Ok, moving into a new house that has a detached garage... ummm, I mean detached Wood Shop.
Questions:
1) No current system for heating/cooling. Anybody have any luck with different things they have done or setup?2) No humidity control. I assume this will be a problem. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Both depend on where you live and if you plan to use the shop year round. And how much you want to spend to keep the temperature reasonable.
First step is insulation. Be sure to vent the gable for summer also.
Now that you are insulated, you can thing about heat. Thee are build in furnaces that can run off propane that do a good job. They can maintain the shop at say 50 when you are not in there and just turn it up when needed.
Or you can use a portable heater and just run it when you are planning to work out there. That is what I do, but I don't even try to use the shop in January and part of February when the outdoor temperature is single digits. I have a 30,000 Btu but could use double that when it is very cold. OTOH, I can see a heater burning $100 to $200 a month to maintain the low temperature all the time. I'm not willing to spend that much for the number of hours available.
Summer use a fan. If it is 95 degrees, I'm not out in the shop much, if at all. Running an AC out there would also be a hefty price tag, but probably less than heat as I'd only use it sporadically. .
As for humidity, I've not had a serious problem with it here in New England. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
Last fall I built a passive solar heating panel for my shop; and am planning to add two more before winter comes. If the garage isn't shaded by coniferous trees and if you're in a part of the country with a reasonable amount of sunshine during the heating season, this might work for you.
How about giving us a clue where you are? It'll make a difference whether you're in Miami or Minneapolis. (-:
You either pick your local comfort season, or add heating/AC as required. Here in the desert of AZ, winter is prime WW season when the temp drops way down in the 60's. Summer is a bummer, even in the morning as the temp in the gar^H^H^Hshop is only down to the 90's in the early morning and about 115-120 in the afternoon.
So, you live with what you have or spend some bucks, depending on your climate/situation.
-Doug
I have a horizontal hung, home style natural gas furnace in my gar....shop. I also have air conditioning, so it really depends on far you want to go with it. If you just want a good, dependable, out of the way, source of heat get a Modine Hot Dawg, or a Reznor unit heater. Either will run on natural gas or propane, they just need to be set up properly.
I REALLY like the AC in the hot humid days in summer when I normally would not use the shop because of the heat. I can turn on the AC and n a 1/2 hour it is livable. I do not run the AC all the time, just when using the shop so the only expense was the install. Greg
I almost bought an old house with no place for a workshop, except for a chicken coop. I decide not to buy this one, but I would have used electric heat and/or infrared lamps. Open flame stuff is just too much of a risk, at least for me.
============================ My shop is also located in a detached garage...unfortunately I also am in the car hobby so my shop is located upstairs over the one garage.... (royal Pain to haul lumber up the stairs)...
I sure as hell did a good job on insulating the building and I did have my sons (HVAC) contractors install central air and a furnace
I do set the a/c at 80 in the summer...and will crank it down IF I am out there working... In the winter I leave the furnace completely off (Retired on a fixed income) ...BUT when I go out in the shop I turn on a 150,000 BTU noisy...smelly kerosene heater then turn on the furnace...within 20-30 minutes the shop is up to 70 degrees and the Kerosene heater is shut off .... I live in the Washington Dc area and our winters are not really that cold but from 30 degrees to 70 degrees on the coldest day only takes
20 or so minutes...Bob Griffiths
I have 26 x 24 non-attached shop with lots of insulation. HotDawg 45,000 btu propane heater in winter; ac in summer. It is a great place to work yearround.
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