Dry Heat Heater

[Woodypk]

Morning (just) all,

Currently looking for a heating solution for my double garage spaced workshop over the coming colder months.

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me, without the use of electricity for obvious reasons, what is the best way of introducing dry heat into my workshop? I say dry heat because I store my timber in there along with some cast iron top machinery.

A bit of back ground info is that I'll be working in the workshop (a prefab garage) for the next year or two full time before hopefully I can build up to getting a unit to rent. Maybe a little longer or shorter depending on how well things go over the next year or two. The garage is in a pretty poor state when it comes to insulation - by the fact that there is none (but has good airflow one could argue) - and there are some fair gaps between the doors and the eaves. I'll fill in the eaves with eaves foam and close up gaps where possible but the general gist is that any introduced heat wont probably stay in there for long so a heater that can be run for as long as I'd like - even all day if I fancied it would be preferred.

I don't want to go to the effort and expense of insulating the garage at this point because the dream is to work my way out of there ASAP, but for now, I'd like to be comfortable while I've got no other choice but to work in there.

Is anyone aware of any non-electric solutions to my problem that they'd be happy to share?

If it makes any difference, I have an abundance of seasoned hardwood logs due to living on a small holding with a small wooded area, but not sure if a solid fuel wood burner would be advantageous over any other methods of non-electric heating that may be available.

Thanks in advance.
Tom

 

[Jamesc]

I would suggest that you rethink your objection to insulation and draught proofing. Any form of heating you use will struggle to maintain any temperature against what you have. Even simply putting in a false ceiling to seal things off and still allow the roof to be ventilated would help.
The problem you will face is all heaters that burn something produce water as a by-product. You can get 'room sealed' heaters for most fuels but they tend to be more complex and hence expensive.
My own workshop is approximately 20m x 20m, it is well insulated and if I am woodworking a standard oil filled radiator keeps it comfortable. A small fan heater for 20 minutes warms it up nicely if I am layoing out or metalworking. I have covers for all my machines which combined with having the oil filled heater on low continuously means I have not has a rust problem.

 

[Woodypk]

I've been researching indirect heaters, where the heat is ducted from outside of the working area. Do you know think that If I draught proof as well as possible, this would not be a possible solution?

Alternatively, I could buy/make a wood burning stove and exhaust it outside. I wonder if this would ensure most of the moisture from the burning of the wood would be exhausted with the waste gas.

I think there may be many options, just trying to find the best way to do it without using electric.

The garage doesn't belong to me and neither does the energy bill that it generates. So I'm trying to stay as "off their grid" with regards to energy consumption as possible.

 

[MARK.B.]

I run a wood burner in mine and have no issues ,it has a flue up through the roof ( A flue can if needed go through the wall and up the outside wall ) do not use a wood burner or any other form of heater like diesel or oil unless it is properly vented to the outside. You should check with the owner of the garage as it could affect his/her insurance .

 

[Myfordman]

You could use a diesel heater. Needs to be mounted on an outside wall to get the exhaust away.

 

[Bingy man]

I would also consider a diesel heater as they are relatively cheap and quite simple to install, only needs a small hole in an external wall ( away from any windows or other vents etc ) for the exhaust vent to safely discharged. Fit a c/o and smoke alarms just in case . Cheap to run if you get one with a built in thermostat. I’d also insulate to keep the heat in .

 

[Housey210]

the burning of any fosil fuel will create moisture. A dehumidifier would be the ideal situation for workshop as the removal of moisture will make it warmer. Garage, I dare say loads of air gaps! Around 30p and hour to run.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I put a pot belly stove in mine. I didn't have any problems with rust until then.

 

[Woodypk]

Thanks for the input, chaps.

When you say diesel heater, Bingy/Myford, are you talking about the those small things that you might find in a camper van?

A friend had a tiny one in his VW Caddy that he sometimes used to camp in when he was staying over at Motocross events and it kicked out loads of heat for the size of it and he said it used bugger all fuel.

The diesel heaters that I've been looking at up to now have been floor standing with wheels and seem rather overkill when I look at their heat output/recommended heating space.

 

[Myfordman]

"When you say diesel heater, Bingy/Myford, are you talking about the those small things that you might find in a camper van? "

Yes exactly that. They do need a beefy 12 supply to get started but the current should drop once it is running. DONT switch it on and off just by cutting the 12 supply. It has a specific start up and shut down sequence which if if bypassed will cause damage.
Loads of you tube videos on them some of which need liberal applications of salt !

Look for ones from Doubleboost. He tells things straight down the line.
and

 

[Myfordman]

the burning of any fosil fuel will create moisture. A dehumidifier would be the ideal situation for workshop as the removal of moisture will make it warmer. Garage, I dare say loads of air gaps! Around 30p and hour to run.

Only an id10t would exhaust those diesel heaters into the room needing heating. Using as designed provide dry heat as requested by the OP

 

[Fitzroy]

I have a 6x3m workshop that is not insulated, in the winter months I can run a 2kw fan heater in it all day and after 10+hrs the temperature has increased from 5degC in the morning to 12degC in the evening. When it is close to zero outside I don't bother. A large wood burner would be your only non electric answer IMHO. Realistically as a permanent place of work for the next year or two you need to insulate.

 

[Fitzroy]

"When you say diesel heater, Bingy/Myford, are you talking about the those small things that you might find in a camper van? "

Yes exactly that. They do need a beefy 12 supply to get started but the current should drop once it is running. DONT switch it on and off just by cutting the 12 supply. It has a specific start up and shut down sequence which if if bypassed will cause damage.
Loads of you tube videos on them some of which need liberal applications of salt !

Look for ones from Doubleboost. He tells things straight down the line.
and

Showing that MHO is useless! I'd not seen these, they are awesome!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Without insulation and draught proofing you WILL get rust with intermittent heating.

 

[Woodypk]

Thanks for the replies. I'll do some research into the small 5kw type van heaters. I've just seen a 20kw heater by Trotec which is an indirect/vent outside type which again looks like it would do a good job - even too good a job maybe...

Taking all of this into consideration, Phil, do you say intermittent heating will cause rust because the air will heat quicker than the bodies of the machines and therefore rust will form?

 

[Myfordman]

Showing that MHO is useless! I'd not seen these, they are awesome!

Sorry Fitzroy I don't fully understand your comment. Is there something useless I've said and yet you consider the heaters awsome?

 

[Myfordman]

Without insulation and draught proofing you WILL get rust with intermittent heating.

Agreed. It is only worth contemplating heating if the space is insulated, well sealed and dry. Otherwise it is like pi88ing into the wind.

 

[Spectric]

the burning of any fosil fuel will create moisture.

But with heat exchangers that moisture will not be in the building, look at heaters from Webasto and you will see they burn fuel to heat air that is used within the occupied space. I use a 5Kw one in a landrover for heating.

5kw type van heaters

Another supplier is Eberspacher You are being redirected...

 

[Fitzroy]

Sorry Fitzroy I don't fully understand your comment. Is there something useless I've said and yet you consider the heaters awsome?

I was trying to say that my earlier post, that a wood burner was the only answer, was wrong. I’d never seen the diesel heater before, and having watched the two videos I realised it was a cool bit of kit.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The problem with stoves is that ideally you light them a couple of hours before you need the heat, so when you've only got a couple of hours to work they're not really that practical.