[Shop-talk] Light duty heater for a shop

[Peter J. Thomas]

On 4/7/2018 6:42 PM, Drew Rogge wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I have a shop that's about 24' x 32' and for years never had a problem 
> with tools rusting. However in the last three year pretty much 
> everything that's made from steel has developed a nasty surface rust. 
> I don't know what's changed but I think that the last few years here 
> in the San Francisco bay area have been wetter that what we've had in 
> quite a while.
>
> What I'm looking for is a type of heater that I can leave on all the 
> time that will keep the temperature in the shop above the dew point to 
> prevent condensation. My son showed me a type of small heater that's 
> used in boats and RVs in storage to prevent mold and mildew but 
> they're only good for 100 cubic feet so I'm not sure how applicable 
> they would be to the space I have. I'm not looking to heat up the 
> space to make it more comfortable to work in because our weather is 
> really pretty mild. We rarely get below freezing in the winter.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions on what type of heater I should be 
> looking at?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Drew
>
A passive solar heater might work if you have a south facing wall that 
gets sun.  Your climate is mild so would take much and they are easy and 
cheap to make.