I’m looking at getting a propane heater for the shop and wanted to collect I put from this group. From at I’ve read, looks like Modine is the way to go (propane) I’ve got a 1,000 sqft shop that’s insulated on the first floor. Need to block off upstairs somehow if I’m heating the place. Wood would be nice but I want it to run on a t-stat and not feed a fire 24/7. Any concerns about buying used? This one came up locally - thoughts?
I will be in the market for one of these next year (nat gas). Interested to see what experiences others have had.
This should help with the proper size for unit for you. I put in some measurements close to 1000 sq. ft. but with a little higher ceiling. Adjust to your exact specs. The btu rating in the answer will be the output heat of the unit; not the input. BTU Calculator
Do you currently use propane? Have you looked into how much propane costs? We are currently working on getting rid of a supplemental propane heater because of the high cost per gallon.
I’d have to measure but my gut says 10’. I came up with about mid 80K BTU and figured 100 would be close and a little extra couldn’t hurt.
We are looking at an electric heat pump. Heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. I can’t say if it works well because I haven’t installed it yet.
With that height of a ceiling, you will have room for ceiling fans. Good idea. I have them in my 9' ceiling workshop and sure amy glad I thought about putting them in. The trouble with over sizing a heating unit is that it will end to short cycle. Turn on, run, shut off....,over and over. It heats up the air and eventually the rest of garage/workshop....(contents) eventually. Whereas a properly sized unit may seem to run a little longer (to you that is) but it will give more time for everything in the shop/garage to gain the heat...equipment, benches, tools, walls. The units are designed to run and run-don't worry about that. Here is a link to northern tool stores. About double from what you want to spend on a used unit. Space saving size as opposed to the vertical style of he used unit also. With the used unit, chances are it may have a standing pilot as opposed to no pilot light on this one. This new unit can be vented horizontally (very big advantage) and the size of venting is 4" (B-vent of course). Includes LP kit. T-stat controlled that also offers a fan only feature. Northern tool will also offer free shipping from time to time. Cripes, sounds like I'm a salesman for them! I guess check around your local sources. Mr. Heater Big Maxx Natural Gas Garage/Workshop Unit Heater 80,000 BTU, Model# MHU80NG | Natural Gas Garage Heaters| Northern Tool + Equipment
yooperdave - do you own one of these units? It seems like Modine was the best but decent reviews on the cheaper Mr. heaters. You make some good points about over kill and ceiling fans - which I hadn’t considered. Thanks
Have you considered a Radiant Tube Heater? No noise, no dust or moving air, lower energy use. Heats objects, not the air. I have one in my workshop and like it and it's propane. The Comfortzone High Efficiency Radiant Tube Heater - Easy Radiant Works
I do not own one. I have installed a few back in the day though. As a matter of fact, that was one of the falls I took while on the ladder!
Yes, it's a ceiling mount... i like it because they use less energy and quickly warm objects but not air as much. I used to have a ceiling mount forced air and switched to radiant tube. Here's mine the little you can see it...
https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...088-c-6865.htm?tid=8118405874051245187&ipos=1 Agreed with Yooper on the above unit. Buddy has one in a 2 stall sized shop (overkill). Works very well. Electric ignition. Seems efficient. Worth a look.
In all truthfulness make sure it vents outside because the moisture output from a propane heater that doesn’t is incredible! Also like others have said bigger isn’t always better as far as fuel usage and such. Another thing to consider is the noise factor some of those furnaces are noisy and annoying if your going to be out there working. We had the exact one you are looking at in a shop I worked at and it drove me nuts!
Thanks guys. Appreciate the input, keep it coming! Definitely agree on the venting as one of the main reasons of adding heat is to better store the machines and tools I have (table, radial arm and band saws, drill press, chainsaw, splitter, motorcycle and dirt bikes, etc.) so we wouldn’t want to be pumping moisture in there. Now help me with the pros/cons of the two here - the mr heater forces air and the radiant tube What constitutes a good setup for either one? Here’s some photos I had on my phone pre-woodworking setup and less stuff in general haha
