Choosing the right heating system for your home workshop
If you’re like many do-it-yourself homeowners, you keep your tools and machinery in an unheated space such as a garage or storage shed. Given the brief amount of time we generally spend working in these spaces, we seldom think about heating them.
Home repairs are sometimes necessary when the weather is less than mild, though, and home renovation projects can stretch on for weeks, if not months. If you think you’re going to be working in your shop for more than an hour or two, it makes sense to ensure you have a livable temperature inside it.
Heat’s about more than being warm
In addition to its being unpleasant to work with tools and machinery while your hands and feet are cold, it can be dangerous as dexterity drops along with the temperature. And in the case of your woodworking projects, low temperatures can add curing time to glues and finishes, or even stop them from working at all. Unheated air can also draw moisture from lumber, causing it to distort or crack.
So, if you want to work in comfort and be sure your materials perform as needed, you should put some thought into designing the right heating system for your shop space.
Before doing anything, you should check with your local building department, zoning board, or fire marshal to familiarize yourself with building codes. Usually code calls for fire extinguishers, extinguishing materials, and smoke detectors. You should also contact your insurance agent to see what effect the installation of a heating system would have on your policy and coverage.
Choose your heat source
If your needs and your shop’s square footage are modest, you might think about buying a space heater. There are four different kinds of space heaters you could consider.
Ceramic space heaters work by moving your shop’s cold air over a heated ceramic coil. These units are convenient because they’re easily portable, and can be effective in warming larger spaces, but they can also be noisy and kick up dust.
Oil-filled space heaters work by heating up a reservoir of oil that’s sealed inside a metal radiator. The radiator’s metal fins then warm the surrounding air. These are useful for smaller spaces, and are quiet in operation, but they take a while to work.
Infrared space heaters are also quiet, but because they work by beaming infrared light onto objects rather than radiating heat into the air, you’ll need to be directly in front of one to feel its effects. They’re also not effective in large spaces.
Micathermic space heaters combine the characteristics of ceramic and infrared units, and work by heating a layer of the mineral mica by the infrared heating element. The mica then radiates heat into your shop space. These units can work well in larger spaces, but they produce a burning smell when they’re warming up.
A wood stove might seem like a natural choice for heating many home shops. After all, if you do a lot of woodworking, you’ll be producing a lot of sawdust and off-cuts — all potential fuel. However, some areas have a ban on woodstove installation and use because of their impact on air quality.
Not all wood stoves are appropriate for burning sawdust and not all scrap wood is good for burning. Burning sawdust in an electric stove can damage the unit, and you can only burn small quantities in a gas stove. Plus, sawdust and offcuts that come from pressure-treated lumber have toxic chemicals in them and should not be burned under any circumstances.
Forced air heating systems are purpose-made to heat shop spaces and can be mounted to ceiling joists or be freestanding on the floor.
Fuel is an important consideration with these units. Forced air systems can be fueled by electricity, natural gas, propane, kerosene, or diesel. Some units require fuel lines to be run into your shop, and any system producing heat by burning fuel will need to have its exhaust gasses vented outside your workspace. Depending on which of these paths you take, setting up a forced air system that’s safe and properly fueled can be expensive, running to several thousands of dollars.
Radiant tube (infrared) heating units are gas-fired (and thus will require gas lines to be run) and are usually suspended unvented from a shop ceiling. These units are best in smaller shop spaces, making them less useful if your workspace is large. These heaters can be effective in open spaces, wet environments, and spaces where there are airborne contaminants.
There are other heating systems you could consider, including geothermal and hydronic (in floor) radiant heating, but these high-end systems can be prohibitively expensive to install.
Sources: Woodworkersjournal.com; Southwestwoodcrafts.com; hvactrainingshop.com
The information included here was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, however Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company and its employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with any training, materials, suggestions, or information provided. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm compliance with any applicable local, state, or federal regulations. Information obtained from or via Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, SI, should not be used as the basis for legal advice and should be confirmed with alternative sources.
1/2025