Heaters.

[Ollie78]

Well today was the first time this year that it was noticeably cold when I got into the workshop, toes are pretty chilly right now at lunchtime.
I did have a convection radiator thing which was enough to take the chill off but I can't find it and it was never great anyway and used to smell funny as it burned off the dust !

I need a new heater to take the chill off in the mornings, the workshop is pretty well insulated so once warm it stays warm.
Looking at the machine mart catalogue (just because it was handy) I can't decide weather to get an oil filled radiator, standard electric fan heater or a PTC type heater, or I suppose infra red maybe.
Which is cheaper to run, safer, quicker to heat the room,
The air will get circulated by my air filter, most of the time anyway.
Suggestions and recommendations please.

Cheers

Ollie

 

[Garno]

Personally my choice would be the good old electric fan heater, especially if it has a thermostat on it.

Oil filled rads are also a good choice but will take longer to heat the room as you rely on the heat making its own way to everything. No idea what a PDC type is and no doubt when I google it I will feel foolish. The infrared type do a very poor job of heating the actual workshop as they just warm the body up, the one I had never did, or if it did I never could tell.

That's my tuppence ha'penny worth and look forward to hearing what route you decide to take.

Gary

 

[Spectric]

Well today was the first time this year that it was noticeably cold when I got into the workshop

Cold in Wiltshire, thats south west so should be warm so has global warming skiped Wiltshire. Best option is the oil filled rad, once hot they just tick along and great at keeping a background temperature, and you could stick it on a suitable timer so that it is warming up whilst you have your breakfast.

 

[Ollie78]

@Garno
Sorry its PTC not PDC. I have edited my temporary dyslexia out of the original.
It's a fan type heater but with a ceramic element of some kind.

@Spectric
Well it is north Wiltshire.

It's interesting to note that all these heaters have a caveat that says only suitable for insulated rooms and not suitable as a primary heat source.

Ollie

 

[MARK.B.]

Fan heater to give a quick warm up ,then an oil filled rad to keep it warm.

 

[Sandyn]

you could use and oil filled with a fan. That's what I do when I want faster heat up. That way you don't have exposed elements for things to burn on and get smelly

 

[Garno]

you could use and oil filled with a fan. That's what I do when I want faster heat up. That way you don't have exposed elements for things to burn on and get smelly

I think that's a great idea,

The oil rads are great at keeping the heat going and lots cheaper to run, That's always good

 

[eribaMotters]

Convector heaters are really only good up to a couple of metres distance. Best bet is a fan heater to blow the heat around with a small oil powered radiator, or two, to give specific heat where you may be standing if doing lots of bench work.
I also wear Crocs summer or winter as they keep feet warm in winter and cool on summer. Yes I do know they are not really suitable fro safety reasons.

Colin

 

[CliveB]

My 1800W ceramic fan heater warms the workshop up much quicker than my previous conventional 2kW fan heater. The ceramic heater has a higher air flow rate so for providing localised heat it is surprisingly effective when I'm standing at the lathe or workbench. Some manufacturers state what the airflow actually is. Before that I had a 2kW oil filled radiator which was fine except that it took about 2 hours to make any difference....
Clive

 

[Bristol_Rob]

I have a ceramic dimplex electric heater for a well insulated 200 sq ft garage.
Heater has a thermostat and you can accurately control the temperature.

My garage is hot in about 10-15mins

Highly recommended by me

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/397...mMXNIYez8Ksa-P1an7MaAplNEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Ollie78]

My 1800W ceramic fan heater warms the workshop up much quicker than my previous conventional 2kW fan heater. The ceramic heater has a higher air flow rate so for providing localised heat it is surprisingly effective when I'm standing at the lathe or workbench. Some manufacturers state what the airflow actually is. Before that I had a 2kW oil filled radiator which was fine except that it took about 2 hours to make any difference....
Clive

This is my worry with the radiator type, my feet will have gone numb before having to be thawed out again. I worry about setting timers and stuff, I like nothing electrical to be on if I am not there so I won`t be able to pre heat the radiators.
Maybe both as @MARK.B. said might be good.

I think that's a great idea,

The oil rads are great at keeping the heat going and lots cheaper to run, That's always good

Are they cheaper to run because they are more efficient or because they heat up their own thermal mass ?
Surely a unit of heat is still the same and needs to be produced by electrical resistance of some description( in this case ). I guess there is some formula for this stuff but I probably wouldn`t be able to make head nor tail of it.

I saw a test of a few different heating methods, the conclusion of that was it was better to put the heater on maximum for a bit, heating up the room as quick as you can then turning it down to a low heat to maintain it. Rather than trickling a lower heat.

@Bristol_Rob That heater does look good and seems to have overwhelmingly positive reviews, including yours of course. Bit more than I was hoping to spend but I will add it to my shortlist.

Cheers

Ollie

 

[Bristol_Rob]

This is my worry with the radiator type, my feet will have gone numb before having to be thawed out again. I worry about setting timers and stuff, I like nothing electrical to be on if I am not there so I won`t be able to pre heat the radiators.
Maybe both as @MARK.B. said might be good.


Are they cheaper to run because they are more efficient or because they heat up their own thermal mass ?
Surely a unit of heat is still the same and needs to be produced by electrical resistance of some description( in this case ). I guess there is some formula for this stuff but I probably wouldn`t be able to make head nor tail of it.

I saw a test of a few different heating methods, the conclusion of that was it was better to put the heater on maximum for a bit, heating up the room as quick as you can then turning it down to a low heat to maintain it. Rather than trickling a lower heat.

@Bristol_Rob That heater does look good and seems to have overwhelmingly positive reviews, including yours of course. Bit more than I was hoping to spend but I will add it to my shortlist.

Cheers

Ollie

Buy once, cry once

 

[John Brown]

Are they cheaper to run because they are more efficient or because they heat up their own thermal mass ?

They won't be more efficient. All electric heaters are about 100% efficient, there may be some losses from noise(some of which will eventually be converted to heat) or light(ditto), but one of the usual loss mediums is heat, which is what you want anyway.
I appreciate that some electrical heaters may offer tighter temperature control, or better airflow, but in terms of converting electrical power to heat, they're all pretty much equal.

 

[Ollie78]

They won't be more efficient. All electric heaters are about 100% efficient, there may be some losses from noise(some of which will eventually be converted to heat) or light(ditto), but one of the usual loss mediums is heat, which is what you want anyway.
I appreciate that some electrical heaters may offer tighter temperature control, or better airflow, but in terms of converting electrical power to heat, they're all pretty much equal.

This is kind of what I was thinking. So maybe better off just getting whatever heats up the quickest, if the cost per degree of heat is largely the same.

Ollie

 

[sawdustandwax]

In another week or so when it does get colder one half (15sq m)of the workshop will be heated with a 2kw oil filled radiator on a 24hr timer. Set to run on lowest setting for 12hrs out of every 24, costs around £6/wk, workshop on its meter. Other part a 5kw Chinese diesel air heater is used. They will run quite happily on heating oil which saves a little, use maybe 5 litres a week. Very quick to heat up the whole place.
One point, well two about keeping warm I use a neck warmer from screwfix, really notice the difference when it's not on, and also a good pair of leather boots with thick socks, been using steel toe-capped doc martins, very comfortable, warm and can stand and work for hours in them.

 

[mg123]

I went for a diesel heater, they run off a 12 v supply and produce a much nicer heat than what I find from any electric heaters (apart from oil filled) They're relatively cheap to run as you can use red diesel. They do need to run longer once they're turned off to cool down so some people recommend using a leisure battery so in the event of a power failure, it can still run the cool down cycle. The one I bought came with an electric controller with a separate remote so you can turn it on from inside the house easily enough. It was easy enough to set up and costs a lot less vs any electric heaters I've tried. Just need to ensure you vent the exhaust outside for safety, I also have a carbon monoxide tester just in case.

 

[Daz01246]

I have a propane space heater in my garage. Gets it nice and toasty.

 

[Wood&StuffLtd]

I use an overhead infrared heater directly above my lathe. It is instantly warm but only directly at me working. As I always work with the workshop doors open to reduce dust build up space heating would be a waste. I always wear gloves so my hands are never cold, and a beanie hat under the Trend safety helmet when the temperature drops.

 

[Ollie78]

I went for a diesel heater, they run off a 12 v supply and produce a much nicer heat than what I find from any electric heaters (apart from oil filled) They're relatively cheap to run as you can use red diesel. They do need to run longer once they're turned off to cool down so some people recommend using a leisure battery so in the event of a power failure, it can still run the cool down cycle. The one I bought came with an electric controller with a separate remote so you can turn it on from inside the house easily enough. It was easy enough to set up and costs a lot less vs any electric heaters I've tried. Just need to ensure you vent the exhaust outside for safety, I also have a carbon monoxide tester just in case.

Unfortunately, I don't think this is suitable for my situation. My workshop is an insulated building inside a barn. It would be tricky to vent the heater. Also it's a 15 minute drive from my house which is why I don't leave anything on overnight like a timed radiator.
Same reason a woodburner is a no go as well.

Ollie

 

[cowie122]

I have a propane space heater in my garage. Gets it nice and toasty.

To much moisture no control ,I did have one I have a Chinese all in one diesel heater now works well