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Heating a home workshop? Too many options

15 replies

MissCherryCakeyBun · 14/09/2018 18:34

We are lucky enough to have a large outbuilding that was originally a double garage but we are converting it to a workshop/hobby room. The double doors removed and bricked up replaced by a metal security door. It also has double glazed windows. The roof is metal but has a ceiling with plentiful insulation in place and the walls are going to be lined with insulation board and then boarded as will the floor. The issue we have is how to heat this room as it's separate from the house so no chance of linking the central heating, so it's going to be electric heating of some kind but there seem to be so so many options Confused
I researched and can't get any straight thoughts on it. We will be using the room year round and as half of it will be for dressmaking and the other half for building models it needs to keep the damp out of the air as well as keeping it above freezing all year round.

Has anyone done anything similar and if so what did you go with? I've looked at a combination of those long round bar heaters and maybe a couple of storage heaters but I find it so bloody confusing.
The electrics to the workshop are sound as the whole house and outbuildings just been rewired, the garage even has its own consumer unit to run the stuff OH needs for hobbies

Any suggestions very very welcome

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MissCherryCakeyBun · 14/09/2018 18:50

The outside, however it's being re-rendered this weekend to sort out the damage to the rendering it's watertight and not damp inside but I just worry that it will become damp from moisture in the air if that makes sense?

Heating a home workshop? Too many options
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TeeBee · 14/09/2018 18:51

Storage heating.

UbercornsGoggles · 14/09/2018 19:47

I'd recommend looking into wood pellet boilers. The domestic renewable heat incentive makes it an excellent option if you can afford the up front cost.

MissCherryCakeyBun · 14/09/2018 20:06

Sadly not something we can afford and also not really a 24hr heat source to keep the place going when we are not in there ☹️

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fabulousathome · 15/09/2018 01:45

You can buy electric greenhouse heaters that come on when the temp drops below a certain level. Then have fan heaters for when you are in there working.

KitchenGuy · 15/09/2018 02:00

I know it sounds bizarre but basically all electric heaters are 100% efficient as the waste from inefficiency is actually heat.Therefore they will all cost exactly the same to run per kw/h. The only difference will be how you can manage the heat. As such, it's more important to have heaters with a with a good quality thermostat and timer as not to waste money overheating the room when being used or running too hot when it's not being used when a low heat setting would be more appropriate.

PragmaticWench · 15/09/2018 06:34

Will you be insulating the floor at all? DH has an office in the garden and after two years of freezing feet in the winter, is now taking up the floor to increase insulation.

Will you have issues with it becoming too hot in the summer?

diodon · 15/09/2018 06:54

As PP says make sure you've insulated the floor, my in-laws have a converted garage (heated by central heating as now part of house) but the floor is always freezing even with carpet.

I wouldn't go for fan heaters as you'll blow your models over/get dust on your sewing.

So issue 1 - keeping above freezin I'd just get an oil column heater with proper numbered themostat and leave that plugged in 24/7.

issue 2 keeping it warm while you're using it - realistically how many hours a week will you be using it i.e. just at part of the weekends/evenings say 8 hrs/week? - then I would just buy a few powerful panel/oil heaters and crank em on an hour before you need it and put them by your seating area.

Will the sewer and the model maker always be out there at the same time or can you partition the space to only heat one end or the other.

Looks like a lovely big space Envy Grin

diodon · 15/09/2018 07:01

Oh also i don't know the best solution but if you're storing fabrics in there you'll need to watch the humidity - you can get cheap sensors - either store it so the air can circulate or have the 24/7 heater on higher temp to keep them dry, or get a dehumidifier?

PoshPenny · 15/09/2018 15:35

I don't know if it will work for you, but my 12 x 12 foot wooden shed/office/sewing room in our garden is heated wth a Calor gas heater. Works brilliantly. I used to put a fire guard in front of it when the children were little and that also stopped the dogs sitting too close to it. I found electric heating prohibitively expensive and it kept tripping the circuit as it was overload when the tumble drier was running too A gas bottle lasts me ages. Depending on where in the country you are you might be better getting one that runs on orange gas bottles rather than blue, as they don't perform so well in freezing conditions. I believe there's a difference in the connector.

AshenFaced · 15/09/2018 15:44

Agree that multiple sources for different needs might be sensible.

For boosting the heat when you want to use it, a butane cylinder heater like this is an alternative to electric. Maybe they've been replaced by oil fired radiators now but growing up in a house with no central heating, these were our main heaters as they were much cheaper to run than electric ones. Obviously can't be used unattended though.

MissCherryCakeyBun · 15/09/2018 15:58

Calor has is a No.....my parents had a terrible episode with a Gas explosion in their house after a faulty calor gas canister failed. My mum and brother got bad burns ( and a payment from Calor for pain and suffering ) also with flammable paints and solvents in modelling it's just not safe.

I will look into oil and storage type heaters. And look at thermostatic control.

Does anyone have experience of these glass panel heaters that are about?

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PigletJohn · 15/09/2018 15:58

gas heaters create damp, because the hydrocarbons combine with oxygen from the air to form (approximately) CO2 and H2O.

You'll need to ventilate anyway to avoid suffocating, but I fear they will cause condensation rather than drying the building.

Also, does the floor have a DPM? Many outbuildings don't, so, by being laid in the damp ground, they will constantly wick moisture up and make the room humid. The floor will always be cold unless you actually heat it with, say, applied electric elements under tiles, which is expensive unless you have solar panels. Even then, there isn't much generated in winter which is when you need it.

PigletJohn · 15/09/2018 16:11

by "glass panel heaters" do you mean electric heaters?

As kitchenguy says, all electric heaters are equally efficient. They all turn 1kWh of electricity into 1kWh of heat. You may as well buy the cheapest safe product.

My preference for electric heaters is oil-filled radiators fixed to the wall. They are safest because they don't get hot enough to start a fire or burn you, and they give a more regular, comfortable heat.

Also consider Tube heaters fixed to the wall at skirting level. They are low power and will prevent damp and frost.

You need to have two thermostats to control the heating. When unoccupied, about 10C will keep it dry and prevent frost. You don't need a timer for protective heating, just a thermostat. On mild days it will not even turn on, but it will start up on a cold night. If you are in England, it's very cheap to keep an insulated building at 10C.

If you are going to be working in there every day, you might want a timer for the comfort heating, to come on (say) half an hour before you'll be going in there, and bring it up to something like 20C. Running comfort heating when not needed will be much more expensive.

If you have off-peak electricity available in the house, storage heaters will be cheaper to run, and floor heating becomes more realistic, because the block of concrete will retain heat. You can often get storage heaters for nothing on Freegle from people who are upgrading. They are very heavy because the contain bricks. They are made so you can take the bricks out to carry and transport them, you take the bricks out, and put them back inside the case when mounted in their new position. You will need a qualified electrician.

MissCherryCakeyBun · 15/09/2018 18:46

Thanks @PigletJohn very helpful reply, yes the floor will have a DPM under joists with a chipboard floor the walls and floor will also be lined with Celotex behind the ply/chipboard for insulation

As it has a concrete floor ( repaired ) we decided to give it an insulated suspended floor for comfort and warmth the windows can be opened too, there will be an air vent as my OH will have a small spray booth so needs that when spraying.

We don't have the cheap electric for storage heaters so won't look there

I will look at the tube heaters as they sound ideal for the low level requirements and the oil rads/heaters for the walls that I can pop up and switch on half hour before I need to work up there

Will do a spot of research on sizes and room size tomorrow , that and looking for the best price.

Thanks again

Heating a home workshop? Too many options
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