While the rainy season makes its debut here in Northern Calif., my thoughts turn to heating the shop.
I'm thinking of buying the Lee Valley shop heater:
Anyone has one of these, liked it, hated it or bought something else?
MJ
Not sure about heating a shop, but I have one in an open shed where my pecan cracker resides. The radiant heat keeps me warm without trying to heat the air.
Radiant heat really shines in a situation where you are going to be mostly in one place and you can aim it at that place. Especially if you don't want to wait for the whole space to heat up.
Some observations
You better have more than one circuit in your garage / shop. That takes the whole 15amp capacity.
Need two if it's really cold. Face will be sunburned and your back will be frozen from the radiant units I have experienced when really cold.
I may be trying the same thing this winter. Frozen spruce sometimes explodes when cut, though.
I'm thinking of buying the Lee Valley shop heater:
Anyone has one of these, liked it, hated it or bought something else?
MJ
It might be tough to heat without adequate insulation.
Try a portable Propane radiant double eye heater. More heat, cheaper to run and can be moved to where you are working.
I live in central Florida. Winter temperatures are similar to yours but there are periods when they are 10 degrees or so lower. Sometimes below freezing too but just for a couple of hours at night.
My shop is concrete block, 20' x 25', 1" foam board insulation on the walls under the drywall, blown in the attic.
I don't have a radiant heater, wouldn't work for me as I'm all over the shop, but my $15 convection heater (750/1500 watt) is adequate to take the edge off even in the 30s - especially if I wear a heavy shirt - and be comfy other times.
I have 2 in my shop here in Michigan, on really cold days - I preheat with propane and then keep it warm with the radiants - normally a 30 minute warm up to about 65 and then 8 to 12 hours with the radiants running on Saturdays that I get to work in the shop.
A couple of keys - You need to mount it so it will point at where you work. I tilt mine as I move from sawing to assembly - so that they stay on the work area.
I on day when it is zero out, the pair will keep the shop at 55 to 60 degrees all day. Note my shop has 6 inches of insulation in all walls, and 3/4 ply over the insulation. The ceiling has 18 inches off insulation and a reflective white "dairy board" between the insulation and the shop, to reflect the light and heat back. It is so well insulated that the shop stays in the low seventies in the summer if I keep the door closed.
Just for reference the shop is 20 by 30.
I will probably get one more of them since the price just dropped, and set it at a 90 degree angle to the other 2 - so I can aim it at the drill press and band saw.
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