You and your work area

[blacktieaffair]

Wasn't quite sure where to post this so I hope its ok to do so here.

I have a question for those of you who have workshops at your home, either in basements, garages, etc, that doesn't have central heat.

When I first "built" my original shop, we converted a very oversized detached double garage into a shop. I got a window unit that had ac AND heat.. paid dearly for it but it was so nice and it was really good on electricity even in the summer heat with a metal roof.

It was perfect ... and now its gone, we moved, and I haven't had enough cash to justify buying another unit like that to go in this garage, and pay an electrician to run a 220 plug for it and the stove top I need.

This house is TINY and its driving me absolutely bonkers while trying to work. I have arts and crafts everywhere, on every available space, to the point my kitchen island is now "holding central " for things.

I've decided to break down and get some type of heater that will heat a normal to small size detached double garage (not sure of the sq ft but its a super tight fit for two cars.. to the point Ive never tried to put two cars in it).

What type ( as in fuel system ) of heater do you guys use that is economical. Electric plug in heaters scare me not only because of possible fire, but electrical cost, propane and natural gas are high .... Just need some options , dont care what it is.. but I can't take this anymore. I want my house back and not to be ashamed if someone comes to see me, I have to move 10 things so they can sit down!

TIA

[annie123]

We just got an Eden Pure Infrared Heater at Costo.

I don't know how the electric cost compares to other means of heating but I really like it. it does not get hot and my cats like to sit on and in front of it.

http://edenpureus.us/inc/sdetail/1810?gclid=COnh68KR_a0CFUmMtgodPWQDvg

[iansmommaya]

i heated a shop space at my old house with gas, we had a line run from the basement to the garage/shop space. we also heated by woodstove for the house and garage. i like wood heat the best. the wood was mostly free although you have to work for it.

[blacktieaffair]

Thanks for the tips ladies !!!!

Annie, I've kicked around the idea of getting an Edenpure for the house because for some reason, the heat doesn't seem to go into the bedrooms very well at all but you can tell a 5 degree or so temp difference between one side of the bedroom door and then step through and get another 5 degree temp change LOL. I don't mind spending a lil money on this thing, as long as it works well enough and doesn't cost me a fortune!

iansmommaya , I do love wood burning. My fireplace is my most favorite thing about this house other than the jacuzzi in my bedroom LOL But , wood is so expensive here ( you wouldn't think it would be in the mountains but it is ! ) and my fear is, keeping the space at a constant room temp, and having to get up in the middle of the night to feed the unit I might only sleep in 4 hour shifts but I really dont want to have to wake up in the middle of the night twice and get dressed, walk outside in the 20 degree weather and feed that monster LOL

Oh and gas lines ran is out of the question, we unfortunately dont have gas anything on this property and since we are only renting to own, the landlord wont even let me put up anything major on the walls much less so anything structural ... can you tell Im NOT real happy with that man ? LOL

Edited February 1, 2012 by blacktieaffair

[KrazeKelly]

We have snakes and have to keep their room an ambient temp of around 85 year round. We use a Delonghi oil filled heater w/ adjustable thermostat. It runs 24/7 and I have not noticed much of an increase on our electric bill.

[moonshine]

Edenpure hands down

We got one for the garage to keep the barn cats toasty in the winter - I have never had to put past 2 bars of heat and it stays a cozy 65 for them and our garage is not that insulated- it runs constant but its safe- that is the biggest issue I have with heating units- my husband wanted to run gas in there and put one of those wall heaters but I had nightmares about the cats jumping on top and catching their tails on fire!

My electric did go up but you will pay one way in one way or another to accomplish what you need

So long story short I would think one of these units will give you a good temp for candle pouring and not have to worry about the safety or fumes

[blacktieaffair]

Again, thanks so much !!! Who'd-a thunk it would be so hard to pick out a dang heater LOL I really appreciate all the input !

[Sharon44]

I have a Delonghi I use in my kitchen. It works well and my kitty loves to sit by it. I would say one of the oil filled or an edenpure. I'm considering one of those for my living room. It faces north and is always so cold!!

[iansmommaya]

Thanks for the tips ladies !!!!

iansmommaya , I do love wood burning. My fireplace is my most favorite thing about this house other than the jacuzzi in my bedroom LOL But , wood is so expensive here ( you wouldn't think it would be in the mountains but it is ! ) and my fear is, keeping the space at a constant room temp, and having to get up in the middle of the night to feed the unit I might only sleep in 4 hour shifts but I really dont want to have to wake up in the middle of the night twice and get dressed, walk outside in the 20 degree weather and feed that monster LOL

Oh and gas lines ran is out of the question, we unfortunately dont have gas anything on this property and since we are only renting to own, the landlord wont even let me put up anything major on the walls much less so anything structural ... can you tell Im NOT real happy with that man ? LOL

no, i understand wood is different prices in different places. here we can get felled trees for free by the river, or burn ash grindings from the city, or all kinds of things. if you live in a lot of the mountains i know of they are owned by huge corp. and the corp. isn't giving away anything for free. i totes get it. plus heating by wood is a lot of work. its a commitment.

[Candybee]

I second the DeLonghi oil filled heater. I use their portable radiator heater and it hardly costs anything to run it. It heats up a very large sized room. I got mine at Lowes for under $50. Plus its programmable. I can set it run on any 24 hr program I want and leave it. I have been using it going on 3 yrs now and its by far my fav heater including all my digital heaters. My cats love to snuggle up to it.

We have an Edenpure in our office. It heats okay but not quite as nice as my DeLonghi radiator. At their $300+ price-- yikes!! I'll stick to my Delonghi.

Edited February 5, 2012 by Candybee

[blacktieaffair]

So , yall are saying you believe the Delonghi radiator heater , will heat and keep a double garage ( concrete floor ) around 70?? ( and no I wont sue yall if it doesn't LOL )

[Stella1952]

the , will heat and keep a double garage ( concrete floor ) around 70??

Well, that depends on the outside temp and the amount of insulation in the garage... I live in the Gulf south in an old drafty wood house. I bought 2 programmable and 2 non-programmable Delonghi radiator heaters three years ago. I will never go back to central heat of any kind since I have found these to be extremely energy efficient & pay a fraction of what I once did for central gas heat (the fan on the heater was electric which caused a bump in the electric bill during winter). Even when the outside temp dips to the teens, they keep the house reasonably warm in the areas I inhabit and the rooms I seldom use and close off have not dipped below 45°F.

I have found they work best when kept on continuously so that they don't have to rewarm the structure. I keep them set very low or on standby when the weather is cool and crank them up slightly just before nightfall. Even in the coldest weather, setting one at max in the bathroom and waiting an hour produces a bathing environment even a cold-intolerant creature like me can stand enough to loll in the bathtub for an hour. When the weather is very mild, I can turn them completely off.

My candle room does not contain a heater normally, but stays around 60-65°F if the door is left open. When I pour, I move the heater into the room, close the door and the environment becomes quite warm in an hour. I leave the heater on for at least 24 hours post pouring so the candles don't cool too rapidly.

I heartily recommend these. The only thing to remember is that they are radiant heaters, so they do not heat a cold room quickly. Keeping them set low and running continuously gets the best efficiency from them. They do draw some amperage when initially heating, so it's important to have them on a circuit that isn't already loaded up with other appliances and never use an extension cord with them. I routinely feel the wall socket where they are plugged and the plug & cord to check if overheating is occurring. Even at startup, mine never get past warm.

[blacktieaffair]

Welp, I think I will do a little study. DS and I were going back and forth between that one, and a quartz heater that has really good ratings for the use we will need. Also in checking the "normal" electricity usage, it was really high on effeciency. I think I will get both because honestly, the two of them together, are the same as one pro shop heater I was considering briefly. I'll do a week long test with each one, and considering the temps around here , taking that into effect, I'll see which one does the best, and use the other one in my bedroom. For some reason, it's always cold in there ( plus I have a jacuzzi in it that has windows all around it so its cold because of all the glass ). Either way, I needed two. Will get both and see what happens !

THANKS for all the info yall. ( and , knowing me, I'll change my mind five more times before I swipe the card! )

[PAgirl89]

Wasn't quite sure where to post this so I hope its ok to do so here.

I have a question for those of you who have workshops at your home, either in basements, garages, etc, that doesn't have central heat.

When I first "built" my original shop, we converted a very oversized detached double garage into a shop. I got a window unit that had ac AND heat.. paid dearly for it but it was so nice and it was really good on electricity even in the summer heat with a metal roof.

It was perfect ... and now its gone, we moved, and I haven't had enough cash to justify buying another unit like that to go in this garage, and pay an electrician to run a 220 plug for it and the stove top I need.

This house is TINY and its driving me absolutely bonkers while trying to work. I have arts and crafts everywhere, on every available space, to the point my kitchen island is now "holding central " for things.

I've decided to break down and get some type of heater that will heat a normal to small size detached double garage (not sure of the sq ft but its a super tight fit for two cars.. to the point Ive never tried to put two cars in it).

What type ( as in fuel system ) of heater do you guys use that is economical. Electric plug in heaters scare me not only because of possible fire, but electrical cost, propane and natural gas are high .... Just need some options , dont care what it is.. but I can't take this anymore. I want my house back and not to be ashamed if someone comes to see me, I have to move 10 things so they can sit down!

TIA

I'm in the same boat. I have a 2 car detached garage and was thinking of either building a workshop out there or renovating my laundry room and making the garage a walk in retail shop. I have a fairly large ranch home, but every spare room I have is getting filled with candle supplies and made product, I'd like to have my house back! LOL At least if I make my laundry room a work shop, I can close the door and it's out of sight when company comes to visit. Now, my kitchen and living room looks like a disaster area because that is where I do all of my work. The garage is not heated, but does have electric and I'm wondering how much work, um money it would take to renovate it to what I would need to sustain a workshop. I'd prefer to have the workshop inside my house, just for convenience sake, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too long and I'd be wanting a larger work area than just the one 12x12 room.

I just renovated the entire house about 3 years ago, and I wasn't making candles at the time, so the carpet and floors are practically brand new, it wouldn't be a good idea to take out the carpet and replace it with other flooring, so I'm limited to the room I use for a workshop inside the house. The garage seems like my only other option, however, I would have to add insulation, heat, and water to the garage. I'm not sure if I want to invest more money in renovating the garage or limit myself to the space in my already insulated and heated 12x12 laundry room.

I have to do something, the candle supplies are cluttering up my living space and it's making me bonkers! LOL

[blacktieaffair]

PA, I SO feel what you're dealing with. I was blessed the last time, and this time, that both garages are insulated. But, there's no water here nor in the old one. I had to make do and run to the outside faucet to get water.. when it was cold, I had a very large vat in the shop I'd get water out of ( for washing and such) and I just hauled it all to the kitchen at night to wash what I couldn't outside in the shop. Yeah it was a pain, and it will be again, but I didnt have the money and dont now, to put running water in. At least it was all out of the way and I could "escape" it for a while, and leave work at work ya know?

I got the heater today, putting it on tonight.. it's been so warm here this winter its nutty. ( aren't we supposed to be COLD by now ? ) I am sitting here with the doors and windows open now, but in a few hours it'll drop back to around 25 or 28. (its 55 now, has been being in the 60s in the mountains of Tn)

My laundry room ? LOL I tried, .. I can't even change my mind in that thing! But I did laugh at what you said about the living room, kitchen , etc being a disaster area.. I should post pictures LOL . Just know I feel ya, and I'll let you know how this heater works.

Dont know where up there you live, but Im sure in the larger towns/cities, if you will look around, you will find places that sells fixtures, lumber, insulation, drywall, anything and everything it takes to make a house.. and they sell it for CHEAP . Ours was called Rehab. Contractors donate what they don't need / can't use/ is slightly damanged and I got a ton of stuff for really great prices ( this was all in my other workshop and Im not near there anymore.. I guess I need to see if there is one in Knoxville ).. You might just run up on a steal Good luck and keep me posted ! I'd love to know what you decide .

[PAgirl89]

PA, I SO feel what you're dealing with. I was blessed the last time, and this time, that both garages are insulated. But, there's no water here nor in the old one. I had to make do and run to the outside faucet to get water.. when it was cold, I had a very large vat in the shop I'd get water out of ( for washing and such) and I just hauled it all to the kitchen at night to wash what I couldn't outside in the shop. Yeah it was a pain, and it will be again, but I didnt have the money and dont now, to put running water in. At least it was all out of the way and I could "escape" it for a while, and leave work at work ya know?

I got the heater today, putting it on tonight.. it's been so warm here this winter its nutty. ( aren't we supposed to be COLD by now ? ) I am sitting here with the doors and windows open now, but in a few hours it'll drop back to around 25 or 28. (its 55 now, has been being in the 60s in the mountains of Tn)

My laundry room ? LOL I tried, .. I can't even change my mind in that thing! But I did laugh at what you said about the living room, kitchen , etc being a disaster area.. I should post pictures LOL . Just know I feel ya, and I'll let you know how this heater works.

Dont know where up there you live, but Im sure in the larger towns/cities, if you will look around, you will find places that sells fixtures, lumber, insulation, drywall, anything and everything it takes to make a house.. and they sell it for CHEAP . Ours was called Rehab. Contractors donate what they don't need / can't use/ is slightly damanged and I got a ton of stuff for really great prices ( this was all in my other workshop and Im not near there anymore.. I guess I need to see if there is one in Knoxville ).. You might just run up on a steal Good luck and keep me posted ! I'd love to know what you decide .

It's been oddly warm here too in PA. 55 here today, but then it will cool off after the sun goes down to about 30. Weird weather for February but I'll take it!

I was hoping to put a utility sink in my laundry room and a nice size table to work on, currently working with the kitchen sink and it is becoming a real pain in the butt. I'd like to get some storage shelves for supplies, that would help a lot. Problem being with the laundry room being a limited space, I would have limited space for shelving.

I have been fortunate that my parents have been really supportive of this costly addiction/hobby. I think if I offer to put some of my own money into renovating a space, they would be more inclined to lend me the rest. Finding the time and the labor is another story. If my dad is going to lend me the money, he'll want to be the supervisor, and for him to find the time to do that is part of the problem. (Dad has his own business to run)

I'm hoping to receive a nice tax refund so that will help.

[blacktieaffair]

Well good luck with it honey and if there's anything we can do, just let us know!