It was written by bob bownes:
> >One thing about lighting: don't waste your money on those four-foot
> >twin-tube specials always on sale at Menards, etc. They're cheap, but you
> >get what you pay for, which ain't much. Very little light and it's blue
> >to boot. Go for the eight foot 75 or 90 watt commercial lights. More
> >expensive, but worth it.
> >
>
> Big problem to keep in mind here in the part of the world where it is cold
> (if you are only going to heat your shop when you are out there) is that
> fluorescents don't work too well when it is really cold. And trying to
> fire up the 8 footers when it is really cold is hell on the ballasts. Plan
> on replacing them regularly or keep the place warm.
Yup, very true. My garage never gets below about 45 degrees, but
even then the ballasts really groan and moan when you turn on the
lights.
>
> On the heat note, I spent about an hour on the phone with a fellow club
> racer who is also an HVAC contractor. He tells me that a brand new gas
> furnace can be had in the 'scratch & dent' bin @ the supply store for $300
> or so. Looks like that is going to be the way I go for my garage.
This winter I'm experimenting with a duct running off the house
furnace. The garage is detached, so I built an insulated duct out of
a basement window, under the deck, across a short piece of grass,
then up into a window. So far, so good.
The duct is insulated to about R-15 and has two booster fans on it,
one in the basement wired into the furnace, the other manually
operated in the garage. It might drop down to the mid-40s at night
when the outside temp is below zero, but if I turn on the garage fan
and let it run all the time, the temp will stabilize at about 60.
The only problem has been a backdraft of odors into the house. My
plan was, if the duct idea worked, to trench out to the garage next
year and bury the duct underground. But I'm not sure if that would
cure the backdraft/odor problem, which becomes an issue if I'm
painting/'glassing or lighting up some cheap ceegar.
I've had some semi-serious respiratory problems this winter and I
think they've been caused by my fiberglassing work in the garage. I
wear a respirator when I'm out there and run the fan to prevent
backdrafting, but eventually I've turned off the fan and come into the
house. The smell hasn't been too bad, but there are a number of
really noxious ingredients in hardner and resin, and my doctor
thinks they're the reason for the bronchial irritation that's knocked
me on my butt recently.
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**John Mikes in Minnetundra jmikes.gt4.38@worldnet.att.net
**Backstretch Careening & Carousing Society
**#38 CSR Ralt RT5 **#38 GT4 Datsun 510
**Proud Uncle of Randy Hibbs, #2A Savin Outlaw Sprinter
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