Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

wrote:
Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?


Insulated boots used by hunters come to mind. Rugged. Comfortable.

Also a thick throw run in front of the workbench will help tremendously.

wrote in message
...
Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

Get something between your feet and that concrete. Either get some wood
down there or some kind of rubber mat.

If your feet get cold, they deserve some kind of special footwear. My wife
has a couple pair of foam insulated boots. They are lightweight, if a
little bulky, but super warm. She swears by them. I use the old hikers
trick. A thin sock inside of a thick sock. This was to help prevent
blisters. But it keeps your feet warmer too.

I am a big believer in protective footwear. My work boots have a steel toe.
They saved my toes a few times. (Not that I ever drop anything on them.
cough, cough)

I don't know what type of shop you have barn, garage, basement, shed.

But I like an oil heated radiator over the ceramic. They hold the heat
longer and just feel more comfortable.

As far as the floor, like everyone else said. Also look into the OSB
with rubber or plastic bubbles underneath . They are made for concrete
underlayment for a wood floor. They do two things protect your tools and
the bubbles get you off the concrete and protect the wood.

Wish I had done mine like that. I put down commercial vinyl tiles. Those
OSB tiles weren't around then.

On 11/30/2010 7:13 PM, wrote:
Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

wrote in message
...

What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

1) A lot of heat is lost via the head in cold weather, so a knitted cap is a
good idea. 2) Rubber floor matts keep your boots off that cold concrete.
3) An insulated vest helps a lot without restricting the arms as a jacket
can. 4) A thermos of hot tea or coffee. 5) I've tried fingerless gloves to
help keep my hands warm, but I only use them for tasks where fine dexterity
is not required, like steering a ROS around.

wrote:

Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

I live in Buffalo, NY and worked outdoors for over 10 years. The
HotHands foot warmers work well with insulated footware. The boots I
wore had 1000 grams of Thinsulate. The HorHands last for about 6 hours
and kept my feet warm in sub-zero temperatures as long as your feet stay
dry.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

On Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:13:54 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

I agree with keeping your feet off the concrete. I have some if the
inexpensive Harbor Freight interlocking tiles in front of the bench.
Warmer in winter and better for standing on year round.

John

On Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:13:54 -0800, wrote:

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is puny, but if I close the
shop doors (it's insulated and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab and wondering if anyone
had experience using foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting,
hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to stay warm in your unheated
shop? Extra socks? Thermal underwear?


I just wear insulated socks, but I have a wood floor. Some of those
rubber floor mats should help isolate the cold concrete.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:13:54 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

I agree with keeping your feet off the concrete. I have some if the
inexpensive Harbor Freight interlocking tiles in front of the bench.
Warmer in winter and better for standing on year round.

John

Heating, like lighting can be task specific. Shops have a lot of volume,
and it is sometimes very wasteful to try to heat or cool the entire shop.
Sometimes it is just plain impossible. Specifically placed heaters work
better. I like those long ones like they have at Costco, and am looking
into buying one, but I wonder how much fuel they use. As for comfort for
the feet, yes, anything insulated and softer than concrete will be good for
you in the long run.

Steve

"Steve B" wrote in message
Heating, like lighting can be task specific. Shops have a lot of volume,
and it is sometimes very wasteful to try to heat or cool the entire shop.
Sometimes it is just plain impossible.

I was at the Toronto woodworking show this past Saturday. There were a
number of outfits selling radiant heaters similar to the Lee Valley heater
in the link below. Anyway, I could feel the directed heat from them every
time I passed one even though I was a good eight feet away. I'd suggest that
such a heater would be very useful when one wants to warm just one area and
not the whole shop.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...56,43465,44590

On Nov 30, 11:15*pm, "DGDevin" wrote:
wrote in ...

What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

1) A lot of heat is lost via the head in cold weather, so a knitted cap is a
good idea. *2) Rubber floor matts keep your boots off that cold concrete.
3) An insulated vest helps a lot without restricting the arms as a jacket
can. *4) A thermos of hot tea or coffee. *5) I've tried fingerless gloves to
help keep my hands warm, but I only use them for tasks where fine dexterity
is not required, like steering a ROS around.

The knitted cap is probably the biggest bang for the buck. Quartz
radiant heaters work really well too, like Upscale mentioned. I find
that radiant heat is best for my fingers as I can't stand anything on
my hands when I manipulate tools. I should add that radiant quartz
heaters should be used in pairs as they cast a shadow of cold and
don't really heat the air much at all.
http://tinyurl.com/23btcwq

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Nov 30, 11:15 pm, "DGDevin" wrote:
wrote in
...

What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

1) A lot of heat is lost via the head in cold weather, so a knitted cap is
a
good idea. 2) Rubber floor matts keep your boots off that cold concrete.
3) An insulated vest helps a lot without restricting the arms as a jacket
can. 4) A thermos of hot tea or coffee. 5) I've tried fingerless gloves to
help keep my hands warm, but I only use them for tasks where fine
dexterity
is not required, like steering a ROS around.

The knitted cap is probably the biggest bang for the buck. Quartz
radiant heaters work really well too, like Upscale mentioned. I find
that radiant heat is best for my fingers as I can't stand anything on
my hands when I manipulate tools. I should add that radiant quartz
heaters should be used in pairs as they cast a shadow of cold and
don't really heat the air much at all.
http://tinyurl.com/23btcwq

This thread reminds me of a (machine) shop that I was in a couple of years
ago. I was looking for a job and they seemed to be pretty excited to get me
to work there. Nice machinery, nice tooling and nice work. One big downside.
It was in an unheated tin building. In addition to no heat, there was a
large bay door that stayed open most all the time. This in Washington state.
Freeze during the winter and bake during the summer. No thanks. Not the
worst I've seen though. Was in one once that had a tin roof. That's it. Just
a roof. There were times when the guys had to dig their machines out of a
snow drift in the morning.

Robatoy wrote:


The knitted cap is probably the biggest bang for the buck. Quartz
radiant heaters work really well too, like Upscale mentioned. I find
that radiant heat is best for my fingers as I can't stand anything on
my hands when I manipulate tools. I should add that radiant quartz
heaters should be used in pairs as they cast a shadow of cold and
don't really heat the air much at all.
http://tinyurl.com/23btcwq

I hate radiant heat. I want the room warm. I don't want to have to be in
the glow of the radiant heat source to stay warm. But - that's me. I'm
funny that way...

--

-Mike-

On Fri, 3 Dec 2010 23:30:55 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

Robatoy wrote:


The knitted cap is probably the biggest bang for the buck. Quartz
radiant heaters work really well too, like Upscale mentioned. I find
that radiant heat is best for my fingers as I can't stand anything on
my hands when I manipulate tools. I should add that radiant quartz
heaters should be used in pairs as they cast a shadow of cold and
don't really heat the air much at all.
http://tinyurl.com/23btcwq

I hate radiant heat. I want the room warm. I don't want to have to be in
the glow of the radiant heat source to stay warm. But - that's me. I'm
funny that way...

Me, too. If my tools and surfaces aren't warm, neither am I, for very
long. Warm, moving air RULES!

I wonder how a traditional air filter unit would sell with a
thermostatically controlled heating coil built in...

--
"Human nature itself is evermore an advocate for liberty.
There is also in human nature a resentment of injury, and
indignation against wrong. A love of truth and a veneration
of virtue. These amiable passions, are the latent spark. If
the people are capable of understanding, seeing and feeling
the differences between true and false, right and wrong,
virtue and vice, to what better principle can the friends of
mankind apply than to the sense of this difference?"
--John Adams

"Mike Marlow" wrote:

I hate radiant heat. I want the room warm. I don't want to have to
be in the glow of the radiant heat source to stay warm. But -
that's me. I'm funny that way...
---------------------
Amen bro, AMEN.

That makes two of us.

Lew

Robatoy wrote:


If you want to throw those expensive BTU's into inanimate objects,
sure. To clarify, my shop is forced air (cooled as well) and I also
like my tools and stuff warm. Economical it isn't.
The other upside to radiant heat is managing dust. Much harder to do
with circulating (either forced or convection) air... unless you get
into some serious filtration.

Well - it's more that no matter what my garage is currently configured for -
woodworking, auto body, etc., I'm going to moving through, and working in
large areas of two bays. (Separately, for painting and body work, the room
has to be at temp). Not practical to put up radiant heat under those
conditions - plus... like I said... I like a warm room.

--

-Mike-

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:

On Fri, 3 Dec 2010 23:30:55 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:
I hate radiant heat. I want the room warm. I don't want to have to be in
the glow of the radiant heat source to stay warm. But - that's me. I'm
funny that way...

Me, too. If my tools and surfaces aren't warm, neither am I, for very
long. Warm, moving air RULES!

Nah. Insulation RULES! Then heat it however makes you happy. In-floor,
always on, radiant heat works very nicely, and actually keeps the
machines on the floor warmer (as they conduct heat from the warm slab
and radiate it themselves.) Finding the warm glow from that is as easy
as being anywhere in the room. The thing it's not good at is rapid
temperature swings - but if you don't like cold machines, you should be
insulating well enough that you can afford to keep the heat on (or you
turn it up Friday night if you only work weekends.)

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Ecnerwal wrote:


Nah. Insulation RULES! Then heat it however makes you happy. In-floor,
always on, radiant heat works very nicely, and actually keeps the
machines on the floor warmer (as they conduct heat from the warm slab
and radiate it themselves.) Finding the warm glow from that is as easy
as being anywhere in the room. The thing it's not good at is rapid
temperature swings - but if you don't like cold machines, you should
be insulating well enough that you can afford to keep the heat on (or
you turn it up Friday night if you only work weekends.)

Sure - heating or cooling a room requires insulation in order to be
practical. Insulation though, does nothing to add heat (or cooling) to a
room. When my furnace in my garage is shut down, all of my insulation does
nothing more than keep everything in the room comfortably at ambient
temperature.

In floor radiant heat (something of a mis-nomer) is not pure radiant heat.
It relies heavily upon convection. Not the same as what has been discussed
in this thread.

--

-Mike-

On Nov 30, 6:13*pm, "
wrote:
Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

After 25-30 years of buying and smelling Kerosene for a kerosene
heater I switched to a very economical alternate.

I purchased a natural gas version of a radiant wall heater from a
local Propane dealer. It is a 25,000 btu version and cost about $225
during a year-end clearance. When we built the house a couple of
years ago I had the plumber leave me a stub and valve in the basement
just beneath the planned garage location. A couple of weeks ago I
bought about $100 worth of plumbing pipe and valves and plumbed it
in. Works like a charm and the Kerosene and cans were delivered to
our son for his garage.

Our neighbor has a similar unit in his separated garage but did not
want to plumb natural gas from the house. He has a propane tank,
provided by the local LPG company, sitting outside of his shop. They
ran the line through the wall directly to the heater.

RonB

On Sat, 04 Dec 2010 21:25:20 -0500, Ecnerwal
wrote:

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:

On Fri, 3 Dec 2010 23:30:55 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:
I hate radiant heat. I want the room warm. I don't want to have to be in
the glow of the radiant heat source to stay warm. But - that's me. I'm
funny that way...

Me, too. If my tools and surfaces aren't warm, neither am I, for very
long. Warm, moving air RULES!

Nah. Insulation RULES!

OK, I'll give you that one.


Then heat it however makes you happy. In-floor,
always on, radiant heat works very nicely, and actually keeps the
machines on the floor warmer (as they conduct heat from the warm slab
and radiate it themselves.) Finding the warm glow from that is as easy
as being anywhere in the room. The thing it's not good at is rapid
temperature swings - but if you don't like cold machines, you should be
insulating well enough that you can afford to keep the heat on (or you
turn it up Friday night if you only work weekends.)

I haven't worked on any radiant floors so I'm not familiar with them
at all. Do they suffer from air stratification like baseboard heaters
do? BB heaters SUCK BIGTIME!

In the past, I've found that if the air isn't moved around, it
stratifies. Hot at the top, cold at the bottom. Sit in a room for an
hour reading and it gets down to 60 at the floor and is 80F at head
height. That doesn't work for me at all.

--
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
--Jack London

On Dec 5, 12:02*pm, Larry Jaques
wrote:
On Sat, 04 Dec 2010 21:25:20 -0500, Ecnerwal

wrote:
In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:

On Fri, 3 Dec 2010 23:30:55 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:
I hate radiant heat. *I want the room warm. *I don't want to have to be in
the glow of the radiant heat source to stay warm. *But - that's me. *I'm
funny that way...

Me, too. If my tools and surfaces aren't warm, neither am I, for very
long. *Warm, moving air RULES!

Nah. Insulation RULES!

OK, I'll give you that one.

Then heat it however makes you happy. In-floor,
always on, radiant heat works very nicely, and actually keeps the
machines on the floor warmer (as they conduct heat from the warm slab
and radiate it themselves.) Finding the warm glow from that is as easy
as being anywhere in the room. The thing it's not good at is rapid
temperature swings - but if you don't like cold machines, you should be
insulating well enough that you can afford to keep the heat on (or you
turn it up Friday night if you only work weekends.)

I haven't worked on any radiant floors so I'm not familiar with them
at all. Do they suffer from air stratification like baseboard heaters
do? *BB heaters SUCK BIGTIME!

In the past, I've found that if the air isn't moved around, it
stratifies. Hot at the top, cold at the bottom. *Sit in a room for an
hour reading and it gets down to 60 at the floor and is 80F at head
height. *That doesn't work for me at all.

--
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * --Jack London

A properly designed BB heater will set up convection currents, but
they can't be hidden behind anything. Mine, in my office, work just
fine.

Want to thank everyone who sent in suggestions
about working in the "cold". I realize our daytime low
of 55, is awfully "wimpy" compared to many other
places, but it is relative, right?

I am now in the hunt for insulated boots. I do have
pads I can use to get my feet off the concrete. And
Santa's been told (or Mrs. Santa) that I need
a down vest. A good suggestion!

A heater, hmm. well that will just have to wait. I might
get by on my small ceramic heater for the now, looking
to beef that up later.

Thanks again!

MJ

wrote:
Want to thank everyone who sent in suggestions
about working in the "cold". I realize our daytime low
of 55, is awfully "wimpy" compared to many other
places, but it is relative, right?

Yes, it's 28F here in central IN today, you'll get "relatively" no
sympathy from me. I wouldn't even say it's cold outside yet!

Bill


I am now in the hunt for insulated boots. I do have
pads I can use to get my feet off the concrete. And
Santa's been told (or Mrs. Santa) that I need
a down vest. A good suggestion!

A heater, hmm. well that will just have to wait. I might
get by on my small ceramic heater for the now, looking
to beef that up later.

Thanks again!

MJ

On 12/5/2010 4:37 PM, Bill wrote:
wrote:
Want to thank everyone who sent in suggestions
about working in the "cold". I realize our daytime low
of 55, is awfully "wimpy" compared to many other
places, but it is relative, right?

Yes, it's 28F here in central IN today, you'll get "relatively" no
sympathy from me. I wouldn't even say it's cold outside yet!

Bill

9F this morning. I think I placed a curse on central Indiana! ; )

As far as woodworking, just read and design when it's too cold and be
ready to take advantage of when its not!

Bill

Those work good. Just remember they put out various materials.
e.g. don't seal up so tight you breathe in the exhaust.

Also, get a RH meter - a cheap one is fine. Watch the water factor
so it won't rain at night when it gets cold. One way is to flush
out the shop when leaving.

Actually it can be rain or a dew. Some of that is good - when the
RH% is very low in the winter time.

Martin

On 12/5/2010 10:29 AM, RonB wrote:
On Nov 30, 6:13 pm,
wrote:
Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

After 25-30 years of buying and smelling Kerosene for a kerosene
heater I switched to a very economical alternate.

I purchased a natural gas version of a radiant wall heater from a
local Propane dealer. It is a 25,000 btu version and cost about $225
during a year-end clearance. When we built the house a couple of
years ago I had the plumber leave me a stub and valve in the basement
just beneath the planned garage location. A couple of weeks ago I
bought about $100 worth of plumbing pipe and valves and plumbed it
in. Works like a charm and the Kerosene and cans were delivered to
our son for his garage.

Our neighbor has a similar unit in his separated garage but did not
want to plumb natural gas from the house. He has a propane tank,
provided by the local LPG company, sitting outside of his shop. They
ran the line through the wall directly to the heater.

RonB

On Dec 6, 10:19*pm, Martin Eastburn
wrote:
Those work good. *Just remember they put out various materials.
e.g. don't seal up so tight you breathe in the exhaust.

Also, get a RH meter - a cheap one is fine. *Watch the water factor
so it won't rain at night when it gets cold. *One way is to flush
out the shop when leaving.

Actually it can be rain or a dew. *Some of that is good - when the
RH% is very low in the winter time.

Martin

On 12/5/2010 10:29 AM, RonB wrote:

On Nov 30, 6:13 pm,
wrote:
Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

After 25-30 years of buying and smelling Kerosene for a kerosene
heater I switched to a very economical alternate.

I purchased a natural gas version of a radiant wall heater from a
local Propane dealer. *It is a 25,000 btu version and cost about $225
during a year-end clearance. *When we built the house a couple of
years ago I had the plumber leave me a stub and valve in the basement
just beneath the planned garage location. *A couple of weeks ago I
bought about $100 worth of plumbing pipe and valves and plumbed it
in. *Works like a charm and the Kerosene and cans were delivered to
our son for his garage.

Our neighbor has a similar unit in his separated garage but did not
want to plumb natural gas from the house. *He has a propane tank,
provided by the local LPG company, sitting outside of his shop. *They
ran the line through the wall directly to the heater.

RonB

Followup - Mine is one of the un-vented versions that shuts itself
down if oxygen level starts to drop. With two garage doors and some
open area around attic door I haven't had to worry much about air
exchange, at least so far.

I read a lot of comments about infrared radiant heaters only heating
things. This one does a pretty good job of heating the entire space
which is slightly over 1,000 SF with an 11 foot ceiling. Yesterday
was a 20 degree morning and the garage temp was down to about 48
degrees (garage is attached to house and shares a 30' wall). within
one hour the temp was up to 56 and eventually rose to about 65 before
I turned the thermostat back. These temps were registered on a
thermometer that is on the same wall as the heater an about 6-8 feet
away, so the heater isn't pointed at it.

No concerns with water yet as I do not run it at night. But I have
been watching windows for condensation and so far none. Admittedly, I
have very little history with the heater so far but will be using it
often for the next few months.

RonB

Actually keeping it warm will keep it from raining I would think.

When you allow it to get cold is when the condensation would drop, just
like it does every night.

Keep enough heat there every night and your tools should stay rust free,
all it to cool and watch out.

On 12/7/2010 10:45 AM, RonB wrote:
On Dec 6, 10:19 pm, Martin
wrote:
Those work good. Just remember they put out various materials.
e.g. don't seal up so tight you breathe in the exhaust.

Also, get a RH meter - a cheap one is fine. Watch the water factor
so it won't rain at night when it gets cold. One way is to flush
out the shop when leaving.

Actually it can be rain or a dew. Some of that is good - when the
RH% is very low in the winter time.

Martin

On 12/5/2010 10:29 AM, RonB wrote:

On Nov 30, 6:13 pm,
wrote:
Well, I know my shop can't be as cold as some
of yours (I live in Northern California), but I
really find that I avoid doing anything during
the "hard" winter months here - Dec - March.
So I like to change that.

I have a small ceramic heater that I know is
puny, but if I close the shop doors (it's insulated
and a single stall wide), it should do fine.
I was thinking of my feet on the concrete slab
and wondering if anyone had experience using
foot heaters - the kind you use for hunting, hiking?

Do they work? What other things do you do to
stay warm in your unheated shop? Extra socks?
Thermal underwear?

MJ

After 25-30 years of buying and smelling Kerosene for a kerosene
heater I switched to a very economical alternate.

I purchased a natural gas version of a radiant wall heater from a
local Propane dealer. It is a 25,000 btu version and cost about $225
during a year-end clearance. When we built the house a couple of
years ago I had the plumber leave me a stub and valve in the basement
just beneath the planned garage location. A couple of weeks ago I
bought about $100 worth of plumbing pipe and valves and plumbed it
in. Works like a charm and the Kerosene and cans were delivered to
our son for his garage.

Our neighbor has a similar unit in his separated garage but did not
want to plumb natural gas from the house. He has a propane tank,
provided by the local LPG company, sitting outside of his shop. They
ran the line through the wall directly to the heater.

RonB

Followup - Mine is one of the un-vented versions that shuts itself
down if oxygen level starts to drop. With two garage doors and some
open area around attic door I haven't had to worry much about air
exchange, at least so far.

I read a lot of comments about infrared radiant heaters only heating
things. This one does a pretty good job of heating the entire space
which is slightly over 1,000 SF with an 11 foot ceiling. Yesterday
was a 20 degree morning and the garage temp was down to about 48
degrees (garage is attached to house and shares a 30' wall). within
one hour the temp was up to 56 and eventually rose to about 65 before
I turned the thermostat back. These temps were registered on a
thermometer that is on the same wall as the heater an about 6-8 feet
away, so the heater isn't pointed at it.

No concerns with water yet as I do not run it at night. But I have
been watching windows for condensation and so far none. Admittedly, I
have very little history with the heater so far but will be using it
often for the next few months.

RonB