What heating method to use?

[conceptmachine]

Hello fellas,
I'd like your opinion on what heating method to go with in the 40x60 machine shop.
My options are pretty much anything other than gas or propane and firewood.
I have the option of in floor heat, but didn't know the life span of it or if it holds up well. Looked at quarts as well. Don't know what would be more efficient and work best, that's where I was hoping you could give some pointers.
Thanks
Jim

 

[kelpaso1]

LOL. Well not much options other than oil or electric

 

[Thumper68]

Go for the infloor hot water, then choose your boiler and fuel.

I love having warm feet in the shop, I can keep the temp down around 50F and still feel warm and get stuff done.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

LOL. Well not much options other than oil or electric

Don't forget kerosene, coal, solar or geothermal.
I'm planning on doing in-floor heat and using it to keep my garage at 45 deg or so. I'll also have some way to warm it up more when I'm there, I haven't decided what type yet.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Go for the infloor hot water, then choose your boiler and fuel.

I love having warm feet in the shop, I can keep the temp down around 50F and still feel warm and get stuff done.

Right on !

I would seriously look into heating your water with a heat pump.

 

[kelpaso1]

Don't forget kerosene, coal, solar or geothermal.
I'm planning on doing in-floor heat and using it to keep my garage at 45 deg or so. I'll also have some way to warm it up more when I'm there, I haven't decided what type yet.

Well if he doesn't want to haul wood, I don't think he want's to shovel coal. Kerosene is the same as heating oil as well as diesel. Geothermal uses electricity and expensive to install. Heat pumps don't work after - 20C and still have to have a back up heat source. Solar is pretty much not affordable or cost effective for the average person at this time. Any heating system requires fuel. Be it natural gas, propane, coal, oil, wood, or electricity. True solar is extremely expensive to buy and install. No free lunch yet with our technology.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

It would help greatly if the OP would revise his profile to include location so we would have a clue where on the planet he is located. A heater in Aruba is something you might use one morning a year, and there are places where you have to heat year 'round.

Also need to know a little more about insulation, ceiling height, and if the shop has an unlimited supply of electricity.

Used oil heater if you have lots and lots of friends who drive diesel pickups and Excursions who change their own oil.

Charles

 

[rburke65]

Charles (in GA) in think you are beating a dead horse about locations.

 

[conceptmachine]

Thanks guys,
I'm in iowa Charles. Extreme cold for 3 months of the year and just cold for 1 more. I would like a constant 50 degrees in the shop. My machines usually warm it up a bit more. When not there I'll lower it to 40. I don't mind a heating bill in the 300. Range as long as I'm not freezing my nadds off. 13 years I spent in my drafty shop with 4 little electric heaters on timers warming it up to around 40. Sometimes the bills were over 300 which wouldn't be bad if it was comfortable.
10' ceiling with blown in insulation and 6" bat for walls.
The first couple years I did the wood stove thing... don't wanna go that route again. I'm not close to gas lines and code I cannot have a tank. Even if I could I wouldn't want it. Prices could go thru the roof. What do you all think of quartz heat bars vs the oil heat bars?

 

[Thumper68]

In floor hot water like I said with a off peak elec boiler should have no issues keeping you at 50F for under $300 a month.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Too bad you don't want firewood, $300/mo would buy a bunch of firewood.

I'd also guess your shop is well insulated ? After no firewood, probably no coal either, propane or NatGas, I'd suggest fuel oil heat.

 

[Stuart in MN]

There are a number of heat loss calculators online that will help you figure out how much heat you need to keep the building at the desired temperature. They aren't always completely accurate but will at least get you in the ballpark. Here's one that looks fairly easy to use: http://www.chromalox.com/resource-center/calculators/comfort-heater.aspx

Once you've figured out how many BTUs or watts are required, then you can figure out how much it's going to cost. Assuming you go with electric, get the kilowatt-hour charge off your electric bill and you can calculate the monthly cost.

 

[conceptmachine]

Thanks for the link!!

 

[willymakeit]

I'm thinking of a barrel stove with inner barrels surrounded by sand and running a pipe with a ball or gate valve to the outside for combustion air. A good hot fire heats the sand and works as thermal mass. Outside combustion air means I don't need to worry so much about fumes being sucked in the stove.

 

[kelpaso1]

Too bad you don't want firewood, $300/mo would buy a bunch of firewood.

I'd also guess your shop is well insulated ? After no firewood, probably no coal either, propane or NatGas, I'd suggest fuel oil heat.

I agree. I heat my shop with a wood stove. Cost is about 600 for the winter season. And I keep it at 25C day and night. I go through 3 cords a winter. No need to fill the fire every 2 hours. Fill it up in the morning and have good
coals in the evening and repeat.

 

[theoldwizard1]

In floor hot water like I said with a off peak elec boiler should have no issues keeping you at 50F for under $300 a month.

Geothermal heat pump to heat your water.

With a smart installer you could have air conditioning at minimal cost.

 

[Kevin54]

Why does code dictate you can't have a tank? I have a 120 gallon propane right up against the building. Any larger and I have to be 10 feet from the building. A 120 gallon tank of propane will last me about 1 1/2 months. I keep it at 50 at night, and turn it up to 70 when I;m out there. I have a 45,000 BTU Hamilton hanging heater and I heat a 28x36 building.

 

[coljar]

If I had to do it over again, it would have been an in floor hot water setup, but in my case I would have used a nat. gas fired boiler. I kick myself now for not doing it.

 

[conceptmachine]

Thanks for the replys. I have geothermal in my house and love it. I'm not gonna go that route until I need it. I think im going to go the in floor heating route. Even if I'm at 50 degrees if my feet are warm I'm happy.

 

[59 wagon man]

im not a mechanical engineer but i did stay at a holiday inn express seriousely though i am a plumbing contractor by trade . haven't done heating in 15 yrs but you might be able to use an inground loop tied to an electric water heater . i don;t know the cost of electric, usage, temp etc, that would be the engineers job.
you could start this way and if gas became available switch over to a small boiler .
i dont know if you are aware or if it is the same by you but here in fla the gas company will bring the line to your house at no cost to you within a reasonable distance. gas lines can be buried and you wont even know about it for instance we have a back alley where all our utilities are run, when i installed gas in my house the gas line turned out to be running in my front swale about 30" down luckily when we had a diseased 35' tall royal palm removed we never hit the gas line but it must have been very close

 

[TheEquineFencer]

One of the guys in another group I'm in heats his shop and house with composting cow manure. In the spring, summer and fall he "recycles" it again and sells it as organic fertilizer. Hot water in the floor, house and heats his potable water with it. Stays around 120* -150* water temp year round.

 

[G McKay]

Electric heaters hanging on the walls work for me. But everyone has an opinion that works for them.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Thanks for the replys. I have geothermal in my house and love it. I'm not gonna go that route until I need it. I think im going to go the in floor heating route. Even if I'm at 50 degrees if my feet are warm I'm happy.

Geothermal is $$$. Put some of that into extra insulation under the slab. Don't forget the vertical insulation on the inside of the foundation, or possibly use ICF.

 

[kbs2244]

No body ever thinks about overhead I R heaters.
Electric or gas.
They heat things, not air.
Machinery is warm, human bodies are warm, floors are warm, no matter what the air temp is.