Gas Heater in the shed.

[zymurgy]

Is anyone using one of these 'industrial' type of LPG gas heaters in their shed?

It's so bloody cold here lately, I need something to make it bearable.

[ptc]

i need some heat to,
but have not done any thing about it.
re dust etc when turning.
any ideas on how to go about getting a warm shed.
when in qld it was coping with the sweat.!
ptc

[ozwinner]

Hi Gordon

I have used these types of heater before, I think they are a good thing as far as heat goes, I would be a little concerned about fumes though.
Especialy in your in your garage with no ventilation.
I have no idea if the fumes from lpg are bad, but I suppose all fumes are bad.

Al

[zymurgy]

Al,

Concerned about fumes as well (then it really would be a coffin garage).

I can leave the roller door open a tad. I'm sure that'll suffice.

I had a four burner unit demoed today, it was warm therefore - cool

[ozwinner]

You could always vent out to where your fish pond is.


Al

[journeyman Mick]

LPG is pretty safe fumes-wise, byproducts of combustion are water vapour and carbon dioxide. That's why they use it on forklifts and other engines used indoors. I would be more worried about the fire danger :eek:

Mick

[soundman]

I'd be a little concerened with it as a cource of ignition.

have you thaught about reverse cycle aircon.

[zymurgy]

Last two replies are from fellow woodworkers who probably haven't felt Melbourne cold nights - a quick explosion would be warming at least

But seriously, please be more specific. I use a sander with dust extraction (Festo). Attach the 2Hp dust extractor to planar and jointer, so minimal dust.

I will be leaving door up a tad for fresh air.

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

Because of some other work I do (repair and build motor homes) I can tell you that LPG can be lethal in closed unventilated situations and regulations are very specific about where, when, how and what can be used where.

You can die from asphyxiation. Another byproduct of LPG combustion is moisture, watch the tools rust.

You do run a very low risk of having an explosion.

A better option that we have in our workshop is a wall mounted unit that draws fresh air from outside and exhausts the same way.

My .01c worth.

And yes it is bloody cold here at the moment.

[Ian007]

I'd be a little concerened with it as a cource of ignition.

have you thaught about reverse cycle aircon.

R/C air con in a woodworking enviroment will not work unless you dont mind cleaning the filters at least once every time you do any work in the shed.
& if you dont have filters then the heat exchangers clog up with the dust and it wont work then either, at least not very well and will cost a bit to fix it when you stuff it from not having a filter, the filters are there to catch the dust in the first place.

Cheers Ian

[jackiew]

used gas cylinder heater in my garage in uk ( unit was used in the house til I got central heating ) . We didn't keel over from the fumes , though they do smell a bit. They do kick out A LOT of moisture, I agree with - expect rusting of anything prone to rust in the vicinity - they also kick out a lot of heat. Just don't use an aersol spray next to one. :eek:

[bitingmidge]

And yes it is bloody cold here at the moment.

WHY NOT MOVE NORTH??

Without wanting to open up the silly old interstate rivalry festering sore, I cannot understand why so many people spend so much money trying to keep warm.

I know there's Mum, and the job and the house and the kid's at school and all that stuff, but really....what are the reasons you guys like the cold?

We live where we live because I was raised in North Queensland, and couldn't survive in a colder climate, my wife was born in Wagga, and doesn't want to get any warmer in summer...so it's a compromise!

It's just that the cost of airconditioning or a decent central heating system would just about equip a decent workshop, and the savings on fuel bills would buy enough timber to keep you going for the rest of your life.

Cheers,

A soon to be enlightened,

P

[silentC]

Why not move north?

We don't have an air conditioner at all. We have an LPG gas heater (Bowen, made in Sydney - excellent brand if you're in the market). It gets quite cold at home in July-August (I'm in Sydney at the moment). We probably use the heater in the evenings for about a month. How many months does the average Queenslander run their air conditioner?

I love the cold. When it's too cold for a T-shirt, I put on a shirt or a jumper. On the other hand, I hate hot-humid weather. Dry heat, well that's another story. Good beer drinking weather. But hot and humid is lousy if you have to work in it. The sweat gets in your eyes and drips all over your machine tables. You're knackered after a couple of hours.

Why not move North? Too bloody hot - nice for a holiday but wouldn't want to stay. At least when it's cold down here I can do something about it.

(Notice I didn't say "'cause there's too many Queenslanders up there" )

[Sturdee]

WHY NOT MOVE NORTH??

Soon after I got married my inlaws retired and moved to the Gold coast to live. My wife visits them once a year and they come down an visit us once a year.

So I have the best of both worlds - the kind of weather I prefer and inlaw free most of the year.


Peter.

[zymurgy]

You can die from asphyxiation. Another byproduct of LPG combustion is moisture, watch the tools rust.

,

Further to this. The brand I am looking at is the 'SuperRay'. Spoke with manufacturer this morning as I was concerned about minimum heights quoted (1.2m).

Since I have a concrete roof, no concerns. When I mentioned that I have a 'coffin' garage, we worked out the maximum unit for the given air volume and it came out just under their 3 head burner. So I can safely use the smaller 2 head unit without worry of using up all the oxygen (even with door fully closed).

I also mentioned the by-product issue (water) and he suggested that since the units are 97% efficient, that it should not be an issue.