Phil Ethier wrote > >
> > I like
> > having the combustion intake, flame, and exhaust all schematically
> > OUTside the shop.
Ralph Forsythe rf-list@centerone.com replied >
> I like that idea as well. So let's say I have one of those propane
> heaters and would like to keep it outside the garage (have the perfect
> place for it), how would I get the heat back into the garage safely and
> efficiently? Do I need a blower of some kind, ductwork, ???
With some kind of heat-exchanging ductwork, you could achieve a similar
effect. To properly make it work, the whole shebang would probably have to
be located in the shop, or the heat losses would probably be too great.
> Or are you talking about something completely different?
I am talking about something completely different. You buy this heater. It
is not cheap. I spent like 700 bucks on it. You cut a 7-inch-diameter hole
in the shop wall. Inside the shop you have a metal cabinet. Outside the
shop you have a vent. Connecting them are two concentric ducts running
through the wall.
The outside air is drawn in to feed the flame. The exhaust gasses go back
outside.
The flame heats a plenum. Inside air is drawn through the plenum, is heated
and is sent back into the shop. Mine has the optional electric fan. If you
don't use the fan, the furnace does not need electricity to operate. Even
the thermostat needs no outside power.
There is no mixing of inside and outside air. The flame does not eat up the
oxygen from the shop. Exhaust gasses (and moisture!) from the gas flame do
not enter the shop. Fumes or particulates inside the shop cannot reach the
flame. Any temporary ventilation of the shop is done with the two small
windows and, if needed, the small fans which sit on the shelves below those
windows.
I have pretty-decent insulation in my 20 x 30 shop. This 30,000-BTU furnace
does not run very much, even in below-zero-degree weather, to maintain the
50 degrees I keep the shop at all winter. I thought I was going to be
boosting the temp when I was in there working, but I have found that I
don't.
Because I am not always heating up and cooling down the place, everything
stays dry and stable. This is such a luxury after 30 years of cold garages
temporarily heated by a noisy, smelly, moisture-spewing torpedo heater.
Wrenches don't freeze to my fingers anymore. I don't have to wave them in
front of the heater before I can use them. My brake disks don't rust from
the condensation.
The brand name on mine is Empire. This brand was recommended by a lister
who uses two of them and does not keep his shop warm all the time. I don't
need that kind of power, since I don't let it get cold in there.
Phil Ethier West Side Saint Paul Minnesota USA
1970 Lotus Europa 65/2597, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Suburban, 1962 TR4 CT2846L
pethier@isd.net http://www.mnautox.com/ http://www.lotusowners.com
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