I've tried 'em--not worth a crap if it's really cold and have any volume of any size to heat--can't stand in front of the dam'd thing _all_ the time. Plus, if you get close enough to warm one side, it's soon imitating crispy-critter while your other side might as well be dark side of moon. :(
Like sitting in front of a campfire, huh?
Ayup...sorta' but w/o the marshmallows... :(
The other worst part ( ;> ) in a shop is that nothing _in_ the shop warms up unless it's in direct line-of-sight. Since don't ever get much actual air temperature rise, all that cast iron just continues to radiate back as well and so it doesn't really warm up overall, either. Meanwhile, a black cast arbor wrench laying in front of the thing for a couple hours might end up hot enough on the near side to make you yelp when pick it up.
They only give the impression that you have as the guy says in the review of standing in the sun. That's good to a point but they're just not adequate as the primary heat source unless one can be where it is essentially continuously and not too close, not too far away.
At least that's my opinion after having a couple offered from an estate and figuring they'd be a help...in the end, they really didn't make any generally useful contribution other than being able to go over and stick hands in front of one of 'em for a while.
I didn't make it this year, but hopefully by next, I'll extend the gas line from the hog house to the barn and put in another ceiling heater for the shop area. What I didn't get done was anything about being able to close an area off so not trying to heat the whole bloody thing (which is what I figured the radiants might at least help) as well as outdoors since away from the shop area itself it's right drafty at best...
In short, I'd recommend a trial run by anybody before committing much $$ or hopes on these puppies in cold climates.
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Larry Jaques wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
I'm partial to the system I've got in the shopwarehouse* myself. It's in slab hot water, so once the slab gets warm heat recovery is very quick if the garage door needs to be opened. (It's a big garage door. 10x17) When the temperature approaches 0, the shop is still nice and warm.
No idea how much propane the boiler actually uses itself, this will be the first year heating the house through electric forced air.
(*shopwarehouse: building used for storing every else's junk. Wish they'd find somewhere else to put it.)
Puckdropper
Larry Blanchard wrote in news:dr-dnTuoWec6823XnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@pghconnect.com:
*snip*
We insulated an attached garage (but didn't heat it, it was for the car) and it made drastic improvements in the rooms of the house attached to the garage. Depending on how leaky your garage is, insulating might pay for itself within a few years.
Puckdropper
Puckdropper wrote: ...
I hear ya', brother. If I only had a new slab to put it into... :)
I've talked for 10 years of building a real shop building instead for equipment as well as wood/metal shop instead of trying to get by w/ the old barn and continuing to make do outside... :(
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On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:16:42 -0600, the infamous Steve Turner scrawled the following:
Welding naked is the hardest thing for me.
-- "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson
On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:24:32 -0600, the infamous -MIKE- scrawled the following:
Run away!
-- "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson
On 03 Nov 2009 23:40:50 GMT, the infamous Puckdropper scrawled the following:
That's an extremely expensive option, but it seems like a good one otherwise. I still haven't experienced it anywhere.
Put up ceiling-mounted shelving. With it high, high up there, it's hard for them to get to. They'll take their crap back into the house.
-- "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson
Larry Jaques wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Back? I've got stuff in there that has no idea we even have a house! (It's not mine, I can't do anything with it except move it.)
I've got a little bit of ceiling mounted shelving. I've been wanting to put up more, but just haven't gotten to it yet.
Puckdropper
dpb wrote in news:hcqi4g$aab$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:
Let me introduce the Festool shop saver program! When you purchase a tool, figure out what the equivalent Festool tool would cost. Put the difference in your "build a proper shop" fund and when you have enough do it. Once you get your shop built, you're already used to paying Festool prices, so just keep doing it, only this time buy the real thing.
:-)
Puckdropper
A friend of mine has a simple policy - stuff not his left at his house more than two years becomes his to dispose of at his whim and leisure.
D.
"Bill" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news3.newsguy.com:
Hey Bill,
Check these out. Someone from Highland Woodworking in Atlanta review it in their latest newsletter.
Steve
Thank you Steve, but I think I've learned that what is necessary to warm your garage in Atlanta and what is necessary to warm your garage in central Indiana are miles apart--at least during the cooler months.
Bill
Walls are insulated, ceiling is not yet. It is a one 20 x 26 or so. Ceiling is 8' to beams, but open above with a pitched roof. I use a 30,000 Btu propane heater and don't even bother trying below about 20 degrees or so.
On Thu, 5 Nov 2009 22:22:42 -0500, the infamous "Ed Pawlowski" scrawled the following:
So slap up some OSB or drywall for a ceiling and rent a blower at the local BORG/hardware store and blow in a foot of cellulose. That's cheaper than paying another season's fuel bills.
Pad and carpet the floor for more comfort.
-- "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson
"Bill" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news6.newsguy.com:
Bill,
The person who did the review lived in Racine Wisconsin.
It was an interesting article. Thank you for posting the link to it. This winter, I'll probably be dressing warm! This thread has prompted me to think about installing more insulation too.
Bill
I'll do that right after I convince my wife we don't need the stuff stored up there over the beams.
roof into a viable solar collector, "Lay on MacDuff".
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