Shop Heat

[craigibc]

My shop is around 250ft from the house. I have electricity in the shop and a pellet stove but would like to keep the shop around 50' in the winter when not working in there.

Full insulation and 9ft ceiling it is 22x52ft. I may even segment off a part of it for the winter for heating purposes.

Should I use electric, propane, oil, heat pump? I have been reading alot of stuff on here and need a solid recommendation.

Which of the available choice would be the most efficient?

Craig

 

[theoldwizard1]

Electric resistance heat is the fastest and cheapest to istall and the most expensive to operate.

Propane is a good option, especially if you have it for your home so you are already getting delivery. Lugging 100 lb around would get OLD FAST ! A couple of wall furnaces or hanging furnaces might be require if you do NOT partition it.

A mini split heat pump would be good especially if you would like A/C.

 

[craigibc]

how long do you think 100lbs tank will last in the winter? For the propane usage?

 

[Jackfre]

1# of propane is 21,500btu.

 

[lostmymanual]

Look for something like this on your buy/sale/trade of choice.

https://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Commercial-Infrared-Heater-3E133

I have some locally to me that they are asking $200 per unit. https://wichita.craigslist.org/mat/6166897714.html

This requires Gas plumbing and a 120V connection.

They are fairly cheap to run versus burning pellets or straight up electrical heating elements, which can also be pretty brutal to your budget to keep running all winter. They are generally ceiling mount so they stay out of your way too.

I have no experience with heavy fuel oil burners at all. That's mostly a Northern thing I guess.

 

[txvwnut]

how long do you think 100lbs tank will last in the winter? For the propane usage?

It's not as long as you want. I accidentally left my heater on one time overnight on its lowest setting and damn near emptied the bottle. If you had it on a setup with a thermostat and your shop is insulated as good as house then I could see a week out of that 100lb bottle but not much more. But all this really depends on heater efficiency outside ambient temps and your R factor.

When we have a winter in Texas I usually have to fill my 100lb bottle twice to three times but I only run it when I'm in the shop and keep the temp in the middle 60's to low 70's when I'm in there which is usually 5 to 6 days a week and between 3 to 6 hours.

 

[APEowner]

What is your house heated with?

 

[finn]

Propane, either a hanging heater or a standard household non high efficiency (no condensate drain), unless you are willing to commit to heating the space forever 24/7.

A conventional ducted furnace will have the best heat distribution and filtration (dust control).

 

[craigibc]

The house is heated with natural gas but I cannot figure or how to get gas to the barn. It is way out in the middle of nowhere. 200ft from the street and 250ft from the house.

 

[craigibc]

Do you think I could run gas back to the shop? What is the best pipe to use to run underground? I would bring in a contractor to help with the project.

 

[Firebrick43]

Do you think I could run gas back to the shop? What is the best pipe to use to run underground? I would bring in a contractor to help with the project.

Yes, and probably use. The best for buried is a plastic pipe designed for natural gas. I "believe" it polyethylene. Bigger stuff is welded with special machines. Smaller stuff uses fittings. Either way probably not a real DIY project when you also consider trenching it in. Call your gas company. The low price of NG will pay back the install cost in a few years.

I would give my left nut for NG service, especially now I have had three kids already.

 

[D45]

Run a NG line, it will be worth it in the long run..........yellow poly pipe

Easy to do and easy to work with, even for a DIY-er

Hire a contractor for what, the heater and vent install? Do it yourself, it is very easy

 

[craigibc]

Hire a contractor for what, the heater and vent install? Do it yourself, it is very easy

It is a CYA statement.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Does the pellet stove not have a hopper ?

 

[APEowner]

I'd run an NG line from the house.

 

[craigibc]

The pellet stove does have a hopper I just do not want to maintain that. I would rather be automatic if possible.

 

[craigibc]

i did a test and it does appear the distance is a little farther then I thought. I am working on running enet out there for work and it appears it is 450ft not 250ft. I am trying to find a source for 500ft of ng line. Seems to be a tough search so far.

 

[D45]

Contact the gas company.........maybe they will do it for you?


This is where I bought mine from, but it was only for a 25 foot section of 3/4":


https://www.hdpesupply.com/yellow-mdpe-polyethylene-pipe/


You will need to calculate the line size you need for this length of run

 

[Falcon67]

If I had that choice based on fuel costs, I'd run the NG line. That would be the fastest payback IMHO. Electric or Propane would require running some numbers for your area. Looks like your electric rates are not terrible which may well make it competitive.

 

[Jamie V]

Some gas companies will run a line to the garage for free with the meter. Mine would not run a second one for free because I only have 1 lot. If I had the garage on a second lot it would be free. I would start with a call to the gas company first then go from there.

I ran 175' from my meter to the garage with 1-1/4" line. It's not a "simple" job but can be done.

 

[6768rogues]

Do you have natural gas available?
I have a 2400 square foot building with a 14' ceiling and I used propane for 8 years. It cost about $750 to $1000 per winter to keep it about 50 degrees and if I did not have the driveway plowed the propane truck would not pull in (the building is an hour from home). The building is about 400' from the road. The NG company put in 100' of main for free and charged me $3000 for the rest (I could have done it myself but it is an hour from home and I didn't have time, they did it in a day). Last winter I used less than $300 in NG. Now if I want to I can go to Florida for the winter and I don't have to keep track of propane usage and plowing the driveway. I figure I will break even in about 5 or 6 years.
I had two 200# tanks that belonged to the propane company, so I paid a higher price for not owning my own tank. I thought about buying a 1000 gallon propane tank and having it filled when prices are low in the summer, then having enough for the year. That tank was almost $3000 but it would be a reasonable alternative if you don't have access to NG. You could shop around in the summer and get it filled by the cheapest vendor then coast for the year.

 

[craigibc]

yes I do have access to NG and it is a good idea I am going to call the gas company.

I think from my house it is about 450 and from the road on the shop address is would be around 300ft.

 

[6768rogues]

I misspoke. The gas company would put in 100' of main and 100' of service for free. The main ended at my driveway so I took advantage of the 100' of service piping and paid for the remainder. Had it been closer to home, I would have done it myself.
It is a good time of year to start the process. The gas company had their engineer come out and measure and sent me an application and quote. I filled it out and paid the money and then it took about 4 or 5 months for them to get to my job. Just made it before winter.

 

[6768rogues]

I noticed that you are from Buffalo. I am in Brockport and my gas company here, Rochester Gas and Electric, has a similar deal for piping as the one at my other building referenced in my previous post, which is NYSEG. They probably all work under the same tariff so you will probably find the same deal from your provider.

 

[James-W]

If you run a natural gas line from the house to the shop you MAY need to have a larger natural gas line coming into the house.

The local gas company may have a deal where they will install a new natural gas service for free, or at least for a very low cost. On the other hand, if you just want to upgrade the service you have in your house so it will be capable of also running the shop, they may very well charge you doing it.