gas heat in reloading room

[farmbif]

my reloading room has been much too cold to work in recently and need to come up with a way to heat it. trying to reload with gloves on just does not work.
ive got propane heaters, was thinking using the buddy heater or maybe the one with two burners that screws into the top of a propane tank.
any other simple suggestions are appreciated

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I use my little buddy heater in my basement when it gets chilly. Works great.

[anothernewb]

Propane gives off a lot of water as a byproduct of combustion. You'll want a dehumidifier if that's your only heat source.

When I run my propane burner in the garage, granted it's 50,000 btu so a little scaled up. The humidity in my garage is insane in the winter. Enough that I'm considering either a sealed unit or a natural gas burner.

[Outer Rondacker]

Propane gives off a lot of water as a byproduct of combustion. You'll want a dehumidifier if that's your only heat source.

When I run my propane burner in the garage, granted it's 50,000 btu so a little scaled up. The humidity in my garage is insane in the winter. Enough that I'm considering either a sealed unit or a natural gas burner.

You beat me to it. Oil fill radiator.

[Shawlerbrook]

Have the same problem. I was considering one of the IR heaters. Anyone ever use one ?

[fastdadio]

Another thing to consider is that the condensate given off the open burners is acidic and will cause rusting of anything metal in the space.

[country gent]

You need to watch the carbon monoxide levels with the propane heaters also. Depending on the size of the room a radiator style space heater may do the job. Ive never used the IR eaters so ant comment on them.
Another option I would look into is a wall mounted or ceiling mounted so as to not give up any floor space a base board heater may work well also and wouldnt be out in the floor to work around

[remy3424]

Oh, the water! I used to heat my garage with a larger propane heater, it created some much moisture, when it was really cold out, the condensation would run down the overhead doors and freeze them to the floor. Use a little electric ceiling mounted heater now, much better.

[mdi]

Many times I have used a single burner propane stove. I placed a junk circular saw blade on the burner (on top of the pot holder). The saw blade radiates more heat than a plain burner. I seriously doubt if the increase in humidity could be measured or noticed. I keep al my powder jugs closed with the caps on snug so even if it rained in my shop the powder would be OK and my tools are cared for and won't get rusty...

[JimB..]

my reloading room has been much too cold to work in recently and need to come up with a way to heat it. trying to reload with gloves on just does not work.
ive got propane heaters, was thinking using the buddy heater or maybe the one with two burners that screws into the top of a propane tank.
any other simple suggestions are appreciated

What’s the weather like where you are?
What temp is “much too cold” and what temp are you trying to get to?
Is your room in the basement, in a barn, in a garage, in an insulated out building?
How big is the room?

I’ve gone to an electric heater, but the weather in NC is pretty mild so keeping a garage up around 62F doesn’t take much.

[Outer Rondacker]

Have the same problem. I was considering one of the IR heaters. Anyone ever use one ?

When they first came out a buddy of mine got two of them. He was claiming they would only cost 6 dollars a month and he would not need to run the wood stove so much. Two months later I asked what happened to the heaters. Claimed his electric bill climbed over 150 bucks for both months. They did work great if you had them facing you. Anything that the light didnt hit was cold. They do not heat the air just the object. I would look at it like heat from sun light. It does little good in the shade. My 2 cents. Oil filled radiator works good for smaller rooms.

[corbinace]

The infrared heaters, while expensive are really nice. They heat up the stuff they shine on, including you.

[georgerkahn]

my reloading room has been much too cold to work in recently and need to come up with a way to heat it. trying to reload with gloves on just does not work.
ive got propane heaters, was thinking using the buddy heater or maybe the one with two burners that screws into the top of a propane tank.
any other simple suggestions are appreciated

You did not indicate if your reloading room is part of your house. In *my* case, I have a teeny room in basement, while ground and second floor of house are heated with a wood-stove. Today, with no added heat, it was 48*F in my reload room. I have what is called a "milkhouse" heater -- 110VAC plug in unit -- and these come, all looking similar, in price ranges from about fifteen all the way to about one thousand U S dollars!295878 I have a Titan brand which came from a 2nd-hand store for fifteen dollars :). My room is small enough I can comfortably reload in about 1/2 hour time. There is a switch for low or high heat, too, and it is easy to calculate how much the heat will cost -- just multiply the wattage you've selected by the cost to you per kilowatt of service. (Divide your entire electric bill by number of kilowatt hours to get this amount; at least my bill has so many mumbo-jumbo charges added to electric consumption, this is most accurate.)
In my case, I figure about five hours of continual heat costs me one dollar. Obviously, if I chose to heat the room 24/7 in winter the cost would be waaaay high/prohibitive to my resources. But -- versus propane (I have two Big Buddy heaters at camp: DAMPNESS!!!!) -- it has worked well.
Again, you did not indicate your house heat method. If you have, say, heated water baseboard radiation, I'd think it would not be too much of a challenge to plumb in a loop to your room. OR, if you have forced hot-air, to add a duct to your furnace and run it into room.
Good luck!
geo

[jmorris]

My reloading room is heated with propane, actually my entire house is heated with propane but my reloading room is in it.

[Rcmaveric]

Sigh..... i been lighting candles and putting them under a terracotta pot to keep warm. Granted its not snowing in Florida but yesterday felt like a freezer in the garage. I was using a camping stove but it died on me. Candles kept me comfortable at my bench. Camping stove kept half the garsge warm. Candles kept only my bench warm.

Definitely getting a space heater this summer when everthing goes on sale.

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[Winger Ed.]

Nobody has suggested the official redneck shop heater yet.
If you don't need to be out there too much or very often---

A buddy used to park a running car in the garage, and run the exhaust out through a metal flex hose
to the out side through a hole in the wall away from where the fumes could get back in.
Between the engine being warmed up and the fan circulating the warm air from it & the radiator- it worked well.

My shop is too crowded to bring the truck in, but I've thought about doing that with the riding lawn mower.

[Outer Rondacker]

My reloading room is heated with propane, actually my entire house is heated with propane but my reloading room is in it.

Same here but its a self-contained unit. Sucks in all its own air for the burn and blows out the exhaust. This means no moisture.

[dverna]

Moisture can be an issue with propane when the products of combustion are not vented.

My old reloading shop was part of an outbuilding that was insulated, (about 800 sq ft) and I had a regular house propane furnace, so moisture was not a problem. But I found keeping it warm during the winter was expensive.

If you can, do what I did. Converted part of the basement (or a spare room) into the reloading shop. I cannot cast indoors but I can reload in comfort.

[barnabus]

i have a propane fireplace and run it in my reloading man cave. yes the windows sweat when i first crank it up but nothing rust cuz i keep my stuff oiled up.

[ddeck22]

I use an oil filled radiator. It's a safe, economical and simple solution. Depending on the size of the room, don't be afraid to hang a sheet or blanket to ensure that you are only heating the space which you need.

[Lloyd Smale]

propane in a garage wouldnt be much problem. At least up here. Your going to have moisture from rain and snow in it anyway. Now i do have a slight problem with my propane heater in my loading room. My dies will rust if i dont keep them oiled. But just keeping them in a drawer about cures it. If moisture is a concern get a vented propane heater and the moisture goes out the vent. there more expensive though and require a hole int he wall for the vent pipe.

[Rickf1985]

Not one person has mentioned the fact that you have an open flame in the same room as your gunpowder and primers?!! One bump, slip or drop and POOF! and that poof will light up all the other stuff in the room, including you.

[Outer Rondacker]

Not one person has mentioned the fact that you have an open flame in the same room as your gunpowder and primers?!! One bump, slip or drop and POOF! and that poof will light up all the other stuff in the room, including you.

LOL One of my good friends owns a reloading business. He heats the entire building with a wood stove. An old air leaking wood stove. Powder and primers along with egg creates full of ammo within feet. People bring this up to him every winter. It good dry heat and he has been doing it since the late 60s.

[Handloader109]

wood stove would be much better choice. Propane tank INSIDE a garage or house is asking for a fire or explosion. Just don't. If you have $500 to 1k to spend, install a mini split. Most now can heat as well as cool, my basement install will heat with outside temp down into single digits and not a strip heater.

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[gc45]

Heat is not cheap, plain and simple. We must get BTU's from somehere and why these gimmicks of cheap heat are a farce. The best over all solution IMO, and for consistant tempetures, is a well insulated space and what ever type of heater you like that does the job. {popane is not safe the answer for me although I have it here, just prefer not to use it in a very tight closed space.. My reloading room is 40x14x8 built inside the shop, heated with a ceiling hung electric fan heater that works great and is not all that expensive but my loading room is well insulated and without windows. Heat costs are a compromise IMO- I like being warm and also keeping the room dry and moisture low. Like some of you perhaps I have one big investment, and heating costs are the price I must pay to protect that investment from the cold and wet winters of the north country...

[Lloyd Smale]

LOL One of my good friends owns a reloading business. He heats the entire building with a wood stove. An old air leaking wood stove. Powder and primers along with egg creates full of ammo within feet. People bring this up to him every winter. It good dry heat and he has been doing it since the late 60s.

probably half the reloading rooms around here are wood heated. you would have to be pretty stupid to dump powder on a wood stove.

[Lloyd Smale]

Heat is not cheap, plain and simple. We must get BTU's from somehere and why these gimmicks of cheap heat are a farce. The best over all solution IMO, and for consistant tempetures, is a well insulated space and what ever type of heater you like that does the job. {popane is not safe the answer for me although I have it here, just prefer not to use it in a very tight closed space.. My reloading room is 40x14x8 built inside the shop, heated with a ceiling hung electric fan heater that works great and is not all that expensive but my loading room is well insulated and without windows. Heat costs are a compromise IMO- I like being warm and also keeping the room dry and moisture low. Like some of you perhaps I have one big investment, and heating costs are the price I must pay to protect that investment from the cold and wet winters of the north country...

electric heat is just to expensive up here in the north where we have long winters and thats when we reload. My propane heater is fed by my hog outside. Ive run it for months at a time and never heard a peep out of a co2 alarm. Lots of people heat apartments up here with unvented propane heaters. Most of them made today have an co2 sensor with an automatic shut off. Much bigger things in life to worry about then a propane heater. Like i said if your a worry wart get a vented one. Its no different then a propane furnace and theres millions of those in service

[GregLaROCHE]

My workshop is a cellar built under ground with stone walls and arched ceiling. It is always between 10*C in winter and 12*C in summer. I run a dehumidifier almost 24/7. To stay warm I drag around a 1500 watt quartz heater with an extension cord shining on me wherever I go in the shop. If I’m sitting ant my actual reloading bench, I have a 600 watt by my feet. It keeps my feet warm and the excess comes up from under the table and warms the rest of me and the table I’m working on. Saves some electricity too. There’s no way I could heat the entire mass of the shop, when I don’t usually spend more than four hours there every other day or so. Also I have a 500 watt quartz work light that shines on where I’m usually working and it helps a lot too.

[Rcmaveric]

Not one person has mentioned the fact that you have an open flame in the same room as your gunpowder and primers?!! One bump, slip or drop and POOF! and that poof will light up all the other stuff in the room, including you.Well... its a little bit harder than that. I would have to intentionally pour the powder out of its container. Its not like we are looking into a gas tank with a lighter here. But i do see your point OSHA. Though i think the propane tank being inside is a bigger danger. Thanks for reminding me to move it.

The powder will just burn and burn fast. But proppane tanks go boom...

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[Lloyd Smale]

my shop is 18x18 inside. It has 6 inch stud walls inside up against 6 inches of solid concrete with 2 inches of foam insualtion. One window and its a triple pane. If i leave my gas heater pilot light on it keeps the room at about 40-50 even when its below zero. When i want to load kick it up and in 10 minutes its 70 inside. Trick is to never shut the pilot light off because if you let everything in it get cold it takes to long to recover. Dont know what it costs to run a pilot light but it sure cant be much. With alot of equiptement in a shop its sometimes cheaper to leave it warm then try to bring everything up to temp. Its kind of like those programable theromostats. My buddy is a furnace installer and he said if you set them to swing more then 5 degrees there going to cost you more money to heat because the walls cool and the furiture ect. He said set them to 3 degrees if you insist on using them but they are basicaly a gimic.

[Mal Paso]

Not one person has mentioned the fact that you have an open flame in the same room as your gunpowder and primers?!! One bump, slip or drop and POOF! and that poof will light up all the other stuff in the room, including you.

I reloaded in front of a wood stove for years without problems. There are no fumes to catch fire.

[Markopolo]

I personally, have a smallish wood stove in my reloading room… I love it… keeps things dried out in out 100% humidity rainforest. It also calms down the rust just a wee bit.. I still have to keep things well oiled, but it is a nice dry heat. I know that it goes against the grain, but it works.. just do it safely.

Marko.

[Froogal]

electric heat is just to expensive up here in the north where we have long winters and thats when we reload. My propane heater is fed by my hog outside. Ive run it for months at a time and never heard a peep out of a co2 alarm. Lots of people heat apartments up here with unvented propane heaters. Most of them made today have an co2 sensor with an automatic shut off. Much bigger things in life to worry about then a propane heater. Like i said if your a worry wart get a vented one. Its no different then a propane furnace and theres millions of those in service

Those ceramic heaters are a little different story. I bought two of them from Amazon. We use them in bedrooms that are difficult to heat. The ceramic heaters do an excellent job and make very little difference to the electric bill. Amazing little machines. Just go to Amazon and do a search for ceramic heaters.

[farmbif]

I got one of those ceramic space heaters, can't stand it. free to anyone that will pay the freight.
everything is frozen outside, I'm just gone wait till march.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

A watt is a watt. Best you can do is blow it or shine it directly on you instead of trying to heat the entire room. We heat the house with wood so I reworked the ducts on the old furnace to heat the basement. It can raise it 10 degrees in 20-30 minutes, but the concrete soaks up the heat as soon as you turn it off.

For you fellows that fight rust, try Johnson’s Paste Wax instead of oil. Seems to stay put better, and doesn’t attract dirt and dust. I’ve been waxing the outsides of my guns with JPW for several years now with great results. Really makes the blueing shine, too!

[Rcmaveric]

For Corrosion Control i use BoeSheild and Fluid Film. Fluid Film is lanolin based and nontoxic. I like on hand tools and things i handle. Boe sheild for things i dont touch often like dies.

If i stay on top of it. It just needs a wipe down once or twice a year. Never an issue. That was inside.

We will see how how things go during this humid Florida summer with salt in the air.

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[Lloyd Smale]

Those ceramic heaters are a little different story. I bought two of them from Amazon. We use them in bedrooms that are difficult to heat. The ceramic heaters do an excellent job and make very little difference to the electric bill. Amazing little machines. Just go to Amazon and do a search for ceramic heaters.

i bought two of them that plug into outlets last year but to be honest never used them. I have an addition off of my house that my wife has a treadmill peleton bike and i have some weights in. that room isnt ducked into the heat and i run a small propane wall stove to keep it about 60 which is warm enough to exercise in. Those heaters are sitting on the desk out there. Honestly i bought them and when they came asked myself why. Figured they were a gimmick like those fake ceramic fireplaces. I have heard from other that those new small convection ceramics ones do work.

[Lloyd Smale]

I got one of those ceramic space heaters, can't stand it. free to anyone that will pay the freight.
everything is frozen outside, I'm just gone wait till march.

thats what im doing this year. I had a knee and hip replacement last fall and between that and the fact the reloading room is such a mess it looks like a bomb went off in there. So i just closed the door till the snow goes and its nice enough to go out and start cleaning. Isnt like i dont have ammo to shoot or bullets casted.

[Rcmaveric]

thats what im doing this year. I had a knee and hip replacement last fall and between that and the fact the reloading room is such a mess it looks like a bomb went off in there. So i just closed the door till the snow goes and its nice enough to go out and start cleaning. Isnt like i dont have ammo to shoot or bullets casted.I cant keep my shop clean. Every time i clean it the next project deatroys it.

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[GregLaROCHE]

I reloaded in front of a wood stove for years without problems. There are no fumes to catch fire.

I used to reload by light from an Aladin kerosene lamp right next to me. You just can’t do anything stupid.

[jetinteriorguy]

Thank heavens I’m lucky enough half of the basement is my man cave, plus an upstairs spare bedroom for an annex. I will say one thing, heating a loading room with anything involving a flame would make me pretty nervous, I’ve used the oil filled radiator type in my cutting room at work and they work way better than I would have ever guessed and if needed that’s what I’d use. After all, I’m very familiar with Mr. Murphy.

[gc45]

location we live has lots to do with how we heat. We go through 3-4 cords to heat the house some winters and although we do have propane furnace as well it is very expensive here.. Would love to heat my gun room with wood having plenty of woods to cut from; but that would require me to heat it intermittently and that won't work here very well in winters as I'm not in there daily to mind the fire and, I don't like having big temp swings in there...Regardless of the few dollars I spend to heat my reloading/gun room with a small space heater, about $150-200 per year is my estimate, it is money well spend for a huge investment and peace of mind. I set the thermostat for 65 and never touch it much at all. nothing gets rust or mildew and we have lots of moisture here all year long...Both my safes have goldenrods inside as does my large metal cabinet holding powders..Moulds are kept on a shelve inside the safe. I do envy those who can get by without much heat..

[WinchesterM1]

I have a NG well on my property so my gun building is heated by a gas wall heater it never goes off 5 setting and sometimes it’s 80° when it’s 10° outside

[jetinteriorguy]

This is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. Good one.
Sorry, this is in reply to post #40.

[Eddie Southgate]

Shop I grew up in had a gas heater . Never had any rust problems I was aware of .

[Mal Paso]

I have a NG well on my property so my gun building is heated by a gas wall heater it never goes off 5 setting and sometimes it’s 80° when it’s 10° outside

That might be even better than gravity water.

[45 long]

Might consider one of these. They say they can heat a good-sized room & only cost about 4 cents an hour to run.
https://www.eheat.com/categories/wall-mounted-electric-panel-heaters/

[WinchesterM1]

That might be even better than gravity water.

Yeah we don’t pay a penny for electric either, we have a NG generator set up to feed a battery bank, the generator kicks on once a week to charge the batteries, my shop is 38’x25’ of poured concrete block with 3/4 rebar the whole width up, it was 9° last month and I had to open the door to cool off the building a bit lol

[JLF]

To heat my cargo room I use a 2000w electric heater.

[Charlie Horse]

Has anyone mentioned a kerosene heater? I have a small one I use on my back porch. Works fine and it's cheap.

[mmb617]

I have my reloading equipment in the basement which gets cold in the winter so I installed a 220 volt garage heater that hangs from the ceiling. It's pointing towards the area I'm working and does a good job. The main electric panel is only a couple feet away so the installation was easy. Since I only run it when I need it the effect on my electric bill isn't much.