Shop Heating

[Todd727]

I have a 2400 sq foot shop building. I had a commercial 5 ton packaged HVAC unit installed, everything sits outside and the heat is provided by propane. The entire installation was ~$6000. It works perfectly. It was 31 degrees yesterday morning and the insulated shop was a pleasant 65. I'm not keeping it warmer than that, as I really just need it to be warm enough to prevent condensation. The AC was outstanding all summer too.

5 Ton 14 SEER 80,000 BTU Goodman Gas Packaged Unit

The Goodman GPG1460080M41 is a gas heat and electric AC packaged unit, ready for any application where it is not convenient to have an indoor furnace or air handler. At 14 SEER and 80% AFUE, the GPG1460080M41 is an inexpensive option with a standard efficiency designed for rooftop and...

hvacdirect.com

 

[jwmay]

Nothing really exciting for me. I use an electric radiator. It's on all winter, and keeps it warm enough with no noise. I have a preference for quiet heat. Lol

 

[woodchucker]

the Mr. Cool unit went in ok, we ran into a problem with the wall. He's got multiple roof lines, so they left a 2 foot cavity from the outer wall to the inner wall. That caused us 2 issues, one we overcame, drilling from one wall to the other, but with some careful measuring we lined up pretty well. He doesn't have much height there, so it's 59" off the floor. But we ran into the fascia board to be straight, so we took the slight off and we are good with that. Being 24" is exactly the length of the tubing to the connector... so that really is where the main problem was, the bend was to occur at the connector. damn... We didn't get the duct for the tubing and electrical on time... so we are not sure how that will play into things.. whether we will have enough room to softly turn with that connector. He also decided he didn't want the unit on the concrete because of the snow drifts, so we mounted it up higher on the clap board. So I didn't get to play with my Hilti.. that thing cuts through concrete like butter... and it's so quiet and soft... It makes any other hammer drill look like crap.

Staying up here another day to do some finish work... ran out of light and we are hoping the outside duct comes tomorrow to install a cover over the tubing.

 

[Alcap]

Has anyone thought or used about electric radiante heat under a wood or laminate area in front of their machines . I have some of thoes rubber mats but if they were warmer my feet sure would be happier! I installed hydronic radiant floor heat under the dinner room and kitchen . Its enjoyable walking barefoot on it . One thought would be covering a section of the shop where the machines are with a vapor barrier, foam board , heat mat system , not under the machines , then bamboo or other type of floating floor covering . It’s listed as .016” thick .Here’s something from Home Depot but sold other places also different brands . https://www.homedepot.com/p/QuietWa...vers-30-sq-ft-QWARM3X10F240/205350261#overlay. https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/96/96706e1c-870e-428f-8c24-77d4db7408f8.pdf

 

[woodchucker]

Has anyone thought or used about electric radiante heat under a wood or laminate area in front of their machines . I have some of thoes rubber mats but if they were warmer my feet sure would be happier! I installed hydronic radiant floor heat under the dinner room and kitchen . Its enjoyable walking barefoot on it . One thought would be covering a section of the shop where the machines are with a vapor barrier, foam board , heat mat system , not under the machines , then bamboo or other type of floating floor covering . It’s listed as .016” thick .Here’s something from Home Depot but sold other places also different brands . https://www.homedepot.com/p/QuietWa...vers-30-sq-ft-QWARM3X10F240/205350261#overlay. https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/96/96706e1c-870e-428f-8c24-77d4db7408f8.pdf

that's neat, for a spot location it looks promising, bigger, and it gets expensive fast. Plus you need to have a laminate floor.

 

[RJSakowski]

At 12 watts/sq.ft., it would be minimal heating. If installed over concrete, I expect most of the heat would be absorbed by the concrete. A good insulating backing would help but will raise the floor height. If you decide to go that route, I would suggest using a foil faced foam board for backing. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RMAX-Pr...-R-3-2-Foam-Insulation-Board-637902/313501506

 

[Alcap]

That foam board isn’t for floors . The foam board I was thinking of using was a product like this . https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-C...Insulation-52DDNGX/315197962#product-overview . Ive used 2” similar under the basement slab on our old house and from the band joists to the footer . It was blue I think it was Dow Corning

 

[Alcap]

This foil type vapor barrier over the foam board instead of plastic underneath might be better to reflect the heat . https://www.insulationmarketplace.com/product/smart-foil.html

 

[Alcap]

After reading about the laminate flooring all the ones that were at a reasonably price wanted a climate controlled and not even sure it would make a difference doing all that work and $$ I ordered this Cozy mat to see how well . Not knowing how well it would withstand chips a sacrifical or something that will take the higher temperature of this mat 150*f . https://www.cozyproducts.com/collections/all/products/super-foot-warmer

 

[jbolt]

Circling back on this I think my best option in a forced air unit. The radiant tube heaters are interesting but my layout isn't ideal for one. For those of you with with forced air how are you accounting for combustion air? Mr. Heater units use room air. Some of the Modine units have separate outside air intakes. My shop is well insulated and pretty tight.