Worshop/shed/garage temperature

Hi Group. What is the minimum reasonable temperature that a converted shed or converted garage be kept at in the UK. This question I think is mainly related to dew point of water.

Thanks. John.

Reply to
John
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Google on "dew point" and you will get a number of hits that will tell you all about it.

It depends on the humidity of the air, so there isn't a set minimum.

Regards, Tony

Reply to
Tony Jeffree

John,

I've got a small, insulated workshop - about 8' x 8' - and I keep it at 50F or above with a 1.5Kw thermostatically controlled convector heater. I turn this up to a nice working heat when working in the place. I've had no problems with surface rust on tools and steel.

Jim.

Reply to
Jim Guthrie

Keep your workshop at a constant temperature and you wont have to worry about the dew point. as everthing equalizes in temperature in the workshop.......the possiblity of condencation will vanish. I sugest 15c I have a kerosene/diesel jet engine type space heater on a thermostat set to 15c...... masses of condencation for the first 2 !/2 days....then when everything had equalised walls and machines ......all condencation stopped. and has not been back since. used lots of fuel to get it up to this temp.....but once it had stabilised it is now only using a 1-3 gallons a week also put vents in the apex.....to bleed off the hottest portion of the air that also contains the most moisture... not looked back since.

all the best...mark

ps see my ebay ad if you want some heavy duty radiators

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Reply to
mark

In message , John writes

It is temperature VARIATION that is the problem. As a given sample of air is cooled so its capacity to hold water vapour decreases (humidity increases). The dew point is the temperature at which that sample of air can no longer hold water vapour and thus starts to shed water as dew (100% relative humidity). Hence the need to try to stabilise temperature by good insulation.

At one time, in a totally uninsulated small shed, I kept a lathe totally free from corrosion by draping a couple blankets over it and using a 25 watt light bulb on the floor directly underneath and running 24/7. Boxed tools also survived but unprotected tools and stock metal did not.

I have now moved up to a well insulated wooden shed which has double glazed window panes. Hygrometers (humidity gauges) are ridiculously cheap at any gardening centre. As belt and braces I have a fan heater with the thermostat permanently set at the lowest value (frost-stat) together with a hygrometer and a cheap de-humidifier bought at a DIY store. I am pretty sure that the de-humidifier might well have been a step too far, finding a suitable level for the thermostat by checking the hygrometer at regular intervals could well be good enough.

Reply to
Mike H

Thanks guys. The workshop is a converted refrigerated truck body (6" insulation), I have barn doors at rear but have split the box in two with stud-wall...looks like I should invest in an oil heater then, monitor the humidity and aim to keep the temp between 10-15 C based on humidity.

John.

Reply to
John

I'd be a little cautious about a paraffin heater, they produce over a gallon of water for each gallon of fuel burnt, produce fumes and are potentially dangerous.

If you have no other alternatives then go for it, but an electric background heater or Dimplex type radiator would be preferable IMO.

Peter

Reply to
Peter A Forbes

I use a 200l (45gallon) barrel converted into a fire. It's outside my (2 portacabin, 20' Square) shed, in a wood/metal box -

I pull hot air from the box through a piece of 4" pipe into the shed. I have a blower attached to do this but I've never needed it.

The smoke goes through a chimney up over the roof well away from the air intake - next project is to feed the smoke into a smaller reburner to increase the efficiency, or at least make it burn a bit cleaner.

If I load the burner up with old pallet wood, it burns for about

48hrs, and holds the temperature in the shed at about 20C

I'll put up some pictures tonight if I get time.

Reply to
bigegg

In message , John writes

An electric heater produces 'dry' heat.

The products of combustion of an oil heater are carbon dioxide and water vapour. This will produce a high humidity level and thus a high risk of dew point condensation should the heater fail (run out of fuel). The carbon dioxide will ensure that the condensate is mildly acidic, ideal for making rust.

If you use an oil heater vent the products of combustion to outside.

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Reply to
Mike H

I use a 3kW wall mounted fan heater in my workshop which is a standard prefab concrete single garage, I have it wired up to a frost stat set to 7° C with a conactor relay to switch the power on. The walls are all clad with 20mm thick marine ply for insulation, which also gives me something to screw shelves onto.

This set up does not cost an arm and a leg to run, and so far no rust problems have re-occurred since I did this. During the summer months the heater never comes on, and the temperature remains fairly stable anyway.

Phil

Reply to
pgp001

You will probably find that a dehumidifier is cheaper to run than a heater. I run one and find it very effective at keeping the garage/workshop dry.

Reply to
Mark W

My first post here.... figures it would be about workshops. :)

I heat my workshop with a high efficiency gas furnace. Even though maintain temperature within a couple degrees, I found moisture wa still an issue. Now that I run a dehumidifier, I was surprised at th amount of water it pulls from the air. I hooked it up to a garden hos and was having soil erosiion issues from the amount of water it wa extracting. Southern Ontario is definitely a humid area. :

-- JimMcIntyr

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Reply to
JimMcIntyre

My shed is wood construction with polystyrene between the outside an

the hardboard cladding inside.For the last sixteen years I have had a electric storage heater on economy 7.

I don't have rust problems and I don't have to wait while it warms u in the winter.

Doesn't cost me a penny to run.....Gert pays the electric bill. :cool

Alla

-- Allan Waterfal

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Reply to
Allan Waterfall

My answer to condensation problems is ventilation...

I have an electric 3 kW fan heater rigged to a control box that switches on at 80 % humidity or 2 C. ( reset to 20 C when I'm working )

Heating to this low level is not expensive, and keeps the pipes from freezing and the humidity condition is almost never met.

My workshop has a vent at each end, and this prevents humidity building up in the workshop itself.

The reason this works is the outside air once it gets bellow 0 C it is dry, so if the machines are slightly warm at the start of the night as the outside air cools, and ventilation then brings in dry air, a small amount of heat lets this air actually absorb any surface moisture, and it's then let out again...

If the warm air that picked up moisture ( from the suds tank and anything else remotely damp) during the day is still in the workshop as it cools it's going to try to drop it's moisture... Its better to get it out of the workshop... The only alternative is to keep it hot.. so it absorbs more moisture...

I have had no problems with condensation over the last three winters and the amount of water my dehumidifier pulled out of the air was very small.

Any heater that leaves combustion products in the workshop is adding to the problem, it's the perfect way to make really humid air.

Reply to
Jonathan Barnes

I agree to a point - the type I use don't work well at low temperatures, so its rated to produce upto 2 gallons of water per 24 hours, the sucker punch is "at 30C". At 3C the output is very low indeed.

I'd also concur with the posts regarding "dry" heat sources. Gas heaters (Calor) produce large quantities of water.

The real solution is to build a workshop that is naturally dry! Cavity walls, properly insulated and ventilated.

STeve

Reply to
Steve

In message , John writes

Hi John 50 degrees Fahrenheit

Reply to
Derek Clifton

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