Garage/Workshop Heating Advice

[MATT0693]

Hi All, 

Looking for some advice on workshop heating.

I have a detached single garage at home that is uninsulated (job for next year), I spend quite a bit of time in there on weekends so want to keep it at a comfortable temperature.
I've spoken to a local company who have recommended I would need around 5kw / 17,000 BTU to heat the space. 

They have suggested that a 5kw electric heater would be best at a cost of £130 and cost £1.70ph to run. In addition to this I would need some electrical work doing as the current electrics are limited to 3200w. Estimating the initial outlay at around £300.

I've found a few people on YouTube have used the 12v Chinese Diesel heaters for the same purpose with great success.
The units are available for around £100, and claim to use around 0.5L ph on full - approx 95p/h on current prices - all they need is a 12v supply and an exhaust path (I can run it out the brick wall). 

 

Any got any other ideas, other than very thick clothes and man up? 

[AnnoyingPentium]

17 minutes ago, MATT0693 said:

Any got any other ideas, other than very thick clothes and man up? 

 

Ah ****e ahm oot then. My suggestion was a boiler suit, a mug of tea, and a hot water bottle up yer jersey...

[PetrolDave]

I'd be tempted to go down the route of a gas/petrol/diesel heater, to avoid the cost of updated electrics (£300 sounds optimistic since it will need larger cabling all the way back to the consumer unit plus a higher rated MCB, and it won't leave much headroom for the other circuits in the house on that section of the consumer unit and might even cause issues with the main switch and company fuse?).

[@Lee]

Have you looked at Paraffin heaters? 20l can be got for around £45. Then the diesel heater, can you not buy red diesel for it which is considerably cheaper but you might have to buy a shed load of it e.g a barrel at a time.

Scrap the paraffin idea. Looks like the prices have gone up since I last bought it in the UK  

Edited 25 November, 2022 by @Lee

[Gaz]

My Dad had a large shed (30' x 15') we used to rebuild motorbikes in.  Electrics were heath robinson.  We tried a variety of heaters - paraffin greenhouse heaters and propane/calor gas worked well but drafts would really affect the heat they produced.  Dad then got an old cast iron (I think) woodburner, which really kept us toasty.  Wasn't big, but the heat output was phenomenal.  Flat plate on the top for a kettle so we could knock up a brew too.

 

Gaz

[mac11irl]

@Gaz's wood burner idea is actually pretty good - no electrical or mechanical stuff to break. no plumbing or cabling or really any servicing. okay, it loses out a bit on fast start up but you could put the clothes in there to dry over night while the cast iron is still dissipating heat after youve gone to bed..

[StevesTruck]

I use a wood burner we made out of an old gas bottle years ago. Works well, especially if you've got a decent source of dry wood. 

[Warrior193]

Personally I'd favour the diesel-fired heater - quick warm up and easily stored fuel. There are probably also 230v versions available.

If going down the wood burner route, take a look at Popular Mechanics or similar for home-built designs with proper draft control.

[Ootohere]

?

How cold is it actually in the Garage when you are in there working, and can it be well ventilated and still heated without actually wasting money with the way prices are for gas, electricity or any fuel.   (Edit, i see a flue can go out for the diesel heater.)  A Burst oil heater would be cheaper, if you can get burst oil.

 

Thermals, good socks, boots, hat and a good diet is the 'much cheapness way' IMO.    At least you are inside and out of the weather / wind.

 

In the cold north in lockups and sheds in winter it was always Paraffin or Kerosene Greenhouse heaters we used.

Kept on all the time when weather was cold to keep the chill off.

Just enough keep the temp above freezing and stop liquids freezing, and skin sticking to metal. 

 

 

 

For me if working / sitting about in a cold shed a £20 2 kW Greenhouse does the job. On off by by the setting or switch.

Also good in a parked up vehicle to keep the ice off and the interior dry when parked up and and outside extension cable available.

 

 

Edited 26 November, 2022 by toot

[J.R.]

Insulate yourself this year and the garage next spring.

 

In the current climate with many not being able to afford to heat their homes and the threat of power cuts heating an uninsulated building is not a good thing nor good for the environment.

 

I say this as someone working 12-16 hours a day in an uninsulated sous-sol garage returning afterwards to a practically uninsulated caravan that has cooled to the outside temp (currently 4°) and only then turning the gas heater on, I use the 2kw electric element of the blown air heater on an app controlled timer to warm the place for an hour before I get up.

 

I find that all the time I am working and moving around I dont feel the cold in the garage or outside when wearing the right clothing, if I stop to take a phone call I quickly chill and have to walk around, if I were sat a bench doing say craft work I would feel the cold more and want a heater perhaps but just something local and radiant.

[Titanium_Man]

I agree with Toot.
 

A cheap £10 under layer top and bottom, a decent Wooly hat, a buff/snood (whatever you wanna call it!) coupled with working at a bit of pace is really all you need to stay warm. I’ve never really needed more than this in freezing temperatures. 
 

Oh, and plenty of tea in a flask!

[ApertureS]

Personally, i love myself a milwaukee heated jacket....

 

https://uk.milwaukeetool.eu/range/heated-gear/

 

 

It keeps you lovely and warm in the winter  

 

 

For a heater in my garage i just use an electric radiator thingy placed right underneath me, does the job just about in the dead of winter. 

[StevesTruck]

Good point. I got mum and dad a couple of the no-name ones off amazon last year that run off a USB power bank and they've been really happy with them. 

[Gaz]

16 minutes ago, StevesTruck said:

Good point. I got mum and dad a couple of the no-name ones off amazon last year that run off a USB power bank and they've been really happy with them. 

 

Got Mrs Gaz the same (Ejoy brand) a couple of months ago.  She really likes it, although says the power bank can get in the way (it goes in an inside pocket at the front) at times.

 

Gaz

 

[J.R.]

Clothing wise its best to have layers so that you can remove or add according to how energetic the work you are doing is.

 

For cold feet I swear by Goretex boot liners and this is especially important for me when I stop working and moving around and my feet are on a cold tiled floor or the cold caravan floor like now when I am typing this, guess who can't find them after the last move though 😳

 

An old piece of carpet or even a cardboard box makes a big difference if you are lying on your back for a long time, I have a piece of closed cell foam about 1.2m x 0.8m that I bought from a car show decades ago, not only is it superbly comfortable but insulating as well.

 

Today I wore the workshop clothes I was wearing yesterday and they didn't cut it as it is a lot colder, first the fleece I was wearing was more of a sweatshirt and had an open neck, changed that for a military surplus one that has close fitting elastic cuffs and a zip collar, 2 pairs of socks until I can find the goretex boot liners and my winter socks, I'm wearing salopette type overalls over the top of the trousers so 2 layers over the legs, the torso has a long sleeve cold weather running lycra top with the fleece and the top of the salopettes so the core is kept warm, even wearing a toolbelt with braces makes me feel a bit warmer around the kidneys.

 

When it gets colder I will add thermal Long Johns and T-shirt, by that stage I have to wear them to bed also.

 

I have to be at the point of frostbite to wear latex gloves, as long as the corp is warm and you have good circulation and keep busy then the hands stay warm.

 

A heated toolbox would be nice though!

Edited 26 November, 2022 by J.R.

[Ootohere]

Sucking  on a 'Fisherman's friend'  is a personal choice.

  It might make you feel warmer, but i doubt it. 

 

Worth a google. 

Sometimes there are stories about seamen and sometimes just TV presenters.

Edited 26 November, 2022 by toot

[J.R.]

Julian Clary if I recall correctly.

[Ootohere]

 

 

[MATT0693]

On 05/12/2022 at 20:54, toot said:

 

 

I've got a 5kw version on order, based on this video and some others I've watched, it should do the job. 

I'll be running mine on Kerosene (£1.10p/l), so based on his consumption of 350ml/ph it'll cost 39p an hour to run flat out, a saving of around £1.36 against the equivalent electric heater.
Hopefully it lasts long enough to pay for itself!