Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Heating the Garage, Tell me about IR Please
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nikuk
11-27-07, 07:40 PM
I live in upstate NY, where winter regularly means 20* temps & summer brings 85* stretches.
My newly rebuilt garage is my workshop (escape). Mainly automotive mechanical work, woodworking, and occasional electronics servicing. I'd like to keep the garage a steady temp of 50* through the winter.
16' x 20' with 8.5' ceilings & a 6/12 gable roof.
2x4 stud walls, 2x6 ceiling joist & roof rafters.
(2) 28" x 42" windows (double pane Low-E), 36" steel man door, 8' uninsulated overhead door.
Vinyl siding over Tyvek wrap. Vented ridge & Soffit all round.
Asphalt roof & old concrete slab floor.
I've decked the ceiling joists with 7/16" OSB to make a cold storage "attic". The attic floor is flush all round with a drop down folding stairwell. The roof is not insulated.
I have yet to insulate the garage door, but that is 2nd on the work list.
I have stuffed the walls with FG batt R13, will be hanging R30 in the ceiling this weekend, and will hang sheetrock and/or pegboard all round soon.
Do I need to tailor the rest of the finish work around IR? I'm new to IR, but I've been reading of the benefits for a few weeks now.
Since IR heats the "things" and not the air...
#1) Would IR be a comfortable / safe steady heat source? Would it be alright to use in association with a thermostat to keep a steady 50* temp in downtimes, and warm up to ~65* while the area is in use?
#2) Should I vent the heated work area to the attic?
#3)Should I lay a vapor barrier under the attic decking?
#4) Can (should) I get away with using 2" styro board insulate in the garage door?
#5) I have a 60amp subpanel in the garage and space for a double pole breaker. What can I expect a hardwired IR heat source to pull for this size & type of area?
#6) We have NG in the home, and I have a 1/2" supply capped at the rear of the house (for a NG BBQ grill) which I could Tee off to the garage ~30' away. Would I be better off running a NG FA furnace in the garage and piping intake / exhaust out the wall?
#Lastly) Unrelated - In the summer, will the ridge vent, soffits & uninsulated roof suffice to cycle the hot air (when the windows may be closed up for days at a time)?
In either case, I'm (assuming) considering that I'd hang the heat source approx 7' off the ground for safety reasons (gasoline fumes, sawdust, etc) and convenience (out of the way the dog & of shelving et al).
So i figure I'll put it in a corner & point it towards the center of the area.
I apologize for the novel, and I appreciate the input.
-Nick
My newly rebuilt garage is my workshop (escape). Mainly automotive mechanical work, woodworking, and occasional electronics servicing. I'd like to keep the garage a steady temp of 50* through the winter.
16' x 20' with 8.5' ceilings & a 6/12 gable roof.
2x4 stud walls, 2x6 ceiling joist & roof rafters.
(2) 28" x 42" windows (double pane Low-E), 36" steel man door, 8' uninsulated overhead door.
Vinyl siding over Tyvek wrap. Vented ridge & Soffit all round.
Asphalt roof & old concrete slab floor.
I've decked the ceiling joists with 7/16" OSB to make a cold storage "attic". The attic floor is flush all round with a drop down folding stairwell. The roof is not insulated.
I have yet to insulate the garage door, but that is 2nd on the work list.
I have stuffed the walls with FG batt R13, will be hanging R30 in the ceiling this weekend, and will hang sheetrock and/or pegboard all round soon.
Do I need to tailor the rest of the finish work around IR? I'm new to IR, but I've been reading of the benefits for a few weeks now.
Since IR heats the "things" and not the air...
#1) Would IR be a comfortable / safe steady heat source? Would it be alright to use in association with a thermostat to keep a steady 50* temp in downtimes, and warm up to ~65* while the area is in use?
#2) Should I vent the heated work area to the attic?
#3)Should I lay a vapor barrier under the attic decking?
#4) Can (should) I get away with using 2" styro board insulate in the garage door?
#5) I have a 60amp subpanel in the garage and space for a double pole breaker. What can I expect a hardwired IR heat source to pull for this size & type of area?
#6) We have NG in the home, and I have a 1/2" supply capped at the rear of the house (for a NG BBQ grill) which I could Tee off to the garage ~30' away. Would I be better off running a NG FA furnace in the garage and piping intake / exhaust out the wall?
#Lastly) Unrelated - In the summer, will the ridge vent, soffits & uninsulated roof suffice to cycle the hot air (when the windows may be closed up for days at a time)?
In either case, I'm (assuming) considering that I'd hang the heat source approx 7' off the ground for safety reasons (gasoline fumes, sawdust, etc) and convenience (out of the way the dog & of shelving et al).
So i figure I'll put it in a corner & point it towards the center of the area.
I apologize for the novel, and I appreciate the input.
-Nick
resercon
11-28-07, 06:55 PM
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/documents/pdfs/26447.pdf
The above stated site explains how you can insulate your pull down stairs. Also you can purchase one at www.batticdoor.com if you like.
I am assuming you are installing R-30 and R-13 with a vapor barrier. In either case no vapor barrier is needed atop your attic floor.
You should check with the manufacturer and the installation manual on required clearances for their product. You should also ask them about VOC's (Volatile Organic Compound) like solvents, concerns and measures that should be taken when using their product.
Furthermore all of solvents and alike clearly state on their labels that they should be used in a well ventilated areas. Even machinery such as lathes and belt sanders strongly recommend the same.
All radiant systems, regardless of the type, transfer heat by using all three heat transfer mechanisms. Namely Conductive, Convection and Radiant. In fact all types of heating systems do. In the case with IR or similar radiant systems, Radiant heat transfer dominates the three or if you prefer is the primary source of heat transfer. Radiant heat transfer can best be described as "The hotter an object is, the more heat that object will radiate."
For example, a boiling pot of water atop your stove. If you move your hand towards the pot of water you will sense the heat coming from the pot. The closer your hand gets to the pot, the more heat you will sense. Although heat is radiating from the pot, if you take a piece of tissue paper and hold it above your hand where you sense heat from the pot, you would see the tissue paper move. As the heat radiates through the air it naturally heats the air and it becomes buoyant or if you prefer lighter and rises. Which is convection. As well as the counter top adjacent to the stove top, the underside and portion of the counter top further away from the stove gets warmer, it does so through conduction. Though its initial heat transfer was radiant the heat energy permeated the entire counter top through conduction.
In conclusion there isn't anything magical about electric radiant heating systems. They are basically an electric heating element that utilizes a fairly large surface area that will have a radiant barrier inside the back of the unit to direct the heat towards the front.
The above stated site explains how you can insulate your pull down stairs. Also you can purchase one at www.batticdoor.com if you like.
I am assuming you are installing R-30 and R-13 with a vapor barrier. In either case no vapor barrier is needed atop your attic floor.
You should check with the manufacturer and the installation manual on required clearances for their product. You should also ask them about VOC's (Volatile Organic Compound) like solvents, concerns and measures that should be taken when using their product.
Furthermore all of solvents and alike clearly state on their labels that they should be used in a well ventilated areas. Even machinery such as lathes and belt sanders strongly recommend the same.
All radiant systems, regardless of the type, transfer heat by using all three heat transfer mechanisms. Namely Conductive, Convection and Radiant. In fact all types of heating systems do. In the case with IR or similar radiant systems, Radiant heat transfer dominates the three or if you prefer is the primary source of heat transfer. Radiant heat transfer can best be described as "The hotter an object is, the more heat that object will radiate."
For example, a boiling pot of water atop your stove. If you move your hand towards the pot of water you will sense the heat coming from the pot. The closer your hand gets to the pot, the more heat you will sense. Although heat is radiating from the pot, if you take a piece of tissue paper and hold it above your hand where you sense heat from the pot, you would see the tissue paper move. As the heat radiates through the air it naturally heats the air and it becomes buoyant or if you prefer lighter and rises. Which is convection. As well as the counter top adjacent to the stove top, the underside and portion of the counter top further away from the stove gets warmer, it does so through conduction. Though its initial heat transfer was radiant the heat energy permeated the entire counter top through conduction.
In conclusion there isn't anything magical about electric radiant heating systems. They are basically an electric heating element that utilizes a fairly large surface area that will have a radiant barrier inside the back of the unit to direct the heat towards the front.