# Best type of NG heater for pole barn/shop?



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I can't decide, forced air, or radiant tubes? Or both?

I'm looking at a single heater in the 130K-150K BTU range... I can't decide, a Modine forced air, or an InfraSave radiant tube heater.

Or maybe one each, both smaller units?

This is about a 1200 SQ FT pole barn with 12 foot walls. . I only have double bubble vapor barrier in it, and open eves... so it's not going to be an easy place to keep warm. I' mostly looking to kill the chill, and I'm guessing forced air would be the best for that? but then all your tools are still cold..


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

No one with experience with both?... or either?


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

No experience with the brands.

The shop at the company I work for uses the radiant tubes. The shop doors go up and down quite often. They work well. I was in the office above them and could tell how often they went on and how long they ran and I pay the gas bills for them. The shop is kept at about 60. 

I recommend them.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Interesting. I have been in a lot of places that had the tubes, but the doors were open so much, it was hard to tell how much it warmed the space, but it did feel great standing under them... 

I know they heat items in the space, and those items throw off heat, but I'm still not sure which would be the best for keeping the chill off..


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

simi-steading said:


> Interesting. I have been in a lot of places that had the tubes, but the doors were open so much, it was hard to tell how much it warmed the space, but it did feel great standing under them...
> 
> I know they heat items in the space, and those items throw off heat, but I'm still not sure which would be the best for keeping the chill off..


That is why it works in that kind of environment. You are heating the things not the air.

I do find it is not as comfortable for people when the temp is close to room temp. For example. We had radiant cove heaters in the office above our heads. That heat on my noggin was way too much. My head was hot and my feet were cold.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

That/s kind of why I'm thinking forced air over tubes... or maybe the tube would help heat the concrete under it better?

???????


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

I think it depends on the use and purpose of the building. If you are not going to keep it at say 70 degrees and it is a shop where you are working and moving then the tubes actually work great with a fan or two moving air down. The recovery time is good when doors get opened a lot.

If you are using it as an office not so good. The constant heat on someone's head while they are sitting in one place gets irksome.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Thanks, that's something to think about.. 

I don't want to constantly heat the shop, but I'd like to be able to be as warm as fast as possible when I do walk in and turn on the heat..


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## Snowfan (Nov 6, 2011)

Radiant tube heaters seem simpler, but offer no air movement to speak of and take a long time to warm the place up. A unit heater like a Modine or Reznor, will heat an area quicker plus move the air. Have you run the numbers comparing btu's, initial cost, power consumption and the price of gas? Interesting question. Back in my younger HVAC days, we trashed about 200' of radiant tube heaters. If I'd only known.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I'm not worried about the numbers.. My gas is free, so all I'm paying for is the electric for the blower... 

You did confirm what I've been thinkin.. no air movement means the place is cold unless you are standing under the tubes.. and if you're under a car..,.. it's gonna be cold...


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

simi-steading said:


> I'm not worried about the numbers.. My gas is free, so all I'm paying for is the electric for the blower...
> 
> You did confirm what I've been thinkin.. no air movement means the place is cold unless you are standing under the tubes.. and if you're under a car..,.. it's gonna be cold...


That is not true. Warmed objects warm the air. It can be any temp you want but objects recover quicker from open doors.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

So true.. items do warm the air.. but I'd imagine that takes longer to happen than it takes for air blowing around?


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

simi-steading said:


> So true.. items do warm the air.. but I'd imagine that takes longer to happen than it takes for air blowing around?


Yes. If you are going to shut off the heat and onlt turn it on when you use the space. Radiant will not be the answer. It is not quick.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

If your gas if *free*, why not use a couple of heaters?

Use a gas water heater for in-floor radiant heat to keep things from freezing, and maintain a some degree of heat, and a hanging forced air heater (or heaters) to boost the temps quickly when you want to use the building?

Also, a few ceiling fans will get some of that heat back down where it needs to be.

You'll never get it comfortable without some air circulation with the high, open ceilings

Keep any heaters that have an open flame as high as possible if there's any chance of flammable liquid spills


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Yep.. it's free.. 










At the time I put in the concrete, I didn't have the money to put pipe under the concrete. I had thought about it real hard, but there was just no way to make it happen... 

Now my only option is a lot of big heat.. 

I also am thinking about a few wall heaters.... Last night I was talking with a friend, and we pretty much decided ceiling fans are a must.. 










My biggest worry is not flammable liquids, but rather wood dust from a wood shop I'm building in the building... I do plan to have a lot of dust collection and exhaust fans..


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## potter28 (Sep 10, 2014)

Do you have the ceiling covered with bubble wrap as well or was it put down under the steel roof? Fan forced heaters warm the air, radiant tube the objects, just like standing in the sun. I've installed both. Radiant tube or infrared ceramic heaters would both work, with a minimally insulated / drafty building I would recommend the ceramic heaters. Your problem with either type of these heaters is mounting height which is usually a minimum of 10-12'. Space Ray (spaceray.com) is the company I've used and you can contact them and they'll be able to recommend the best product for your need. The ceramic heaters will heat you and your floor and that's what most open fabrication style shops use. I've installed them at golf course driving ranges to steel fab shops. Tube heaters I've installed mainly in car washes. With fan forced unit heaters you will only feel warm when its running and standing in the air flow plus they're noisy and blow dust everywhere. Plus you'll be running ceiling fans as well. Ceramic heaters use NO electric so you'll have heat no matter what. Hope this helps.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I put bubble wrap down before the metal. The roof and all walls.

This has kind of taken a good turn... I talked with the guy that used to tend my well... He said a big heater will run it out, and I'd have to wait for it to recover. He said small wall heaters , with a couple of the small ceiling mounted radiants would be my best solution.. the most heat for the least gas..


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## potter28 (Sep 10, 2014)

Sounds like a good plan, your picture looks like an old oil well, does he still pump it? I had 2 of these on a property I sold a few years ago and I was hooked to these for the gas as well. I had an issue as the wells were being pumped they built up a lot of gas pressure (165psi) on a 1" line. I has to put on 2 separate regulators to get the pressure back down and that was after a 35psi relief valve at the well heads to vent it off. Since this looks like wellhead gas be sure you have a large drip leg somewhere before your regulators to catch the moisture or they will probably freeze, had this happen and I had to heat tape the regulators.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

It pumps 4 times a week... makes about 12 barrels a month.. 

There's a separator, then it runs down to my house, and I have a dryer before an expansion tank and the regulator. Never really had problems with it freezing up.. Only time I ever need to pull the plunger is if I run the well out of gas.

Max pressure I see is around 16lbs.. It's not a big producing well, but it's free.. I wish would have had a change at buying it last time it sold... I just want to be in control of my heat..


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

My shop is 40' x 45' x 16' tall heated with a single 30' long, gas fired radiant tube. It works great, but if I was doing it over again, I'd go with the in floor heat, just for the comfort factor.
The ceiling hung gas fired "Modine" type forced air heater will be the cheapest to purchase and install, and will definitely do the job. Problem with forced air is they heat the air, so when a door opens you lose a great deal of heat. Radiant heats the floor and objects in the building which tend to retain the heat a bit better when doors open up.

All that aside .... insulation and tight fitting doors and windows will do more to improve building efficiency than any heating system.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Also, had I of gone with closed eves instead of vented, but in this area, you really need air exchange. pretty things don't happen in closed buildings in my area... 

I've come to realize that putting my Bat Cave wood stove in there is going to be a necessary as part of the solution..


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