I am having a 30X40 shop built later this fall and am looking at the different ways to heat it. As I recall, there was a thread a year or so ago on this and I can't seem to find it.

I haven't yet decided if I want to go propane or electric. I'm leaning propane, but once I get the solar system up and running that would potentially be the better option. I don't know when that is going to happen though so I'll likely go with propane.

Affordability of the unit itself would be nice, as well as the affordability of the energy source to run it.

I'm also going to be putting a double-barrel stove in there as well at some point, but I'd like something that I don't have to tend to keep things above freezing consistently as I will be having it plumbed for a sink and toilet.

I'd like to have a 10X20(ish) room in it for reloading and other activities and I suppose I could route all the plumbing into there. That would be a much smaller area that I'd have to heat and would likely save me on cost.

Thoughts?

I would go electric on that finished room with the plumbing and augment with the wood burner. For the main shop I would go with a large propane unit mounted near the ceiling.

Have you thought of thermal heat pipes in the floor.
New build this can be added and small water heater with circulating pump.
Later to solar power would be easy.
Makes a nice setup,had an old plumber friend did his car stowage barn this way.
He had money in the Pierce arrows, Marmon , Stutz bare cat. All high dollar cars.

That'd be nice 45, but I'm betting way too expensive.

To clarify, the woodstove would be out in the main area. I'm thinking that it is a little less important to keep that above freezing continuously. Thus, I could go with a smaller unit in the room area.

Over the years we used a number of methods to heat the garage, but found infrared radiant gas-fired heaters to be the best. They heat up quickly and will run you out of the garage if set the heat at a normal temperature. Our heating bills went down so much after we converted the gas company was certain the meter was broken. They replaced the meter and found the new heaters used about 25% of what the gas-fired furnace used.

We set the thermostats at about 55 degrees in very cold weather and found the shop to be very warm.

The advantage we found for radiant heat versus forced air heating was we could leave the garage at a low temperature or unheated when unoccupied, and bring the temperature up quickly as needed. This also made things a lot more efficient.

quote:

Stutz bare cat

I'm kind of looking at this unit. It gets good reviews and looks pretty inexpensive.

Modine Hot Dawg

Those infrared units look nice too.

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Originally posted by Gustofer:
I'm kind of looking at this unit. It gets good reviews and looks pretty inexpensive.

Modine Hot Dawg

Those infrared units look nice too.

That's a pretty low efficiency unit and propane prices have gone from around $1 a gallon to almost $5 within the last few years in my area.
I'd go for something a step up and it would pay for the difference quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Those infrared units look nice too.

The infrared heaters we installed were tube units. We used to have to pay to have the wall burner maintained. As a bonus, the tube heaters were durable/low/no maintenance in a shop environment. Even being exposed to etch primer from time to time didn't affect them.

With the old heater, if someone forgot to leave it on over the weekend, on Monday morning everything was cold: the floor, tools, cars, etc., and it seemed it took a good bit of the day for the heater to catch up.

The radiant heater warmed all the surfaces and made it a lot more pleasant to work.

Google search "DIY drip feed waste oil heater".

I know a couple of guys who fabricated one out of various scrap items and use it to heat a 40x80 insulated metal shop building. It burns clean and is essentially free to operate on used motor oil.

I have a Modine Hot Dog natural gas unit, it adds about 20% to my bill average. I keep a three car garage at 45* all winter. I've insulated the walls and will be doing the attic soon. I got some bad ice on the roof last winter.

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Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Stutz bare cat

Not the pussy,the car that only millionaires could afford .
Back when I was in car clubs Herb drove the cat mostly,the big show off. Some times his wife made him drive the pierce when she had just had her hair done and he also had to put up the top.
That was loads of fun with that assortment of old cars on trips.

That thing was fast and loud .

Talking about what type of heater is all well and good but what is really important is how the building is built and insulated...

Info please.....

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
Have you thought of thermal heat pipes in the floor.
New build this can be added and small water heater with circulating pump.
Later to solar power would be easy.
Makes a nice setup,had an old plumber friend did his car stowage barn this way.
He had money in the Pierce arrows, Marmon , Stutz bare cat. All high dollar cars.

I'm assuming Montana has snowy and cold weather. Please look hard at radiant heat in your concrete floor. Especially if you will have a secondary heat source. I work for a power utility, heat pumps are getting pushed hard. Big improvements and possible rebates available.
They make a hot water heat pump with an electric back up.
Picture floors warm and garage at a constant temp with a back up for the quick heat.

Talking about what type of heater is all well and good but what is really important is how the building is built and insulated...
Good point. We sprayfoamed our garage walls with a structural foam. Stiffened the walls up, sealed the drafts. Amazing difference in temp in both summer and winter.

My biggest regrets in my garage is skimping where I shouldn't have. 30 years old and hopefully it has that much more to give.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Talking about what type of heater is all well and good but what is really important is how the building is built and insulated...

Info please.....

Metal sided/roofed pole barn style. If the ground isn't frozen when it goes up, the floor will be poured after it's built. If it is frozen, it'll be poured in the spring.

The builders will put in foil insulation throughout and I plan on adding either fiberglass or the blue panels as well. Between the two, I should be good to go.

TBH: What are the costs with the heat pumps? I have no intention of spending thousands of dollars for a system. It's just a garage.

I put a Hot Dawg heater in my garage (nat gas) and only run it when I'm working out there. It heats the garage from 40 to 68 in about 20 minutes and works great.

quote:

Originally posted by mark60:
I put a Hot Dawg heater in my garage (nat gas) and only run it when I'm working out there. It heats the garage from 40 to 68 in about 20 minutes and works great.

How big of a garage and what BTU heater?

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by mark60:
I put a Hot Dawg heater in my garage (nat gas) and only run it when I'm working out there. It heats the garage from 40 to 68 in about 20 minutes and works great.

How big of a garage and what BTU heater?

22x24 with a 45000 BTU Walls are R13 and the ceiling had no insulation the first year I put it in but now has about R19 blown in

Thanks for the info.

30x40 pole barn in W. Glacier, MT, would need 36000 btu with OK insulation and 30000 with above average insulation according to this calculator. If you did two rooms, the 15x20 would need 9-11000 btu and the rest of barn would need 23-28000 btu. You could go with a hotel style PTAC for the 15x20 room (it'd give you AC in summer too) and a hanging propane heater for the shop.

Energy Star recommends R49 to R60 for Montana attics, and R13 to R21 between studs in walls and R5 or R6 sheathing between siding and studs.

My experience with reflective insulation was it was good on tight walls, but if you had any air gap (eg. barn corner) it was an infiltration point for air and bugs and there was the risk of reflective insulation tearing. I regret not going with several Sigforumites recommendation of spray in insulation.