Damage to woodshop if it freezes

[Bob G.]

This is only the second year that my shop is heated 24/7...although I only keep it set at 45 degrees ...until I actually walk in the door...Still evaluating the costs however....Last winter the bill was about 160 bucks for the winter...not that bad. in my opinion

Prior to that...the last 25 years or so it was completely unheated until I walked in the door and fired up the Ready heater...smelly noisy Kero type...

BUT I really never had a problem... rust from condensation being the biggest problem..especially on stored band saw blades...

I kept my glue etc inside a wall mounted cabinet that I had installed a single 25 watt light bulb inside ...kept it warm enough so the glue would not freeze...

Bob Griffiths

[George]

Of course -20 F isn't extreme, nor is 46 20 north, but a 60 watt bulb keeps the 1/4 hose to the pressure switch on my pump from freezing inside an uninsulated, unheated shed if I put a tarp over the pump. If it burns out - hair dryer time.

Oil-based finishes can suffer coagulation in freezing temperatures, too. Only things in the garage at my house are a spare 5 gallons of diesel and gas for the snowblower.

[Larry Kraus]

I'm thinking the degree symbol came across as a zero.

[Mark Wells]

Probably depends on where you live. I live in central Texas and have an unheated garage that is 9x19. I have 3 100 watt light bulbs that heat the entire shop on most winter days.

For the cold nights, I turn on one of those electric radiators that has a "no freeze" thermostat setting. It seems relatively safe and keeps the shop above 40 degrees without much trouble.

Mark

[Prometheus]

One other thing that I always worry about is the cords and plastic casings on cheaper tools. If you've got a rubber cord, it stays pliable, but when I was moving the weekend before last, my power strips were so stiff that I could hold them straight out by the end of the plug, and some of my less expensive tools were having the same issues. I was very careful packing them, so there wasn't a problem, but I imagine that if I had tried to use any of them, those cords would've cracked right open. I also lost a plastic knob on my router when I set it on the tablesaw- dang thing was so cold that it cracked right off. While the temp was pretty extreme (-25f), it still would make a me a little leery of using my tools until they were warmed up above freezing.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[Silvan]

Where are you charging these things? The surface of Venus? :)