric radiant seems like it would use a lot of power?

 

[Abeo]

I can get my garage up to 60F when it's -10F out, using 6500W of electric heat full on for 10 hours. I'd love to have a gas heater working by next year, as gas can provide so much more BTU than 60 amp service.

I've done lots more winter work in the garage ever since I stepped up to a 240 V heater

 

[rlitman]

I do wear gloves, but they only reflect your own body heat. Guess my bony old hands don't make much to start with.

That or I immediately soak them in something, engine oil, tapping fluid, kerosene, etc. Then they're about useless so I take them off.

Electric radiant seems like it would use a lot of power?

My hands are naturally warm. In my garage, with the heat on, wearing a coat and hat, I don't need gloves for the most part, since inside, I'm protected from winds that would chill my hands in the same temperature outdoors. It's just that a wrench that's below freezing transfers heat so efficiently. Almost anything helps. Worst case, I warm my hands (and tools) up in front of the heater for a minute.

My "electric radiant" heater is just a quartz heater. I think it is 1250W or so. It warms me, if I'm right in front of it. Not a whole lot more than that. Yeah, it would still be very expensive if I left it on, but it's not bad if I only turn it on when I'm standing in front of it. But because it radiates, it heats up in a second, and doesn't waste heat on anything behind or to the side.

Warm boots and good thick wool socks also help a great deal, as the concrete is also quite cold. But again, its easy to dress for the cold, when there's no wind to consider.

 

[Angelfire]

Nice and toasty here.

 

[fowldarr]

I'm hoping to get some work done in the garage tonight, but it's already dropped down to 58 degrees, Probably 55 by the time I get home. I might have to wear a jacket.

 

[PoorOwner]

I can get it to 65 within an hour but mostly the mini split heat pump is blowing at the bench and toolbox area so I can pretty much stand there and feel toasty right away. Same idea in summer... spot cooling.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

It's warm enough in here any day the wood stove is going. I would put in a gas heater but we don't plan on staying here more than a few years.

I also have a kerosene heater that I use occasionally, gets the garage up to 70F even when it's -10F outside, but kerosene is up to $3.25/gal here, too expensive to use much.

 

[OH_Varmntr]

Just got my Sterling 120kBTU propane heater install completed on Saturday, so my shop is 52 degrees inside as it is 5 degrees outside right now.

 

[Garagetime]

Yes last weekend it was around 68° inside. Outside temp was too cold for me.

 

[Bessy]

Last Thursday, until about 5:00pm. Temps plummetted overnight from 12 to -12 and then we got dumped on Friday/Saturday.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I installed two five blade ceiling fans to keep the air circulating and prevent stratification. This works well, for me. I do not see the connection between an uncomfortably cold concrete floor and the rising hot air. I know the floor is cold, so I wear good socks and boots. Standing on a piece of cardboard or carpet helps to keep feet warmer.
I live on the West Coast of Canada. Our winter temperatures seldom go much below zero Celsius. Zero Celsius is where water freezes.
My elderly neighbour came from Eastern Europe 70 years ago. He likes the Canadian metric Celsius system better. He says, with a twinkle in his eye, " it freezes to soon at 32 degrees in the US",
I do not remember, with few exceptions, winters being warmer. Although, being here on the Wet West Coast is definitely warmer than the Canadian Prairies.
Many Canadians from the other side of The Rocky Mountains move out the British Columbia West Coast for the milder climate and often return to the Prairies because of the weather. We had heavy hail this morning that covered the yard with about 4-5 centimeters of ice. This was followed by a typical seasonal monsoon and all of the hail has melted and rushed for the drains.

 

[bczygan]

Double wythe brick walls, uninsulated ceiling, unimsulated metal door with gap at bottom.

It's colder than outside...


Bill

 

[matt_i]

I can see the spike in my natural gas useage on the DTE Insight App, worked all 4 days of the last weekend in the shop. Somewhere in the 4 CCF range to heat the shop per day @ 60F. As I recall a CCF/therm was around $0.80, so not too bad.

 

[SILVERPLATE]

It definitely seems to long ago. Might get into the sixties this weekend and cannot wait. Hope for warming for all of you!

 

[TomC750]

My previous garage in NY has radiant heat in the floor. Always felt like summertime in there even if it was below zero outside.

 

[Kevkx125]

I do know what you're saying with the slab leaching the heat. My problem is that, and the lack of insulation. You can only trap so much heat in a metal box full of holes.

Its expensive (kerosene) and only works down to a certain temp.
If the wind isn't blowing.
Then it's not even worth trying.
To heat it, that is, I still try to work out there.
But when all your machines and tools and materials are approximately -5°F, it's a little demotivating.

Pretty much the same here.

 

[seanc_mt]

-3 this AM here in Montana shop was 50* Just an earth stove and a fan to move air.

 

[T_R]

Mine is insulated and has two 5k electric heaters in 576 sq ft. I can make it like the tropics in there now if i like even when it's below zero. I usually only heat to about 50-55 though, that is where I am comfortable working. I like to wear a sweatshirt when I work. I leave one heater on the minimum setting all the time which is about 40 so it only takes like 20-30 mins to warm to working temps.

 

[PugetDude]

My garage here in AZ was nice enough to work with the door open all day.
Don't know and don't care what the garage temps are at the house in WA...

 

[ssdave]

I remember it like it was just yesterday. My unfinished garage with no doors got up to about 40 degrees, maybe 45. No wind, so it was warm enough to use the tile saw out there to cut floor tiles for the house. Prefer to use it outside as it throws water everywhere, particularly when you're cutting 24" tiles.

Oh, it was yesterday! Was glad to get an above freezing day to let me cut tile.

 

[drmarkr]

It was 80 Sunday....74 yesterday....and about the same today.

Don't hate.

 

[Hollywood D]

Was about 40’ in the shop when I went out there today. Was 5 when I got up this morning. The spray foam insulation was worth every penny

 

[tdkkart]

1200sqft or radiant floor heat. Thermostat set at 54* which is warm enough that if I'm doing anything at all I'm down to a short sleeve T-shirt. Love that floor heat!!!

 

[James-W]

I keep my garage thermostat set at 50 degrees and I turn it up to 70 when I am working on a project.

 

[mcfly107]

North Centeal IL has been rough this winter. Luckily I don’t have many projects going on right now so I’m not burning through propane like crazy. Come spring we are going to plumb NG to the garage and install a hanging heater.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jason280]

The coldest air temp has been around 20-22*, but even at that temp both of my shops stay above 48-50*. Of course, I can run a couple propane heaters and get them up to around 60* without too much trouble.

 

[kumquat]

It was -30F here for the last few days, going to +30 ish for the next few. I was and will be in my garage, it's heated.

 

[Tonyuk]

A balmy 14°C in the dealership shop today, biggest problem is the salt and grit dripping off the sodden cars.

 

[MushCreek]

Here in SC, I should be able to work in the barn, but not this year. No insulation at all, and no heater. I tried to work out there Saturday, but at 35 F., I didn't last long. I've learned that your hands will not warm a 2,000 lb. milling machine, no longer how long you try. I hope to eventually insulate, cover the walls, and install a mini-split. Could be several years down the road, though. Today is a snow day (also rare around here), but the barn is cold, so I'll get back to work on finishing the basement, where it's 63 F.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I just picked up a Mr Heater, Big buddy heater. I can't wait to try and use it here in a week or two when it goes back to freezing. My attached garage will be JUST above freezing which is annoying. With two electric oil radiators I can get it about 55-60 degrees F' but I have to turn them on and it takes HOURS to get to that point.

I kept reading the Big Buddy did a good job to the point that you'd have to turn it down. Hoping that's the same results. I am going to mount mine on the wall.

-Nigel

 

[trashmanssd]

I have good heat in my garage but still i prefer it on the hot side (upper 70's to 80) to work out in the garage. I like to get a little sweet going when I am out there and this time of year that ain't happening unless I have the flu.

 

[GirchyGirchy]

Hell, it's even too cold in my basement. Sick of it.

 

[lakeroadster]

1st world problem....

much better than "the guy in the cave next door wants to cut my head off with a dull knife".