[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by The Champ

In the home I just sold, I had this 80,000 BTU infra red heater set up. Heats objects, not the air. No blower so doesn't move dust around the shop....

Radiant heaters are cool. I considered going with one. We have some at work. I think that a conventional heater makes it a little more even. Radiant heaters vary depending on how close you are to them. Kinda like sunshine. That has been my experience.

[Skip Fix]

Lee the first time I saw the puddles by the tractor tires I started looking for a roof leak but there was still beads of condensation on the tires!

I also get a graph form my electric company of use-you can see in the evenings the dehumidifiers kicking on then go off during the day.

[Sirrotica]

This article identifies the problem, and gives solutions to the metal building condensation problem:

https://www.cdmg.com/building-faqs/t...t-condensation

[Skip Fix]

Not much condensation on the building itself just floor and tools,cars. Ideally maybe adding heating in the floor probably would have resolved some of it. I still do think the heavy insulation adds to it keeping things cold then you open a door with 70%+ humidity air and it will from on the cold stuff. My old storage space I rented was not insulated and it would sweat but nothing like my shop on the same cars.

['ol Pinion head]

How many dehumidifiers do you have going Skip? Guess I've been fortunate here, so far no condensation issues. Have two small dehumidifers, but mainly run them in the Spring & Summer when the big doors are closed.

[Torquewar]

Lots of good opinions here but knowing some talented construction guys there basics that need to be looked at.
Any structure should be insulated for heat retention and keeping it out . Using a good sized ceiling fan really helps with stagnant air , its a very good investment.
I’m in a cold climate but in summer we do get humidity(Great Lakes. Guys that have conquered the issues have well thought out structures.
I couldn’t imagine having a wet garage .
If building new then in floor heat is the way to go, a giant heat sink cant be beat. My second choice is a radiant tube heater.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Stuart

I understand that the overnight lows can occasionally get a little chilly.

The average January high in Katy, TX is 64, the average low is 43. So the temps you mention are the exception, not the rule.

But an insulated garage will stay much warmer than the overnight low.

Regardless, when I turned the heat on in my shop at the house I just sold, I typically only set the thermostat to 50 - 55 degrees - even when the outdoor temp was well below zero.

I've helped built race cars in the winter where the temp inside the unheated race shop was well below freezing. Working in temps above 32 degrees is not a problem.

To the OP....

The one reason I can think of to heat a shop down there is IF humidity is a problem in the winter. If that is the issue, you need to have the shop warm enough to operate the dehumidifier. If that is the case, please disregard all my comments.

Champ, that is a gross assumption. I fight condensation here as well. My garage is thoroughly insulted but STILL needs heat to alleviate the condensation. The coldest you’ll ever be is at 43 degrees and 80-90% humidity on a concrete pad at ground temp.

[Skip Fix]

Roger I have two dehumidifiers one at each end of the shop . I'll check what size they are.The HVAC guy is a car guy(Vettes) and he came up with those so we could use a smaller HVAC system. He even bought one for his garage. Shop is 50x70 and 16 ft eaves.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by hurryinhoosier62

Champ, that is a gross assumption. I fight condensation here as well. My garage is thoroughly insulted but STILL needs heat to alleviate the condensation. The coldest you’ll ever be is at 43 degrees and 80-90% humidity on a concrete pad at ground temp.

I think you failed to read the last sentence of my post:

The one reason I can think of to heat a shop down there is IF humidity is a problem in the winter. If that is the issue, you need to have the shop warm enough to operate the dehumidifier. If that is the case, please disregard all my comments.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by The Champ

I think you failed to read the last sentence of my post:

The one reason I can think of to heat a shop down there is IF humidity is a problem in the winter. If that is the issue, you need to have the shop warm enough to operate the dehumidifier. If that is the case, please disregard all my comments.

Dehumidifiers STILL do not alleviate the moisture. It takes HEAT dissipate it completely. Remember, you have no practical experience in dealing with high humidity in summer or winter.

[Formulabruce]

Propane, Not vented ,ADDS a lot of water to the atmosphere it is in.
Kerosene Bullet heaters add water too.
DE- Humidifiers work BEST about 4 ft off the floor with exterior drain
in a garage over 50 degrees.
They cant get rid of air thats soaked with water, needs to be airborne.
When up off the floor, they will draw more air across whats below and help
dry that up too.

[mrennie]

Skip, as to your original questions, like other have said 18" off the floor is a requirement for any fuel burning device in a garage. I have an attached garage on my house and installed a wood stove years ago. Insurance company was OK with it as long as bottom of the stove was at least 18" off the floor and I observed the required clearances to combustibles on back and sides. I keep my motorcycle in there in the winter and work on my vehicles and no issues.

I also have a ceiling mounted propane heater (Modine Hot Dawg) that I ordered with outside fresh air intake. I felt this was safer for the odd time I might want to spray paint something in my garage during the winter, as none of the room air gets to the burners. Humidity not a winter problem here, it is -38 this morning and garage humidity is ~23%. I am getting shocks wiping dust off my car!!

[Skip Fix]

Here we go with another cycle-dropping from 70s to 40s this weekend then next week back up. Will fire that baby up. It is vented like a normal HVAC and dehumidifiers so far have made a big difference.

[Stuart]

I was just watching the latest YouTube video from Steve Summers, he has a home shop where he does machining, welding and fabrication. He's in Kentucky and has to deal with high humidity, and he uses an AlorAir Storm LGR dehumidifier. He said it's worked well for him; it has a lot of hours of operation on it and all he's had to do is regularly clean the filter. It's a commercial unit so it's not inexpensive, but sometimes you have to pay the price to get what you need.

Link to dehumidifier: https://www.alorair.com/product-deta...rm-lgr-extreme
Link to Steve Summer's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KAZ4L-6p1Y he talks about the dehumidifier at about 20 minutes 30 seconds.

One other commercial grade dehumidifier I have personal experience with is Hi-E Dry. Before I retired and I was designing municipal well houses and water treatment plants, we used these extensively. Again, they aren't cheap but they work very well for dehumidifying large spaces. https://hi-e-drystore.com/hi-e-dry-100

Including some ceiling fans to keep the air in the shop circulating will also help with dehumidification as well as maintaining consistent temperature.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by hurryinhoosier62

Dehumidifiers STILL do not alleviate the moisture. It takes HEAT dissipate it completely. Remember, you have no practical experience in dealing with high humidity in summer or winter.

What part of "you need to have the shop warm enough to operate the dehumidifier" don't you understand?

Funny thing is, you claim I have no experience dealing with high humidity. Yet I've actually lived in TX as well as MO, MA, CA and DC in the United States.

[Stuart]

Champ, Hurryinhoosier - if you guys want to argue, take it elsewhere.

[padgett]

Have many years in Texas and last 35 in central Florida. Have never used a dehumidifier. What works for me is A Lot of air flow. The back garage has no ceiling but an whole house exhaust fan and a ceiling fan. The front garage has an big exhaust fan in the ceiling. Both stay much cooler than if closed.

[Tom Vaught]

CEILING EXHAUST FANS WORK VERY WELL IN HIGH HUMIDITY CONDITIONS, period.

Have to have a good filtered screen, like a furnace filter someplace, to keep out "street dust" from the street (and freeway) of you live within a mile of a freeway.

You get out in the country, like Skip's garage location, and that is not a issue.

Tom V.

[5th TA]

In the early 70’s I worked in a small shop that used two overhead natural gas heaters. The burners and pilots were at least 12’ off the ground.
Fortunately we never had any issues, that doesn’t mean we didn’t open all the overhead doors even in the dead of winter if we had a gasoline spill.

My shop garage is 22 X 30 and two stories tall. My wife uses the second level for her long arm quilting machine, that has a large footprint. The ground floor is used as a shop and storage for my TA and five motorcycles. I live in Northern Illinois with cold winters. The builder put 1” foam insulation around the interior foundation and 1” foam on the floor before pouring concrete. The overhead door is a 2” thick foam core. The walls are built on insulated 2 X 6. My furnace is a 95% efficient house furnace ducted with seven vents on the first level and three on the second. The furnace doesn’t have to work hard. Maintaining 70 degrees inside with 15 degrees outside it runs for about five minutes every hour. Humidity in the winter varies from 25 - 35%. I use a small dehumidifier in the summer keeping the humidity at 40%. This is to prevent any condensation or rust on my bikes. The furnace draws fresh air from outside so I don’t really worry about gasoline fumes. But on the few occasions have had any, the doors are opened and the furnace shut off.

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by 5th TA

My wife uses the second level for her long arm quilting machine, that has a large footprint.

My wife has one too! Hers is in a large room in our basement.