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Is there a reason this isn't down low shooting warm air over the floor? Seems it would spread the heat better. Just a question, not a smart a$$ comment as we see all too often on YT. Thanks, Bill
Yep, I don't wanna chop any wood, I don't want to run out for fuel and spend $$ on propane. You have help me to make my decision, ELECTRIC ! Thank you for covering so much in your video, you saved me time too ! God bless !!! NICE WORK SHOP !!!
Great video! I have a 30 x45 ft metal building. Originally, I, too, used wood to heat my shop. It was very labor intensive, supplying wood for the stove. I used the stove for a few years. Now I use a heavy-duty wood pellet stove I built for my shop. It holds 5 bags of pellets and has an auto start option, so I could start it up in the morning without having to leave my house. And it's ready to use after about 45 minutes ( on a very cold Iowa morning in the winter) I can turn it down to a small survival fire if need be, it could burn for a week on 5 bags, no smell and uses outside air to feed the stove. I looked into a mini split but the cost was pretty steep for the size unit that I would need.
This is very helpful. I moved into a new house, will have a basement wood shop, and need to heat it. I leaned toward electric because I feared a flame around wood dust. You covered the bases and even have the heater I will use. Thanks.
I use a. 50000 btu Bigmaxx natural gas heater. I maintain it at 68 degrees 24/7 in the winter. My gas bill is a budget and went up just $10 extra a month. The detached garage shop is 33x30 and well insulated.
@@PropsnWings Same here, as far as having LP already installed to heat water and cooking. Would you mind tell me how much it increase on your gas bill, monthly? My garage is about 26`X 25', I'm turning it into a wood shop, and forced air is not a option for me, due to the dust. Thank you!
And this is why I have a MR Cool DIY 24K mini split for my cooling and heating in my 700 sqft shop. Cool feature of a heater is that when it is not working? 🤣🛫
I use a propane blower right now. My "shop" is in the two car garage. I want to build a separate work shop and give the garage back to my vehicles. That is the reason I'm looking at what the pros are doing.
Hi Sam - I also installed a mini split at my home shop in Delaware. It works very well and in the Summer it cools the shop nicely . I also have a small shop at my cabin in Northern Michigan. I just installed an 8' electric baseboard heater that I had. I haven't had much experience with it (it's -14 degrees today). I'm thinking that the unit that you have may make more sense. But shops are insulated to the hilt which is key. Thanks for a great video.
I installed a mini split… little more efficient plus cooling in the summer. Prior to that I used a propane heater. Love the non smelly air of electric heat.
Nice video. Good information. I use a heatpump but haven't gotten the power source run yet for the heat strips when it gets below 40 degrees, where heatpumps struggle to heat via compressor. I use propane when it gets really cold. In rare cases I have used kerosene /diesel torpedo heater overnight just because it has a thermostat which my propane heater doesn't. I'll have the heat strips operational by next winter. You asked so I told you.
Good stuff Sam. Very informative. Going to check out the Heat Storm for my shop/garage. Will need to upgrade the electrical in my garage. Everything is on one 110 breaker currently. Thanks
For my new wood shop (36' x 48') I ran a propane line from the main propane tank. The PEX line is easy to run, and with a large tank you don't have to worry about filling little tanks - the propane company comes and fills it for you. I also plan to add a wood stove for those long winter sessions - the propane will warm it up fast then keep it above freezing at night or on days when I'm not out there. I'll keep it at about 36℉ or-so with the propane furnace on a thermostat. I also plan to put in a mini-split/heat pump. The mini-split will do the bulk of the heating and cooling in the spring and fall, and all of the cooling. I will be installing a Modine Hot Dog (propane) furnace first, then add the mini-split this spring, and finally the wood stove whenever I can afford it! Lots of insulation and no air leaks is very important to having a comfortable shop. The more money spent there the better of you'll be! I'll have videos on all of it if you care to check it out 😊
I have 2 vents from the house heat pump with the vents closed it stays 52f even on colder days . I do have a small propane heater and a portable infrared heater if needed . It's easier to turn them on or off then opening the vents in the ceiling. The garage is insulated walls and ceiling with a 1/4" insulation in the garage door
Thanks for this video. Electric is safer AND the limit is that with a resistance heater you are limited to about 3400 BTU's per KW which is why you are running 6 KW with your heater. Another more expensive install, but I find it well worth the expense and effort to install is a mini split heat pump. I am currently heating an uninsulated workshop with a little 12,000 BTU LG heat pump that took me a day to install and 2 hours to "commission" (which you can do on your own with some tools and skill). It is blowing out 16,000 BTUs of clean pleasant heat (or 12,000 BTU's of cooling during the summer) for about 1 to 1.5 kw of electricity on the coldest day (15 to 20 degrees F). The air filters need vacuuming off every once in a while but it's a great heat source. Bit more expensive at about $1500 with the install.
I have a small workshop, 160 sq ft, electric is out, and a propane ventless heater 20000 btu's would work, but I am concerned about pollution concerns, pellet stove is a good choice if I can find one small enough for my space. A small wood stove would work, but I am concerned about it running when I am not in the shop. My choice is looking like a pellet stove.
This was really good information. I just built a small 14' x 18' shop and am slowly insulating it all. I will have the walls done soon but I think I will be awhile on the roof. I'm thinking propane for this first winter. Thanks for the great video.
Russ sent me. He was discussing his experience with heating. Myself, I use electric in my 600 sq.ft. workshop/garage. Similar to you, it uses 220v. Unlike yours mine is centrally located in the ceiling and is controlled by a simple thermostat. I live in Manitoba, Canada so it gets COLD here (2 weeks ago it was -37 F & if you included windchill it was -50!). At those temps the Heater barely keeps up and I could wish for another unit. However, in most circumstances it does OK. I should mention that I park my vehicle in this garage so the big door gets opened regularly, though I am retired. Also, the garage has R20 insulation in the walls and R60 in the ceiling. I heat it 24/7 in the winter. Hydro here is reasonable.
I just finished installing a mini split in my new shop. Only a 10x20 so I got a 9,000 BTU. I also wanted something that I could leave on to maintain an above freezing temperature without the fear of burning down the shop. I leave it set on 62 degrees when I'm not going to be in there and it's been working great. Plus I get AC in the summer.
here in the UK the greens are going mad against wood stoves because they are dirtier than diesel cars with air pollution, yet about 10 years ago the greens were singing the praises of burning wood instead of coal as they said that it was better to release co2 from wood than coal because wood co2 was modern co2 and coal co2 was from thousands of years ago 🙄🙄
Great video .. & great channel Sam :>) I have been making videos for over 3 years and every once in a while I get inspired from another video as a subject. You have inspired me to say a lot (I do mean a lot?) heating a shop. I have used several heating methods myself (too many to list here). I am doing a video today talking about my heating experience if you are interested. Thanks for the idea and inspiration to make my own about this subject. I will be mentioning and linking your video in my description. Let me know if this is a problem, Sam.
Much appreciated Russ, I'm happy to be an inspiration and absolutely no worries at all on your video! I don't view RU-vid as a competition like many others do. It's a place to learn, share, and have fun (for me, at least). :)
Wood working in a shop produces saw dust in the air it is Highly Combustible, now add an open flame heating device like firewood or a torpedo style heater. Instant recipe for a Building Fire. A sealed combustion chamber furnace like a overhead propane or natural gas furnace or overhead radiant heat tubes like in car repair shops is a safe way to heat a shop.
Electric is not efficient though. Your propane heater was a ventless, and can cause moisture issues. A vented propane heater hooked to a larger tank would be far more efficient and less costly than electric.
I have a kerosene torpedo heater I use to get the shop up to temp quick. On the side I have a kerosene house furnace that is normally set to keep things from freezing long term during the winter months here in NY. With a 275 gallon tank and regular top offs by my supplier, I never have to worry about chasing it down, or running out. Plus, because it runs on the same fuel as the torpedo, if I need fuel, it is always readily available. The only down sides, is that I have to go outside to fill a can every now and then, and the fuel costs are always higher in the winter months.
Sam, I live in Wisconsin, and right now it is COLD (-18 this AM). I currently have a mostly-insulated shop 24 x 24, I have two radiant oil heaters that I use to maintain temp. overnight. They will keep the shop at about 45° or better for an extended time. When I am working I us a smallish pellet stove that will up the temp. to 70° in about 30-45 min. I'll go through a half bag (20 lbs.) a day if I'm there all day and it's single digits outside. My electric bill goes up about 20% in the winter months, which isn't too bad for a nice warm place to work. Thanks for the video.
Your content is on point. I’ve been struggling with heating my 40x40 attached shop(barn home). We live in central Texas…Built on a budget , shop heat was never a big issue…I just don’t get to use shop much in winter, which is BS. Gotta do something. Especially these days of staying closer to the Ranch. Thanks!
I use a propane 3 brick heater on a wall mount. It does okay but needs a fan to heat evenly. Takes a bit to get the temp up. Heading to watch your electric heater video. I have a feeling you are gonna cost me some more money Sam. Lol
Sam, if you got another wood stove, a decent used one, you could probably save money of the electricity bill by using the wood to supplement the heating. Use the electrical to fast heat and let the wood maintain the heat, depending on how long you plan to be in the shop. Decent wood stoves are hard to find for a decent price, what ever that means to each of us. I currently use a torpedo 250 thousand BTU kerosene. I'm looking for that DECENT priced, DECENT wood stove to supplement the kerosene. Good video!!
Thank you X3 Sam, wanting to determine cost vs efficiency during the good times and black outs, I found you and preferred you than other videos for your direct and simple approach of your own experience ..... I still want to know the cost per unit of heat but your video was of great help regarding comfort, safety, health and convenience ..... once a kind man asked me "does my conversation makes you more intelligent or an idiot?" .... in context "no doubt" I quickly answered "yes, more intelligent" I reaffirmed ...... as your video and comments did..... I own a few properties, most heated by gas/electric which I fine tune constantly that dozens of tenants never complain while I keep heating costs to minimum, some do complain however asking me to still lower the heat even a bit : ))) .... I learned from you and from every comment, I believe one pays for electric to warm the inside while other forms we pay to heat the outside through the chimney.... I have researched about the ground under the property for heating and cooling year round but I have not found much on RU-vid for cost per unit of heat that I would have to experiment making sure there underground system is encapsulated to avoid earth harmful gases, some properties I have with basements, the basements are comfortable all the time soon after I seal and keep basements dry...... air drafts once avoided even with less than optimum exterior insulation the temperature inside stays comfortable making sure there is "T"redundancy with fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms ..... building inspectors say "you didn't need so many" ..... I always answer "better to have and not need than need and not have" .... come to think of it, I am divorced 4 times not because of the heat ....
Yes, absolutely! We already have a big stack of solar panels and hope we can add them to the home this year. Lots of other parts and pieces to the pie, but we'd love to!
Wood, around my area ( Franklin NC) is plentiful ...I burn a mix of hard and pine ( yes I know about the about the creosote and clean my pipe regularly and I don't burn it in the 2 stoves in the house-shop only) I have 2 hefty grandsons that do my splitting for me and surprisingly enjoy it " keeps us buff"🤷 grampa..😂
Hi Sam, I have a 200sq ft. shed, which is fully insulated. Are there any plug in (110) electric heaters that you've used, and can recommend? The ability to run 220 to the shed is not really an option. Thank you very much. P.S. Great video
My wife has an 8x16 soap making shed and uses this heater in there. It's on year three I think, and still going great! It has no problem keeping her space heated and the water lines, etc. from freezing. amzn.to/3LcY98o
Installed a forced air natural gas furnace. The garage natural gas heaters are an option. My friends shop has onr, While sanding an oak surface my ryes started to be irritated, The dust was off gassig on the heat exchanger, The electric forced air furnace consumes considerable power , not efficient I did install the furnace and ductwork fo three separate heat zones, Had HVAC tech install gas line and certify the unit for warrantee.
in Ohio both my insurance companies, American family and now present state farm both denied me to install a wood stove in my finished pole barn 30'×40' they state if it's installed no fuel can be stored like gas or diesel or any vehicles can be in there overnight, they said I can install it but they will not cover the building or it's contents if a fire happens, they did say if I put a furnace or propane furnace that is run on electric it can be possible due to the factor that you can completely shut a furnace down but immediately where a wood stove takes time to shut down
There was no mention of the mini-split, or ductless heat pump, which heats and cools. They are supposed to be much more efficient than resistance heaters, but also have a greater initial cost. Any thoughts?
Thoughts... I would love to have one!!! LOL I guess it didn't enter my mind. :) I think we'd have to have one in the house first before I could "sell" anyone in the family on me getting one in a workshop. Hahaha I'll take three!
Three HVAC guys that I know, friends, not dealers, told me to install a mini split unit or a heat pump. But none of them knows the dust dilema that all Woodworkers have. How you deal with the dust from clogging your air filters? I don't care how good your dust collector is, dust particles stilll scape and endup going to the unit filter. I love the idea, because it give you the best two sides of the pie, heat and cooling. Appreciate your imput, since you have one. How you deal with the dust issue, as far as using a forced air HVAC unit in the wood shop, if it's your case. Thank you!
@@PoisonShot20 Answer: install a “prefilter” with a LARGE surface area. See Jay Bates RU-vid video on this topic. He built a filter box using four hvac filters, 20 x 20 if my memory is correct. That filter box sits atop the intake port on the mini-split “head”, the piece installed indoors. It keeps the mini-split clean and free of dust.
@@joedance14 Apreciated your quick response! Great idea. And I can install it myself. I was thinking on a LP radiant because I have LP to heat water and cooking, just a line from tank to the garage. Not sure how cost affective it's compared to a split unit. I also have oil forced air in the house. It's a tough decision, when money and dust come in play. Lol! The money get lost in the dust! It sounds like a mob movie, or politicians!🤣🤣
@@PoisonShot20 If you had natural gas, it would certainly be more economical in the near term. Long term, a mini-split might work out better. However, LP is generally more expensive than natural gas. Contrary to some reports, any kind of fuel burning heater MUST be vented to be safe. Also consider the size of your work space, and how well it is insulated. Experts ALWAYS recommend good insulation as the first step - and don’t forget the windows. Lastly, whole house heat pumps generally have an expected life of just twelve years. AC units and mini-splits don’t seem to last that long. I really like everything I have seen or heard about mini-splits, but don’t yet have one. Also, the manufacturing quality, service quality, relatively short life span cause me some concern, especially considering the cost. We insulated a storage area on the north side of our garage a couple years ago, and insulated our west-facing garage door last winter with rigid form board, which helped, which really helped with afternoon heat. We recently had the garage attic insulated, which made a big difference as winter came on. The temperature now stays about 61 degrees overnight, dropping to 55 only on the coldest nights. We are planning to replace the rest of our windows next, including two very large, single glazed windows on the south wall of the garage. Remember that 90 percent of heat loss is usually through the ceiling. Good luck!
You just recapped my exact scenario - I have a nice wood burner and on some days I like building and enjoying the fire, but most days it’s more effort than it is worth. Also have a bullet kerosene heater - heats the shop (actually overheats much of the shop) fast - but is super loud and smells! I am ready to make the move to electric - going to checkout your other video now! Great job!
Great video, I have used an electric 240 13,000 BTU contractor garage heater for many years. Being it's 240V it is more efficient than the 120V ones if you want to call them efficient. Anyways it works so I have stuck with it.
Thank you Sam for an excellent video... well put together and very informative for my situation. You have given me some good advice and I will prepare to insulate the walls of my garage / workshop.
How's she goin'? This was an interesting video for me, I have a 22 X 26 unheated (normally) workshop now. I use a diesel fired space heater to warm the shop when I go there to work. The trouble is the condensation that gets produced. It sure makes a lot of condensation. I think I need to bite the bullet and insulate my shop and heat it continuously. Thanks for sharing your experiences and results!! Take 'er easy!!!
I have a 16' x 24' shop in my garage. When built in 1998 I installed 2 -1500 watt , 220 volt baseboard heaters on both ends of the shop with a wall mounted thermostat. I insulated it fully except for the concrete floor. In 2014 I installed a wall mounted, direct vent 13,000 BTU propane heater that I used exclusively that winter. Much to my surprise, using that propane heater cost me about 1/3 more than the electric had and my shop did not feel as comfortable. The following year, in 2015, I installed 1" insulated foam board on the concrete floor and covered it with 3/4" plywood. That made a huge difference and I continue to use the electric heat and only turn on the propane when I need to heat my shop up above 70 for certain projects. I should also mention that the baseboard heaters and thermostat I installed in 1998 are still in use and working well.
I just did the math. I am buying two little oil bath electric heaters for my shop. $200 and $0.12/hour with #1 @ 750 W and about $0.36 @ 2,250 W when occupied. I have cleaned the charred fine dust off my forced air electric heaters in the past. I am really just interested in some heat and moving the winter damp out of the shop.
I went propane. My 500-some sq.ft. garage has an electric heater built into the wall - think hotel-room type heater. But the garage is not insulated, and the heater is on the opposite corner from the workbench near the big, drafty 2-car garage door... (I was NOT the one who did the install.) So it's basically just more wasting power than heating the space, which is why I haven't really bothered trying to use it much. And from what I've seen from other discussions and reviews, electric in a non-insulated space is basically just a waste because it can't produce heat fast enough. It's good for sustaining a temperature in a non-insulated space, but not for bringing it up to a workable temperature since a lot of the heat is just going to escape. So I have a forced air "tornado" heater. Thankfully they're not all that expensive. 60k BTU is overkill for the garage, but will ensure I can get at least the workshop corner to a good temperature in a quick amount of time.
If your really spending the time in a space and you have the money I would 100% go with a mini split heat pump. I have done out my whole house with these. If you get the right models they will heat to -30. They will also air-condition extremely well and you can just put them in dehumidifier mode if your away and you don't want all your stuff to grow mildew over the summer. They also use a lot less electricity than a resistance heater and probably only 60% as much electricity as a window AC. I think that comes from the high quality parts you get in a $2000 machine compared to a $190 machine.
We built a 4x4 by 8ft high outhouse style building and install a hot air furnace,then ran 10” insulated pipe into the shop for or heat source.We’ tied into 2 workshops,1 is 10x16, and the other is 11x14,we use kerosene for fuel,,
Combustion based heating always raises the issue of carbon monoxide output, and the need to carry the exhaust outside. The other thing about combustion heating is the source air, the combustion air: if you draw that air from the shop, that implies an infiltration of outside air into the shop to make up the difference. Combustion air from the shop then equals cold air drafts that offset some of the heating. Segregated combustion (ducting the combustion air into the firebox) avoids the infiltration problem. Segregation also avoids the problem of shop exhaust, in which too much exhaust can draw combustion products back into the shop from the flue (back to CO concerns). I don't like heating based on air motion because that carries dust into the heating unit, and you have to filter it to keep the dust off the heating elements. Air motion can also interrupt exhaust patterns, and can distribute dust onto wet finishing surfaces. In my book (and in the numerous engineering designs for heat that I've done) electric infrared has fewer disadvantages than most concepts. Even a modest 110v/1ph heater can make a big difference. With some judicious "aiming", the IR can warm YOU for better comfort, rather than heating everything in the shop.
I installed a heat pump with a 96% propane furnace. The heat pump will heat down to the mid teens , and then the furnace takes over. High efficiency filtration, keeps return air clean. Plus I have a/c if needed in the summer. BTW my furnace has sealed combustion/burner, so there’s little chance of flammables igniting.
Interesting advice. I’ve got a large 20X48 shop in Ontario. Same general climate as Detroit. The cost for electric heat is astronomical. Gotta go wood or NG.
I have a electric furnace in my metal working section of my workshop it's in a separate room from my woodshop so i don't have to worry about fumes from my finishes
I have been using kerosene for years with no real complaints. I am thinking about installing a diesel heater and giving that a try, mainly because diesel is cheaper and kerosene.
Great video. I use a radiator style heater in my shop because I like the way that it heats up everything and not just the air. My table saw or any other tool is not cold to the touch and in a well insulated shop I've found it fairly efficient. I don't have a big shop, only 12x14 ,and its comfy enough to work in without having to layer up. The biggest reason for me for liking it is that there's no exposed elements to worry about the dust with.
As a rule of thumb, an unvented gas heater produces about 1 lb of water for each lb of fuel, so ventilation is important. I ended up with electric, and over the years I now have a 4800 W noisy construction heater, a quiet 1 KW fan forced, and a 1500 W infrared above the area I usually work in. No remotes, but I do have thermostats. With everything on, they heat quickly, and I can maintain a reasonable temperature overnight when I work with epoxy. The infrared is very quick, and warm enough if I'm working for a short time.
This is a Great video for 2020!! But What’s going happen when the ELECTRIC is shut off!! Like it will be this winter ? Things are going to change 2023 !! $$$$$ energy cost will definitely go up!!! Things will change . Everyone will be rubbing to stick together 2 stay warm before it’s all said and done!! Let’s go Brandon 😂😂
I had a Kerosene torpedo heater in my shop in Ohio. It worked very well. The only complaint I had was, it left a taste in my throat after working for a while. I'm in Wisconsin now and many people here us propane for home heating which made propane very available. However, as cold weather set in I began seeing that "water" ( more than a little moisture) was forming on my tools and metal tool box. I have heard from other people that propane does burn with more moisture in it. Does anyone have a answer as to if this is true or it is just the atmosphere in Wisconsin. I now have a small electric heater.
Tom, Propane has a ton of moisture in it. The only way around it is to have a heater that vents to the outside like a camper does. I've been toying with the idea of a chinese diesel heater that they sell on amazon for about $200. Cheap fuel and dry heat. Lots of reviews and such here on YT. Good luck, Bill, across the lake to the east of you in Michigan.
Seems like you're losing all your heat because of your ceiling height. A couple small ceiling fans pushing the rising heat down may work better for ya. Another idea may be closing off that area above your heater with walls and a access panel.
Oh yes, the tall ceiling height is a double-edge sword. Great in summer, bad in winter. :) I have a small fan mounted up near the heater connected to a Wyze wifi plug that's helped a lot on moving the heat around. :)
One consideration with wood burning stove is Insurance. How much will your house insurance go up with a wood burning stove in a wood shop? What happens if you have a fire and insurance won't pay because of the stove?
A lot of your complaints with the wood stove are based on that ammo can stove. A real wood stove you can leave unattended, only takes 30 minutes to warm a shop up, and there is no smell. If you fill a wood stove up and turn down the flue they will run for well over 8 hrs with no need to mess with them. This is coming from a woodworker in Alaska and deals with temps in the -30f to -65f for a months at a time.
My shop is in the basement where there are very little temperature variations. In winter, it never goes below 55-60 (I live in North Carolina), and in summer it stays about 70. I use a wall-mounted propane heater in the winter to quickly bring up the temp to 70, and that is with the heater on a low setting. Works great for me.
Sam, I am using a mini split unit. It isn't the best one made but it does the job. I have about $1000 invested in it plus about $600 to have it installed. I didn't see that as one of your selections.
Sam, I was just looking for a video just like this. I had to close at least 5 videos because the guys were so annoying and fake. Thanks for making an honest and simple video. I learned a lot from this and I enjoyed listening to you.
