Heating metal outbuilding

W

wis boz

Well-known member
Need advice for heating a metal outbuilding. I have a wood burning unit that I've used for years but it takes too long to heat up and discovered all my tools are rusting without a constant source of heat. Is an electric heat source or a lp gas stove my best bet cost wise? Would appreciate all comments. The building is 20X30, fully insulated and is duck related for I make my decoys there and boat repairs.
wis boz
 
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Reznor Natural Gas Heater. They do about the best job in my opinion. They were made in Mercer, PA for many years, and that still may be the case. By the time a wood burner get things warm and heated up, it's about time to go home...
 
Wiz,
My shop is 16x40 and insulated. I have a rinnai propane heater that does a pretty good job but runs a lot. Probably needed more btu's.

What has served me the best is a small electric oil heater sold at any big box store for about $40.00. They use very little electric and do a good job.
The coldest temp we had this year was 9 degrees the shop temp was 32 degrees, nothing froze,not even water jugs.
The average temperature difference was between 8 and 12 degrees warmer in the shop than outside depending on the wind and wind direction.
I have experienced no freezing of paint or rusting of tools.
I do however run a ceiling fan on low to circulate the lightly heated air.
The fan and heater makes very little difference on our power bill. In fact i think the window a/c unit costs more.

Hope this helps.
Bill.
 
Thanks you all for the input. Bill your electric oil heat I'll check out. A slow ceiling fan has been suggested also. 50 degrees here in southern Wisconsin today but just a teaser of spring :)
wis boz
 
I have a 28 X 40 semi-insulated pole building for my shop. I say semi-insulated because while technically it is insulated, it is not what it should be. I have an overhead, radiant tube heater and I have been extremely happy with it. It's very quiet, it is ducted both intake and exhaust so I don't have to worry about dust or fumes of any sort. Either from the heater, or with anything I am working with. It is quite efficient too. The only drawback, is it takes a while to heat up. But with the efficiency, I just let it run all the time. Even with the lack of perfect insulation, I feel it keeps everything warm and dry for what I pay in fuel. Being a radiant heater, I like the way it heats objects up and not necessarily the air. On a cold day, it's nice to work under it and feel the warm heat on my shoulder and back. Sorta like being out in the sun on a warm day.

After my experiences with my system, If asked, I wouldn't consider anything else.

Just throwing in my two cents worth.

Jon
 
Jon,
My shop is a shed roof configuration ,7' high to 10' on the high side i didn't think i would have enough height to accommodate the tube heaters i was looking at. But the tube heater was my first choice.

I am going to try to move my thermostat to a different location for better efficiency.
 
Bill, you may be able to mount it up in the corner of the high side and angle it towards the short side. 10 foot is pretty low though. My ceiling is about 13 feet high. I saw a set up at a buddy's wood trussed shop where they installed aluminum shields behind the heater to help reflect the heat with a short ceiling.

We have one where I work that's about 10 high though. It works pretty well. It just doesn't disperse the heat as well.

I haven't heard much about Wiz"s shop configuration, size, etc. That would factor in too.

Jon
 
Thanks Yon for your input. The exact measurements of my building is: 24' wide X 30' length; the roof is peaked at 14' with 10' sidewalls. The ceiling is open with a corner shelf at 10'. Cement floor and fully insulated. I have a wood burning stove with ceiling stack on one end centered in building with a ceiling fan. I'm rehabbing a right total knee replacement and it's going to be some time before I can feed that wood burner so an alternate heat source is needed.
wis boz
 
I would think your situation would be perfect for a radiant tube heater.
if I lived nearer, I'd let ya check mine out. I really like it for all the reasons outlined above. Quiet, efficient, comfortable, and dust free all in one package. It's radiant, so there is no air to blow around. Heats up the objects. It's very comfortable on a cold day, to be standing on a warm floor and everything you touch is warm.

Just my humble opinion, but I think you would be happy with a set-up like such.

Good luck in your decision!

Jon
 
Boz-

Look into the radiant tube heaters. We heat our building at work (50,000 square feet) with them and they work great. Rayvac is the brand I know.

They're the tubes in the ceiling that radiate the heat down and actually heat the floor, objects, etc. They're pretty efficient.

They make a propane model.
 
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