Propane heat?

[kstompaint]

I got a new shop that I'm getting ready to renovate. I need to heat about 1600 sq ft of garage with 15' ceilings and about another 800-1000 sq ft of offices with 8' ceilings (divided in 3 areas). There's no natural gas available. I'm looking into overhead radiant tube heaters that run on propane for the garage and wall mounts in the offices. I'm trying to gauge operating costs. Anybody using these?

 

[ChiknNutz]

Can't comment on that exact setup, but in my home shop I have a propane Reznor heater heating a 1280 SF shop with 13' ceilings. I don't run it very often now, but when we had the business in there it worked okay and was fairly economical. I don't recall exact costs, but wasn't too bad.

 

[LoGl]

Propane

We just got hooked up a couple of days ago. Propane heater (Rinnai Direct Vent Wall Furnace) which we paid around $2200 for install and unit. The tank is 120 gallon unit and that cost us around $3.25 per gallon to fill. I am told that the Rinnai is EXTREMELY efficient, I am using it to heat the top floor of my barn which is apx. 1,000 sq ft and we insulated it with closed cell foam. I am told that we will most likely go through about one tank per month of propane. So far it is heating up here pretty good. It is set at between 60-68 degrees but mainly seems to be staying on. The catch here is that the first floor of the barn is just the sheathing on the walls (open to all elements) and the 3" floor boards (which also are open to elements underneath barn). We will close this up eventually, but for now have added a wood stove in hopes that will get us through the winter. I haven't got that going just yet, so am hoping it does the trick. Also, we will convert the propane to gas in the spring once we can do some digging.

Email me in a few weeks, and I can let you know how this all turns out, if you are interested.

Have a nice day....STAY WARM!
~Lori

 

[LoGl]

...oops...realized you were inquiring on tubing....sorry....

I did consider that too, but was concerned with trying to keep esthetics of barn in tact for first floor space. Also, was told would be pretty expensive.

Another point I forgot to make....The closed cell foam is KEY!!! Well worth the expense....our last home was completely insulated with it and we barely turned on our heat ever. HUGE!

 

[kstompaint]

I already have the foam insulation set up to be installed. It is going to be pricey but I know it will pay for itself in the long run. The tube heaters would be for the garage area, I am considering wall mount ventless propane for the office areas.

 

[jiarby]

I haven't turned my heater on since 2007... but my AC runs non stop from May to October. LOL!

Heating a barn sounds expensive. Maybe a radiant floor heating system run by a solar powered hot water heater would reduce gas costs??

 

[Heis3335]

I heat my shop with a radiant tube type heater, and love it. Objects are always warm, along with the floor. No blower pushing around extra dirt and dust. Would never go back to forced air, jut my 2 cents.
Rob

 

[OldPaint]

this is my shop heater. 30, 000 BTU REZNOR. shop is 24 X 30 X 16' tall. when its high 30's 40's it bring shop to 65-68 in a short time on a propane bottle, 20 pounder. it can get me a thru about 4-5 days befoe i need to refill for $15.00.

 

[itzdeb]

I love my propane heater but radiant is good too if you want to heat objects (or bodies).

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

Waste oil heater

 

[iSign]

wow... that's insane the things people have to do... I look at snow & I miss it.. but damn.. heaters, installation, heating bills... I literally forgot those things exist