Unheated garage

Jim_23

live in Mid LP Mich. Have unheated, bare studs (mostly) walls 24'x 20' 10' high to open ceiling joist. Trying to set up a wood shop.......building a new barn round the old & keeping the horse in!!. I am familiar w/ VA, not MI cold. Cement floor, 100 amp elect. Nat. gas is avail, but not practical. What are your suggestions for most effective heating? Besides insulating? Thanks

Al Letellier

garage heat

Insulation is the first step, unless you wish to pay to heat the outdoors as well. Check out Modine heaters on the web and look at the HOTDAWG heaters. Either propane or natural gas, mount on the ceiling, easy to isntall and work great!!!

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steve gates

whichever you

chose be sure it won't ignite the dust so common in a wood shop.

JackFre

Rinnai 1004

Nat'l Gas or LP. Direct /vent sealed combustion. Full modulation. I heat my garage with one. works great. What to look out for...First with any system located in the space you should have at least primary and hopefully secondary dust collection to protect you, your work and the heating appliance. For secondary I use a JDS air filter box. Delta and Jet make them also but I prefer the JDS. Taht company also made furnaces and make very strong blowers. I pull the cover off my unit occasionally and using compressed air clean the fan blades and the control area.

Dave DeFord

Jim I live a little south of you..

around Jackson Michigan. Just for reference the lowest temp you will probably see on a regular basis is about -10F once or twice a year. Occasionally -15F but that's rare once every 5 years or so. Otherwise low single digits are likely the lowest temps you will see on a regular basis. If you call the weatherman at the local TV station he might have some more accurate info. It would absolutely behoove you to insulate the place and install a ceiling (OSB ($$$) or maybe drwyall) I have a friend that heats his 2400 Sq.ft. autoshop with a waste oil heater. Cost about $ 3,000 a few years ago but the fuel is cheap although more work than natural gas or propane. Depending on your situation you might also be able to use a wood burner but the maintenance is high esp if you don't use the shop everyday. However don't even think of leaving the shop unheated during the winter as the moisture will turn machinery to junk from rust. Just a thought, I talked the better half into letting me keep my woodshop in the basement and even some of the nicer motorcycles (I have an outside entrance). Keeps the heat bill down but dust control then becomes an issue. Good luck.

Wes

Insulating is the first step. Dependant on the type of heat you want in the shop a radient tube heater might be worth looking into. They do not heat the airspace but heat anything the radient energy comes into contact with like the floor, tools materiels you etc.

hr

Sounds like the slab

is already in place? If so you might retro fit a radiant ceiling. Next best thing to radiant floors.

For sure spend as much time and money tightening and insulating, as others mentioned.

I think just about any energy source would be cheaper than electric. Outdoor wood boilers might be a safe way to go, if you are in a wood burning mode

I sell Aqua Therm, check them out at www.aqua-therm.com

You could go with radiant ceilings or a blower and hot water coil with these units. Keep the mess and fire danger outside.

hot rod

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