I built a building to house my 4 sided planer and woodshop... I want to heat to woodshop.. I've been looking at the Hot Dawg Propane Heater and a Fujitsu Heat Pump. I can have the Heatpump installed quite abit cheaper and the Sales Rep says it would be allot cheaper to run... I aiming towards the heatpump but would like some input if you've had experience with either ..
The heat pump will be much more economical. You will have to make extra effort to keep sawdust out of the air handler and filter system, or the heat pump will lose efficiency. Make sure that you let the contractor know what ideal temperature you wish to maintain in the shop, summer and winter. Regards, Clark
I thought that the efficiency of a heat pump dropped when the temperature dropped below freezing and heat strips were required?
Comparing propane heat to electric heat pump requires estimating the future cost of propane vs electricity. There is also a considerable difference in initial cost. If the shop will be heated full-time, operating cost is more important than installation cost but both should be considered.
With all that said; I think a hot dog type heater is for temporary situations and not really suitable for heating a shop.
My boss got a Fujitsu heat pump installed a couple years ago.
He still has a wood and oil combination forced air furnace.
The heatpump keeps his home toasty warm in our coldest temps -25 c.
Keeps it comfy in the summer as well.
I would not have beleived it if I wasn't there.
Only time the wood furnace is used now is if he plans ahead to do something in his basement.
If you can get the heatpump installed reasonable then that is the way to go in my opinion.
His is very economical to run to and there are no heatstrips in it. His powerbill is less than before.
Regards Chris
I'd probably burn wood myself.
He may not want the constant maintenance a wood burning appliance requires nor have a steady supply of inexpensive firewood.
My shop has an overhead radiant heater, it heats the floor and objects in the building which in turn heat the air same way the sun works. It does the job as long as I don't let the temperature drop too much when the shop is not in use, takes too long to heat up and draws a lot of power. I also have to wear my FF hat to keep from getting my bald pate burnt. ;D
The hot Dawg Heater is for full time use it hangs from the ceiling I was hoping for some people that may have tried either or.... Thanks Snowshoveler That's pretty much what the Fujistu guy claimed.... just a little upkeep on the filters..
I'd burn wood myself, too. Easy to get rid of the wood scraps and sweepings, too.
Insurance won't allow a wood burner...
Time for different insurance, then!
I had all I could do to find a insurance Co. That would insure me because I do Cedar..... Shopped around this year again...
The new heat pumps run r410a for refrigerant. This has allowed them to put heat out efficiently to around 20*F outdoor ambient temperature. The old ones ran with r22, anything below 40*F outside just wasn't practical, that's where the electric backup came in. With a ductless split there is no electric heat to go with it. For a woodshop I wouldn't recommend putting in the Fujitsu because of the fine dust. The filters won't stop all of the dust and your evaporator coil will plug and on those they are not easy to clean. The other drawback to them is the cost of service and parts. There is a large main board in the outdoor unit and another one in the indoor unit, they are not cheap. On the other hand with the hanging unit heater there are few parts and they are cheap compared to the other unit to replace. Usually there is a fan motor, an ignition box, gas valve and intermittent spark ignition. In the long run it will be more reliable. Sorry for the long winded response but this is an area I can help with more than milling, it's what I do for a living for the last ten years. I work for a union outfit doing large commercial and industrial HVAC and refrigeration. I get into a lot of both of those units for shops and server rooms. If you're looking for AC as well you would probably be better served with a standard split system, propane furnace with an A cool that uses a good pleated air filter. You can hang these units from the ceiling too to save space. More expensive to buy but a much better option for longevity over the ductless split.
Thank you for bringing me up to speed regarding the refrigerant. The R22 units that I am familiar with are what prompted my response above concerning efficiency.
Quote from: Dewey on October 29, 2015, 05:33:14 PM
I had all I could do to find a insurance Co. That would insure me because I do Cedar..... Shopped around this year again...
Wow, no kidding...it's getting crazy, the insurance companies are some pretty big thieves. I got injured recently, my own fault, and my insurance company sent me paperwork to fill out to see if there is anyone else they can blame as well. They want to know where it happened, who you were with, who owned what, etc etc. Crazy. This lawsuit society has got to stop!
I had a Hot Dawg heater in my old shop and didn't really care for it. Forced air sucks in a work shop because it blows dust around. No matter how much dust collection you have its always an issue. You also have to keep it clean or the igniter will not work. It was also not cheap to run. In my new shop I went with in floor heating. No blowing dust and more cost effective.
I like infloor heat also . Have a friend that has the hanging radiant tube heaters in his shop . He said that they work if you don't have any big equipment in for repairs . The heat is shadowed off and the floor and workspace in the shadow will get very cold .( this takes place in the space of four to five days)
Infloor heat rises all over , just don't pile lots of stuff on the floor ,that insulates the radiation of heat and the place will get cold .
Infloor is probably the best for what the OP wants to heat. Problem is it's pretty darn hard to install it after the fact. I built a wood boiler for my shop and just burn lumber scraps, works well for me. When I have my barn up I'm building a waste oil drip burner out of an old woodstove I have for the first floor and a sawdust burner for the upstairs woodshop. Shame the guy has to battle insurance companies for heating a shop. Pretty sad state of affairs these days.
Dewey, I don't know all the facts and how much time you will spend in your shop. Myself I would install an outside wood furnace big enough to heat your house and shop. Radiant floor heat is dandy, if not, baseboard or old fashioned radiators or all of the above. You will have the furnace going anyways to heat your house, shop will be a bonus. Frank C.
I had tubing installed in the floor and will use a OWB to burn scrap wood. If the floor is already down a heat exchanger with fan will work.
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Well thanks for the input.....Still not sure which way to go .. all have valid points.... Wood heat is out of the question... I have a hard time doing the 10+ cord for the house now....
Go to a website like Hog Slat or Farmer Boy Ag. Check out the LB White heaters they run on Propane or Natural Gas. They are vent less forced air and designed for the dusty corrosive environment of hog houses. They hook up to 110 volts and are controlled by a remote thermostat. They are small and hang from the ceiling. I use a 100,000 BTU size and they have hot surface or pilot lite to start them with their own onboard computer controls. Cost is $400 to $500.00.
Quote from: HOGFARMER on November 03, 2015, 08:10:52 PM
Go to a website like Hog Slat or Farmer Boy Ag. Check out the LB White heaters they run on Propane or Natural Gas. They are vent less forced air and designed for the dusty corrosive environment of hog houses. They hook up to 110 volts and are controlled by a remote thermostat. They are small and hang from the ceiling. I use a 100,000 BTU size and they have hot surface or pilot lite to start them with their own onboard computer controls. Cost is $400 to $500.00.
That sounds like a great heater.