Re: shop heat

I know shop heat has been discussed, but I'm finally able to get out
> of the small basement room and build a shop aprox 24x36 with a > basement slab downstairs for car/atv work and a full upstairs for > woodworking. I'm digging out tons of dirt now. It's on a sloped lot, > so both will walk out to ground level. I'm debating ideas of layout > and heat. I'd like to have some HVAC or fan sytem so that it is usable > in the summer and winter. I'm thinking of installing in-slab tubing > and a small woodstove in the basement and fans and/or AC upstairs. > Insulation of course. I've only used a portable propane heater before. > I would appreciate any details of installing a minimum cost water > heating system to just take the cold edge off the slab in the winter. > Can I just use a std water heater & small circ pump? What about > keeping the air out of the tubing? Plumbing & manifold details? No one > really does this down here. I have 500' of PEX available. Any > recommendations on a small wood stove? Should I completely avoid this > in an area with cars? Maybe just install a heat pump with little or no > ductwork? Located in Knox TN, so it is not a brutal winter, but can be > very humid in the summer. I'm also thinking of installing 5" or 6" > pipe in the trusses between the floors for a minimal DC system > upstairs. I've never seen this done. DC lines always run overhead. > Cost is always a concern. Any ideas appreciated. Thx

Go with the heat pump, or gas and AC, and you will never be sorry. You will love an AC shop. Put it in so that it does a good job on the upstairs, and let a little heat or AC ( a couple outlets that can be closed ) into the car area.

As far as the in floor DC system goes, you will never want anything else, once you have one of these. No more ducts in the way every time you swing a piece of wood.

Oooooo my favorite, HVAC :) In Floor radiant heat is great. The heat stays near the floor, and heat loss is very small compared to Hot air. If you opened a door in the dead of winter the loss would be less. It would be great to be under a car and not have the cold from the concrete try to kill you. That said there are a few disadvantages. First is the fact that if you want AC you have to install a second system often doubling the cost of your HVAC.

Not all PEX is designed to go in concrete. 3. It does take some specialized equipment to install PEX. A plumber may have some of the equipment. 4. In floor heating needs an Heat loss calculation as does any HVAC assessment for that matter. That said, Grainger is a good place to look for boilers, furnaces, blowers (for AC only systems) etc. They are cheaper and you won't put a huge investment in a name brand that you might use only once or twice a week. And yes radiant heat uses the same basic heating equipment as other hot water systems. The system is totally enclosed circuit. IF you get air in it you are probably losing water. Your DC: not much wrong with an infloor system. The advantage is that gravity helps suction, and sometimes the pipes are more accessible. The disadvantage is the pipes are more permanent so if you get a new tool you may not be able to rearrange the shop. Takes a bit of forethought. IF you add a DC from a reputable company such as Oneida they may be able to help you design the system.