On 12 Jan 2007 08:43:24 -0800, "
wrote:


Tom G wrote:
Must not be too cold in your zip code. I use a 30,000 btu portable propane
heater in zipcode 61073 and it just manages to warm things up right around
me so I can work without gloves when it's really cold.

In Roscoe? Even THIS winter? I bought a 240V Maynard's electric heater
for my garage in Madison WI and it's been pretty nice on my unattached
garashop this year. Last year I could only get about 20, 25 degree
difference out of it so when it got down to 15 degrees I quit working.
:-)

This year I got a little more insulation in there and it's been above
30 most of the time so I've gotten a lot more shop time in. It's been
great.

I've got a crazy heater now- I built a propane forge in the garage
next to the basement shop, and that sucker will heat the place to
about 80* in ten minutes with the garage door open and no insulation.
Cost me about $18 when I bought the pipe fittings for the gas and
burner. The only caveat is that it burns six pounds of propane an
hour, and produces a fair amount of water vapor. (Small price to pay
to be able to melt iron in the garage, if you ask me!)

The shop never gets really *cold*, being in the basement- but if it
ever does, I'll just open up the door to the garage for a couple of
minutes.

Ice fishermen are really ticked off, though. Going to be a pain with
the algae blooms this spring if those lakes don't get a good three-week
freeze.

I'm ticked off, too. I'm accustomed to snow in Wisconsin, and this
year- with all the ground cover dead and exposed, I've been dealing
with an allergy nightmare for months on end.