# Shop heat



## rrdesigns (Sep 4, 2009)

I'm setting up a new shop in an old out building and will need to heat it. Does anyone use cast iron heaters and use their scraps for fuel? I'm thinking this will cost me less than using an electric forced air unit.


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## ColonelTravis (Mar 19, 2013)

Saw your title, and being down the road from you in Texas, I was working in my garage today with just a dinky fan behind me and thought - yeah, this shop heat is INSANE!

But you want to ultimately add heat. Only July 2 that's really hard for me to comprehend. But I couldn't answer your question even if it were Dec. 2, sorry.

Good luck with the new shop, wish I had one detached.


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## rrdesigns (Sep 4, 2009)

Thanks Colonel Travis. I understand and appreciate your comment.  I'm just thinking ahead. I have forced air electric heat in my current shop and know that it is an electric hog. And I always have scraps to get rid of, so…I'm just trying to see if I can put two and two together to make four, without spending a fortune.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

My "shop" is an attached one car garage. I have it insulated and a split system AC with a heat pump. Worked out there most of the day today…77 deg.  Sorry Colonel.

The split System AC was kinda expensive but it works for me and I don't get harassed by the local HOA. Nothing sticks through the wall except for a line going to the back yard where the condenser sits.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

been burning wood for years
great heat source

shop scraps make good kindling
but you want firewood
for those long cold winters

firewood is still cheaper
than electric or gas


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I've heated a shop here in Montana with wood heat. A couple of considerations you may not have thought of. One is a wood stove is a space hog, because you must leave a lot of clearance around it for safety concerns. There is a lot of real estate where you can't stack wood or anything else burnable. Second is cleaning the chimney, it must be done periodically or you risk a chimney fire and generally involves climbing on a roof and is dirty work. Thirdly, your insurance company is not going to like it. If you can live with those concerns it is a cheap way to go and it is a great way to clean the shop of scraps every winter. I did it for many years. The shop I'm in now just doesn't have the room for a wood stove and I've got propane heater.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Get some canning jars and leave them open in the summer. Quickly put the lids on about September. When you need heat in the winter, just open a jar or two. 
As mentioned, storing wood might be a problem- bugs, termites, snakes, bees (this happened to my neighbor). BTW, electricity is the most expensive way to heat. Bottled gas is next with natural gas the best. Check into an infra-red system, mounted on the ceiling, fueled by propane. Our local Wal-Mart has them in the garden center- theirs are electric, I believe.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I have a small pot belly stove on the porch to keep it warm in the winter months and it works well. Another consideration not yet mentioned is an iron stove or oven takes a while to start producing heat and takes a while to cool off, so it helps to plan around that. Something to circulate the air might be needed depending on the location of your stove/oven and how large your shop is.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Beth, I would echo Bondo's concerns re: heating the shop with a wood stove. I use an old gas furnace (converted to propane for $24 to heat my shop. Most heat and air guys have a surplus of these units and will GIVE them to you. I have no ductwork and it does a great job very economically.


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## scrapper (Jul 5, 2014)

I got a barrel kit that someone scraped at work. I still need to set it up, I will when I replace the roof. I use a large kerosun, a mr heater mr. cooker propane, and a electric heater. I cut back to just the electric one after it warms up in there. Its just a milk barn heater. Kerosene is way to costly to use all the time but it is a pretty good heater. I always have some scrap wood from something and burn wood in my house also. I can get pallet wood from work for free. I cant wait to get it set up. Good luck with whatever you choose.


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I just ordered a mr. Heater bigmaxx 50,000 btu. It uses natural gas. My neighbor has one and it is a great source of heat at a low cost. Insurance co. Nixed using a wood stove. My son in law is running the gas line and helping hook it up. Installation cost is going to be minimal as he is using material left over from jobs and he works for cold beverages.


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