Heater for my Shop

[cfellows]

I just bought this heater off Ebay or my shop. It's 240v, 20amp (although it did come with a 30 amp Plug ???). I've been real pleased with how quick it brings up the temperature. My shop is a 2 1/2 car attached garage, about 600 square feet with 9 foot ceilings. There are two outside walls and 2 inside walls. I live in Austin and it doesn't get bitter cold (yet), but a couple of days ago the temp outside was in the 30's and the heater kept my garage comfortable, probably in the 60's. The heater cost me $120 plus shipping and I estimate it will cost between 40 & 50 cents an hour to run it.

Chuck

 

[Metal Butcher]

Good deal Chuck! I didn't know it got that cold in your neck of the woods. That's about the temperature here lately in Cleveland, OH.

50 cent an hour! Yer gonna have to pick up the pace. All of a sudden time IS money. :big:

Looks like a really good heater Chuck.

-MB

 

[cobra428]

Nice Chuck,
Only one thing....I bought 2 electric oil radiators and had them in the garage when I was building my cobra. I hope electric is cheap in your area. I got whopping electric bills! So...I did a little plumbing and taped into the house radiators (hot water oil fired).....put some baseboard in and the garage stays nice and toasty without a significant rise in the oil bill. Those 2 $80 heaters cost me about a grand


Tony

 

[shred]

We pay around 6 cents / kWh, and my oil radiator is 1500w full blast, so should be about $0.10/hr. It works ok if left on, but isn't something I can just flip on and be comfy half an hour later. Maybe radiant heat like Chuck has would be better for that. I also need to seal the gaps around the garage door-- I can see out around the edges, but it still needs to operate.. any good ideas there?

 

[Troutsqueezer]

I bought an electric parabolic heater from Costco. Instead of heating the whole shed, this model beams the heat wherever you point it, so if you aim it where you are standing, you get warm right away. Even if it is 10 feet away. It is supposed to be three times warmer than a 1500 watt heater yet uses one third less electricity. Been using it a couple of years now and I really like it. It will eventually heat the shed but I get pretty comfortable in there long before that.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IOTREI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Deanofid]

Sounds like cheap heat for when you want to be comfortable enough to enjoy the fun you have in the shop, Chuck. Heck, think about a lunch at McDonalds. Talking about $8. Man, that's 16 hours of warm shop time!

When my daughter was still living at home, 'bout 12 years ago, I had my shop in a regular shop building right next to the house. Had a couple of propane radiant heaters in there for an 8 x 16" shop, and had to run them full tilt to get the sweat off the machines before going in there. A 400 pound machine stays cold a long time after a cold Idaho night. I was always running after propane for that shop.
When daughter moved out, I sold my big machines and bought desktop machines and put them in her old bedroom, where they've been since. Nice. Always as warm as the rest of the house.

Dean

 

[steamer]

I have a one car garage, two outside walls and LITTLE insulation here in Massachusetts. At 10 below or so, you need to keep the heat on..

I added the metalized quilted roll insulation to the walls and I have a direct vent gas heater. Gas comes from my house which has natural gas heating. Because it's direct vent, I don't have any open flames or hot heating elements, which is a plus. With proper installation, the garage and stay LEGALLY a garage and I can put my car in there...or someone can if its a really small car! :

I dare not add up what it costs in the winter, and I try to keep it at like 62F , but it is nice to not freeze your backside off, i've been out there with a T shirt on once the big mill and lathe start raising the entropy of the universe... ;D

Dave

Dave