Heating an unfinished basement shop

[Mark Rainey]

Cold shop in winter is a real pain - my hands stiffen and it is no fun. Basements need less BTU's than above ground. I futzed with small electric heaters & even kerosene heater. After a couple of years, had an unvented gas heater installed. Pretty economical ( ? 650 installed ? Very comfortable shop now. I know there is some controversy but I had an CO detector and I only run it a few hours during the day and never overnight.

[Michael Jasper]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have been considering the 220V heater as was suggested. I'll look into the minisplit - though my impression was those are pretty pricey. Adding a subfloor feels like way more than makes sense here. Not sure about the comments/questions about whether I'm staying in the building or the house - this is the basement of my home, and as I said, it's separated from a finished area - office and lounge area - by a simple wall (insulation, dry wall on the finished side, nothing on the shop side other than plastic over the insulation).

[Michael Jasper]

Hi - humidity has not been a problem. I do run a dehumidifier in the summer just to be sure, but it's not musty and I haven't had any issues with rust at all. There's a bulkhead door exit right out of this area up several steps, if that makes a difference in any way.

[Jim Becker]

A mini split is indeed more expensive up front than a 240v resistance heater by quite a margin. The trade-off is cost of operation over time and the fact that the split also does dehumidification. It's a heat pump. (a very efficient one)

[George Yetka]

What is the heating system in the house? Boiler? Furnace?

[Jack Frederick]

I would not extend the house system to the shop unless you heat the house with a boiler. If so you can run a zone out to the are for baseboard or a very small air handler. Mestek and others make them and for 300 sq ft it should not be a problem. If it is an air system whatever is happening in the shop will end up in the house. Is the basement sub-grade or a walk out. If a wo you could put in a small direct vent gas unit and vent through the wall. If sub-grade the only one I’d use is a Rinnai EX11. I’ve run them in my homes, shops, garages and basements for the last 30 yrs. They make vent extensions to go up the wall and out. Not cheap, but nothing better for straight heat. The infra-red suggestion is also an option. They burn very cleanly and begin to develop odors when dirty. You clean them with compressed air. It is an open flame, so care must be taken, but it would be a shorter money proposition for you. Empire is the best of them available today. If you have gas you put in CO detectors regardless of type of product.

[Michael Jasper]

Forced air, gas furnace for the house, so I agree, probably not good to extend that into shop.

[Tom Bender]

Three ways to extend a forced air system into the shop:

Maintain your shop air cleaner than the house. Great dust control or hand tool use only.

Pull shop air into the house thru a good filter

Vent your dust collector into the house

[Michael Jasper]

Hi, i don't understand the last one. How is venting DC into the house helpful? Also, currently I have a good Jet air cleaner, but my first collection is via shop vac with HEPA filter. And I recognize that isn't true HEPA.

[Roger Feeley]

Three ways to extend a forced air system into the shop:

Maintain your shop air cleaner than the house. Great dust control or hand tool use only.

Pull shop air into the house thru a good filter

Vent your dust collector into the house

In our house, I get to the basement shop via a spiral stair in an open stairwell. A door at the bottom seals the shop from the house.

I had the builder put two drops into the basement but no returns. Instead, I had the builder put a 20”x24” opening between shop and the stairwell. So the stairwell is my return with a MERV 13 filter. I made sure the door is well sealed. Based on how much dust accumulates, it’s working really well. Honestly, I thought that noise might be a problem but I’ve had no complaints so far.

[Bill Dufour]

Note that unvented fuel burning heaters are banned in many states. When you go to sell your house they will probably make you destroy/remove the unvented heater even if it was to code when installed.
Bill D

[Jack Frederick]

Actually, Bill, they are only banned in CA. No surprise there, right? Not only that the ban does not apply to the sale of the unvented heaters. It only bans their installation. Neat trick, but again, it is CA. I have traveled the US and in many places you will hear that they are banned, but taht falls in the wives tale category. I am a vented heater guy by training and inclination but I have a few of the old Rinnai vent frees. Prior to having a generator, when the power went out the VF’s came out. VF htrs are “supplemental htrs” They are not intended or approved as a sole source of heat. Infra-reds are the best because they burn hottest, and therefore the cleanest, down in the meniscus of the plaque. I would not have a VF log set in a fireplace ever. Many people, as witnessed by the sales numbers are not bothered by VF. I can walk into a building and tell immediately if there is a VF operating. They hit me right in the back of my throat. The trick with VF’s is to keep them clean and that is done with compressed air. The pilot assembly cleanliness is critical as well. Operationally, in a shop you have to remember that whatever is airborne will go through that heater. I can guarantee you that it will not come out smelling better than it went in.

[Kris Cook]

Actually, Bill, they are only banned in CA. No surprise there, right? Not only that the ban does not apply to the sale of the unvented heaters. It only bans their installation. Neat trick, but again, it is CA. I have traveled the US and in many places you will hear that they are banned, but taht falls in the wives tale category. I am a vented heater guy by training and inclination but I have a few of the old Rinnai vent frees. Prior to having a generator, when the power went out the VF’s came out. VF htrs are “supplemental htrs” They are not intended or approved as a sole source of heat. Infra-reds are the best because they burn hottest, and therefore the cleanest, down in the meniscus of the plaque. I would not have a VF log set in a fireplace ever. Many people, as witnessed by the sales numbers are not bothered by VF. I can walk into a building and tell immediately if there is a VF operating. They hit me right in the back of my throat. The trick with VF’s is to keep them clean and that is done with compressed air. The pilot assembly cleanliness is critical as well. Operationally, in a shop you have to remember that whatever is airborne will go through that heater. I can guarantee you that it will not come out smelling better than it went in.

I put a VF natural gas heater in the garage of our old house. While it did allow me to work out there in the winter, the air quality degraded over time (likely due to not keeping it as clean as needed, as Jack mentions).

I believe they also put a fair bit of moisture into the air which wasn't as big an issue in dry Montana and in a garage that was insulated but had some air leaks.

I wouldn't install one in or below a living space myself.

FWIW - I had no issues with the heater/home inspection when we sold the house.