Thread: Another heating season for the shop

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For yrs I have been associated with the sales of these kerosene heaters.Now I am not trying to sell anything here,but I am just trying to pass along the info.

Certainly there are many forms of heaters out there using the four forms of fuel.Electrical,gas,fuel oil/kerosene,wood.One thing you can count on in each form of fuel and the heater you use/bought.Either you buy a high efficiency heater and save on the fuel or you end up paying more for the fuel never having the saving.Logical.Right??. Because of that purchases of a intermediate step of temporary heat is really a waste of money that could be applied to what you need for a permanent solution.Of course the exception is guys that have free fuel like guys that have wood stoves and the wood is free.One thing that is very true is fire marshals take a dim view of a wood stove and all the gas and chemicals that could be in a shop.I don't think the fire marshals position on that is totally baseless.

I have a 200,000 salamander with a on board thermostat which is loud and has a smell to it and I couldn't turn it down,go home,feel safe leaving it running to leave a base heat range in the shop and most of all isn't as efficient as a kerosene heat could be.I am thinking many of you guys have the same thing.

So how would feel if you could get a kerosene heater that was programmable,exhausted to the outside,and was 93% efficient??. Monitor Heaters started in England where fuel oil is the main source for heat.No chimney to go up the side of the shop and even a window plate for temporary use where you could take it anywhere if you moved.?There are two cases I can pass along to you guys.One was a video store using it for primary heat and the total cost of heating it was $237.00 for the season and the other was a lawnmower shop that was in the basement of a fairly large barn where in 15 minutes you where in a t shirt.

So here is a link to what I am trying to describe.Spend sometime looking at it because it is worth considering:

Oil Stoves by Monitor / Monitor Heaters

Again-I am not selling anything here.Just trying to pass along the info.

These infra red radiant tube heaters are far better.

http://www.calcana.com/garage-heater...ge-heaters.htm

I use LP a 200,000 unit forced air H.E,Before anyone say anything it is a counter flow. my shop is just under 2000 SQ.Ft. with 9' ceilings, I turn the thermostate down all the way at night and never over 65 during the day..This ones been out there about 2 years the first one lasted 12 years here and 3 years in chicago (moved it here ) I can't complain, We heat the house with wood...Not free still have to spilt and stack and carry in.. Not going to get kero. by the 5 gal pal? But thanks for the info.

Think I'll stick with my natural gas furnace, just need to blow the dust out of it and crank up the thermostat....It's been there for 15 years or so and still works great.

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Think I'll stick with my natural gas furnace, just need to blow the dust out of it and crank up the thermostat....It's been there for 15 years or so and still works great.

And it probably burns lots of gas. My radiant tube heater burns natural gas as well, but small quantities of it. I spend only 40% of what the old furnace cost to run. Over a long cold Alberta winter that amounts to quite a few project $.

no, not really. Small shop, very well insulted....

Originally Posted by Blue One

And it probably burns lots of gas. My radiant tube heater burns natural gas as well, but small quantities of it. I spend only 40% of what the old furnace cost to run. Over a long cold Alberta winter that amounts to quite a few project $.

Yeah-you read my mind.The tubes is one form of efficient gas heater.Almost all forms of fuels have their peak performers.The exception is electric.The average per therm costs are cheaper,but the output to get to the same temps uses more thus costing more to run.With wood the high "E" is wood pellets and because of that the ash left is 1/4 cup per every 40lb bag.Basicly one clean out a wk.Dave depending on how old you deal is,it can't be much more than 70%.I had a older furnace in my old shop which was 32' x 24' ceiling insulated.I did a favor for a friend and we had two compressors running and the furnace running for about ten days to do the ruff body work on his truck. RG&E sent me the bill after that which was pretty rude.$1,200 for the month.Ouch!!.No B.S. Dave.I'm just saying you could having a gas service do better even if was buying used take out that was a newer one because those did have better ratings.

I gets back to my point.Pay less for the heater and then end up paying more for the fuel,or pay more for the heater and less for the fuel.The Monitor heaters is a example of a heat source that is 93%.Might even be able to use credit to buy one and then use the savings difference to pay it off.They have a tank lift pump system so you don't deal with the 5 gallon tanks.The pay back rating is 16 months in the savings.England stove works has the same pay back rating for the pellet stoves.But unless you have a generator either is much help requiring electric to run them in a power outage.

Gary, please!!! My gas bill is for the house and the garage....My entire heating bill for last winter, which was very long and abnormally cold, wasn't $1200. no idea what you pay for natural gas out there but it's obviously much higher then here! Don't apply east coast expenses to life out here in the middle of nowhere!!!!! I've heard and read all the bs on wood and corn fired pellet stoves, what the literature doesn't include is how much your insurance will go up if you have an open flame wood burner (includes pellet stoves). My furnace is electronic ignition, I wouldn't even want my heating unit to have a pilot light in a shop, let alone an open flame!!!! If I change my heat source at all it would be because I built a new shop and installed underfloor heat....

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Gary, please!!! My gas bill is for the house and the garage....My entire heating bill for last winter, which was very long and abnormally cold, wasn't $1200. no idea what you pay for natural gas out there but it's obviously much higher then here! Don't apply east coast expenses to life out here in the middle of nowhere!!!!! I've heard and read all the bs on wood and corn fired pellet stoves, what the literature doesn't include is how much your insurance will go up if you have an open flame wood burner (includes pellet stoves). My furnace is electronic ignition, I wouldn't even want my heating unit to have a pilot light in a shop, let alone an open flame!!!! If I change my heat source at all it would be because I built a new shop and installed underfloor heat....

I do have that bill framed somewhere.The figures I base what I am saying is off a national average.Dave I wouldn't think there is any insurance impact with a pellet stove because it isn't a open flame with a hopper load on the top.In 15 yrs of selling them I have never heard of one from a customer.I hear ya about the under floor heat.Boiler high "E" for that and flip flops in the dead of winter.

Talk to your insurance man, I did... That's why I'll have either my furnace with pilot-less ignition or underfloor heat. If I were to have a pellet stove, it would be in a building separate from the shop with the heat piped in. Open flames, no matter how well hidden, have no place in my shop!!!!!!! Those who didn't mention higher rates on their insurance for wood stoves and fireplaces probably forgot to "mention" it to their insurance agent!!!!!!

All your talk about heating is good, but IMO no amount of money "saved" from this unit to that will equal what good insulation will save!!!!! My ceiling has 10" roll insulation, with another 10" blown on top of it, sidewalls are 6" open insulation with a 4 mil vapor barrier, then Tyvek wrapped on the outside. Don't forget good ventilation in the attic, too!!! No heating system can be efficient without adequate insulation.

The "national average" figures I've seen only seem to include big cities from Chicago to the east....

No doubt about it Dave.When I had a customer that couldn't do much about his heater,insulation certainly is the next best cheap answer.It did in many cases set the stage for when that customer was willing to do a upgrade.Ceiling fans help a bunch too.