Anyone use Infrared Ceiling mounted heaters in their shop?

paulsgreenbarn · Post by **paulsgreenbarn** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:26 am

As some of you know,i'm rebuilding my shop after a total loss fire.I'm considering ceiling mounted electric Infrared heaters as a safe heat option.Hve any of you had experience with these ?I'd like some knowledgeable input on these heaters if avaialble.Thanks

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:48 am

I would go the other way...

Heat from the floor up. Hydronic floor heat is about the safest heat in a dusty environment. Depending on shop size and insulation a domestic hot water heater can supply the heat source. It is also possible to use a larger heater for hot water and heat both.
If your feet are warm, you are warm. I have about frozen in buildings with overhead heat before.

Now on the other hand I have looked at ceiling fans with built in heaters for a couple of cool spots in the main floor of the house but they may have a big problem with woodshop dust.

.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 12:00 pm

Lets KNOT have a THIRD FIRE. Look for a explosion proof heater. Ya might ask your insurance person or the local fire department for advice about what ya might install. The one mentioned by Farmer sounds promising, if ya can keep it from freezing.

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 2:39 pm

I put in this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VM ... UTF8&psc=1

I had already bought this, however, in a recent magazine article (i get too many so don't remember which, but probably Wood or Popular Woodworking), the author had ideas for heating a shop and this was included.

For very cold uninsulated shops (mine), this thing is a great way to give extra money to the power company, but not much else. I would guess that it will take the chill off a person if the ambient is above 40 F, but not much use for anything colder.

I also agree that heating the floor is a fantastic way to heat a shop. This Fall I'm planning to expand the garage towards the alley. I'll install PEX orange in the concrete floor as a future update to heated fluid. Probably black panels on the roof to capture the heat with maybe a small heater in line as a back up / booster. I would like to stub out the piping so that when I redo the driveway, I can weave PEX in there, too. Eliminate shoveling snow!

I would hope that your local library will have a few subscriptions to woodworking magazines. Check out the last couple issues of each to find the article on heating a shop.

Best of success with the rebuild!

Be well,
Ben

----
Found the article. April issue Woodworker's Journal

reible · Post by **reible** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 3:44 pm

I have as of this season I've added one of those ceiling heaters, pretty much the one that was referenced at Amazon. I paid less then $50, don't recall the exact amount, from Menards.

My 2 car garage/shop shares one wall and the ceiling with the house. It has an old garage door and is not very wind tight from that direction. I've been very happy with the results I'm seeing.

See this post:

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=13713

The heat is pure radiant so there are no moving parts such as a fan and no thermostat. It heats much as the sun does, things exposed to the light heat up, things in the shadows stay cool. The things that do warm up then re-radiate the heat. The warmest places is where the heater is shinning so placement is critical to what you want/need from the heater.

Ed

paulsgreenbarn · Post by **paulsgreenbarn** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:09 pm

Ed,how hot does the unit actually get on the surrounding housing?I realize the element gets hot but does the srurrounding shrowd get very hot? i'm thinking about dust combustion ,obviously.

Jack Wilson · Post by **Jack Wilson** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 5:51 pm

I would not use anything with an open coil. If you are not going with the hydronic floor, which is the best. Get an electric heater that at least has an enclosed coil. Explosion proof would be best.

http://www.marleymep.com/en/berko/pd-hu ... t-heaters/

JonE · Post by **JonE** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 7:15 pm

Hydronic heat is the safest, cleanest, most effective and efficient way to heat a space; any space. In Europe and much of Asia hydronic heat represents 85-95% of new construction. Here in this country it is responsible for about 7% of all building. Radiant heat is about 40-80% more energy efficient than conventional heating methods. It is clean (no moving air), silent, safe and the most comfortable way to heat a space. Hydronic radiant heat can also be delivered form the ceiling.
There are many different ways to deliver radiant heating and cooling and prices vary widely. It does take planning and a willingness to think differently but is well worth it.

reible · Post by **reible** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 7:18 pm

The heater has two glass tubes setting behind a grill, and with a reflector behind. One comes on for the 750 watts and a second comes on when you go to the 1500W setting. They ask for 3 feet in front of the lights. They do not give a distance for the back or sides. When I first mounted the unit I was wondering how much heat would be on the ceiling (that is dictated by the hardware and design of the unit). I had even thought of adding a piece of sheet metal on spacers.... no need at least at the angle I have mine set at.

I have not attempted to touch the housing so I can't tell you if that is possible or not but my guess is that it is. The heat is pretty well directed to the front.

Sometimes I wish I had one of those heat guns to check out temperatures but haven't wanted to spend the money.

Ed

paulsgreenbarn wrote:Ed,how hot does the unit actually get on the surrounding housing?I realize the element gets hot but does the srurrounding shrowd get very hot? i'm thinking about dust combustion ,obviously.

reddog5362 · Post by **reddog5362** » Wed Mar 12, 2014 7:40 pm

I've got two of the quartz infrared heaters in the shop. They do a good job of warming a person in the "line of fire" but don't do a great job of heating the space. If I'm going to be doing glue ups or finishing work I run a space heater. The housing's get hot enough that you wouldn't want to grab them but not so hot that I would worry about a fire from a little dust. I've been using them for 3-4 years with no issues. I do clean them off when I clean up the shop, so I've never let inches of dust build up but I don't keep them anywhere near dust free.