Tips and tricks for winter?

[Luke Pighetti]

Anyone south of Maryland need not apply. :D ;)

It's about to get real cold up here. 10* average temps in the thick of winter. For the first time in my life I'm relying on the shop for income.

What are some tricks you guys have to make the space bearable on a budget? I have a spare 20a 220v circuit here that I can use for a small heater, and I can get my workspace into a 150 sqft area. I'm trying to decide if I get/build a heated storage box for wood/finishing stuff and heat the rest of the shop only when I need it, or what.

Any suggestions for how to go about closing off my space to be heated? The garage is much larger than my workspace. How about handling finishing fumes?

Any wisdom worth sharing? :)

[Don Jarvie]

First up is insulate the shop, seal all the doors with weatherstripping and if the windows are drafty put the shrink wrap plastic on them.

I use a Dayton electric heater which need a 220 - 30 amp breaker. It warms my 20x20 shop up from 40 to 60 in about 30 to 45 minutes. I haven't noticed a rise in the electric bill maybe a few bucks more but nothing significant. While this may not be the cheapest heating source you can do it yourself and the unit can be had around 250.

If you insulate well the heater won't have to cycle as often and will hold the heat fairly well. It would take around 6 hours for the heat to drop back into the 40s again.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Don nailed it. Seal the shop so it there are no air leaks and insulate. I have R-19 in the walls of my shop and R-40 in the ceiling. I used a 4mil plastic vapor barrier and even sealed around and in the electrical boxes when I installed the wire in them. It takes very little to heat the shop and in the summer it is often 18º-20ºF cooler than the outside air temperatures that can often exceed 100ºF.

[Luke Pighetti]

Any thoughts on some kind of rug that can cover the hard to heat concrete floor?

[Tom Hartranft]

If my feet are warm, then I'm warm in my ~62* concrete floor basement shop in Jan/Feb. So, if you do any time-consuming work standing in a small area at your workbench (carving, dovetail chopping, etc), you might consider this to stand on ... http://www.amazon.com/Indus-Tool-FWB-16-by-36-Inch-Foot-Warmer-Mat/dp/B0013V1PYA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350057906&sr=8-2&keywords=heated+floor+mat

I have had one for >5 years and no electrical shorts or other problems ... haven't dropped a chisel sharp-end-down on it yet, though.


Tom

[Thomas Bank]

I'm trying to decide if I get/build a heated storage box for wood/finishing stuff and heat the rest of the shop only when I need it, or what.

I had a lightbulb go on while attending a series of seminars at the local tile distributor. They were showing off the electric radiant mats for under a tile floor in a bathroom or such - complete with thermostat and all. My concern with a "heated box" was always what sort of heat to use that wouldn't end up also being a fire hazard. You can get these mats down to just a couple square feet. Build a super-insulated closet with a tight door, put one of these mats down for the floor, either tile or just mud over it, and you have constant temperature storage.

[Luke Pighetti]

That's a good idea. What about water pipe heaters? You could coil them around metal racks and turn them into heaters

[Peter Kelly]

You might also want to look into outsourcing finishing for the colder months. A 20A circuit for an electric heater is a bit marginal.

[Jim Neeley]

Luke,

I live in Anchorage, where winter temperatures average 10-25F with the winter low down to -20F. I started woodworking with a 12'x16' gambrell-roofed shet, made of 2x4's. The first summer I ran a 60A 240V sub-panel to it and learned that 4 1500 watt heaters almost got it warm. Then I added fiberglass insulation and lightweight interior sheets on the walls. What a difference!

In that place, even starting around 0F, the 4 heaters had my coat off in 10 minutes and the room bordering on hot & tools rapidly warming within 20 or so. By 30 I had switched two of them to fan-only and the other two to low. If your shop is insulated I believe the 20A 240V circuit will provide enough heat to warm your shed, albeit not heating up quite as quick as mine did.

I do strongly recommend some form of small or low velocity fan in there though, or the roof will be too hot while the floor area is cold.

Jim

[Thomas Bank]

That's a good idea. What about water pipe heaters? You could coil them around metal racks and turn them into heaters

What I liked was the thermostat setup on the radiant floor. You could probably set something up similarly with the pipe heaters.

[Andrew Joiner]

I get radiant heat and light for the same dollar. I have 250watt clear (not red)heat lamps above my benches. It is all the heat I need in Oregon's mild winters. My shop isn't insulated.

It may work to supplement a main heat source in a cold climate or it may be all you need to dry glue. You do get instant on light and heat. Kinda like stepping from the shade to direct sun.

It does take the thermometer about an hour to get to 55F when it's 20F outside, but it's on the wall 4 feet from the warm benches.

A thermometer on the benches goes from 40F to 90F real fast. That's when I switch off every other lamp. Great for drying glue. I use Titebond Extend glue that works at 40F minimum.

An added plus is the heat lamps last much longer than standard bulbs. It's a simple,cheap way to get heat and light for my needs.

I not in the shop much in the summer, I'd switch the bulbs to CFL's if I needed more light than my 12- 4' fluorescent bulbs give off.

[Kevin W Johnson]

One thing you need to keep in mind. Allowing the shop to get too cold, as in not heating certain areas till you wanna work in it, is inviting all sorts of issues, mainly rust. When all your tools and cast iron tables get too cold, then you heat the work area, all your tools will condensate. I keep my 12 x 20 shop at a minimum 50*, and then bring it to a comfortable working temp with a propane heater that does so in just a few minutes. In my case the minimum 50* is because I have a refrigerator that won't operate properly below that temp.

[Don Jarvie]

I put a wood floor in my shop. 2x4 sleepers with rigid foam between, plastic then OSB on top. It made a huge difference in the comfort of the shop. Before you could feel the cold coming off the slab and in turn your heater has to work harder.I run my heater when I'm out there and have never had any issues with rust and I live 1/4 mile from the ocean. Having the shop insulated will help deal with moisture also.

[Von Bickley]

I have the perfect solution for you.......... "Move".

[Luke Pighetti]

If the only bad thing you can say about a place is that it's cold, it's gotta be a pretty awesome place. :D

[Luke Pighetti]

I put a wood floor in my shop. 2x4 sleepers with rigid foam between, plastic then OSB on top. It made a huge difference in the comfort of the shop. Before you could feel the cold coming off the slab and in turn your heater has to work harder.I run my heater when I'm out there and have never had any issues with rust and I live 1/4 mile from the ocean. Having the shop insulated will help deal with moisture also.

I like this idea for the floor. Should be fairly cost effective. Any suggestions for the walls? It's a 3 bay insulated garage that I only use 150 sqft of, that's why I want to put up cheap walls to lower the volume to heat

[Jim Andrew]

Have you considered installing a small wood or pellet stove?

[Luke Pighetti]

Have you considered installing a small wood or pellet stove?

Budget is tight and I'm renting the space. Plus I think a wood stove would be overkill for a 150 sqft mini-shop.

[Don Jarvie]

If your renting you may want to consider how long your going to be there. The wood floor can be taken up but it will fit the space so the downside is only some of the wood would be reusable. Adding a wall would be fairly cheap with some 2x4s and insulation and drywall.

The electric heater sounds like a good option since you can take it with you when you move.

[Luke Pighetti]

That's the main reason for wanting the electric heater. Brainless to install, brainless to remove, don't have to worry about direct vent. The coal burning generator 20 miles away can worry about direct vent for me haha.

The problem with building something is if the cost to build exceeds the cost savings in heating it's pointless.

There is a junk fridge in the space that I think I can turn into heated storage. Maybe put up some kind of double walled plastic tarp tent around the three open corners of the space (my workbench etc is right tucked into the corner of the insulated garage) would be most cost effective. If I can lay down SOME kind of insulated floor... even a rug... should make a big difference. Then I can keep the 'fridge' heated all winter and only heat the shop when I show up to work.

[Luke Pighetti]

Alright, so, I consolidated the shop today and set up a much more efficient layout. I was able to fit the entire shop into 90 sqft. Or 9' x 10'floor plan, and that includes all workbenches etc.

I also figured out that 90% of my time would be spend standing in the same 4' x 4' zone, so this will help a lot. I will probably make a floor for the aisle out of 4x8 sheet of stiff insulation and thin plywood on top. On top of that I will put a heated mat.

Now I need to figure out how to keep my hands warm and my finishing supplies at a reasonable temperature. I've switched 100% over to shellac and Wood Turners Finish at this point so I don't think I'll need to outsource finishing.

So I guess the question is, do I go radiant heat source or some kind of heater/blower configuration? How do I go about insulating the space the cheapest? And if I go radiant, will there really be any reason to?

[Andrew Joiner]

So I guess the question is, do I go radiant heat source or some kind of heater/blower configuration? How do I go about insulating the space the cheapest? And if I go radiant, will there really be any reason to?

With a shop that small you could probably get by with just heat lamps and no insulation. This would be cheap and easy to try. Since you're renting I'd experiment with this first.
I tested a 1500 watt milk house heater vs 6- 250 watt bulbs. The bulbs use the same energy but they feel way warmer because it's radiant and you get lots of light as a bonus. The milk house heater heats the air and blows it around so it would work in a tight well insulated space. I also tested a 1500 watt garage radiant heater like this. It was too concentrated over my bench. That's when I got the heat lamps so I could shine the heat where I wanted it.http://static.liveclicker.net/thumb/1062/44311_1_Flv_640x480_thumb_10.jpg/1500-watt-garage-%20-shop-heater-10.jpg

[Peter Froh]

Vapour barrier, tightly sealed doors and windows and good insulation are the three key things. I have two baseboard heaters that keep the shop above freezing and a construction heater (220V small box with fan) for fast heat when I want to go to work. Install a ceiling fan!!!!! This will help keep the heat from staying at the ceiling. This pays big dividends.