Heating a 650 sq' wood shop

Be careful with these types of heaters. They are not meant to perform in an enclosed area. If the oxygen is depleated enough through the combustion process, the products of combustion could result in 'incomplete' combustion producting carbon monoxide.

As for a garage area, any fossile fuel burning appliance needs to be 18" [inches] off the floor. The fire and mechanical codes are clear about this. The reasoning is that possability the gasoline fumes could become ignited exists. Another issue is return [conditioned] air vs. combustion air. As long as the garage area can support combustion air [see you local code] you'll be ok. Otherwise you might need to provide a fresh air intake of sorts to allow for combustion air. If all else, read the manufacturer's instructions about providing combustion air.

Good luck

Reply to
Zyp
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"Bob F" wrote "Cshenk" wrote

Bob, wood stoves are fine. It;s what yoyu burn IN THEM that can be a problem. They are basically metal fireplaces and one just has to be sure all is vented right and safely. xxcarol

Reply to
Cshenk

Shop heating has been covered in depth over at rec.woodworking.

Reply to
Bart

And if they are not "EPA certified" it is illegal to install them, or even re-install them after cleaning, in Washington state. Which means un-certified stoves could get you ticketed or invalidate your insurance. That means you cannot buy any old "franklin stove" and expect it to be legal.

Bob

Reply to
Bob F

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:12:51 -0800, "Bob F" wrote Re Re: Heating a 650 sq' wood shop:

Thank God for the EPA and Washington state.

Reply to
Caesar Romano

Anthony-Thanks for the reply & info. Agreed about the dust on the car. I just got a Penn State 2 hp 240 v dust collector, supposedly good to 1 micron, still setting up out there but the collector seems to work really well, at least on the table saw. 5000 watts seems like it would probably produce suffient heat, I don't need it really warm, 60-ish would be fine. Does the Cadet you have put out a decent volume of air? Looks promising.

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Dan

Reply to
Dan

Dan,

After years of battling dust everywhere, I finally broke down and bought a JDS "Dust Force" dust collector with a 1 micron bag. It's supposed to be delivered today, so I have no first hand experience, but am hoping it cuts down on the dust.

As for walling off the car, it doesn't have to be permanent. You could probably build a sliding wall out of 2x2's, thin plywood, and styrofoam panels for insulation and hang them on barn door tracks on the ceiling. Just a thought.

Even a tarp "curtain" would probably help keep the dust off the car, though I doubt it would help with heating any.

My primary concern is my surface planer. That thing builds mountains of dust and wood shavings in a matter of minutes. :)

The usual recommendation is 10 watts per sq/ft, which would translate to

6500 watts for your 650 sf shop. However, I'm using a 4000 watt heater for 672 sf and it keeps it comfortable.

It really depends on how well your shop is sealed and insulated. The first few years my shop had an open stairway going up to the attic. Even though the attic was insulated with R19 too, that 4'x10' hole in the ceiling let most of the warm air rise up into the 448 sf attic. That greatly increased my heating space, and my little 4000 watt heater never got the garage much above 45 degrees. It took the icy chill away, but it never got comfortable.

Last year I closed off the stairwell and installed a door to the attic (mostly to keep dust from getting on everything in the attic too). I didn't install any additional insulation, but just closing off the attic really made a big difference. My garage now heats up to 60 degrees or so in about an hour. I usually turn the thermostat down when it gets above

If you're thinking of pointing it at you and feeling the warm air blow on you, no. For the most part, you can't even feel the heat coming from the heater, but the room does warm up. It blows enough air that I try to aim it away from where I'm working so it doesn't blow sawdust all over the place.

Before I closed off my attic, I remember thinking the heater was broken. I would let it run for hours and the blowing air still felt cold when I stood in front of it. But when the air in the room starts warming up, the air from the heater starts feeling warmer and warmer. Strange, but it works.

You "can" turn on just the fan, if you want a little air flow in the summer time.

Take care,

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband

I have no first hand experience, but I thought I heard once that propane powered heaters also introduced moisture into the air? Probably not a desirable feature in a woodshop.

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband

I'm not complaining. I wouldn't want to live downwind from a continuous user of an un-certified stove. The new ones are hugely cleaner as far as smoke output, and you get more heat out of the wood you burn. And I'm pretty sure it's not just Washington State.

Bob

Reply to
Bob F

When the outside temp rarely gets much below 45F, that's not likely to be a problem.

Bob

Reply to
Bob F

You must have a thicker skin than I do, because anything below 55F or so is a little too cold for me. :) Especially for things like car work where you're handling metal tools and parts. It's like working with ice.

Also, many woodworking finishes will take forever to dry if it's too cold in the shop.

I personally find a temperature around 65 just about ideal for woodworking. I can take off the coat so I can move around easier and the extra bulk isn't bumping into my finishes or something. If it gets much higher than

65, I find it gets a little too warm when I'm moving around a lot.

In any case, if the heater is TOO small for the space, the heat loss is greater than the heat gain and it'll never get warm in there.

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband

Again - if you are heating from 45F, it's a lot easier to get comfortable than when the outside is 10F.

Bob F

Reply to
Bob F

Oops.. Sorry, I guess I was having a brain fart. The obvious escaped me. :)

You are correct, of course.

Take care,

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband

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