Cheapest way to heat work area this winter?

[DAPPH]

I was looking for an indirect space heater for a while but they don’t come up second hand very often and cost around £600 new, this one came up last spring, went to look at it and it wouldn’t fire up, the guy I bought it from practically gave it away, I paid £20, he said that it was working the last time he used it and he appeared to be a very genuine guy
When I got it home I discovered there was no fuel in it so I’m hoping its as simple as that, though they’re simple machines so I’ll get it working one way or another.
The good thing about it being indirect is that the exhaust gasses which create lots of condensation can get vented out of a window, I got the flue with it. I don’t like working in a freezing garage.
Just need to get a supply of fuel for it, either red diesel or heating oil.

View attachment 364815

Got any pictures of the insides ?

 

[stuvy]

I’ve got an ex French army tent heater.

Burns heavy oil so DERV, Kero, Red Diesel, JET A1 when I get it. Whatever Dino juice I find. It isn’t fussy. Uses about 20l every three days and that’s 8 hour days.

There’s one at Jackson’s at the moment as I’ve just sent my mate the link

Deville - Multi Fuel Heater | L Jackson & Co

Workshop heaters for sale, diesel heater for sale, oil burner, garage heater, Deville, L Jackson& Co

ljacksonandco.com

That link says 1.5l/h in the spec. That’s on maxi chat. You can’t be near it when it’s balls out like that. About a pint is more accurate / sensible. That’s what the night heater in truck uses as well, for comparison

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[James1979]

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

Been dealing with Jackson’s on and off for donkeys. I think I paid just under £400 but it’s a bargain.

Because it’s ex army it’s mong-proof. No moving parts and proper basic to operate

Edit - just looked on computer. £390 last August

 

[DAPPH]

One I have (same type burner but direct heater) recommended either kerosene or diesel but only to leave it off-line with one or the other - but cannot remember which.

One heater I have needed a new air pump rotor. Got the part but not yet sorted it. I may get round tuit one day….

Stripping repairing & reassembling the air pump can be an annoying fiddly exercise. , mark everything & photo it as you strip things down, take notice of the radial orientation of things so you get the impellor cavity ring facing the same direction & all bolt holes to align perfectly ... guess how I found this out?

 

[AVI_8]

Got any pictures of the insides ?

No, I haven’t opened it up yet, just got a parts diagram

 

[W.olly]

I bought one of the Chinese 5kw diesel heaters to try and take the edge off in the winter. Gives off plenty of heat but my workshop isn't insulated and has a huge steel radiator at one end masquerading as a door. Poor thing doesn't stand a chance...

i tried one in mine, what a waste of time. and cost a good £7 a day to keep on full wack to barley feel and heat.

stove for me now.

rocket stove that is

 

[premmington]

Whenever I've had to call it a day and come in from my unheated, uninsulated workshop, it's because of cold toes. Doesn't matter how good your boots are, standing on a cold concrete floor will suck the heat out of you, so duckboards are probably the best single change you can make. Dirt cheap too, just chuck a couple of pallets down. As a bonus, if the boards have a bit of give to them, they'll act as anti-fatigue matting.

The other big cheap change you can make, which I don't think has been mentioned yet, is to eat more, just have a bigger breakfast when you'll be in the workshop, it makes a world of difference.

I would agree - with you!

I tried everything for this over the years. But with moving vehicles about a workshop and spillages - rubber mats are the only option I got in most areas of the workshop. Tend to go for these type 5ft x 3ft x 12mm

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

I have in the past bought full sheets of ply and chamfered the edges with a router before to lay where I work on a vehicle lift - but they just keep moving about and don't last long.

 

[gaz1]

i tried one in mine, what a waste of time. and cost a good £7 a day to keep on full wack to barley feel and heat.

stove for me now.

rocket stove that is

your not the only one thats asking for advice

others are also asking about the build and the building of one

 

[tom2207]

we burn used transformer oil ,,, in a diesel heater ,, its free and we cant burn it as fast as we get it given ,,,
often in the winter we open the workshop doors to keep cool ,as it gets so hot.
its it green and environmentally friendly ,, probably not but its cheap and toasty warm.

 

[DAPPH]

The air blower on this was simply a vane pump for the burner atomisation. Easy fix, but the pressure needs setting up with a bleed to regulate it. I need space to regulate it - can’t afford to have a flame thrower anywhere near my garage!

It was the vane's cavity I was thinking of , First time I had one to sort out I got it the wrong way round and being a gnats hair out of perfect alignment it jammed.
I usualy poked the blowers out the door when adjusting them for best flame ...had to make my own brass adjusting screw as the plastic ones were usually well & truly operator wrecked by the " Highly skilled DIY experts "

 

[premmington]

The problem with the motortrade and heating workshops - it the big roller shutter doors keep being opened and cars being driven in and out.

Most of the time on a busy day - you are just wasting your time and money trying to raise the workshop temp!

 

[BarrieJ]

If you're looking for a hardwearing floor covering that keeps your feet off the concrete, I can recommend stable mats. They generally come in a range of sizes, even tiles, they're very tough, easy to clean and generally too heavy to move about much.
Then there's these...

RUBBER MATTING, Stable Matting 6ftx4ftx10mm, 1.8m x 1.2m,10mm FREE DELIVERY | eBay

10mm Thick Rubber Matting. Insulation Matting. Horse Matting. Dog Agility Matting. they may contain traces of sand. They have originated from underneath 3g sports pitches. They are 10mm thick and we have supplied for many many years.Size is approximate.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[tom2207]

I’ve got an ex French army tent heater.

Burns heavy oil so DERV, Kero, Red Diesel, JET A1 when I get it. Whatever Dino juice I find. It isn’t fussy. Uses about 20l every three days and that’s 8 hour days.

There’s one at Jackson’s at the moment as I’ve just sent my mate the link

Deville - Multi Fuel Heater | L Jackson & Co

Workshop heaters for sale, diesel heater for sale, oil burner, garage heater, Deville, L Jackson& Co

ljacksonandco.com

That link says 1.5l/h in the spec. That’s on maxi chat. You can’t be near it when it’s balls out like that. About a pint is more accurate / sensible. That’s what the night heater in truck uses as well, for comparison

thats very similar to the one we run on transformer oil ,, its a mighty bit of kit.

 

[Pete.]

Whenever I've had to call it a day and come in from my unheated, uninsulated workshop, it's because of cold toes. Doesn't matter how good your boots are, standing on a cold concrete floor will suck the heat out of you, so duckboards are probably the best single change you can make. Dirt cheap too, just chuck a couple of pallets down. As a bonus, if the boards have a bit of give to them, they'll act as anti-fatigue matting.

The other big cheap change you can make, which I don't think has been mentioned yet, is to eat more, just have a bigger breakfast when you'll be in the workshop, it makes a world of difference.

Toes get cold if the blood circulting to them loses it's heat before it gets there. Keep your legs warm your toes will benefit.

Wear overalls, you get the benefit of warmth plus your clothes stay cleaner and you don't get swarf in the washing machine. I have a precious pair of cotton overalls that are just great for both jobs.

By far, the cheapest way to keep your legs warn that I've found is to wear two pairs of track suit bottoms. Dirty pair on top, clean pair underneath (obviously). Work all day outside in winter wearing those.

 

[stuvy]

The problem with the motortrade and heating workshops - it the big roller shutter doors keep being opened and cars being driven in and out.

Most of the time on a busy day - you are just wasting your time and money trying to raise the workshop temp!

Iv been to a few places that have super fast plastic doors that open and shut really fast

One of these places had x4 forklifts running in and out all day everyday

 

[Myles1970]

Great replies

It's rented and I'm only there 1 - 2 days a week so not spending money and time attempting to insulate or make small warm area.

Current plan now is duck boards and rubber mats, walking socks, layers, overalls on top, and wooly hat.
With a red rad (i think) for a blast next to me now and then

I've always found I loose the majority of my heat through my feet, so apart from the thermal long-johns and top, heated insoles are a must! The plug-in ones are too much of a faff, but these are really effective, although they're supposed to be single use. You can seal them in a bag if you're gonna be using them for less than 8 hours

 

[DAPPH]

If you're looking for a hardwearing floor covering that keeps your feet off the concrete, I can recommend stable mats. They generally come in a range of sizes, even tiles, they're very tough, easy to clean and generally too heavy to move about much.
Then there's these...

RUBBER MATTING, Stable Matting 6ftx4ftx10mm, 1.8m x 1.2m,10mm FREE DELIVERY | eBay

10mm Thick Rubber Matting. Insulation Matting. Horse Matting. Dog Agility Matting. they may contain traces of sand. They have originated from underneath 3g sports pitches. They are 10mm thick and we have supplied for many many years.Size is approximate.

www.ebay.co.uk

Most of your local livery & feed suppliers have such mats for sale

 

[julianthegypsy]

I’m mostly stuffed where gloves are concerned - not safe where moving machinery (lathe and mills) are concerned. But a hat, these days, most certainly helps - it replaces the insulation that used to be there!

It's a long standing myth that you lose 10% of your body heat through your head. It comes from some experiments that the septics did a long time ago measuring people with sensors in a cold room. The participants were wearing insulated clothing, everywhere, except that they were bare headed. Idiotic. The results could be predicted by any idiot.

 

[julianthegypsy]

Yes, there are tests and fair tests. In my case every little helps and the more I am insulated, elsewhere, the larger the percentage of heat loss is from my bonce. I don’t wear gloves, which could get caught in moving machinery - particularly as I am working alone and do not wish to get wrapped around a lathe or mill.

Flawed experiments were a major problem with school children doing practical assignments. It’s why I often question ‘supposed facts‘ which are spouted out with no real evidence of their authenticity.

The earliest area I remember well, from over 50 years ago, was accounting for dead-time losses when using a Geiger type radiation counter for assay work. With those, dead-time losses increased with count rate. At the extreme, the counter would simply stop counting. With some workers, that could occur with checks for personal/clothing contamination!

Look up ‘tickling the dragon’s tail’ from 1940s - when it went wrong in a big way! Zero counts does not necessarily mean no radiation present.

You lose heat equally all over your skin, so it makes perfect sense to insulate as much of it as possible. The bonce has quite a lot of skin, so loses a fair bit of heat. I love seeing pictures from the forties. If you were a bloke, you were wearing a hat.

I remember as kids being wrapped up in a jacket, balaclava and mittens... And shorts!
That link looks interesting, I'll check it out later thanks.

 

[Morrisman]

My electric socks are too warm, particularly in my insulated Canadian boots. That is when I am out in the fields. I don’t bother with them when in the workshop these days - can’t be working for long periods whether hot cold or even just right.

Mate of mine wears a heated waistcoat on his bike, has a small rechargeable battery in one pocket. He reckons it's great and didn't cost a lot. Keep the main torso warm and the extremities look after themselves.