How Do You Heat Your Shop?

[JoeyGee]

For those of you in the north, how do you heat your shop? I have an attached garage shop. 2/4 walls are not insulated. I want to heat my shop. Not much, just enough to make it less arctic. Maybe to the point that I can use glue and finishes.

Plumbing a gas furnace (first choice) is not an option due to budget. I only have one outlet, so if I need to plug it in, I wouldn't be running the heater while working. At some point this summer, I HOPE to put in a subpanel, at which point I would be able to maybe mount some permanent electric heat.

In the meantime, I need something short term. I am worried about using something like kerosene due to fumes. I haven't used one in a long time, so maybe they are less smelly now? Other options?

[capncarl]

I have a 20 year old small kerosene heater that I keep for an emergency back up heater, along with 5 gallons of kerosene. It does have an odor, mostly at the start up, but it is still there. The price of kerosene is outrageous. Last I heard it was close to $5 per gallon, making propane a lot more attractive.
capncarl

[atgcpaul]

Mine is a detached garage. I insulated the 3 2x4 walls and covered them with OSB and the insulated the ceiling and hung drywall. The 2 garage doors are plywood and not insulated/sealed and there is a window AC unit that is far from airtight.

I keep an oil filled electric space heater plugged in set at medium. It's definitely not toasty in there but not freezing either. I also have ceiling mounted quartz electric radiant heaters which I can rotate to follow me around. Most of the time they're aimed at me at the TS or assembly table (TS outfeed).

If I'm doing a glueup, I'll bring the bottles into the house the night before or rest them on top of the space heater. I don't really get any finishing done in the winter, though, because it's too cold.

I just went in there with my HF IR thermometer. The exterior surfaces are reading 28degF. The space heater is 150degF. The interior surfaces are between 50-55degF.

I'll wear a sweatshirt over a T-shirt and am usually wearing mechanic gloves if I'm not operating machinery. I'm comfortable for long stretches especially if I'm standing in front of one of the radiant heaters.

Paul

[tfischer]

I use one the "cannon" style Reddy Heaters that runs on Kerosene or diesel. The garage is leaky enough to not pose a CO hazard (I had a detector out there with digital readout for a long time and it never registered). I have a thermostat and usually set it to kick off at about 60 degrees, which is plenty warm for what I need. The concrete and everything inside stores up a lot of cold and even when you get first the air heated up, it quickly cools back down and cycles the heater back on. After a few hours it finally stabilizes.

One of the drawbacks of using a fuel like Kerosene is you're keenly aware how much you're paying to heat the space up. Sometimes that keeps me out of the shop, figuring working for an hour or two just isn't worth bringing the place up to temp.

Someday I'd like to have a nat gas hanging heater plumbed in. I'm sure it won't be much cheaper to run, but a lot more convenient. Plus the actuals can get lost in the big heating bill for the house

[Hellrazor]

I have a cheap Tractor Supply pellet stove in my workshop. The building is pretty tight and easily holds the heat.

[gsmittle]

I use polypropylene long underwear, wool socks, and a small electric heater so my toes don't freeze.

Someday I'll have real heat.

g.

[wardprobst]

Electric oil filled radiator and radiant electric space heater hung high. Use fans to move the heat around. Finishing space gets radiant heat and blow across the radiators from outside the seay booth. Don't do finishing in really cold weather much if I can avoid it. Need temps between 60 and 90 degrees to apply, 45 up to dry. (Mostly use solvent based materials)
DP

[Black wallnut]

Wood stove.

[atgcpaul]

Wood stove.

Mark, if you don't mind sharing, how big is your shop and how much clearance do you have around your stove? Do you ever burn your sawdust/chips or only real firewood?

[EarltheWoodbutcher]

I bought a kerosene heater and use it but I does smell and takes some time to get up to speed. It I light it outside, as suggested, let it get hot, bring it inside then I've taken at least a 1/2 hour. Then it has to heat up the garage. By then I'm ready to forget it. I'm doing it but I don't think it's ideal. Fortunately I live in southern AZ so only need it for a few days a year. Otherwise I'd sure find another alternative. I didn't know how expensive kerosene was when I bought the heater!

[Richard in Smithville]

My shop is a small one car garage that sit's under the house. I live in a town home so I'm restricted as what I can do. It's also a little draughty around the garage door. I use to use a small radiant heater aimed at the lathe but that was costing me an extra $30 or more each month for minimal use! I switched to an older kerosene heater and have it pointed toward my work space about five feet back. I usually stick with the lathe during the winter so I have ample space to work in. It brings the shop up to about 65 in the heart of the Canadian winter and because of the draughty door, ventilation is not a problem. Plus it has the benefits of warming up the kitchen floor a little which is above the shop.

[jussi]

By living in Southern California 😃

[JoeyGee]

I was waiting for that and it took all the way to the 13th post, LOL. I was just waiting for one of our Texas friends to jump in and brag about southern winters

[TB Roye]

I use an oil filled radiator style electric heater from HD. Bought it 10 years ago. Has a thermostat and timer. right now it is set a 65 which keeps the shop comfortable. it is a 10X12 converted Tuff Shed with loft. the wall and ceiling above loft are insulated. Being in the Sacramento Valley I don't need a lot of insulation I think it is R13 I have the opening to the loft closed by 2 pieces of 1/4 plywood to keep the heat in the shop area. The loft still gets warm. I have a feral cat that lives in the shop during the winter along with 2 of her offspring who are pets. I used to have the heater on a timer but now just set it for 65F and adjust it if necessary. I also have a window A/C that I install in the summer again from HD I can keep the shop at 74F on a 108 degree day. The heater and A/C are kept in the loft during the off seasons.

Tom

[Black wallnut]

Mark, if you don't mind sharing, how big is your shop and how much clearance do you have around your stove? Do you ever burn your sawdust/chips or only real firewood?

Size is about 20x22. I have a couple feet behind with a piece of cement board between the stove, then an airspace then the wall. Each side has several feet and several feet in front as well. I burn very few off cuts. I start it with planer shavings. I burn both regular fire wood, mostly softwood plus fire logs which are compressed sawdust.