Portable shop heaters.

[thejunkman]

So the warehouse me and a few friends share as our shop is 50x100, drafty as can be, un-insulated and unheated. It's an old steel warehouse probably ww2 era. It does have a huge homemade wood burner, but at the moment can't be used. My question is what is the best kind of portable heater I can get to use while I'm wrenching. We run some tired old torpedo heaters at the moment, but I was just wondering if there was anything someone has had a good experience with. We have no gas there, but do have electricity and I have propane tanks.

[1972hiboy]

I use a newer 125,000btu torpedo heater running diesel fuel with a catalyst. I find that if pointed in the general area where im working at about 15ft away it cascades my work area with heat. its acually quite pleasant. We use a older steel framed warehouse for our bus shop, on colder mornings ill close everything and let that heater run for about an hour before anybody gets here and it will riase the temp in the shop 5 degrees or so.

[sargentrs]

Back at my old employer, the fabrication department was 60' wide x 600' long x 20' high and only had 1 wall across the back side, the rest was open. We had 10 of those convection heaters that mount on top of portable propane tanks. They didn't heat the air but heated whatever surface was within range somehow. The machines, steel and guys clothing would be warm to the touch but you'd still blow frost with every breath. The guys used to fight over who'd have one in their area (30 guys running shears, press brakes, saws and machining. The pattern burner operator never complained because he had 5 oxy/fuel torches cutting thick plate.

[thejunkman]

I was looking at those propane bottle heaters yesterday. Didn't want to spend the money until I heard something good about them. I definately need a higher btu torpedo heater our biggest is 60,000. Time to hit craigslist and see if I can get some sweet deals. I'm gonna have to be able to warm the metal enough to throw down primer and such as needed.

[sargentrs]

Like I mentioned, they're good at warming surfaces more so than warming air. Let steel sit overnight at 30* at it'll take a long time to warm up in an 80* room. A good set of halogen lamps accomplishes the same thing.

[hdpusher]

I run a torpedo heater when its really cold other wise I just deal with it. I run 4 gallon of fuel to 1 gallon of waste oil in the heater to help keep the cost down.