Workshop heating

[myturn]

I often read of the different ways people heat their workshops, but there is very little mention of infra-red heating.

Most people seem to use "traditional" methods such as a stove or convector heater but these methods are not very efficient and waste a lot of energy heating the surrounding air. The moment you open a door or window your heat is lost.

An Infra-Red heater will heat solid objects and not the air surrounding them. Massive objects will also retain the heat imparted to them. My lathe does just this and once the chill is taken off it warm stays warm for a whole day.

Which means you can quite happily ventilate your workshop (open a door or window) and still remain warm as long as the heater is directing its rays at you.
You can even heat yourself outdoors using this method and you will find it is used in many outdoor venues such as pubs etc.

I use a 2KW wall-mounted infra-red heater in temperatures of 0 celsius and below with the workshop door open to allow dust to escape and still manage to keep some feeling in my extremeties!

I can also recommend a proper insulating floor-mat to keep your feet off the floor. This is of use in any temperature as it not only insulates your feet from the cold floor but also provides a cushioning effect and reduces fatigue. If you suffer from back-ache then this will make a big difference in summer or winter, believe me!

If your feet are STILL feeling the cold then a pair of rechargeable heated insoles will solve that problem. I use these and my feet still "glow" in ANY temperature!

My fingers STILL get numb at times and, short of wearing gloves which I am loth to do as I can't feel the wood, I will put up with this and take a break to warm them in my trousers :lol:

Keep warm ccasion5:

 

[Zeddedhed]

My fingers STILL get numb at times and, short of wearing gloves which I am loth to do as I can't feel the wood, I will put up with this and take a break to warm them in my trousers :lol:

Is that a euphemism Myturn?

 

[marcros]

does it not cause headaches when used inside? I looked into it, and that was one of the things that put me off. Also, if it heats you, not the air, that is potentially great for economy but doesnt create a nice warm environment for glueups etc.

just my thoughts- it may be that (for example) turners have different requirements to somebody constructing cabinets.

 

[MMUK]

Infra red heaters aren't designed to heat space and are therefore pretty much useless and uneconomical for workshop heating.

 

[myturn]

My fingers STILL get numb at times and, short of wearing gloves which I am loth to do as I can't feel the wood, I will put up with this and take a break to warm them in my trousers :lol:

Is that a euphemism Myturn?

Not a euphamism, more of an an allusion I think :wink:

does it not cause headaches when used inside? I looked into it, and that was one of the things that put me off. Also, if it heats you, not the air, that is potentially great for economy but doesnt create a nice warm environment for glueups etc.

just my thoughts- it may be that (for example) turners have different requirements to somebody constructing cabinets.

I can't say I've noticed any headaches, you just have to make sure it's not TOO hot. For this my IR heater has a continuously variable adjuster for the output which makes it useable from mild but chilly to Arctic where I can't feel my fingers any more.

Infra red heaters aren't designed to heat space and are therefore pretty much useless and uneconomical for workshop heating.

Heating the SPACE in a workshop is pretty much pointless and a waste of energy. It is what is IN the workshop that you normally want to heat.

 

[Matt@]

the trouble with having localised heat in a work area is your body can never aclimatise. ie you are being infra redded and are warm and toasty then into a cold spot and the cold seems much colder if that makes sense. I'd rather have an overall cold temperature that I can adjust to. Another thing re. gluing stuff up is build a simple cage using 2x2 and dpm sheet and place furniture in that once glued up. You can run an oil fired heater 24/7 at not massive cost if it has a stat to heat that small area..

 

[MMUK]

Oil filled radiators fitted with stats are by far the most economical way to heat your workshop. even after the rad is turned off, the oil takes hours to cool down again thus providing a heat source with no further energy input.

 

[myturn]

the trouble with having localised heat in a work area is your body can never aclimatise. ie you are being infra redded and are warm and toasty then into a cold spot and the cold seems much colder if that makes sense.

I can agree with that Matt, but for lathe work it is ideal as you tend to work in a very small space into which the IR heater can be directed. Apart from the occasional foray to the sharpening station I am constantly in the rays of the heater. Point taken though.

Oil filled radiators fitted with stats are by far the most economical way to heat your workshop. even after the rad is turned off, the oil takes hours to cool down again thus providing a heat source with no further energy input.

I'm not necessarily talking about cost-effectiveness here so you may well be right on that front.
I am talking about keeping WARM.
And I am not bothered about whether the workshop is warm or not when I am NOT IN IT!
I go into my workshop, turn a switch and I am INSTANTLY heated while I am at the lathe. I finish and I turn a switch and the heat is OFF.
No waiting to warm up and no energy wasted heating 40 square meters when a fraction of that area where I am standing is sufficient.
So don't generalise on the "best way" as each application is different and has different requirements.
I am making recommendations on the way I (and most turners) would work so maybe I should have posted this in the Woodturning section :roll:

 

[MMUK]

I am making recommendations on the way I (and most turners) would work so maybe I should have posted this in the Woodturning section :roll:

If you don't like to hear differing opinions then don't post at all :wink:

 

[monkeybiter]

I don't see how
"most economical way to heat your workshop"
is in conflict with
"Which means you can quite happily ventilate your workshop (open a door or window) and still remain warm as long as the heater is directing its rays at you."
It's two different goals and two different methods. Too early in the year to fall out.

 

[MMUK]

I don't see how
"most economical way to heat your workshop"
is in conflict with
"Which means you can quite happily ventilate your workshop (open a door or window) and still remain warm as long as the heater is directing its rays at you."
It's two different goals and two different methods. Too early in the year to fall out.

Neither do I.

 

[Lee J]

Must just be me that has the roller shutter door fully open on a Saturday morning in January whilst working in the workshop then. I like the feel of fresh air in the workshop. Thick jumper, a woolly thinsulate hat and a pot of tea usually does the trick.

 

[Reggie]

Erm, isn't IR light a pretty poor choice? Very bad for the eyes long term, not great for the skin either?

 

[carlb40]

Erm, isn't IR light a pretty poor choice? Very bad for the eyes long term, not great for the skin either?

Tan while you turn :mrgreen:

 

[Spindle]

Reggie wrote:

Erm, isn't IR light a pretty poor choice? Very bad for the eyes long term, not great for the skin either?


Tan while you turn

Errr - I think you are both confusing IR with UV :roll: :lol:

Regards Mick

 

[Graham Orm]

Heating the SPACE in a workshop is pretty much pointless and a waste of energy. It is what is IN the workshop that you normally want to heat.

To heat a lathe to the point where it would radiate enough heat for you to keep warm from would take an enormous amount of energy. To try and heat the contents of the shop for the periods that you spend in there again would take all day and cost a fortune. Surely it's better policy to insulate properly and heat 'the air' as that what surrounds you and makes you feel warm or cold?

The fact that your feet and fingers still get cold tells me that whatever heating system you are using.....ain't working!

 

[wallace]

For me its a waste of time heating the workshop because by the time it gets to a nice temp I would have to go indoors. I find a few layers does the trick and I always wear them easy grip gloves. I sometimes have a little fan heater for my hands because I have white finger. Ideally I would love to heat the place constantly and then I wouldn't be chasing the rust monster on my machines

 

[monkeybiter]

I must admit I'm surprised this topic has surfaced this year, I know a lot of people have had an awful time with flooding etc. but in terms of temperature it's unbelievably mild [up here in the north anyway] 9'C this afternoon so I've been in the workshop, t shirt and jacket. I suppose being fat helps.

 

[JustBen]

Whilst on the subject of heating, someone mentioned oil filled radiators....
Are they expensive to run?
Can they heat a single garage within a reasonable time?
I'm moving soon and into a single garage (the workshop not me and the family)
I will be insulating the garage door and possibly the roof if cheap enough.

I've seen that the rads are pretty cheap, would a 1kw be sufficient?
I have no knowledge of heating and what the figures represent in terms of heat output.
Can anyone put it into plain English for me.

I'm not looking to be wandering around in budgie smugglers but enough that I can glue without it losing effectiveness.

Sorry if I'm hijacking but it seems to be heading towards an argument anyway.

 

[myturn]

I've tried convection, oil-filled and now IR and, for me, the latter suits me and the way I work.

Anyone who wants to argue the point can go argue with someone else, all I am doing is offering a suggestion for an alternative to the "traditional" way of keeping warm. 8)