Wanting to "warm up cabinet"

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BrianD

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I am making a few cabinets for my tools. I have tools lying around everywhere in various protective states.

My garage (read w/shop) is pretty cold and I worry about moisture build-up and therefore rust. I do keep my tools clean and so on, but...

:-k :idea: :shock: So I was thinking ............. consider the cabinet drawers to be 450mm long and the cabinet to be 500mm. What if I mounted a very low wattage bulb (?15w) at the back of the cabinet resting on the base. The interior would be warmed up sufficiently to stave of the rust. I am prepared to drill circulation holes to the adjacent cabinets. i.e hopefully 1 bulb will do.

Considering the cabinets are plywood and it seems asbestos is a no no, #-o how can I go about this? For I want to avoid fires of course and use insulation of some type but what?

Any ideas?

Seems crazy I know but ....

PS: I cannot heat up the complete workshop 24x7 as the heat loss is ridiculous and I cannot insulate the garage either - not an option here.
 
I would be a bit unsure about your idea as bulbs aren't made to be used as heaters, but how about a heat pad the type you can buy for putting under a vivarium to keep lizards etc. warm this is safe and can be kept on 24/7...
 
bulbs aren't made to be used as heaters???

The best bedwarmer I ever saw was a small light bulb in a metal dish shaped the same at the top and bottom approx 15" dia. It was much better than a hotwater bottle.
In the 60s office blocks that left the lights on 24/7 had lower heating costs than those that turned all the lights off at night and weekends.

I'd be inclined to use a low wattage bulb in a small metal box, not resting on the bottom but with a hole to take the bulb holder and some ventilation built in to prevent too much heat build up.
My old darkroom safelight was a 15w bulb in a holder with an orange plastic cover almost touching the bulb. That was often on for 6 hours at a time with no problems.
 
When I made a heated cupboard for keeping my finishes etc from freezing, I used a tubular heater (search part number 272-867 on http://www.rswww.com or similar/equivalent products may be available from your local electrical wholesaler). I also picked up a cheap thermostat, as used for domestic central heating I think, and wired it up so that the heater only comes on when the temperature is below thermostat setting.

The setup is with the heater at one end of the cupboard and the stat at the other. I put a sheet of coarsely perforated steel over the heater to protect it whilst not impeding air movement significantly. Of course insulating the cupboard would reduce the heater's running time. I have had no problems with it in a couple of years of use.

Cheers

Neil
 
Dewy":2xijn6n3 said:
bulbs aren't made to be used as heaters???

No - bulbs are made to produce light - the heat is an unwanted by product! (in most cases)

This is why low energy bulbs use so much less electricity - because they produce far less heat. An 11W low energy bulb produces the same light output as 100 W incandescent bulb, which would tend to suggest that a normal incandescent bulb is only 11% efficient, with the other 89% producing waste heat. Obviously in the application being discussed here, the heat is the useful part, and the light is the waste. :shock:

Rather than use bulbs, I would go with a low wattage tubular heater as suggested by Neil (tigerturnings). More efficient, and should last a lot longer - the bulbs will need replacing every 1000 hours or so.

Regards

Gary
 
Shultzy":3l0le047 said:
Would it not be cheaper to use bags of silica-gel crystals, one in each drawer?

And/or a couple of those tins of rust inhibitor vapour, forget what they are called !

Cheers, Paul. :D
 
Hi all,

thanks for the input.

I reckon the 272-867 Al body tubular heater w/bracket,60W combined with the thermostat looks like the answer - mainly as a low risk option.

The cabinet is in my garage, surely I do not need an armoured cable etc. but a decent power cables - as per all my power tools as feed off a 13A circuit.

Do I still need a wireman's/inspector's certificate?
 
Oh yes, the cabinet is plywood 18mm and the doors are shut so hopefully is should be reasonable without being too thermally inefficient.

Appreciated.
 
The heatpad I suggested above is safe can be left on 24/7 can be bought with a thermostat and need no special wiring...
 
Hi BrianD,

As to the wiring of the heater etc, I personally used a standard mains flex and plugged it into a normal, nearby 13A socket. For a 60W heater, a 1A fuse in the plug would probably be the best rating (3A may be the closest commonly available value). For the heater with an aluminium body be sure to earth it properly.

I'm not up to date with the electrical regs but I think if it plugs in (as opposed to being a fixed installation) you don't have to have the part P etc. However if you are in any doubt it'd be worth either getting a pre-wired heatpad as seaco suggested or checking with a qualified electrician.

Disclaimer: the above are just my opinions. I hope they are helpful but I don't accept any liability if things go wrong.

Cheers

Neil
 
Thanks to all for your inputs, I suppose I should look into all options and then decide. I surely do not want to start incurring a large cost and/or contravene any regs such as Part P (whatever that exactly constitutes).

I see I am in for some education here :roll: :shock: :D

Cheers.
 
Hi

You can reduce moisture in a confined space by using cat litter or even disposible napies. they are used when storing classic cars to wick the damp air away. Just a thought!

Cheers

Dave
 
Brian, I've been using a light bulb in each of my tool cabinets for about 15 or 16 years now to warm them up a bit. The cabinets are about 42" long by 16" deep by about 32" tall. Air can circulate easily enough around the interior as shelves are adjustable and drawers are on slides meaning there are plenty of internal gaps.

For a long time I used 25 watt incandescent bulbs and left them running continuously. They tended to blow quite quickly which meant replacing them on a regular basis. Sometimes I'd miss the fact a bulb had blown for a few days (or not have a replacement handy) so the cabinets might go unheated for a while.

About 9 months ago I switched over to using low energy 7 watt bulbs-- they're a sort double spiral candle flame shape, not that I suppose that makes any significant difference. I suspect there's less heat generated, but I've not needed to replace a bulb during the last nine months.

It's my experience that the heat generated by either the 25 watt incandescent bulbs and, latterly, the 7 watt low energy bulbs is enough to prevent the tools rusting. Most of the time the cabinet doors are shut so generated heat tends to stay within the cabinet. Even when I'm working I tend to open the cabinet door, get out what I need, and close the door again.

Anyway, I hope my experience helps you decide what to do. Slainte.
 
I've been using light bulbs for heating a tool cabinets for years but with one difference to other posters.

A bulb normally runs too hot for this application needing precautions against over heating and fire. Plus bulb life can be short.

I use two bulbs wired in series for this job. Each bulb sees half the mains voltage and so dissipates 1/4 of its nominal power. They get warm enough to prevent rust and last virtually for ever. I have had 2 x 60w bulbs running at 15 watts each in my garage cupboard since 1985 and they have not blown yet!

Bob
 

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