# Best way to heat the workshop.



## Sac

Hello folks,
I am interested in hearing how you heat up your workshop. I have been looking at all types of heaters to use in the garage. I want the safest heat possible. So tell me how you heat your work shop/Garage. Electric? Propane? Wood Burner? I have been looking at Propane and electric so far,

Thanks


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## freedhardwoods

I use a 30,000 btu, non-vented, propane heater in a 770 sq ft shop. It works fine for me.


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## Toolz

I use a 150,000 btu kerosene torpedo heater that has a built in thermostat to heal my 22'x40' workshop. It burns about 5-10 minutes an hour and I run a small fan in front of an electric heater to circulate the warm air.


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## offseid

I moved to Malaysia and have an open-air shop with a predictable 85-90 degree humid atmosphere year round.


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## FlWoodRat

I wait for the sun to rise. Gives me all the heat I can handle. LOL, One of the benefits of living in Florida. What I really need is AC in my shop (garage)


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## freedhardwoods

On a side note, the heat generated by the machinery in the shop will raise the temp about 15 or 20 degrees in about an hour.


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## oakdust

I built an addition on the side of my 2 stall garage and installed a gas furnace in the addition. It is ducted into the garage and keeps it toasty warn in Northen Illinois winters. The furnace pulls air from out side and I don't have an open flame in the shop so I don't worry about spraying finishes


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## BigTim

I have a 2nd hand boiler on the second floor of my shop that is connected to about 200' of plastic pipe inside the concrete floor. No flame anywhere near my woodwoking & roasty- toasty tootsies all winter. I love it!


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## DaveHerron

I have a 1000 sf shop and heat with a couple of Dayton 18,000 btu electric utility heaters hanging from the ceiling that do a good job. If your electric rates are high, I would look for another solution. I only run the heat when I am in the shop. I installed wall mounted thermostats to control them.

http://www.air-n-water.com/product/G73.html


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## Harold

I use a wood stove as I always have a bin or two of fuel each day, but my work area is on the small side roughly 460sf….I also do most of the work that generates alot of dust outside once it warms up….


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## ropedog

the heat in my shop is really just me rubbin my hands back and forth, i usually last about an hour in the winter,i also live at 7000 above sea level.just kiddin i use a portable propane heater for a two car garage, i will start it and let it run for about 15 min. and i'm good for a couple hours.


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## Loren

You can run radiant InfraRed heaters very cheaply over your bench
area to keep your hands warm.

If you have the space a woodburning stove is great… Tiling a 4'x4'
area in a corner (and up the wall) is generally adequate (though
not necessarily to code) to keep it safe.


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## Gator

I have a natural gas direct vent wall furnace, with a blower mounted inside to circulate the air…. it takes up no room to speak of.. and it draws it's air from outside the shop, giving me piece of mind while using flammables..
It keeps my shop at 75 to 80 all winter long up here in Canada…

Doug


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## skydog

I installed a 30,000 btu direct vent "Hot Dawg" unit heater last winter. It's a bit pricey, and perhaps overkill for my 700 sq ft shop - but very nice. Small, fits close enough to a 9' ceiling to store plywood sheets on end under it. With the thermostat turned all the way down, keeps the shop at 45 - 48f, even in the Colorado winters, yet warms it up fast when I need to work.


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## eagle124

I love my electric base board heaters in my 20×30 shop…...works great here in cold SD.


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## JohnGray

DITTO to skydog!! I have a direct vent "Hot Dawg" unit heater. Google "Hot Dawg" and you will find plenty of information they are made by Modine. I love my heater and if I built a new shop I'd install one in it too. Make sure to to get the separated combustion HDS model it uses outside air for combustion so no problem with saw dust. 
http://www3.modine.com/v2portal/page/portal/modine/modineMarketsDefault/modine_com/markets/building_HVAC/level_4_content_014.htm


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## boboswin

I am going to use one of these infrared units next week.

The effiecency is really good and the unit mount up out of the way plus I can use a zero clearance exhaust for it.

Bob


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## Dadoo

Since my "boiler" is already in the shop/garage, I tapped it for another zone and heat the area with hot water. It's a Dayton ceiling hung unit with a forced air fan. Heats a 24×24 area real well.
You can also use an outdoor wood-fired boiler and heat your house as well.
Mother Earth News has been running many articles that use water, or air that is solar heated. Maybe you'll want to look into that as well.


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## tenontim

I'll ditto Skydog and John. I had a 45,000 btu Hot Dawg heater in my shop when I lived in Maine and I loved it. I would set a programmable thermostat for about 45 at night, to keep everything from freezing, then have it kick the heat up to about 70 at 6:30 in the morning and by time I went out to the shop about 40 minutes later, it was nice and toasty. I may eventually get another, but don't require much for heat here in Texas. Check with the green house supply companies for the best deal. I bought mine from a place in NJ. Can't remember the name, but they were great on customer service.


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## grumpycarp

One thing to consider is that a by product of liquid fuels like propane or kerosene without external venting (besides the carbon monoxide released) is that they raise the humidity considerably in the area. It is an unavoidable by-product of combustion. Likewise wood stoves will dry the air. This might cause problems with your joints moving when taking a project back into a more properly conditioned space like your living room. I would consider running a dehumidifier if using the former or putting a kettle on the stove for the latter.

I wholeheartedly agree with Loren and would also recommend radiant infrared. It's what I use. Additionally there is something about the wavelength or something (which I am completely unqualified to explain) at which they operate that makes the area around them seem warmer than it actually is, kind of like being out in the sun on a winter day. Even when you know it is cold if feels warmer. Plus any kind of open flame in an area that produces tons of dust gives me the willies. Can't help thinking grain silo explosion. I know that countless guys do it and that's just fine with me as long as we're not neighbors . . . ;-)


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## Yettiman

Hi,

I have a 20×12 small workshop, still very much in the dev stage but two small oil filled electric heaters do the job. The shop is very well insulated (including the roof space).

But as I'm still lugging great chuncks of lumber around it might be the excersise


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## toddc

The torpedo heaters or any other heater that is not venting it's exhaust to the outside will generate water vapor in the atmosphere as it burns. This is common to all carbon based fuels. This is the same as the water that you see dripping out of the tailpipe of a car.

I highly recommend anything that vents it's exhaust outside thereby leaving you with clean, safe, dry heat. This will be better to breathe and not cause condensation on your valuable tools.

I use a 75,000 BTU HotDawg heater that can run off of natural gas or propane. Upon installation the appropriate burner orifices are installed according to the fuel source. I sized the unit appropriately to my shop and it works wonderfully.

As a professional I have business insurance and *NOBODY* will insure me if I have a woodburner in the shop. That is a huge risk in their book. Also, if your homeowner's insurance knew you were burning wood in a dusty shop I am sure they would have a fit over that. If you had a fire claim they would probably give you a really hard time.

I do regular cleaning and maintenance on my unit to avoid any problems. I also keep 3 big fire extinguishers in the shop to cover my butt. You can see my shop here.


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## toddc

Actually the shop photos do not show the heater as well as this shot.


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## toddc

I have to admit that John Gray is running the most appropriate system that has an outside feed for combustion air. It is the safest and best way to go because of the potential to combust fumes or dust in the shop atmosphere.

My unit draws it's combustion air from the shop and that is why I am so particular about cleaning it and being careful of combustible fumes.


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## Al_Killian

I have two systems. My shop is alittle over 1000 sqft. Main heat is a wood stove, this keeps the shop warm while I am in there and for awhile after I leave. My second system is a based board radiant heat. This hooked up to a 20 gallon water tanks and feed by propane. This mostly used when I am not going to be out there for a few days.


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## Grumpy

My problem is how to keep it cool. LOL


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## Raymondz

Well, if I were building it from the ground up I would install radiant heating in the floor.


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## mart

When I built my 28'x30' garage/shop I put floor heat in it. The heat is provided by a natural gas water heater and is circulated by a small Grunfos pump. I set it up with three zones with a manifold and have had no trouble with it. I leave it set at 60 during the winter. I shut it off usually around May 1 and turn it back on around September 15. It has worked great for me.

Mart


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## RobS

I'm with Grumpy. It's July….....in Texas…... how do I heat the shop? I just leave the garage door open, ha!


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## Sac

It's July in TN to. But when comes November I would like to have some heating sourse. I like the HotDawg. Not sure I can afford it but we'll see. Radiant or anything on the floor is out. Some great ideas here. I think I will have to do some shopping. I've been around the radiant InfraRed heaters when I worked for the airlines. These things worked great. There was one at the employee pickup outside where we were shuttled back and forth from the employee lot to the terminal. It was about 12 off the ground and 10 foot long. It warmed up very nice. I also like the idea of a hanging electric heater. The issue I see from that may be condensation it might put out.

So do any of the following have issues with condensation?

1. The radiant InfraRed heaters ?

2. Dayton or similiar 18,000 btu electric utility heaters hanging from the ceiling?

3. kerosene torpedo heater? It looks like this one will for sure put out condensation. But if it is ran say 15-20 minutes an hour what condensation levels if any would I be dealing with?

I am going to do all I can to stay away from any type of gas heater. I would love a HotDawg but I am not sure I can afford going through a tank of gas in the winter would it be more expensive than electric? But the kerosene torpedo heater might be efficint enough if it doesn't put out condensation.

After doing a little research It seems the Modine Hot Dawg HD45 or the G73 Dayton Electric Shop & Garage will be my choices. Now I just need to do some more research on what will be the most effeciant in cost.

Any knowledge of your monthly cost of these would be great to see.

Thanks


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## Sac

Does Anyone know who the manufacturer is of the Dayton Electric Heaters? Looks like grainger Electric but I cannot verify this for sure.


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## boboswin

Even after the current increase in prices, gas is still cheaper than electric for generating heat. And, electric prices will probably rise, too. About 20% of electricity in the U.S. is generated from natural gas and petroleum. So an increase in those prices will tend to raise electric costs, too.

BOB


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## brunob

I have a 30,000 btu propane Mr. Heater hung from the ceiling. Works great.


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## croessler

I live in Florida all I need is A/C in the summer….


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## benhasajeep

I use 2 30-80k propane convection heaters this past winter. First winter in shop (no insulation). About a 20# tank for a full day in the shop when its really cold out (Maine). Heated area is about 1,400 sqft.

I picked up a 3rd convection heater 75-150k. Wondering if 1 is more effecient than 2??


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## Russ553

I live in Nebraska, have a 14×22, well insulated shop. I use an oil filled electric radiator heater, 1500 watt and a 14 inch fan hanging from the ceiling. I have the heater set on 500 watt and leave it on all the time. Most of the winter it kept the shop at least 50 degrees during the night. When I go into the shop in the morning, I usually turn it up to 1000 watt. That has kept me toasty all last winter. Very seldom did I have to turn it full on to 1500 watt.

I also installed a 5000 BTU window A/C through the wall and that easily keeps me cool during the 90 degree weather.

Both ways, very inexpensive. Thanks.

Russ


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## pommy

the size of my workshop two electric rads are fine

andy


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## motthunter

radiant tube heater. uses exterior air for combustion and vents outside too. less chance of booooooom


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## herc

Hey Jerry-

I don't know what is the "best" way to heat a shop but here is how I do it. I have an outdoor stove that heats water that circulates through the shop, my wife's studio the house and the garage, 6,000 square feet in all. It heats the buildings and hot water in the house and the shop. I am well satisfied with the system BUT it takes a lot of wood!

My best advice is "don't cut the firewood bigger than your wife can handle".


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## TreeBones

Solar, it works well as long as I knock down the snow and the sun is out.


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## TheDane

I just picked up a Fahrenheat 5000 Watt Unit Heater at Fleet Farm for $279. Need to do some framing and electrical work, but should be able to get that done in a day or so.


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## Eric_S

$40 electric ceramic heater. Its a little small for the ~400 sq. ft. garage, but gets it warm enough (60 deg). For me though, heat wasn't as much of an issue as sealing all the cracks I had around the garage door. Solid wood door panels and one has warped slightly so I had to use 1" thick foam around the door to seal it properly and used vinly nail down gasket type insulation to close the cracks between each door panel (which have widened since it got colder).

I plan on upgrading the heater to a larger version soon.


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## KnotWright

Two of the safest ways to heat, would be the in floor radiant heat system, if you could afford the installation, and the other is a solar forced air system. So long as you can keep the combustion part of your system out of your workshop, that the safest route.

There is a company called CanSolair http://www.cansolair.com/ that makes a system out of used 16 oz aluminum cans. I've been toying with the idea of doing this myself since I have a large flat roof area and I have a huge number of these cans LOL.

I too like the HotDawg heater, I just can't afford that one at the moment, and I don't really care to be buying a lot of propane.

So for me its still a woodstove from Tractor supply and an endless supply of post oak, and mesquite from the local ranchers.


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## stevepeterson

I heat my 9×12 office with a 1500W electric heater. It takes about an hour to get it from 50F to 70F, then I turn it way down or turn it off.

I was planning to heat my 13×23 shop with a similar heater (or two). The ClearView dust collector that I plan to install soon will add about 20A * 220V = 4400W, so I probably won't need any additional heat. My biggest worry is if the small window AC will be able to keep the place cool in the summer.

Both rooms are well insulated with 10" attic and 6" walls.


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## dmorrison

Living in the Dallas area Heating is usually not the big problem, Except for tomorrow, Jan 7 2010. It will be 25 and a wind chill of 10F. I know the people up north have it much worse.
But for a normal year I have 2- 1500Watt ceramic heaters that I use. When it is 40-60F they do the job very nicely. If it's really cold I drive the car around until its at normal operation temp. Pull it into the garage, raise the hood and place a box fan near it on low. A 5.6 liter engine has a lot of heat when at 80-90C. It warms the shop nicely along with the ceramic heaters.

Now cooling, I have a 18,500BTU window air conditioner. For a 3 car garage I really need about 24,000BTU, but I bought the 18,500 unit when I had a 2 car garage. I allow it to run for 20-30 minutes and the shop is comfortable. That is when it's 95-105 outside. Again the box fan is on, circulating the air.

Dave


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## MyFathersSon

I was about to ask this question when I found this thread. 
Lots of good info.
My "shop" is a detached 2 car garage - 1929 vintage-- 
No insulation-in fact-no studs or framing except for the roof joists. Essentially a big board and batten wooden box.
I've tried electric space heaters-useless.
I've tried a fair sized kerosene heater and a small propane 'camp' heater.
None did any real good unless I was standing right over them.
Anyone else have this kind of shop? 
How do you heat the inside - when there is no real way to keep the outside-out?


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## AlaskaGuy

80,000 BTU direct vent (safe) 95 % efficient force air natural gas furnace with a reusable washable filter. Not only does it heat, it cleans the air while doing so.


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## pastorglen

Good morning, all.

Just wanted to add some more information to this post.

I talked to a man last night who told about the efficiency of his in-floor heat. It was almost too late to do, but when he was getting ready to pour the concrete for his 25×40 utility building, someone suggested that he run the water lines so he could put in the floor heat if he ever wanted to do it. He put two zones-175 feet of 1/2" line for each. He filled the line with 50/50 anti-freeze and water. He uses a highly efficient natural gas heater and it costs about $50 a month to heat and keep it at about 50 degrees.

We live in NW PA, and cold weather is here for at least 5 months out of the year.

But before I'd heat any space, I would spend the money and insulate it.


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## bondogaposis

This is what I have, it works great heats my 2 car garage shop very nicely. I don't have natural gas in my area, so I bought the conversion kit and I run w/ propane.


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## RogerM

I have used a wood burning stove with a heat pump for backup for 8 years. I really like this arrangement and rarely use the heat pump in winter


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## Manitario

I have a 5000W electric forced air heater in my insulated 500 sqft shop. Keeps the shop toasty even when it is -30 out. Also have a small pellet stove that I'll turn on when I'm in the shop. If I was to build the shop from scratch though, I'd probably use in floor radiant heat.


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## Wood_smith

I've seen a few posters on here using propane heaters. I just built a piece on my shop and now it is 14' x 40', about 560 sq.ft. I got a deal on a small propane furnace that outputs about 24,000 BTU. I think it will be warm enough (eastern Canada) once I finish insulating, just a little concerned over the pilot light and dust. Should I worry? I guess cleaning up every night is more important when I have it installed.
Electric isn't really an option- with service charge my cost is about 17 cents a kwh!


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## dogpilot

I use a heat pump system, both heats and cools. Keep the temp at 68deg. year round. Love it.


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## tbonephil

after you choose your heat source, do yourself a favor and put in good insulation above and around your shop. it will help greatly to retain the warmth.


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## GenuineGeek

I rent the house where I live, so the only options I have are ones that do not include any wiring changes or running natural gas lines to the garage for example. Then add to this scenario the fact that I live in Alberta where minus 40 happens every winter, and below freezing temperatures happen steadily for 5 months of winter and then some days of freezing temperatures do happen in at least 7 or 8 months of the year. I have an insulated garage to use, but it has no heating at all.
I am especially interested in hearing from fellow Canadians as to what options they have or would use in my case and I would be most thankful if you could provide links for where to make those purchases if you can.
Thanks folks.


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## EEngineer

+1 on the Farenheat 5000. I have mine mounted in one corner of the shop about 8' above the floor.










My unit (FUH-54B) has the capability to reduce wattage by changing jumpers in the unit. I dialed mine back to 2500W.

This morning the temperature was about 30F. The heater took about 1 hour to raise the temperature of my 18' X 20' uninsulated detached garage shop to 50F where I can work in a long sleeve flannel shirt quite comfortably.


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## johnstoneb

When I conveted my house from Electric forced air to gas. I took the old electric furnace and put it in my garage. When I work in the shop/garage I just turn up the thermostat about 10 minutes it is in the mid 60's. I insulated the garage before I sheetrocked it once it is up to tem it stays that way for quite a while.


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## donwilwol

I heat both my house and shop with wood. In the house the primary if fuel oil, wood is the only heat in my shop. Its only heated when I'm in it.


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## woody123

I use the same thing Toolz uses. It heats the 2 car garage in about 5 mins. Mine also has a thermostat on it and I have it set to shut off at about 70. My only problem is sometimes leaving it on and it comes on when I'm not in the garage.


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## stonedlion

My budget is small -

I use a pair of vintage Aladdin Temp Rite kerosene heaters. It was 16 degrees (F) here last night and a 50+ in my drafty, un-insulated garage. It would have gotten even warmer if I had chosen to stay longer than an hour or so.

Unfortunately, Aladdin got out of the kerosene heater business many years ago now. But plenty of them turn up on CL and feebay. They are fairly bullet proof and require only a minimum of care. IMO their biggest selling points are that they do not require electricity to operate and they are very efficient. I can stay in my garage all evening with both heaters on high (if I want to be in shorts and a t-shirt) and use less than two gallons of K1.

If can I ever convince the Mrs. to let me build a new garage, I will most certainly have a natural gas feed installed along with a heater.


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## toolmantim

Its starting to get real cold here in the Catskill mtn. this time of year and the best bang for the buck for me came from Farm-Tek. They sell a propane fired, vent-less, blue flame heater (20,000 btu @ $149.99 on sale) that I have free standing on the shop floor via a flexible coupling. You can also hang it on a wall. It cut my heating costs in half and I've had no problems with condensation. I keep a digital meter monitoring humidity in the shop and it stays around 20%-30% all winter.I heard all the good & bad noise with these heaters and gotta tell ya it was one of the best investments I've made as it allows me to spend as much time as I like, fume free ( I also have a salamander type unit that works great as long as it gets regular tune-ups,spark plugs,fuel injector clean-up, fuel filter, ect.) out in the shop. Its not thermostatically controlled but cycles on and off according to the setting you dial in. I have it turned to the lowest setting and its usually around 65 degrees when I walk in the door in the morning. Its normally 20 degrees outside. How ever you decide to go, look to create a draft free space with adequate insulation in the walls and ceiling. Just doing this will pay for your heating system many times over. Good luck !


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## welcon

I have a natural gas radiant heater in my shop. Its been there for 17 years and I have never had a problem with it, just blow the dust off it once in a while.


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## Woodbum

I am looking at 2 Amana P-TAC heat pump units for my new 960 sq ft shop. Here in OK, it is normally the summers more than the winters that need help, although it hasn't made it above freezing for the past 2 days. They each have 14,200 BTU cooling and 13,800 BTU for heating. I want some extra capacity for the 110 degree summer days. For those unfamiliar, P-Tacs are through the wall units like in hotel/motel rooms. These units have remote thermostats so they can be used seperately as needed.


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## pintodeluxe

I guess I take the low tech, low dollar solution. I just crack open the central gas HVAC ducting, which is already in my garage. I turn up the house heat 2 degrees F, and the garage is warm in an hour. I taped some silver tinsel on the ducting as an "air flow indicator" so I remember to close it when my work is done.


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## brentgolden44

I use a New-Air electric 5000 btu, 240v heater with built in thermostat. My shop is about 20X12 with 10 ft ceiling. Pretty well insulated. Heater doesn't have to work much at all. very satisfied.


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## bondogaposis

This is the heater I use and it works very well to heat a two car insulated garage in Montana. I got it at the local BORG.


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## AKSteve

I have a Reznor hot water heater in my Garage shop, I keep it at 60 degrees. works really well. Especially when it gets down to -30 outside. it's nice and comfy inside. Does it get cold in Tenn. ?


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## Grandpa

I have a heater like th eone Toolz uses in the 2nd post. It heats my 30×40 shop with 10 ft walls in about 20 minutes. The temp goes from around freezing to shirt sleeve warm in that 20 minutes. I use a carbon monoxide detector to be on the safe side. 
Oak dust is using a furnace in his shop and garage?? A duct is not allowed inside garages and back into the home if that is what he has happening. You cannot use that air anywhere except in a garage.


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