bradp Posted November 21, 2016 Report Share Posted November 21, 2016 As winter rears its ugly head... and as hanging out and fiddling with airplane stuff is my form of mental Yoga, I'm trying to think of a good way to heat the hangar so I can continue to fuddle. I am going to be moving in 6 months and this is a rented T-hangar, so I don't really want to spend a lot of time or money properly insulating it. I really am just hoping to have some warmth when I want to work on something. For those who live in the cold climates, what do you use for hangar heat? I currently have a little red dragon engine preheater, which is not unlike a torpedo heater you find at many construction sites. Flame in an enclosed environment that contains flammable vapors of various sorts is a concern. Fumes of course are a concern in any enclosed space as well. My hangar neigbor has a torpedo heater that he uses with the door ajar and sits in a lawn chair under his high wing and drinks beer :-) I was thinking about those patio gas heaters. Ceramic heaters would be the preferred method, but I think they'd be relatively ineffective. What I think would be the best method would be a couple of those infrared french fry lights strategically placed. What do you guys think? Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSMooniac Posted November 21, 2016 Report Share Posted November 21, 2016 I layer-up and use a torpedo heater sporadically to get the temps up to tolerable. No great solution for an un-insulated hangar, unfortunately.A couple years ago I got a battery heated Milwaukee jacket that runs on the same M12 batteries as my tools, and that works nicely too.Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_Belville Posted November 21, 2016 Report Share Posted November 21, 2016 We were installing new windows last year and needed to keep the plexiglass warm to avoid breakage. I bought this 75,000 Btu kerosene heater and used it all winter whenever I want to work in the hangar. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/master-kerosene-diesel-forced-air-heater-75-000-btu-massachusetts-compliant-1026322?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1026322&gclid=CKv2qfT7utACFdc9gQoda2gE9A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 Aside from some form of portable heater, I would buy a sheet of Styrofoam SM to stand on to keep your feet warm. My new hangar has a heated floor as does my shop, very nice to work on. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccdeuce Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 In my workshop (airplane building spot) I use a propane forced heater and a small electric oil heater. The forced air heater 8k-14k BTUs warms the shops in less than 10min. Shut that off and then keep the oil heater near me while I work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_Belville Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 1 hour ago, M20Doc said: Aside from some form of portable heater, I would buy a sheet of Styrofoam SM to stand on to keep your feet warm. My new hangar has a heated floor as does my shop, very nice to work on. Clarence Yeah, Santa Claus' eves are in the next hangar over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonal Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 If your worried about fumes when I'd be working in the garage in winter I'd use a few of those 500 watt halogen work lamps and after a short while they have things pretty warmed up plus tons of light on my work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMuncy Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 1 hour ago, M20Doc said: Aside from some form of portable heater, I would buy a sheet of Styrofoam SM to stand on to keep your feet warm. Clarence Many years ago, while working on a construction project in very cold weather, I sat down on a piece of styrofoam for a break. It felt as if I was sitting on a warmer. The lack of heat conduction away from my body was amazing. I presume standing on it would give a similar effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 Unfortunately..... burning of fuels in a closed-ish environment can be bad for your brain cells. It can drain the oxygen from the room while leaving behind CO... by the time you know you have a problem, it could be too late... Sleeping would be bad. If you are tired, there may be a real reason for it... propane typically burns cleaner than liquid heating oils like kerosene. Both can leave a high dose of CO. fuel and solvent related projects would not be a good project at this time... Fortunately... you got a portable CO meter, right..? Now would be an opportune time to get one... Some heaters have exhaust pipes that can be ducted outside. See where your vents are at the roof. A wood stove would make an excellent man-cave heating device that you can use after you move... Electric has the best safety attributes. Get one that can be used to pre-heat the plane's cabin. It doubles as a good bathroom pre-heater as well... Styrofoam may be hard to come by, unless you go and buy it at HD... large pieces of cardboard on the floor would make a second best choice.... (how much of a CB are you this time?) These half brilliant thoughts came from the dad... his mooring/'tie-down' didn't have electricity either. Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 My storage hangar is heated with an " on demand" hot water heater, supplying hot water to the floor through 1800' of plastic apex tubing. It's the small white square on the back wall. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 Interesting topic since I just got back from Lowe's with a new 125,000 BTU propane heater. I had a 40,000 BTU unit that I used for pre-heating my plane when I lived in Buffalo. It sat for the last few years as I switched over to a Reiff. Tried using it in my new partially insulated hangar and she a no worky. My decision for going propane again came from hanging out an hour with the guy down the hangar row who has a 135,000 kerosene torpedo heater. I ended up with a headache. My hangar complex is due to have new natural gas heaters available this winter until then, it's a propane unit for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 Just now, M20Doc said: My storage hangar is heated with an " on demand" hot water heater, supplying hot water to the floor through 1800' of plastic apex tubing. It's the small white square on the back wall. Clarence What ever happened to the coke can thingy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 Just now, N201MKTurbo said: What ever happened to the coke can thingy? Beer cans Thank you! Coke is bad for you. It is still on the outside of the hangar doing its work reducing my carbon foot print on sunny days. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 If you want a nice heated hangar, come visit me from May through September! Except this year the 90°+ heat continued through most of October, too . . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted November 23, 2016 Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 Some number of years ago, perhaps in about 2008, I bought several Presto Heat Dish units at Home Depot for about $20 each. They are electric 1500 watt heaters with a parabolic reflector. The reflector on those that I have are about 16" in diameter. Doing a quick search on google and Amazon, they are considerably more expensive now between $40 and $70. They also have more features than those that I have. These little heaters create a kind of heat cone that radiates from the dish. Closer is warmer and farther is cooler. The size of the cone at 15' is maybe 8' or 10' in diameter. Anything inside the cone and at perhaps a distance of 15' to 18' from the unit is toasty warm. Take one step outside of that 8' area and you are quickly reminded how cold it is. That $20 price point is a no brainer but getting 2 or 3 units at $70 is quite different in my mind. When I was in Colorado and in the hanger on those 20dF nights and everything in the hanger was cold soaked and I needed to do a bit of engine work, I placed one unit 15' away from the engine area on the right side and another on the left side. Anytime that I was working anywhere near the engine compartment I was toasty warm wearing only a t-shirt. For me it was the perfect solution short of spending some real cash on insulation and a high BTU heater and vent system. One caution however, if anyone chooses to try one of these parabolic type heaters, beware that the heat is very concentrated. If the unit is too close to you it will feel uncomfortably hot, If the unit is heating your work area as in my example, it is also warming some of the airframe just rearward of the cowl. If the unit is too close, the sides of the airframe can get pretty hot and maybe even cook the paint right off. Just be sure to keep the unit far enough away to prevent any heat damage. Even though they are only 1500 watts, the heated area is very concentrated. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinwing Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 150 000 but kerosene |jet a heater.5 gal will last about 2 1/2 hours and bring a 65 x 40 extra tall t hanger from 45 to 70 degrees in 20 min.No co emitted at all at least as measured by co monitor.Main draw back...they are very noisy and emit some smell....however it's all I have found that works in a uninsulated metal hanger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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