Kerosene heater in shop?

[Carole Valentine]

Anyone use one? I don't know if it will be enough to take any of the chill off, but at least I could snuggle up to it to thaw out periodically. I do not have DC but I would not use it when doing anything that kicks up a large amount of dust or fumes. Mainly just to do pen turnings and such. Any reason why not?

[Michael Stafford]

I have one and have been using it for several years but I find that it only works in moderately cold temperatures. I am always fearful of what kind of operations I perform in its presence, dust explosions and all that... :(

[Carl Eyman]

But in addition consider a propane radiant heater. If you are working in one locale where you can shine this thing on you, I think you'll like it. I believe pen turning would be such a case. I have one I use when carving, for instance. They are cheap - about $50, This is my second winter and I'm still on my first tank of gas, and I consider them very safe. They don't warm up the air much but they do warm up whatever they shine on. In both cases adequate air is a concern.

[David Wilson]

Carole
I used one in my shop for several years and it did a good job even here in the frozen north. About 3 years ago I switched to a propane furnace for the following reasons.
First, using a non vented kerosene heater generates a lot of moisture which caused wood to warp . Second, I had to bring all water based materials into the house to keep from freezing during the week. I just set the thermostat on my furnace at 40 deg during the week when I am not using the shop. And finally, the darn things really stink if you let them run out of fuel.

[Jim DeLaney]

I have two of them in my shop. One is a 15,000 btu, and the other is 8,500 btu. I light both of them about an hour or so before I want to work, and they bring the temp from just over freezing up to around 55-60°, which is , for me, a very comfortable working temp.

BTW, my shop is a 26 X 32 garage-type building, with ten foot ceilings, and two 9' roll-up doors. The doors are pretty well sealed, and the walls and ceilings are well insulated. Turning the heat off at about 4:00 pm, and leaving the shop closed up until 7:30 or 8:00 the next morning, with nighttime temps at or around zero, will only drop the temp down to around 35° or so.

It takes about 1½ gallons of kerosene per day to run the heaters, so cost is about $3.00 per day. Oh yeah, one other thing: I run a small fan on its lowest speed, and aim it at the ceiling to circulate all the heat that goes up there. The circulation really makes a difference in the heating efficiency.

Unlike David, I've not had any moisture related problems - no rusting or warping - but I'm in a much milder climate than him, and your area should be quite a bit milder than here in NE Ohio.

I used to live in Norfolk (many years ago), and know the temps - and particularly the wind chill - can seem brutal at times, but truthfully, it's pretty mild there, comparatively speaking...

[Carole Valentine]

Thanks guys. My problem is no ceiling, stud walls, a concrete floor, two big metal bay doors (one with scavenged insulation panels in it) and no insulation anywhere else, so I think trying to heat the space is useless, since all the heat rises to the roof peak! :( However, I lit the stove this afternoon anyway. Kept the dog warm on her bed next to it and every once in a while I could warm my hands up!:D Guess I could lay the box fan across two ceiling joists to blow the heat back down, but I don't think even that would do much good! Oh well, Spring is only 49 days away!

[Jim Becker]

Carol, I use one on particularly cold days to help bring the shop up to tempurature (and let my electric radients on the ceiling take over from there) and then CAREFULLY put it outside before I turn it off to avoid the fumes that result when extinguishing it. (It's close to the door when I'm using it) I've never had a rusting problem or any other issue outside of not appreciating the odor when the thing is turned off indoors. The kero heater at one point was my only heat source and again, I had no problems with moisture, but my cast iron is well waxed several times a year.

Like Jim, I run a fan to circulate the warm air, too...I just happen to use my air cleaner for that since it's convenient.

[John Weber]

Carole,

I use one occasionally to add a little extra boast to my electric base board. After 8 hrs or so the will raise the humidity 10 - 15 % depending on a number of factors. For you I think it would take the chill off and be worth using. If you really wanted to create some warmth you might want to consider a Ready heater, although you still have a moisture issue. The humidity is not a big problem, but simply something to keep your eye on.

John

[Carole Valentine]

John, I have a propane Torpedo heater but the noise drives me nuts! Maybe I should fire that up to pre-warm a little then cut it off and light the kerosene heater. I can work fine at 55 degrees. The humidity is so thick here naturally, that I am not worried about that.

[Steve Ash]

I have a 32 x 32 x 10 insulated area I use a 40,000 btu Reddy Heater (kerosene) it heats up that area fine for now, I have a propane forced air furnace sitting in place that I will hopefully be using next year. I don't care for the smell the kerosene fumes that this heater puts out.

[Bart Leetch]

Carol

The fans will help a lot more than you might think. My friend heats up 1 of those tube type canvas covered carports butted up to a 45' semi trailer box setting next to 2 other carports end to end with a beam holding up the middle so that there is no side wall between the 1 section & the 2 end to end sections. He actually has a whole temporary shop set up under those carports & heats it with a Mr. Heater 75000 BTU propane torpedo heater. He has 2 8" fans in the ceiling & his air cleaner with louvers pointed at the floor. With snow on the ground & about 35 degrees we were working on my Unisaw at around 65-70 degrees inside. The ends are closed up pretty good & one end actually has a door in it. He also has one of those double burner propane burners that go on top of a propane bottle for when the weather is warmer.

The ground there is gravel so he raked it smooth & laid several sheets of OSB down & using little metal brackets fastened them together, Presto a instant floor. This was a little over a year ago when the OSB was cheaper.

When you want & or need a shop to get through a couple of years you can make just about anything work.

It looks like we'll be helping him put up a 40' x 50' Quonset hut this spring & summer.

[JayStPeter]

I used one in my previous shop. It worked well, but did have a little smell to it. It would take a little over an hour to get the temps reasonable from freezing. As the day wore on it would get downright toasty. Keep your kero somewhere other than your shop, and take the heater outside when you fill it up. A little spill stinks for a long time.
I didn't have any moisture problems. But my garage was far from well sealed and insulated.
I positioned my heater near my air filter and used that as a fan to circulate the heated air.

Jay

[Carole Valentine]

Should the fans be all the way up in the roof peak or do you think if I put them on the ceiling joists, they will draw the warm air down and circulate it?

[Jim DeLaney]

My fan sits on the floor, aimed upward, and on its lowest speed. All you need is something to move the air. You don't want a gale force wind...