How do you heat your workshop?

[maroonandwhite]

I will FINALLY have a workshop area at our new house but it is not heated or cooled. It is however insulated so I am thinking of getting a propane brick heater of some kind and making a rolling stand for it. I could just go buy another propane tank and not only heat the workshop but have a backup heat source for the house if the power goes out.

 

Anyone with a similar setup please chime in and post pics so I can get some ideas.

[Lowpower]

I live in Bartlett, TN.  God heats my workshop approx 9 months out of the year. The 3 months I use a small plug in oil heater. 

The one that looks like the old water filled heater in which the water was heated in a boiler then sent around the house.

I plug it in about an hour prior to go in and it keeps my room toasty.

 

Lp

[Grand Torino]

I use one of these. My shop is not insulated but if you crank it up it will run you out of there if you leave it on it's highest setting.

 

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200485121_200485121?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Heaters%2C%20Stoves%20%2B%20Fireplaces-_-Dual-Fuel:%20Gas%20%2B%20Propane%20Heaters-_-19857&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=19857&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=19857&gclid=CP215I_8zMECFUMV7Aod1jQAwQ

[enfield]

I use a kerosene space heater in the winter.

[Dustbuster]

I don't use a heater, keeps the ol lady and kids away.

[Wiljo05]

I bought a kit from TSC that has a door and flue kit made of cast iron. It takes an old 55 gallon metal drum and converts it into a wood burning stove. I have a 30x30 and it heats it very nicely. Dead of winter I was in the low 60's when I kept it burning. And for summer I got an automatic attic vent fan that kicks on at whatever temp you set it to. Keeps it from becoming a sweat shop during the summer.

If you are near Lebanon ever I'd be glad to show you my setup.

[maroonandwhite]

I bought a kit from TSC that has a door and flue kit made of cast iron. It takes an old 55 gallon metal drum and converts it into a wood burning stove. I have a 30x30 and it heats it very nicely. Dead of winter I was in the low 60's when I kept it burning. And for summer I got an automatic attic vent fan that kicks on at whatever temp you set it to. Keeps it from becoming a sweat shop during the summer.

If you are near Lebanon ever I'd be glad to show you my setup.

Oddly enough there are no roof vents or an attic access on the detached garage at this new house. I will be remedying that soon though.

[peejman]

I don't use a heater, keeps the ol lady and kids away.

 

DING!

 

I wear a ratty old sweatshirt and knit cap. 

[maroonandwhite]

DING!

 

I wear a ratty old sweatshirt and knit cap. 

Man it hurts too bad if you hit a finger!

[bersaguy]

I am looking for other forms of heat back ups for my house. I use to use Kerosene but it got to costly plus I had 1 heater go up in flames and had to use extinguisher to put it out. Found out that if you allow Kerosene to get really old it will burn more like gasoline than kerosene. Never knew that till that day so don't trust that type of back up heat any longer. Switched over to Propane last year and of course it got a shortage of it because of the extra bad winter and cost went through the roof. I have been checking with Propane locations about supplies and they said they are trying to stay on top of it and all their big tanks are on keep fill but no telling what another tough winter will bring. I have a heater that fits on the 20 and 30 lb Grill tanks and one will heat my house so I have been buying 20 lb tanks as I can afford them and right now have 8 and hope to have 10 by November 15th. 1 tank kept on medium will heat the house for 6 -7 days depending on out door conditions. I don't expect the electricity to ever be off that long unless of a government issue and I don't trust them at all but better to much than not enough.........................jmho 

[Luke E.]

 I've got a small wood burning stove that I intend to install when I get things moved into the shop. I think they sell this exact model at TSC for around $250. I got mine for $10 at the scrap yard that I happened to be standing at when the guy rolled across the scales to drop it off to be crushed... Got lucky. I used to have one like it in a 30'x30' shop area and it would certainly keep you warm in that size shop.

[frankmako]

 kerosene heater.  old small sears model.  has worked well for 20 plus years.  

[Caster]

Small electric oil heater. Just the right height for me to straddle while standing. Toasty junk!

[mikegideon]

I turned my garage into a shop. It's insulated too. I just use an electric space heater. Doesn't take much.

[ArmyBrat61]

Caster....that is just TMI  !!!!!!!

[maroonandwhite]

So would an oil type heater be more efficient than a propane?

[mikegideon]

I'm not going to use anything that requires me to carry fuel. If I get sick of my electric heater, I'll switch to natural gas. I think Caster was talking about an oil filled electric.

[TGO David]

I really thought about doing a waste-oil heater but my new garage stayed pretty warm last winter so I'm still not certain I need one.

[Luke E.]

So would an oil type heater be more efficient than a propane?

 

Caster was referring to the oil filled electric heaters that look like the old radiator heater that big building with boilers used to have. We've got a couple that we supplement use in the bedroom when there's a hot fire burning in the stove out front. Our thermostat is pretty close to the wood stove in the front of the house so back rooms can get a bit chilly if we have a hot fire going. We'll just kick it on low to keep the chill knocked off until the fire dies down in the morning then our central unit takes over for the day. 

 Anyways, that was the long way around. No, the oil filled heater probably won't satisfy your heat needs if it's pretty cold out and even if they would it would take a long time for it to warm up any decent amount of space. if you don't have to change the temp much then they aren't a bad option BUT if it's 40 degrees out and so is your shop then it would take some amount of time for an oil filled heater to bring it up to 60 if it even would. If you will have a wood source then a small wood stove will heat up fast and not cost you much to do it.

[Luke E.]

I really thought about doing a waste-oil heater but my new garage stayed pretty warm last winter so I'm still not certain I need one.

 

 I looked into one back when we had a 40'x100' shop but to buy a commercially available unit was going to be pricey up front $3,500-$4,000 comes to mind. Were you thinking of building your own or buying a turn key model? If you were looking into just buying one, what price range do units for garages and hobby shops fall in?

[Wingshooter]

Small wood burner in the detached shop. Electric oil near my garage workbench. Kerosene heater on standby :)

[runco]

I really don't know.  My shop never had heat!  I did borrow one of those jet heaters one time, though it was hot, the noise was not worth the heat!

[BigK]

My garage stays pretty darn cold in winter, even with an electric oil filled heater and a ceramic heater going. I hope my new sealed/insulated garage door changes that. I'm hoping the oil filled heater is enough. I love those things!

[analog_kidd]

We just moved here in March, so winter was mostly over by then. I have a detached workshop that has a coal / wood stove in it. There is also about a dump truck load of coal on the property that the previous owners left behind. I've never used one of these things before, but I think I'm about to learn.

 

Other than that I have one of those torpedo propane heaters that puts out a ton of heat, really quick. Only downside to it is that it burns up the propane pretty fast, and it is so loud you can't hear yourself think.

[BigK]

...I have a detached workshop that has a coal / wood stove in it. There is also about a dump truck load of coal on the property that the previous owners left behind...

Not for long, Obama's spies saw your post and are on the way to rid you of all that evil coal.