Heat source for your shop or garage, what do you use?
 

I was wondering what everyone else uses, wood, gas, oil, waste oil, electric, or kero or other. Tell us about what you use, here is what I have planned:I've had a new shop built(30x60) and its too big to heat the entire thing. We have decided to build a room inside (20x20) and heat this are only. I have a gas line installed for a wall mount radiant heater. Room will be insulated and drywall.

I have one radiant wall mount in my garage. I leave it at minimal setting usually to keep thing from freezing. Bump it up when I work out there. My garage is 24x48, with one 12x24 area closed off separately. It's well insulated, but I'd like to add better heating for when I'm working as the radiant doesn't heat the area very well(too large).

This is the way I bought the place, and I haven't changed anything. I had a spare house furnace I was going to do forced air, but just wasn't room for it(too much junk).

I do not have a separate shop, wish I did. I am lucky enough to have a 3 car garage. Wife got her kitchen, I got my garage. It is well insulated and the combination I use is a propane fueled torpedo heater to take the chill off then my kerosene radiant heater to keep things comfortable. Works well unless it's really, really cold out. Then I just stay in the house.

My 12x24 area is actually the parking spot for my '69 F100. No extra room except for hanging parts on the wall. My property was a rental house, the garage had one spot for renter and the rest was for the owners business. I opened a doorway into the separate garage area to be able to get to it without going outside, but it's too small for my galaxies(since I have stuff stored in there too), so the pickup fits perfect. No actual heat to it, whatever radiates from main garage. The building is fully insulated, so it was pretty air tight when I first bought it.

I agree, when it gets frigid..........no quantity of heat makes me want to go out and work.

This is the first year I'm using free natural gas from a well on my property (200,000 free cubic feet/year and since last april we've only used 14,000). Depending on how much we use during winter, we'll build a small shop and heat it with the free gas.

I've been of free gas now for 15 years, problem here is the well was drilled in 1980, I bought in 1993 and now the well is going dry. I only have enough gas to run the hot water heater, gas stove, gas dryer, outside gas grill for about 7 months out of the year. once my gas hog furnace kicks on its all gone! I usually get enough for free weekends in the winter and burn wood to heat as well. Its still a savings but not like it used to be, the old shop was always 65 -70 it was great!

Kevin Bigwin

thermos..........

My hot-rod barn is 24 x 34 and has no heat. Maybe in a few yrs if I need it. I use propane heat if I need to do anything.....but I have a ranch in Florida with a huge shop and it is usuallly at least 70 degrees in January when I go for the winter. No heat in there either...haha!!! I have 3 trucks down south and 8 trucks up north. After this week --it will start gettin cold......might go with overhead tube style heat up at this barn ...I had this in my machine shop along with infrareds and I liked it alot.....Bill

I thought of getting one tube heater put in so the heat is put out over the entire garage instead of one side of the car(opposite of my work area), so my welder and cutting torches are nice and toasty all winter while I shiver over by the workbench!

Yes--the tube heating is real nice.....and can even paint with it.....had a set of tubes in my new paint booth (binks) back in 1994 and it was awesome. AH....WISH I still had it....Bill

I'm currently using one of those patio heaters. It's o.k. but it's not going to roast you out of there that's for sure (24 x 24 detached garage). Now I do have a 3 burner 40,000 btu radiant heater brand new in the box but....no gas line. I don't imagine it would be to difficult to trench a line out there