Our house is small and my garage is big. It is 30x36 with an 12x22 shed on the back end. That leaves an 8x12 corner in which I could build a reloading room and get my reloading and shooting stuff out of the garage and the sawdust. I have dust collection but there’s still always a layer of fine sawdust in the shop.

I plan to well insulate this room. The shop is heated with propane and I keep it about 50 unless I’m doing some finishing or painting.

I’m seeking your thoughts on heating this room. Electric baseboard or propane. I wouldn’t go ventless propane because it puts so much moisture in the room. I would do a direct vent to mitigate the moisture issue if I go propane over electric. I don’t want to go the space heater route. I prefer to have a more permanent set up. I plan to keep it about 60 in the room so I have a consistent temperature most of the year. Your thoughts?

I have a 12x12 room I use for reloading in corner of me garage, I use a portable oil radiator for heat and am nice and toasty when its 30* outside.

I got mine from amazon
https://www.amazon.com/PROUS-Whole-...mp;mcid=ab28c8a845593d748205fa44e22f2931

Live dangerously. Use a wood stove in there.

I had to remove the wood stove from our garage. Our insurance won’t cover a detached garage with a wood stove. I can use a wood stove in the house though.

I'd spend $100 on an electric oil filled radiator and call it good. I've got a couple of them around here. Leave one on for a couple of hours and it'll turn an 8X12 space into a sauna.

I thought briefly about the portable oil or kerosun heaters but don’t want to worry about it being filled and running when I’m gone. I’m on keep full with the propane if I opt for that.

One of these would be an easy answer. They're cheap to run too as the oil stays hot in there for a while.

One of those oil radiators or electric baseboard heat

I’m sitting three feet from mine in my 12x16 hunting cabin in Alabama. I put in on the max when I get back from my afternoon hunt. In an hour I have to turn it down to the minimum watts. Last night it got down in the high 20s. I had Morning coffee in a nice toasty cabin. I did a lot of research on heaters when I was buying stuff this cabin. For me this electric oil filled radiant heater seemed to check all the boxes. It has worked out great.

Well,...okay. But I can't imagine a heating source that's safer than an electric oil filler radiator. I've got one beside my chair to keep the chill off. It pretty much runs all day throughout the winter...been doing it for 5 or 6 years.

Considering their low price and the low cost of using them, I consider them one of the best heating devices to come along in recent history. Obviously, they use a little bit of electricity. But not enough to make your eyes bug out when the electric bill comes--maybe $15 a month.

I can't imagine using anything else to heat an 8X12 room. They're the perfect answer for that application.

A mini-split system would probably be your best bet, then you could also air condition it in the summer.

You'll want to do a little research and size it properly.

I am not sure everyone is on the same page here.

These oil FILLED heaters as recommended above are 110 V electric. I have one in our living room to warm that part of the house while allowing the rest of the house to stay at a cooler, more comfortable temperature.



A reloadig room would be a perfect application for one as they have no hot surfaces to initiate combustion. At its highest settig, 1500 watts, I can lay my had on any part of ours.

Reload faster

Up here at 3750 feet I think we used our AC in the house 2 or 3 days last year.

I may have to rethink the oil filled electric portable. My original thought was since this would be new construction it would be the time to build something into the room.

anybody mentioned a Torpedo Yet?... grin

I 3rd (or whatever place I am in line) the electric oil filled radiator. Cheap, simple, safe, and will drive you out of the room if you leave it on long enough.

+1

These things are great. They're cheap to buy, cheap to operate, and they work great.

My biggest reason for A/C is to keep humidity down, better for components, ammo, and guns.

anything but electric... added a small 240v electric heater in my small workshop to supplement my NG tube heater... added $400 a month to heat bill... lesson learned...

Pretty dry up here on the prairie.

I would vote for the oil filled electric radiator. We used one in our office at work. Very safe and economical with 110 volts. Our at work was two different wattages. You could use 1/2 capacity or full capacity with thermostat. Ours was several years old and worked like a champ. They are very reasonable cost also.

I darn near set on my little radiator heater in the garage where my reloading table is set up. Plan to enclose the small corner so I don’t freeze next winter. MTG

That is either a VERY large shop, or very expensive electricity, or both.

I use an oil filled heater in my camper during hunting season. As poorly insulated as most campers are, mine stays comfortable down to freezing with just the heater. Below that, the furnace will assist when needed. I use the 800W setting on the heater to avoid any electrical issues. It’s an old camper.

My "reloading room" is a drafty single wide retired construction site office trailer with about a 10 X 40 foot interior space. A heater like this keeps it comfortable in all but the coldest winter weather.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296088752502?

Yeah, I keep my shop 55-60* with infrared heat in Minnesota without anything like that bill.

My reloading room is in my basement, heating is done by heat pump, 46% humidity and 70 degrees all year round

you can put you one or two depending on your level of environment and insulation of the old milkhouse style heaters in they work good

I went back and looked and you're in Idaho so that might not be the best option for you cuz I understand it gets damn cold up there LOL

shop is aprox 30x40 with 14ft ceiling... the electric heater on it's lowest setting kept the shop at 62* with the tube heater bumping it up to 70* during the day... total gas & electric about $550 per mo... with electric heat disconnected, about $150 per mo... shop is getting new insulation & a vapor barrier, hopefully next summer... Phuqking Corn Crib!...

I have 2 of these types. They are safe, cheap and last. I have the Italian brand. 20 years old.

Put in electric baseboard with the T-Stat on the wall.

Mine sits under my bench works perfect.

I load/reload in my garage so if it's cold I just wear warm clothes.

I have a 24x30 shop. 10' tall 2x6 insulated walls. I keep it ~55 degrees all the time that the heaters need to run. 2 240V 5K Watt overhead heaters and 2 ceiling fans cost ~$80-$125 to run in the ND winter. I've got a 115V "window-unit" AC built into the shady N wall and summertime costs to keep the shop @ 72F run about the same as winter pricing.

i built a 8x16 rifle and pistol reloading room in my pole shed with a wood floor and electric base board heat ,its now getting to small . but i have no problem with moisture ,cold or heat with this insulated room.

Love kerosene heaters....except for the odor!
Walking out of a TSC the other day and there stood a display of 5 gallons cans of kerosene.
That stuff was $50/can or $10/gal!!!!!!
I can remember buying kerosene for five cents a gallon when diesel was ten cents and gasoline was .219 cents a gallon.
Before I'd burn $10 kerosene, I'd run a wood heater!

Electric is going to be the most inefficient. i.e. oil, baseboard, heat pump etc. If your are going to be leaving it on to maintain a constant temp then propane would by far be the most efficient and cost effective. YMMV

My little room is 7 x10. I insulated it well. When I am going to work in there and it's cold. I plug in a little electric heater and warm it up.

I wouldn't sch*t talk electricity or any other heating method you're using with that going on decent insulation is your friend.

I know several people that told me these electric heaters will eat your lunch $$$ regardless of good insulation... didn't believe em, Do now!... by the way, that NG tube heater is still keeping the shop at 70* during the day (i shut it off at night)... total utility bill (gas & electric) about $150 per month...

Another vote for the oil filled radiator heater. I have one in my basement which is pretty big and it easily keeps it at 75 degrees.

A $20 ceramic heater will keep an insulated 8x12 room comfortable very inexpensively. Don’t overthink it.

Worst case scenario? You don’t like it and you’re out $20. You’s still find other uses for it.

I have a 12x12 insulated room I built in my barn and I use a little box heater 1250-1500 watts adjustable thermostat on it and it will warm the room up very quickly. I also found out if I plug in a 200 watt old style clear light bulb the ones that get very hot to the touch that it will keep the room at 42 degrees when the outside temp is 10 degrees like this morning.

Regardless of what you go with, be sure your powder and primers are kept cool and dry! High heat isn’t good for them and the chemicals start to break down. Cycling temperatures encourage condensation.

My reloading area is a concrete vault beneath the garage floor. The basement is heated so I just leave the door open so it gets some air circulating to keep it in the 50s this time of year.