Time to kick on the heat in the shop...

[dbhost]

With daytime highs in the 50s, and overnight lows hovering just above freezing, the shop is getting sort of nippy... It's time to dig out the heater, and warm the shop up. So last night out it came from behind where I usually set up the CMS, and guess what? If you guessed sawdust buildup on the radiator, you are dead on!

Shop vac hoses came out, a good dusting, and cleaning was peformed, and the radiator plugged in and turned on...

And we wait, and wait, and wait and wait...

Now I remember what I don't like about oil filled radiators, they work well, and use relatively little electricity, are nice and safe, but they take eons to heat up a space...

Okay plan B...

Dig in the hunting gear...

Dig out the Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater...
Screw in propane bottle and check for leaks...
Crank it up...

Ahhhhhh.... Within 5 minutes, toasty toes. Shut propane heater off, radiator should have it from here on out...

Lesson to be learned?

If I plan on working out in the shop in the evening, head in as soon as I get home and turn on the radiator...

I swear I almost stuck to the band saw table...

How do you folks up north deal with this? If this was more than a couple of weeks out of the year thing, I would be tempted to leave the Radiator on low just to keep the shop in the lower 60s all the time, and kick it up to 70 when I wanted to work...

[pelligrini]

Blowing a fan on low speed across the radiator will help to circulate the heat some.

I bet the guys up North have more heating capacity in their shops than we have in cooling BTUs.

When I was out in my shop Sat & Sun I started up my little electric heater a few hours before I intended to work out there.

[dbhost]

The fan idea is not a bad one...

I am sure they have GOT to have more heating BTUs than my cooling...

In all honesty, I think my A/C got used less than 4 days this summer. I typically just set a box fan in the door to the house, and blew cooled air into the garage for about 20 minutes, and it was comfortable enough to work in for a few hours... That trick isn't going to work well now that we have a VERY curious cat...

[Uncle Cracker]

I hear Grand Forks ND broke their old record by six degrees! Mercury dropped to -37F

Bet there's not a lot goin' on outside right now...

By the way, we're supposed to get a little chilly here in the FL over the next coupla days, but it's 70 here right now...

[MikeMcCoy]

I have a 125k BTU torpedo heater that I REALLY don't like most of the year because of the space it takes but right about now it's one of my favorite things in my shop.

[steve-norrell]

With daytime highs in the 50s, and overnight lows hovering just above freezing, the shop is getting sort of nippy... It's time to dig out the heater, and warm the shop up....

Wimp! Here is a quote for a 'newsletter' I send to relatives and friends that live down in the warmer parts of America . . . .

Spring weather is upon us (at least for now). The temperature has finally gone above zero, and right now, its a balmy 20 degrees above zero. Truly shirt-sleeve weather.

Yesterday was the first day since December 28 that the high for the day got above Zero. Our lowest temperature during that time was minus 23, on January 7. But, just to keep you from feeling too sorry for us, Fairbanks hit 50 below and some smaller towns in the Interior hit 60 below. Now that's cold.

Fortunately, Anchorage had no wind to speak of while other areas did have fairly strong winds driving the wind chill down quite a bit.

Just like we want to share our natural gas and oil with you folks down in America, the mass of cold air started moving southeast yesterday and should reach the Midwest sometime today or tomorrow. Something to look forward to. Maybe it will be there for the inauguration! Nah, too much to hope for. At the least, it would be a good reminder that the gas pipeline should get built.

Stay warm, Steve

[dbhost]

Wimp!

Come down here and tell me that in August!

[crokett]

Just like we want to share our natural gas and oil with you folks down in America, the mass of cold air started moving southeast yesterday and should reach the Midwest sometime today or tomorrow.

You can keep your cold air! The high here Friday is supposed to be mid 30s. That is COLD! I'd heard on the radio of -60s for highs over the weekend. That is 100 degrees colder than it was here.

[steve-norrell]

Come down here and tell me that in August!

No thanks. It has gotten over 80 in the summer here in Anchorage and it is unbearable.

Stay cool, or is it "Stay Warm"? Regards, Steve

[L. D. Jeffries]

Blowing a fan on low speed across the radiator will help to circulate the heat some.

I bet the guys up North have more heating capacity in their shops than we have in cooling BTUs.

When I was out in my shop Sat & Sun I started up my little electric heater a few hours before I intended to work out there.

HAH! ain't that the trooth! UP here in northern NY I have a wall hung outside vented propane heater that stays on 50 so things won't freeze up AND a wood stove that I run when I'm working in the shop. A/C, whats that? Up here its just open the door and a window till it gets too cool to be comfy in the summer!

[Richard in Smithville]

I have a small heater that mounts over my main work area. It was well below freezing outside before I turned it on and I even then I only keep it on low. I tried it on high one time and felt like I was getting sunburned.


Edit: Tonight is calling for around -25c so I think I might plug the truck in just to save on the battery.

[mpauly]

Partial solution....Assuming your shop isn't too far from the heated portion of your house and that the oil filled heater isn't too heavy or large to move, you can store the heater inside and move outside when you need to use it. That way your heater has a higher starting temp and quicker heatup time. But then you have to wait for it to cool down to bring back in......(hey I only said it was a partial solution).

Michael

[dbhost]

Edit: Tonight is calling for around -25c so I think I might plug the truck in just to save on the battery.

Uh, plug the truck in? Why?

[LarryG]

Uh, plug the truck in? Why?

Words obviously typed by a man who's never lived in a cold climate.

Circulating heater. Attaches in line with the heater hoses. Warms the coolant, makes the engine easier to crank in the morning. A nice side benefit is that you have cabin heat instantly.

(Resident of Anchorage, July 1968-May 1978)

[Bill in Buena Park]

I just live in the wrong part of the country, because I'm ready for A/C in the shop today, with highs of 85F, and lows around 50F.

I sure wish it a little more like winter, and a lot less like summer.