Author Topic: Workshop Heating  (Read 3051 times)

Online Jo

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Workshop Heating
« on: February 02, 2019, 01:28:16 PM »
Following on from a discussion I had with Bluechip about workshop heating I thought it might be worth opening it up to the floor.

Dave was complaining  ::) about how a 3KW fan heater was next to useless in his palatial workshop and was trying to work out how I get away with short bursts of a 1KW one as a "top up" with only 2 hours of a 1.5Kw night storage heater...

The main trick I use is I have been heating at this rate every day since October so my machines have not got cold and they are themselves a big storage heater ;) If it is sunny the sun heats up both the machines and the workshop through the nice big windows. And I also top up with my free solar power... but that normally just runs the machines for free.


How does everyone else keep their workshop fit for swarf making all winter :???:

Jo
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Offline crueby

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2019, 01:49:53 PM »
Mine is easy to heat, its the back corner room of the house...   O:-)

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2019, 01:50:43 PM »
Back when I was using the shop building for my business I used a forced air kerosene unit (over here some call them a "salamander" though I don't know why). It had gotten to the point though that that was beginning to bother my eyes but that was about the time I shut the business down and went over to work at the university. As I have noted in the shop renovation thread, one of the first big changes was to put in a split heat pump system for the shop, to both winterize it and cool it in the summer. This has worked well so far, though some of the low 20's F morning we had last week did cause the strip heat to kick in but fortunately not for long. As long as the temps remain in the 30's or above the emergency strip heat isn't needed. The building is tight and well insulated, and now that both the building and machines are kept at 67 degrees, as Jo says, there is a storage effect that no doubt helps on those cold mornings.  The equal benefit (other than comfort) is that the humidity levels remain fairly constant and this is a huge help keeping that special coating (e.g. rust) at bay.


Bill

Offline steamer

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2019, 01:57:41 PM »
120000 btu direct vent natural gas heater....works great, but i need more insulation.
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Online Bluechip

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2019, 02:48:30 PM »
Hmmmmm I'm an Old Codger and fully entitled to complain, with or without the  '  ::) ' bit ....  :D

The building (?) is a 23' x 10' concrete sectional garage. It HAS improved since I replaced the Fibre Cement roof and insulated and panelled the walls. But, as you say, you need to put heat into the place before you can attempt to retain it. My heater is a 2kW, not 3kW as I think I mentioned last night.
Similar to this:

https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/pel00570/industrial-heater-3kw/dp/HG00929?st=fan%20heater

As the review says, it takes a fairly long time to get going.  :ShakeHead:  ( The description is way out. I'm damn sure the apparent '40W' setting is the fan only ).

It does warm the place up a bit eventually by which time I'm back in the house.  :old:

I don't have to be in there. I do have other things to do inside.

Moral to this tale being: If you want a warm shop to work in don't start with a Sectional Concrete garage ....  :ThumbsUp:

Dave


Offline kvom

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2019, 02:56:58 PM »
When I was building my shop as an addition to the house, I installed PEX tubing in the concrete floor.  The heating system is a water heater and a pump that circulates warm water through the concrete.  My shop is also very well insulated.  Inside has very low humidity, and I've never had an issue with rusting.

Obviously retrofitting a workspace this way isn't practical for many people.  Such a system can be done for interior rooms, esp. bathrooms, by laying risers on the existing floors, running the tubes, and then recovering with tile.  An existing concrete floor could be done by cutting channels for the tube and repaving after installation, but you'd need addition power/gas for the water heater and associated plumbing.

Offline scc

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2019, 03:35:21 PM »
My shop is small and reasonably well insulated. I have a 2kw fan heater that is left switched on. The power supply for the shop is through a master switch in our house. I switch that on 10 mins. before going to the shed. By the time I get there the chill has gone!  Once inside I turn it down to 1kw. ...but a thick sweater helps!  The down side is looking at the cost on the smart meter :o
I hope you all keep warrm and safe in the bad weather.

Terry

Offline Jasonb

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2019, 04:22:28 PM »
I've got a 2kw convector on the wall and that warms things up quite quickly, this time of year I will switch it on about 15mins before I go out to the workshop. It has a thermostat so once upto temp just cuts in and out as needed. My Shed is 8' x 16' Timber with 2" Pu insulation in walls and roof, 12mm in floor. DG windows.

Temp when I went back into the shop this afternoon was 18deg C at bench height, more at head height.

I agree with Jo that the mass of the machines and castings in her case take a while to warm up, it usually feels colder on a Friday evening than it does on a Sunday when I have been in there for a few days on the trot. I do have a second 500w heater with a frost stat that will come on if the temp really drops but it seldom comes on.

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2019, 05:21:10 PM »
My shop is a well insulated over sized attached garage; the natural gas furnace and water heater are located in the garage/shop.
I leave the door to the house open and steel some heat from the furnace from a small register in the air plenum. Even on the coldest days the shop is rarely below 65f.

Dave

ChuckKey

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2019, 11:47:08 PM »
Recently moved house and setting up shop again in the attached double garage. (Today the last bit of the two bare blockwork walls got their second coat of paint. I have used about 30L of white emulsion on slightly less than 30 square metres of wall.)
The place is not yet in a fit state to do any work, and is much better ventilated that I need it to be, particularly over the top of the wide roller door, so I am running a dehumidifier in there to keep the rust at bay. It is keeping the humidity below 60%. The collecting tank must hold half a gallon, and it is full every morning.
I have an industrial style 3kW fan heater, the type in a red steel cube, and this will get the place useable if left on for a couple of hours, even if there is a mild frost outside, and even though as yet there is no ceiling and nothing but Tyvek under the roof tiles.   

Offline Tennessee Whiskey

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2019, 12:19:24 AM »
I’m going to make you all ashamed of me. The picture attachment is from my shed. I had no idea I was going to heat or cool it when I built it, and didn’t insulate accordingly. It’s about 4000 sq. ft. and y’all can deduce the ceiling height. I have two five ton heating and cooling units in it. It does keep me warm and cool, but at a price. If I spent as much time in it as Jo does,  at say 64F in the winter and 72F in the summer, my lecky bill would scare the Hell out of $500/ month, maybe a little more. Live and learn as they say and keep going my ass to work to pay for it  :facepalm: :lolb:.



Cletus

Offline steamer

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #11 on: February 03, 2019, 12:36:48 AM »
I’m going to make you all ashamed of me. The picture attachment is from my shed. I had no idea I was going to heat or cool it when I built it, and didn’t insulate accordingly. It’s about 4000 sq. ft. and y’all can deduce the ceiling height. I have two five ton heating and cooling units in it. It does keep me warm and cool, but at a price. If I spent as much time in it as Jo does,  at say 64F in the winter and 72F in the summer, my lecky bill would scare the Hell out of $500/ month, maybe a little more. Live and learn as they say and keep going my ass to work to pay for it  :facepalm: :lolb:.



Cletus

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Offline Dave Otto

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #12 on: February 03, 2019, 12:44:33 AM »
Eric maybe you could enclose the the most important part (the machine shop) and put in a small system to keep it comfy?


Dave

Offline steamer

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #13 on: February 03, 2019, 12:48:40 AM »
Eric maybe you could enclose the the most important part (the machine shop) and put in a small system to keep it comfy?


Dave


Yes you need to adopt me and I'll live in the shop and insulate the machine shop for you....yes seriously....
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline Pete49

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Re: Workshop Heating
« Reply #14 on: February 03, 2019, 12:49:41 AM »
Heating isn't my problem ....cooling is the reason I get very little done in summer down here. I guess short of moving to the northern hemisphere I'm just going to have to suck it up. as example yesterday with doors and windows open it was 50+C in there :DrinkPint: Though I don't think I would like your winter weather especially what you guys in the states copped.
Pete
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