Sounds like its a bit too small and weady for what you want but its yours if you want it for the price of the postage. It might take the edge off the cold
Seeings as winter is comming again, I really dont fancy spending the next 4 months shivering away in my drafty garage... Some years its so cold in
there I swear I might actually start sticking to my steel tools...
Its a concrete double garage built into a hillside woth one very leaky door...
Now I can potentially seal up the door a bit better and insulate it, but....
What is the best LOCOST way of heating such a large space effectivley? The turbo fan blowers in machinemart look ok, but they aint cheap!
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Seeings as winter is comming again, I really dont fancy spending the next 4 months shivering away in my drafty garage... Some years its so cold in there I swear I might actually start sticking to my steel tools...
Its a concrete double garage built into a hillside woth one very leaky door...
Now I can potentially seal up the door a bit better and insulate it, but....
What is the best LOCOST way of heating such a large space effectivley? The turbo fan blowers in machinemart look ok, but they aint cheap!
gas is good but bad for unprotected metal
those outside electric patio heaters are good and is what i use.
I've got a spare wall mounted fan heater that came out of the bathroom.
Sounds like its a bit too small and weady for what you want but its yours if you want it for the price of the postage. It might take the edge off the
cold
I had looked at them...
The infrared light isnt going to have any negative effects on my eyes or skin is it?... Just a bit worried lol...
Glad you mentioned that...silly me for forgetting that burning gas produces water vapour....not good for metal
Avoid using propane/butane or paraffin heaters - they can put a lot of moisture into the air, which condenses onto cold metal and causes rust. (oops!
Too slow)
Ever thought about a wood-burner? Could you install a simple pipe chimney? Machine Mart sells stoves - but the cost adds up when you factor in flues
etc.
[Edited on 18/9/07 by David Jenkins]
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
I had looked at them...
The infrared light isnt going to have any negative effects on my eyes or skin is it?... Just a bit worried lol...
Glad you mentioned that...silly me for forgetting that burning gas produces water vapour....not good for metal
Where did you buy one for £9 as when I bought mine I looked everywhere at it was about £20-£30 IIRC.
We're talking about the same things, like a metal floodlight but bigger and with an IR tube in it. The replacement tubes are more than that
IIRC.
Infra red doesn't harm your skin or eyes, that's ultra violet. IR is used in a lot of muscle treatments/physiotherapy so it might actually
do you some good 
Work realy fast - friction is a great heater 
Obviously you want to add as much insulation / draft proofing as is practical.
If your garage is next to the house, you might extend the central heating to add a small radiator in the garage. This should take the chill off and
give you something warm to lean against
quote:
Originally posted by hobbsy
Where did you buy one for £9 as when I bought mine I looked everywhere at it was about £20-£30 IIRC.
We're talking about the same things, like a metal floodlight but bigger and with an IR tube in it. The replacement tubes are more than that IIRC.
quote:
Originally posted by hobbsy
Where did you buy one for £9 as when I bought mine I looked everywhere at it was about £20-£30 IIRC.
We're talking about the same things, like a metal floodlight but bigger and with an IR tube in it. The replacement tubes are more than that IIRC.
If it's cut into a hillside the loss through the walls isn't going to be much. The leaky door is going to be the main problem.....
Short of sorting that out I can personally recommend a Dickies thermal worksuit. Even in the midst of winter that badboy gets too hot and I have to
start unzipping it to let steam out!!! I've got a cheap oil filled radiator but must admit I never use it since getting the Dickies suit.
I'd say its pretty Locost (using your own body heat to keep warm!!)...
http://www.dickiesstore.co.uk/dickies-workwear/dickies-and-redhawk-overalls/dickies-deluxe-overalls/WD2360R/0/
Whatever you do don't use a cheap convection (blower) heater with a coiled element (bar IR elements are okay). The use lots of energy blowing
round cold air, give of poxy amounts of heat for the energy they consume, give off really bad smells if you get glass fibre dust on the elements and
if you get iron fillings on them from angle grinding they tend to blow!!! My brother got through 3 of them before realising they're shite!!!
[Edited on 18/9/07 by BenB]
tried heating mine using a convection heater .... it got to the point i'd leave it on an hour before going into the garage and it would still
then be damned cold.
tried the infra red heater and it was good stood next to it - but had a range of about 3 feet.
This summer i've boarded out the attic space (just finishing it now - started months ago). i'm also going to foil line (and if i find enough
/ can figure out how to still access the attic space bubble wrap between the foil and boarding)
The plan is to reduce the drafts from the roof space / reduce the volume to be heated. If i can then insulate the garage door (I 'gave' my
dad the insulation i'd acquired) i think i'd be ok. Its a single skin garage so will never get warm but should be bearable.
As for clothing, i've tried thermals, layers etc but for me the biggest problem is cold hands. Once they get cold i can't pick stuff up and
work.
If all else fails, 150 amp welder on full power and run a series of beads on some 5mm steel. that should radiate heat for a while
i used one of those halogen cheapo heaters with a fan heater above it to distribute heat batter in my old large garage with pitched roof. Worked
great.
You dont need the garage to be toasty warm when you are working, just the chill taken off it.
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Ever thought about a wood-burner? Could you install a simple pipe chimney? Machine Mart sells stoves - but the cost adds up when you factor in flues etc.
[Edited on 18/9/07 by David Jenkins]
Nice - you could get a sofa and telly out there too. Possibly even some tea brewing facilities to help keep the chill out.
True Locost style:
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me11.html
dont forget a kettle, toaster and internet connection
Pot belly stove, Cheap to run. Wouldn't be without it.
garage Stove
Andy
quote:
Originally posted by Andy W
Pot belly stove, Cheap to run. Wouldn't be without it.
Andy
don't be daft man, we're locosters, hold it in front of the infra red heater, why else did you buy three pairs of welding gloves when they
where on special offer
Hi
Before trying to heat it.
Insulate it.
Use those brush type insulating strips round the sides of the garage door.
If the door is the metal up and over type, these work like a big radiator in reverse (any heat you put into the garage they radiate to the outside)
Insulate all the back of it with 1 inch polystyrene (the fire protected sort, big sheets from Wickes or B&Q ).
You must insulate under the roof with whatever material you can get in there - again polystyrene is good and cheap - Kingspan is better.
Secondary double glazing looks naff but works.
My double garage is heated by 2 oil filled radiators on timer switch's - quite comfortable even in the middle of winter and no condensation
either.
Hope this helps
Yes it is an up and over garage door...So im going to give that a shot...fitting draft excluders and insulation...
Where is the best place to get the draft excluders from?..The gaps are quite large!
And as for insulating the roof....Its nearly 1.5 feet of reinforced concrete....Think thats plenty of insulation....lol....Im pretty sure the builders
thought they were building a fallout shelter!
[Edited on 18/9/07 by tegwin]
Gave up reading all that - tumble dryer every time wins hands down (and keeps SWMBO happy).
Pat...
pot bellied stove and get bags of wood from fence manufactuers ,window companies,joiners shops etc .i fit windows for a living and give all my old frames to a guy who heats his whole house by coal fire saves us both a fortune.for gaps on doors pop rivet some dpc to edges
Got a home built wood burner in my workshop, made it from barrels & a steel telegraph pole. Not pretty if you have neighbours but very locost!
Got plenty forestry around here & the waste wood left behind when harvesting would keep us all warm.
The roof & 2 of the walls are insulated too.
indeed woodburner with kettle function for melting frozen beercans, would be the awnser. I build my whole car that way never felt cold, but that was
insulated good,
now moved house and have a garage on the first floor with connection to house heating system, ahhhhhhh so nice
grtz Thomas
You can burn waste oil on a pot belly, just light it and get it warm with coal, wood etc then drop in a steel plate and drip feed waste oil onto it when its hot . Use a piece of fuel hose with an adjustable pipe clamp to regulate flowand a piece of steel pipe into top of stove. .