Bloody cold shed!

[Krome10]

no amount of insulation will heat up a cold space it will only keep it cold, ha ha

I must admit, I was thinking the same as I read through this thread. I can see how shelter helps to keep things a little warmer by giving a barrier to the wind and frost. But can't see how adding insulation would achieve anything without a source of heat inside.

With regards stopping tools from rusting, I've often thought about this as I have the same problem in my shed and so keep all important stuff indoors. But does the cold cause rust? Or is the lack of ventilation? If a shed has no heating but is well ventilated, will that prevent or reduce rust?

 

[TheUnicorn]

I must admit, I was thinking the same as I read through this thread. I can see how shelter helps to keep things a little warmer by giving a barrier to the wind and frost. But can't see how adding insulation would achieve anything without a source of heat inside.

With regards stopping tools from rusting, I've often thought about this as I have the same problem in my shed and so keep all important stuff indoors. But does the cold cause rust? Or is the lack of ventilation? If a shed has no heating but is well ventilated, will that prevent or reduce rust?

I don't think that anyone is saying that insulation in itself will warm a space, but that given the original idea of heating from a solar power 12v heater, which is obviously only going to give a limited amount of heat, you need a well insulated space to lock that heat in, whatever you do for a heat source you're throwing your money out of the window without insulation

 

[Richard_C]

Anything that burns, parrafin etc, produces water vapour so unless you vent it outside it adds to your condensation problem unless it's a very well ventilated space and always on.

It's not getting cold or being cold that's the problem, it's the warming up. Last year we had several sub zero days in a row, then it warmed up to 10 C in a couple of hours. That warmer moister air condensed onto the cold surfaces, you could run a finger over the lathe bed and it felt wet. It's helpful to open doors and windows and ventilate as much as you can when the warmer air arrives. No easy solution though.

I find a precautionary rub of beeswax stick on things like Bandsaw table helps. I bring danish oil indoors in winter, of the finishes I use that seems suffer the most when it's cold.

 

[Grandad455]

View attachment 170939

Fire this up 2 hours before you start work and it will be toasty.

Nice heaters. I ran a hardware store years ago and we had an Aladdin Blue Flame, connected to a 5 gallon drum via a float chamber for an oil fired boiler. Just topped up the 5 gallon drum as needed. As the flame was never extinguished, the wick lasted all winter with out having to change it.
The actual oil level in the heat was about a pint, and the flow/float chamber had a thermal shut off, so safer than the original heater with a gallon of paraffin in it. Had a wire mesh garden incinerator cage round it for customer safety. Shops inspector saw no reason to object, it worked for over 5 years. Only problem is every gallon of paraffin produces half a gallon of condensation.

 

[Scifli]

I use a small 30W tubular heater with thermostat in my small storage shed and it keeps moisture levels well down. Similar to this one. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hylite-Sli...rmostat+tubular+heater+30w,aps,82&sr=8-2&th=1

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Nice heaters. I ran a hardware store years ago and we had an Aladdin Blue Flame, connected to a 5 gallon drum via a float chamber for an oil fired boiler. Just topped up the 5 gallon drum as needed. As the flame was never extinguished, the wick lasted all winter with out having to change it.
The actual oil level in the heat was about a pint, and the flow/float chamber had a thermal shut off, so safer than the original heater with a gallon of paraffin in it. Had a wire mesh garden incinerator cage round it for customer safety. Shops inspector saw no reason to object, it worked for over 5 years. Only problem is every gallon of paraffin produces half a gallon of condensation

I have 2 of them.
Last night I had one ticking over night and when I was in my play pen I was toasty.

 

[RogerS]

Very generous of you - thanks! - but no easy way of powering them unfortunately.

No - it appears my options are limited to insulation, as many of you have pointed out above.
I'll be rescuing the spare SuperFoil from the attic and searching for the staple gun.
(Now....where have I put that staple gun?!)

Thanks, all.

But up above I thought you said you ran an extension cable out to power machines ?

 

[alex robinson]

I must admit, I was thinking the same as I read through this thread. I can see how shelter helps to keep things a little warmer by giving a barrier to the wind and frost. But can't see how adding insulation would achieve anything without a source of heat inside.

With regards stopping tools from rusting, I've often thought about this as I have the same problem in my shed and so keep all important stuff indoors. But does the cold cause rust? Or is the lack of ventilation? If a shed has no heating but is well ventilated, will that prevent or reduce rust?

I think it is because the air and the structure change temperature at different rates. It warms up during the day and there is moisture in the air. When it is night time, the walls and roof get very cold (think how cars frost when the air is above zero). This causes the water to condense and make everything rust. Insulation balances it all out, so no damp.

 

[Cozzer]

Oil filled tube heaters are a good option, site them on the wall near the floor. We have them in a small building that's being demolished soon, I could save a couple for you if you want to try th

But up above I thought you said you ran an extension cable out to power machines ?

No, never mentioned machinery.
What I wrote was "If I did need proper power for something it'd have to be an extension cable....."
There is, I suppose, room to use some hand tools, but not much else.
It's essentially storage for stuff that I'm unable to room elsewhere, but I don't want it to "suffer" over winter.

 

[stuart little]

What about one of those small paraffin heaters for greenhouses?

Only adds to the condensation.

 

[stuart little]

no amount of insulation will heat up a cold space it will only keep it cold, ha ha

Yep, in my motor-homing days, if I opened up the van on a very cold day after a night's frost, it would still be blinky-blinky COLD.

 

[pauljhaigh58]

Space heaters - workshop, garage, industrial heating
Try these use for heating marquee 10mins and you’ll be stripping off lol
Paul

 

[simonridout]

Small diesel heaters working off 12v work well for boats and trucks. The air for combustion is ducted in from outside, the exhaust is ducted outside, so no build up of water vapour or combustion fumes. Hot, dry air is ducted to where it is needed, usually floor level. Caravans have similar systems, running of bottled gas.

 

[ColinDeVelen]

Can you not repurpose a caravan heater? The one in my wife's 'van can run on 230, 12V and gas. Just a thought.

 

[newbiegirl]

My little workshop is insulated all round and also roof. Have a small electric radiator running on low setting 24/7 when lots of rain/ice etc, and we live in open countryside quite high uo, SO FAR NO PROBLEMS WITH ANY TOOLS, I also run a littlebit of finishing wax along my little lathe bed when finished using.
Hope this helps.
Ps. Have rubber stable mats on floor which help I think

 

[imageel]

As with newbiegirl my workshop is fully insulated with 80mm Celotex and internally lined with a 15mm void behind the internal 6mm ply lining and whilst I'm not as exposed weather-wise and don't have any continuously-on heating it does not take much to get the interior up to a workable temp.
Also all the windows are argon filled double glazed which helps.
If doing heavy work even with my externally vented chip extractor on I can end up stripping down to a T-shirt to keep cool, makes the neighbours think I'm a really 'hard' guy when I pop out on a cold day to grab a cuppa !

 

[alex robinson]

Heating may be nice for a workshop (though I find just running machines or working in there warms it up fine) but seems crazy for storage. Do people on here really run heating continuously for storage sheds?

I feel working out how to prevent the damp is far more worthwhile, even if it costs a bit in insulation, than pouring money away on electric or oil heaters.

 

[imageel]

I forgot to add - I also do a fair bit of metalwork so have lots of mild steel and other materials lying around amongst the timber and even after years with no surface protection I don't get any surface rust - so it stays pretty dry in there...

 

[Cozzer]

Heating may be nice for a workshop (though I find just running machines or working in there warms it up fine) but seems crazy for storage. Do people on here really run heating continuously for storage sheds?

I feel working out how to prevent the damp is far more worthwhile, even if it costs a bit in insulation, than pouring money away on electric or oil heaters.

Yes, it seems this thread has got a little wayward! And as for argon-filled double glazing...well!
Just to get back on track, this is a remote 6'x6' shed, no windows, no mains power. It's storing stuff - some electrical, but not power tools - that I haven't room for anywhere else.
It has a tiny horizontal surface where I could use hand tools if necessary, and has 12v solar lighting courtesy of a pair of car batteries and a controller. Ergo, I don't spend - or intend to! - much time in there, and certainly not in T-shirt and jeans at this time of year!
Condensation/what have you affecting the "stuff" - and how to avoid it - was the original concern!

 

[Aden30mm]

I have a shed that suffered from condensation. I put a couple of roof vents in the apex of the end, which allows for a free passage of air. It has helped significantly to reduce the condensation. The items I installed also had bug guards on them. Purchased on fleabay, maybe not a full solution but certainty worked for me coupled with on good dry days opening the door to the shed.