heating the shop

[SVanderkolff]

My new shop is in the basement but has no connection to the household heating system. This is great for keeping the dust out of the rest of the house but not so good for keeping the shop warm. It is not really a problem yet but I can see when the winter winds howl that the shop is going to get pretty nippy. I highly doubt it will freeze since it is in the basement of the house but it could get quite uncomfortable. What do you recommend for heating the shop. I need something extremely safe that I can leave on when no one is around. I don;t need to keep the shop toasty but just the chilly side of comfortable would be nice.
Thanks for the help.
Steve

[Ray Rogers]

I keep my shop at 40 F throughout the winter with a 4000 watt electric heater. Been doing that for 8 years in winters that can go below -20 F. Recently, I figured a way to run ordinary air conditioning ducting from the part of my shop that has a wood stove to the part that has the electric heat. It will take me another two or three years to get to it but I think I'll try that next . Maybe you could do that too, just run some ducting through the ceiling of your basement into any room that has heat. Put a fan in the duct to move the warm air into the basement (which will also keep the dust from moving up the duct).......

[SVanderkolff]

Ray
Thanks for the reply. I designed the basement to have no duct work into it so that the very fine dust cannot travel to the rest of the house. Even with the ducts blocked of in the old shop I still had metal dust traveling thru the ducts. (fine black dust on the furniture was not a good thing with my wife). I was thinking of one of those ceramic style heaters but was concerned with the fire hazard.
Steve

[Ray Rogers]

I've got several ceramic heaters that I use to heat spots (there's one running under this table right now). The big selling point for ceramic heaters is that they don't create much, if any, fire hazard. But, they are small and won't heat much of a room at all. I use them to warm my computer (like it's doing now), to warm epoxy when I mix it, to warm my surface grinder motor which won't reach full speed if the room temp is less than 60 F, and once to thaw out my water well. Small jobs like that are fine for ceramic heaters.

The wall heaters I have are 4000 or 5000 watt electric heaters that I got from MSC for just under $300 each. I have three of those that heat my two shop buildings and a bathroom. They each draw about the same power as a hot water heater. They will heat a 300 square foot room to 60 F without breaking the budget but if you try to got above they they will get expensive quickly. As a rule of thumb, my electric bill doubles when I turn them on. Of course, my electric bill is only $50 per month for most of the year...............

[DaveL]

I have used a small propane heater for some time and it works fine for me but of course I am there with it most of the time.

[blacksmith101]

Steve, I purchased several heaters 10 years ago and have used them in my shop here in Illinois ever since. They heat the surrounding items(bench, floor, you) and not the air in the shop. You can catch them on sale every year for around $119.00 ea. They are very easy to clean when they need it ( once a year) and the dog laying on the floor loves it. Here is a link that will take you right to one. You can also run them through a thermostat if needed. http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=71453593
Merle

[Frank Niro]

I have used the 4000 watt heater thing about 20 years. It has a bit of a controler on it but I have it gouing through a 220 volt regular type thermosat. I used one in the north in my shop there which was about 18" X 24" . Not unusual there to see 35 fairenheit there. I brought it south with me and then finally one day had to buy another, but could not get the same brand. Frank

[McAhron]

Buy a used furnace off craigslist or the like and plum it directly into your basement.

[TexasJack]

If you duct into the basement, you'll need a vent going outside so you don't recycle the dust into the house.

Electric heat is probably the safest, but make sure your circuits can handle the load. It is NOT the cheapest (and don't believe the stuff about ceramic heaters being efficient - it still takes a lot of electricity to get sufficient heat.)

Direct combustion - propane/gas/wood - is the most efficient source of heat, but make sure you've got very good exhaust for it. (A job for a pro.) A carbon monoxide alarm would also be a good investment.

I have a kerosene heater for serious cold and a little ceramic heater if it's just a bit chilly. But in this part of Texas, cold weather is not a big deal and doesn't last long. (A big giant air conditioner - and somebody to pay the electric bill - would be more welcome!)

[Harry Mathews]

A slow ceiling fan helps redistribute the heat that collects on the ceiling. If you hold your hand near the ceiling and then near the floor you will probably feel the difference. It doesn't add heat, but it sure helps use what heat you have already added to its best advantage.

[Crex]

The direct combustion method mentioned above - if you go that route, you need fresh air intake for the room. Just as critical as the exhuast. Same with anything else that consumes O2.

[mcarey]

Stephen,

If your budget allows, I would recommend a ductless mini split unit ($400-1100). They heat and cool and have dehumidification if you pick the right unit. They are the standard in most countries other than US, but are available here. I put one in my shop and it runs like a champ, no humidity problems and cool or warm as needed. Here is a link. http://www.ac-world.com/MiniSplitAir.php Just be sure to pick enough BTU's for the volume of room. Energy costs are low and you don't risk fire or carbon monoxide problems of electric / kerosene heaters. Easy 2-3 hour installation, mount unit outside, drill hole into wall that you want to mount to, mount blower control unit inside, connect lines and wire. I paid a local AC/Electrician tech $200 to install. Hope that helps.

[SVanderkolff]

Thanks Guys
I will take a look at all the suggestions and let you know what i decide. Winter is definetely coming, a couple of hard frosts already.
Thanks
Steve

[Bear_Blade]

Steve, another option you could look at is a pellet stove. The hopper is outside the house, and it automaticly feeds pellets to the stove to keep a constant temp. A friend of mine has two in his house, one up and one on the basement level. Winters here hang out around -25 to -40, so they can handle the job more than adequatly. They use a secondary burn system, and are totally inclosed so no chance of a stray spark. The up side, is low cleaning/maint. and you get to look at the flames through the glass "door" they are a direct vent so instaliationis is fairly simple. They also use outside air for the burn so that helps with the closed basement space. Cost of the heating works out to be less than natural gas or a lot cheeper than elec. heat. Just another option for thought.

For extra info...
http://woodpelletstovesguide.com/

[CJS Knives]

www.cjsknives.com