Heating/cooling an auto body shop

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a few years back. I installed extruded plates onto the metal celing panels, with copper installed. Basically turning the entire ceiling into a panel radiator.

This was an experimental system, maybe too "off the wall" for your application.

Body shop don't like a lot of air movement when they spray. I'm not sure a blower type unit heater would be ideal.

I'd be curious to see how much cooling could be handled with a chilled water in a ceiling. Kind of humid around here to try. Might work well in Phoenix.

hot rod

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Joe_8

Heating/cooling an auto body shop

Does anyone have suggestions for heating and cooling a small auto body shop. There are two bays, 20x40. The ceiling height is only 14'. The cement floor is already in place.
I had considered radiant space heaters, but the height is an issue.
Would a Unico system be wise and or cost efficient?
The owner would like a system that can heat and cool.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Joe

Brad White_9

Gas Fired Low Intensity

heaters are not a bad idea. Even with the relatively low heights, I cannot think of a better way. Given higher ventilation rates, particulates in the air, any air system will suffer even if filtered. Material will collect in duct systems you can count on it. Plus the doors may be open a lot; so radiant is great to maintain comfort even so.

I just finished a chassis repair garage here in Boston where the heaters are about that height, off to the sides with angled reflectors so lifts and doors are not obstructed.

Check out Detroit Radiant, Co-Ray-Vac, Markel and others. As a word of caution, I strongly recommend ducting in your combustion air. The use of possible chloronated solvents with combustion will eat things up quickly.

For cooling, a simple rooftop system may be your best bet. Not a huge space and you want recovery. Unico uses low air volumes as you know. Great for the office part maybe but tough to recover after your next beauty goes rolling out the door.

ALH_4

RG

Roberts Gordon also makes a unit for harsh environments.

Ted_9

air-no

From personal experience, do no do a hot air furnace. The repair shop ruins this type of equipment. You might get away with just a cooling unit and a high return, but I recommend using high efficiency filter and changing them weekly.

As far as heat, I'd go with what Brad said.

Massachusetts

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John@Reliable_14

I'LL second that..............

I designed a heating system for a 10,000 sq ft new body shop last year using Detroit equipment,was told they love it this first winter.Good stuff,looks like easy install,takes some time to get from factory. P.S. still may be some big rebates $$ from gas company for going with this type of product. John@Reliable

Christian Egli_2

One system does it all

One absolutely gorgeous method of heating such places is with ceiling or wall high steam fin tubes and radiators. It's old, yeah, but it's worth rediscovering.

With ceilings close to the head, radiant gas fires can be uncomfortably hot, but steam is at just the right temperature. Plus, banging into the pipes with the forklift causes no disastrous leaks. Steam pipes are mostly empty. Also, the flame issues are all local to the boiler closet and can be easily controlled and maintained.

Hot water baseboard could be nice too. Forced hot air in a leaky garage would have the advantage of drying things up faster... like wet cars but not for free.

As far as the radiant gas units are concerned, the open flame - leave all the flue gasses inside, are not a type I like all that much anymore. It's fine if you have only a small portion of peak heat coming from the open flame radiant (and it is prodigiously comfortable), but for the entire heat needs, I find the added moisture load to be too much - particularly in shoulder season and rainy days.

Radiant gas tubes seem perfect. They are used a lot around here. Check with fire code issues. (They are usually not OK in wood shops, while the open flame ones are, because of the logical fire hazard of the dust accumulation on the tube)

Don't either forget considering installing low speed ceiling fans. This reduces heating and, more so, cooling needs.

My personal experience with each of these systems has me got picking steam. Safety. Comfort. Efficiency. Up front cost.



Is anyone really surprised? Just remember how nice the basement is with the exposed steam mains.