Cold Winter Ahead

[mnrite]

I have had my Bot since May and love It, But now it's time to prepair for winter. My shop is a seperate well insulated building that I can heat with propane. I use the shop 1 or 2 evenings a week and weekends. How warm do you think I need to keep the shop when I am not using It. If I let the temp drop any precautions I should take or things I should do to warm it up. I live in Buffalo, New York

Thanks
Mike

[stickman]

Mike,

I live in central Nebraska. My garage is insulated, well sort of, I don't have the roof insulated and the garage doors aren't insulated, but I heat with wood. I let it get good a warm in there before I start the machine. Though computers work better when they are in cool/cold enviroments. When I build my new shop, I am going to put in radiant heat tubes, in order to heat the objects, not the airspace.

Just my thoughts..

[mnrite]

So you think I can leave the heat off, as long as I warm the shop up well in advance of running the Bot?
I didn't know if I should maintain a minimum temp even 40 degrees, when the shop is not being used.

Thanks
Mike

[burchbot]

Hi Mike
I live in the U.P. of Michigan. I only heat the shop when I’m out there. I turn on the heat ½ hr.- 1 hr. before I start to work depending on how cold it is. By the time I start up the Bot the heat has been on for two or so hours. The only problem I’ve had is the computer does not always start up on the first try. I have one warning on heaters. Do not use vent less heaters. Condensation is a big problem with these heaters. Cold metal, computers and controls don’t go well with warm humid air.
Dan

[jsfrost]

Mike,
I worry that the humidity change caused by significantly heating already dry air will effect wood, and freezing will destroy some finishing materials. Since I mostly work weekends, I control my shop heat with an automatic thermostat set for 50F Sunday through Thursday and 60F Friday and Saturday. (The circulating liquid heated concrete floor takes nearly a day to change the temperature 10 degrees.)
Jim

[wayneo]

Hi All,
A couple years ago, I built a shop addition onto our house with attached garage. At that time, I decided to go with "hydonic heat" which is plastic piping in the concrete floor. Even though the shop is small (18'x20') it is adequate when combined with the garage. Living in Alaska, we do have cold/wet winters. I can tell you that heating the floor is the best way to go. The concrete is always dry, does not draw moisture and feels warm in there as the floor is warm.

I turn the heat down in the summer to about 45 deg. F and up in the winter to about 65 deg. F. On the weekends (when I use the shop) I turn it up to about 70. As Mike says, it takes about a day (1/2 for me) to heat up. But that is good too as it also takes quite a while to cool off.

The thermal mass created by the concrete floor makes the temperature very stable, not fluctuating like an overhead propane or natural gas furnace. Although fairly expensive to install, I believe it really is the best way to go. Also, it would be hard to do a retro-fit.

If I ever build a commercial shop, it will have hydronic heat in the floor!

Wayneo

[btk]

Hydronic/Radiant heat is great in new construction.

A few tips:

If you do put hydronic heat in concrete slab, make sure to put in a thermal blanket under the slab to direct the heat upwards (no need to heat the earth). I have used Insul-Tarp. Expensive but makes it up in saved energy costs.

Also make sure to take pictures of pipes before
pouring slab so that if you ever need to drill a
hole in slab, you have some idea where pipes are.
We do not put pipes where we may potentially put a
wall in the future, so that we can fasten the wall without worrying about breaking a pipe.

If using radiant tubes in a Garage where the door may be open and exposed to freezing cold air, consider using Hurricane or another Anitfreeze to prevent the water from freezing in extreme conditions.

Brian