Shop heaters

**Jleon** · 01-23-2008, 03:39 PM

I have two shops if you will. They are attached. My winter shop is only about 12x20 very easy to heat with a barrel stove and box fan. I use a kerosene torpedo heater for 10 or 15 min,s while I'm firing up the barrel stove. I havn't used 5 gals as yet this winter. I saw one shop heater made from an electric water heater (filled with anti-freeze and water) a recirculating pump, BIG truck radiator and a box fan! Worked good!And I have no idea why I started this thread!!!

hitman · 01-23-2008, 04:18 PM

ogygopsis · 01-23-2008, 08:44 PM

Mobile home furnaces make one of the best shop heating systems that you can
get. Oil fired, forced hot air, plenty of volume, small and compact, easy to
work on and install. Check out any mobile home dealer or sales lot. They usually have tons of abandoned and trashed homes sitting around out back and
depending on your bargaining skills, you can get a furnace for a very reasonable
price. Ogy.

deezildennis · 01-23-2008, 08:57 PM

Reverse swamp cooler. I have seen them.

Our second building had one of those but in large scale.
It cooled in the summer and heated in the winter.

It worked effectively for over 40 years. The Chemicals in the contraption made it to cost prohibitive maintain.

**Yellowhand** · 01-27-2008, 01:29 PM

I'm currently burning wood to back up my central heat/air, but we have several companies in Beatrice making alternative-fuel stoves...

I might switch to corn, because it's just dirt cheap here, but my buddy has one that burns reclaimed motor oil, which is also dirt cheap...

My cousin has his pickup converted to burn reclaimed cooking oil...works great in warm weather...sucks in winter, and makes the truck smell like a McDonald's dumpster...

**Jleon** · 01-27-2008, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogygopsis

Mobile home furnaces make one of the best shop heating systems that you can
get. Oil fired, forced hot air, plenty of volume, small and compact, easy to
work on and install. Check out any mobile home dealer or sales lot. They usually have tons of abandoned and trashed homes sitting around out back and
depending on your bargaining skills, you can get a furnace for a very reasonable
price. Ogy.

What type of oil do those heaters use? I'm not sure what's available here in So. West,Mo.

**steven Durham** · 01-31-2008, 03:10 AM

The best heat is of course the sun because it is free LOL But it goes into hiding and we freeze . The use of the radiant heaters are the fastest way to heat you ,and not have to heat the entire shop and all the parts and machinery in the shop like a wood stove or a jet heater does by convection. The best radiant heat is in floor when the slab has been insulated real spindy stuff but the best overhead is the gas or propane fired tube heat radiant heater. The small shop can use a 30,000 btu ceiling mounted radiant panel heater and with proper positioning above your work bench you can enter a very cold shop and feel comfortable faster because of the radiant heat rays heat you and not the air between you and the source. Steve Durham Durham's Heating & Cooling inc.

**delray** · 01-31-2008, 04:13 AM

radiant heat from the floor is nice. i installed it in my three car garage with drains. works real nice in the winter for washing the cars

also plan on installing it in my shop too. the pex tubing and materials to lay it down is cheap. the big exp$$$$ is the heater and parts to run it. but well worth it

**steven Durham** · 02-01-2008, 11:13 PM

The best heater is the American water heater model Polaris as it is 96% efficient and will heat your domestic hot water and your house but the cost chokes most buyers. But the endless capacity of hot water is awesome. Combo systems are what I like the best . Steve

**Yellowhand** · 02-03-2008, 01:55 PM

There is a plus to heating with wood or coal...

I use my woodstove to heat-treat, case-harden, anneal, and pre-heat for bending as well as take the chill out of the air in the shop...

This 3/8" round rod is 303 stainless steel, and won't bend into a 90 degree angle without cracking unless it is annealed prior to heating and bending...

The rod will become a foot pedal brake arm for a mini...303 stainless has excellent resistance to corrosion, and doesn't need to be painted or coated for outdoor use...just polish it a little, and it gleams like chrome, but will never chip, flake, peel or rust...