shop heat a/c???

xjay

xjay

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Location
belmont
my shop is about 50x60 i was wondering about a reasonable way to heat and a/c the building
it is stick built on slab w/ 14ft ceilings
the walls and ceiling are insulated so its not bad but needs something
what do you guys think is the best way to go about
thanks in advance
 
I'm also interested to see what is out there. Unfortunately cooling my 3,000 sq ft shop doesn't seem too feasible. I've looked at the big mobile industrial units that look like a giant r2d2 but they're pretty big money, plus they use A LOT of power. So far having front and rear doors on the shop and good fans has worked okay and for heat I have a small sood stove that's roughly 3' x 2' x 2'. I'm next door to a pallet shop so I have an endless supply of good dry wood that burns hot and fast. It'll warm my entire shop to 70 deg when it's below 35 deg outside.
 
xjay said:
a wood stove is a thought i'v had too .....but seems like a lot of work
Click to expand...
It is a lot of work. I'd estimate that using the pallet wood which is basically rough cut 2x4's I probably have to fill the stove every hour to keep it hot. My advice would be to build a stove pretty large that will take a good bit of wood. The added surface area will heat better and it'll hold enough wood to last longer. I've also heard good things about corn heaters.
 
If your shop is not insulated you are wasting your money. Haven't seen it but that is the truth. Insulate first and then you can cool and heat. My shop is 2x6 walls with toung and groove 3/4 plywood inside and out with steel over the outside. Attic is 6in insulation with the roof also insulated. I have a 110 Window unit and you better wear a jacket if you come in August! Same with the heat.
 
again.... it is stick built and insulated walls and ceiling 3000sq ft....a window unit wont do
 
Cost wise, I think your best bet is a wood stove from November to March, and a heat pump with ducts and vents in the ceiling from May-September. Unless you want to go geothermal, which you would have enough space, but the upfront costs are high.
 
Build your own stove would be my .02. I've thought about running tubes through the body of a stove above the fire that would heat up and have a fan behind it blowing throught the hot tubes to circulate the air around the shop.
 
Mine is roughly 3' deep 20" wide and 20" tall. I'd go for maybe a wider than deep shape if you wanna try running the tubes through it. Maybe 3'-4' wide 2'-3' deep and 4' tall with the tubes in the top half of it and door down low. Make sure you add a way for air to get in down low to get a draft. With mine I've leanred to tune the draft to get the most heat and longevity out of the wood. Mine had a 6" hole in the top for the smoke stack to come out of. I added a baffle just under the hole to keep the heat in. A smaller outlet may have the same effect.
 
That sounds like a lot of metal but if you were to price a decent stove that big I think you could build it cheaper. Mine is a .25 plate. I'll try to snap a few pics tomorrow to give you some ideas on design.
 
A primitive drawing of what I plan to build.

wood stove.png
 
in my front building (4800 sqft) i have a waste oil heater, in the rear shop it's still propane and it costs me out the ass to heat it. as far as ac, i have none. i do have 2 large swamp coolers that keep the shops tolerable but it still gets hot.
 
not sure if this would be of interest to you, but i have a 2.5 or 3 ton HVAC unti that came out of the house. 10 seer Goodman unit. we upgraded the house unit about a year ago. it worked fine but is sititing outside right now. $100 if you want it (it is worth that for scrap).
 
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