[Shop-talk] Radiant heat for garage

[Jim Stone]

Thanks guys.  Here is a little more information, including why I like the idea of radiant heat in the garage:

To start with, we are are in eastern Long Island.  Typical winter temperatures this past winter, which was unusually mild, have been in the 30-45 degree range.  This is only my second winter here, but I think a more normal season would be about 5 degrees less on both ends.

Now, as to why I find radiant heat attractive for the garage, I am currently working in a shop that has it and have found it really nice.  (It is slightly off topic, but I have a friend here who is a professional mechanic and he and I bought two Sunbeam Tigers that we are restoring and plan to sell on.  We are doing the work in his shop.)  He keeps the shop at 58 degrees and it is very comfortable working there.  I especially like the fact that lying on the floor is actually pleasant, as opposed to the normal shock of getting under a car in the winter.  I would probably leave the temperature around 50 most of the time (there will be a slop sink in there, so I don’t want it to freeze) but might raise that up a bit when I expect to be working extensively.

Also worth considering is the fact that the front end of the garage will be occasional living space.  It will be frequent enough that we won’t want to drain the plumbing in-between uses, so it will have to be kept above freezing all winter.  While radiant isn’t necessarily good for heat that has to go up and down, it is very good for keeping a space at a constant temperature.  And, when we do need to raise the temperature, it would probably be kept that way for several days at least, so we aren’t talking about constant ups and downs.

Finally, I should add that I have the benefit of an experienced helper on this project.  My mechanic partner laid the PEX tubing in his shop himself and has offered to help me do mine.  However, he did his system more than 10 years ago, so his knowledge of systems, suppliers and design is a little outdated, hence this note.  Everything is very expensive out this way, so the savings from doing this myself should be worth the effort.  (That said, the general contractor we are working with on this project is very good about advising us on which projects are worth doing ourselves and I will double-check with him on this one before committing.)

The space isn’t that big (the garage/workshop is 27x24 and the adjacent first floor living space is 11x24) and designing the tubing loops looks pretty straight-forward.  My plan is to lay the tubing before the concrete is poured and then to wait until everything is done to finish it.  There are many companies who provide the supplies; ideally, I’d like to find one that could help with design and hand-holding as needed.  

As always, thanks!

Jim

p.s.  I have spent some time on Garage Journal looking at their heating threads.  It has been very helpful but I haven’t yet come up with the kind of recommendations I am looking for here.  And, hearing from someone I ‘know’ is always better than reading comments from relative strangers.


> On Mar 16, 2016, at 7:46 AM, Jeff Scarbrough <fishplate at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Mar 15, 2016 at 8:32 PM, Eric J Russell <ejrussell at mebtel.net> wrote:
>> Lots of info in the forums at www.garagejournal.com. (don't blame me for the
>> time you spend there...)
> 
> I'm going to second Eric's recommendation, and his admonition...
> Radiant heat is a popular subject on GJ.  Having said that, I also
> agree with Steve - radiant heat is fine for keeping a mass at a
> certain temperature, but does not provide a very quick change in
> temperature, especially when installed in a concrete slab.
> 
> Jeff Scarbrough
> Corrosion Acres, Ga.
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