Heating Help

shovelking780

I'm looking to build a shop on our acreage here in Alberta,Canada and need advice on heating options. The shop I'm looking to build will be 40x80x20 with a 26x40 mezzanine in the back portion. I'm thinking infloor heat might be the way to go. Not sure about the costs either way.

STEVEusaPA

Well that would be the best heat. Now you need a proper design, proper install, and properly insulated under the slab and the edges.
Upside, you could also pipe the mezzanine, and put in some snow melt.
Downside is cost and recovery. For a shop, if you like to turn the temp down when your not in there, and back up when you are, then radiant alone is not your best bet.
Also, what kind of shop? Will there be extended periods of time with large doors open?

EBEBRATT-Ed

What @STEVEusaPA said is correct. Radiant is the best heat for a shop. Once you get the slab heated, you can open and close doors to the outside at 0 deg and as soon as the doors are closed again you instantly warm up.

As Steve pointed out radiant is NG if you only heat the building part time or expect to turn the temp up and down.

What will your fuel source be?? oil, NG or propane??

shovelking780

The shop will be mainly a workshop for welding, machining, fabrication repair. Doors will be mainly closed and only opened to move material in and out. I would keep the shop at a maintained tempature as trying to heat it when required would be too time consuming easier to maintain a minimum tempature where one could use it at anytime. As for fuel source most likely natural gas or propane. Propane would be the easiest to install. Where would one go for the proper design, equipment? I would like to save some costs and do the install myself or at least as much as I could. Can anyone provide detailed drawings of a proper system?

STEVEusaPA

Here's what I recommend, and it may work in your situation. You are going to have to get a professional to commission the system, check gas pressure, and do a combustion analysis.
You are also going to have to buy alot of equipment.
So I would hire a professional. Pay the hvac contractor to do the design and drawings, provide all the material, and to guide you. The bulk of the work-putting down the tubing according to a drawing, is pretty simple. Let the hvac contractor pressure test it when you pour concrete.
After that, most people can bang out setting the boiler, installing the piping, wire it up and commission it in 2 days at most.

hot_rod

Maybe have an experienced contractor do a load calc and design for you. It's good to have someone local help with design. With that in hand you will have an idea what is needed.

Plenty of contractors up there. Ironclad out of Edmonton does top notch work.