Heating a workshop

[Keith 66]

Got very excited over the weekend as I’m currently selling up and looking to move home to anywhere that’s not here and stumbled over something in budget with what looks like a potential workshop where that won’t be an issue…the first picture is looking from the end of the garden back upto the house and on its left, it’s slightly modified garage complete with boiler and central heating,oh and full size snooker table!

Stick a nice thick top on that table & a few vices & you are good to go!

 

[Terrytpot]

Stick a nice thick top on that table & a few vices & you are good to go!

I was thinking with some strategically drilled holes it’d make a nice mft table.. hmm,maybe with a bit of a wedge under one end it would then be good for bar billiards too…decisions,decision’s ..

 

[hairy]

Twas always something I dreamed of, to have even a pool table at home.
Now when it is within sight of becoming possible, my eyesight is not so sharp as it was.

Smaller is more obtainable

 

[Spectric]

Two points. Firstly, all electric heating is effectively 100% efficient.

Tell that to people with night storage heaters. It may well be capable of near 100% efficiency but that also means 100% consumption of Kw/hours so you need some form of thermal mass. An oil storage heater will consume less energy because it does not need to run continously once it has reached the thermostat setting, it will just keep switching on periodically to keep the oil hot.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

The heating power required must depend on the size of the workshop, the extent of insulation/heat loss, ambient air temperatures, and desirable working temperature.

My own solution for brick single garage, flat largely uninsulated roof, in the south west, is a 3KW fan heater powered through a 20 minute timer.

If it is cold when I go in I switch the heater on, it automatically goes off 20 minutes later. If I notice I am getting cold again (physical movement and other machines create heat) then it goes on again.

It is a cheap solution - cost of heater and timer <£30, only powered up if I feel cold.

 

[artie]

Smaller is more obtainable

6 by 4 is my minimum desired.

I'm trying to get up enough courage to retire mid year. and if I do, I can convert the workshop to a leisure/games room.

 

[John Brown]

Tell that to people with night storage heaters. It may well be capable of near 100% efficiency but that also means 100% consumption of Kw/hours so you need some form of thermal mass. An oil storage heater will consume less energy because it does not need to run continously once it has reached the thermostat setting, it will just keep switching on periodically to keep the oil hot.

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what point you are trying to make. Night storage heaters are exactly as efficient at converting electricity into heat as are oil filled radiators. One may be cheaper to run than the other, depending on electricity tariffs, and one may be less convenient, or unsuitable, or difficult to control, but that's not what I was talking about.

 

[Dave Moore]

I have a wooden workshop where I create a lot of sawdust. At the moment I am trying to heat it with a electric oil filled radiator. Not a lot of warmth in there. So, can any one advise if gas (propane ect) is safe with saw dust flying around.

Many Thanks

Colin

Look at these. Diesel but only hot air exchange. FlowerW Upgraded Diesel Air Heater Parking Heater, 5KW 12V All in One Diesel Fuel Heater with Four Air Outlets for Car RV Boats Bus Caravan and More boosted : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

 

[artie]

Look at these. Diesel but only hot air exchange. FlowerW Upgraded Diesel Air Heater Parking Heater, 5KW 12V All in One Diesel Fuel Heater with Four Air Outlets for Car RV Boats Bus Caravan and More boosted : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

That's almost the same as the one I use.

Sad to see they have almost doubled in price in a little over a year.

 

[artie]

Two points. Firstly, all electric heating is effectively 100% efficient. Think about it, how would the wasted energy be.manifested?

I'll go along with that.
The downside is although you're getting 100% that 100% is expensive it may be cost effective to use a less efficient power source which is cheaper.

 

[Lazurus]

Insulation has to be your friend, I have an 8m x 5m brick and block workshop 50 mm cavity bats, flat roof and not insulated and 75mm polystyrene under the concrete slab floor. I have a single oil filled rad on in winter and keeps it a pleasant 17 degrees. I could have put more insulation in by making the cavities bigger but wanted as much room inside a possible. If I ever insulate the roof that can only improve the situation

 

[Bingy man]

Two points. Firstly, all electric heating is effectively 100% efficient. Think about it, how would the wasted energy be.manifested? It may be that some types of electric heating offer tighter control of temperature, with less overshoot. That can help with economy. Another possibility is to use radiant heating, which can make you warmer, but doesn't help much with big lumps of cold metal.

Secondly, it's never cheaper to leave heating on all the time, as apposed to when it's needed. It may be more convenient, but it won't be cheaper. The loss of energy is proportional to the temperature difference. I know a lot of people will tell you both these are wrong, but it's basic physics.


Insulation is your man.

I’ve been a gas engineer for over 30 years and I’ve lost count of how many customers would leave their heating on all day and say it’s cheaper-this was mainly due to large inefficient boilers with equally inefficient systems and over / undersized radiators etc. the time to bring the home up to 21deg Was ridiculously long and of course expensive. with the ever increasing cost of energy it’s impractical to do this in today’s world so I fully agree that up to date insulation in walls loft and of course double or triple glazing is the way forward. With the current A rated boilers and modern smart controls there is no reason to heat an empty home . However coming home to a cold house is also a bad idea so it’s worth investing in a smart thermostat like hive or nest -simply turn on heating before you leave work via the internet and by the time you get home it’s warm and you’re not wasting energy-as for garages converted to workshops then it’s better if possible to add extra radiators via your home c h boiler ( better still it can be zoned off to work independently to the main system ( house)

 

[John Brown]

Even with gas, it can never be cheaper(assuming a constant tariff) to leave the heating on permanently.

 

[Sandyn]

I got a battery powered heated Gilet for a Christmas present. It is fantastic. It works really well. The best thing about it is the heating elements at the back of the collar. It came with a 10Ah battery which will run for about 5-6 hours on the mid setting. It doesn't keep hands warm, but I think the jacket type may be better for that. I preferred the gilet style for working in the workshop.

 

[John Brown]

I got a battery powered heated Gilet for a Christmas present. It is fantastic. It works really well. The best thing about it is the heating elements at the back of the collar. It came with a 10Ah battery which will run for about 5-6 hours on the mid setting. It doesn't keep hands warm, but I think the jacket type may be better for that. I preferred the gilet style for working in the workshop.

They sound like a great idea. Except for the collar. Half the members of this forum get hot under the collar without electrical assistance.

 

[DennisCA]

I will be replacing my oil filled radiator with an air-air heat pump.

 

[DennisCA]

I'll go along with that.
The downside is although you're getting 100% that 100% is expensive it may be cost effective to use a less efficient power source which is cheaper.

A heat pump is over 100% efficient and no that's not a thermodynamic violation, because it does not create the heat from the electricity used. Instead it uses electricity to move ambient heat from the environment through the 'magic' of the refrigeration cycle. So using a heat pump it can 'produce' between 2 - 5 times more heat than you would have gotten using direct electric, depending on the outdoor temperature.

 

[artie]

So using a heat pump it can 'produce' between 2 - 5 times more heat than you would have gotten using direct electric, depending on the outdoor temperature.

I'm far from an expert in heat pumps, but my understanding is that, as you say, in certain circumstances, it can 'produce' between 2 - 5 times more heat than you would have gotten using direct electric.

In other circumstances it can 'produce' 1.1 times or less the heat than you would have gotten using direct electric.

It would be great if the former circumstances greatly outweighed the latter, alas on these islands in winter I think not.

 

[TRITON]

If combustible dust gets drawn into a propane gas heater (the type with a fan) it turns into a flame thrower

Ooooo thats worth experimenting

 

[DennisCA]

I'm far from an expert in heat pumps, but my understanding is that, as you say, in certain circumstances, it can 'produce' between 2 - 5 times more heat than you would have gotten using direct electric.

In other circumstances it can 'produce' 1.1 times or less the heat than you would have gotten using direct electric.

It would be great if the former circumstances greatly outweighed the latter, alas on these islands in winter I think not.

Your winters are actually quite mild from my perspective so they should be able to work year around with a high COP. You don't get down to a COP of 1 until you get to -20C with heat pumps here made in the last 10 years (at least in the nordic market, I know the US market has lagged behind for a long time for instance). Heat pumps are a very popular heating solution in the nordic countries (the most popular perhaps) so I can't think they would have any problems in the UK winters.