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My plans have a full “basement” under a two-car garage plus adjacent screened porch. The size of the concrete-slab-floor room is more or less 31 feet by 23 feet by 8 foot high. It will be a great space for a shop, and believe me, I can use it all. A single gasketed door will let me enter the lower walkout level of the house, adjacent. Two walls are concrete, one completely below grade, and one is partly below grade, the ceiling is 8-inch precast plank clear span, with a reinforced concrete topping 2 to 4 inches thick. The garage floor topping is sealed with a Sonneborn “Flex” coating. How would you heat this space? Electricity is quite cheap where I am building (Lake Placid, NY), and propane is my only other real option. Give me some ideas about installed cost. I will have electric forced air in the house, but do not want to tie in any ducting to that system, because of the dust.
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I heated a 30 x 30 x 20 shop with an old electric furnace. Heating contractors have old ones they let go for around $100.
I had each element connected to a breaker all were used to get the shop warm in the morning, then 1 or 2 elements were used keep the temperature stable.
It was hung on the wall with a 90d Plenum on top blowing across the shop and the filter at the bottom.
As I write this I am preparing to install 1 in my garage and have just ordered the plenum.
I feel it is safer than an appliance with a naked flame as the dust that does get sucked in is burnt up as it passes over the red hot elements.
*Since you say the "Plans" I assume the room isn't built yet. If that's the case, do radiant flooring! Option #1 radiant electric. Option#2 hydronic radiant in poured slab, heated from simple household DHW heater (either Propane fired or electric elements)since radiant floor heat doesn't require the same high water temp that a perimeter basebaord water system does.Your utility company will probably provide (free) some rough budget figures to help decide if you should go with Electric or LP. The open flame thing is a real consideration unless you can separate the heater from the room somehow (like upstairs in the back end of the garage). Electric DHW heater wouldn't have that problem, or any venting needed. Have fun.
*b WBA At Your ServiceGene, I hate to jump off track here, but could you elaborate further on your precast deck, please ? I have many questions about: engineering, clear-span distance, bearing requirements, overall thickness, floor drains, lead times, crane requirements, panel connections, waterproofing, weight carrying capabilities, and of course cost. Can you think of anything else ? If you have the time, I would really appreciate the help. I'm sure I'm not the only one interested. Thanks.By the way, you don't know Jim and Hope Frenette in Tupper Lake, do you ? How about Hope's brother Bill O'Leary in Lake Placid ?
*Gene, I live as noted above...You say electric is cheap up there?...It's 13 cents a KW here...Which is not cheap...Friends in SC...pay Duke 5.5 cents a KW.Nice garage and shop idea....good luck...I would think a radiant overhead propane system would be nice if ya don't go radiant in the slab which I think is the best...near the stream,ajTim...you may know Liza too?
*The power company is a village-owned public utility, and I believe the rates are comparable to what your friends get from Duke Power, or even lower.
*Gene...I may have to run some wire up your way!near a big spool by the stream,aj
*I just installed a suspended gas heater in my garage - it will run on propane or natural gas (orifice has to be modified but it comes with a kit). It is called a "Hot Dawg". There are three models available - 30K, 45K, and 60K BTU. It is small - about the size of a window air condtioner. It is hung from the ceiling - but it is almost flush to the ceiling (it only needs one inch of clearance - and it comes with brackets guaged to that clearance. Its not a cheap date - but it is out of the way and kicks out a lot of heat.
*I concur, that the hanging gas heater is the item as long as your venting is no problem. New unit and install could run $800-1400 depending who does it, and the degree of difficulty, as usual. Just don't spray apply finishs that are flammable with it running (a pilot lite is always running) or the earth could move for you as well as your house. Good luck.
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My plans have a full "basement" under a two-car garage plus adjacent screened porch. The size of the concrete-slab-floor room is more or less 31 feet by 23 feet by 8 foot high. It will be a great space for a shop, and believe me, I can use it all. A single gasketed door will let me enter the lower walkout level of the house, adjacent. Two walls are concrete, one completely below grade, and one is partly below grade, the ceiling is 8-inch precast plank clear span, with a reinforced concrete topping 2 to 4 inches thick. The garage floor topping is sealed with a Sonneborn "Flex" coating. How would you heat this space? Electricity is quite cheap where I am building (Lake Placid, NY), and propane is my only other real option. Give me some ideas about installed cost. I will have electric forced air in the house, but do not want to tie in any ducting to that system, because of the dust.