The Framers Forum

I don't have a very warm workshop and my whole shop is only heated by plug in electric heaters, but I need to re-open my shop fairly soon. Maybe this is a good time to discuss ideas to keep warm, while also saving money. Any good tips?

Warm is expensive. End of.

Maybe not, warm clothes and warm socks still help quite a bit!

Much of my shop has floor tiles on concrete floors, so I am hoping to get some scraps on carpet to stand on, hopefully to keep my feet a bit warm!

Get a good dehumidifier - dry air easier to heat than damp air.

Get good flooring - we have concrete floors here and carpet didn't make a huge difference. But we then laid down insulating underlay under good quality industrial flooring tiles and the difference was remarkable. https://industrial-floor-tiles.co.uk/

Not always cheap options to do, but certainly ones that will make the working environment more comfortable. We saw a reduction in our heating bills once the flooring was down and as we heat using a gas heater which put moisture into the air, having the dehumidifiers running means we can maintain the right humidity levels in the workshop.

But also worth bearing in mind that a) tapes and adhesives need a certain temperature before they work properly/effectively and just as importantly b) customers will be more comfortable and therefore more likely to relax and spend money if you keep your workshop/shop warm. No amount of thick jumpers or warm socks can achieve that.

Thanks Jo.

I am more concerned with keeping the general atmos warm for the benefit of the contents than for my own personal
warmness. When I'm painting frames the humidity needs to be at a certain level. If it get a wee bit chilly then paint
takes longer to dry and masking tape doesn't stick well. All this slows the production a lot. My outdoor workshop has no
heating at all. I saw up frame lengths in there (thus keeping dust in one place). I like to leave the cut rails in the 'warm'
environment for a day or two to normalise before joining.

Whichever way you slice it, heating is the major overhead at the moment. You can shave a bit off the cost here and there
but it's still a big chunk of cash.

** I'm just in the process of replacing my old storage heaters. Hope to get them up and running by next week.

I work out of a large double garage sized unit. I have insulated the roof area, and carpeted the concrete floor. For the first winter I was there, I used electric oil filled radiators, which do keep it nice and warm. But you can see the smart meter going crazy.

Last year I installed a couple of ceiling mounted infra red heaters https://www.herschel-infrared.co.uk/inf ... JYQAvD_BwE

These are highly recommended, and are very cheap to run. Mine are connected to a wireless thermostat, so I keep the temperature from dropping below12 degrees overnight and at the weekend, and up to 19 degrees during the working week. I recon they cost about the same per week, as the old heaters cost per day.

Infra red heats objects not air, so my glass cuts cleanly, and the tapes and boards and customer artwork all keeps well.

Thanks Jeremy,

That is very interesting and also makes good sense. I guess that I need to look into that.
All the best,
Mark.

I keep my galleries normal room temperature for other reasons thany personal comfort, but that asside, I also go fossil hunting and walking on very windy and cold coastal areas for fun

I have a heated body warmer that keeps me toasty while I am out and about the battery lasts quite a while and I would assume would only need to be on low and intermittently in an indoor environment.

Mmm,

Very interesting! Any recommendation as which make and model is worth getting and how long they will keep you warm for? Not all heated body warmers seem to come with their own battery and do not tell you how long the can stay heated for. Some also appear to be used in conjunction with base layer vests. This is all very new to me, so any extra information will be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Mark.

Mine is the iheat one, it will keep me warm all day, but I only put it on for 20 mins at a time or I will over heat, I think it will go continuously for 8 hours on the low heat setting, you can buy an extra battery so I guess that is a moot point, aI have never needed to swap out the battery though.

I also use the battery that came with it as a power bank to keep my VR going, it extends the battery from 1 hour to 6 hours.

As it happens I have it on now I am at the play ground with the kids.

Wood burner? Using offcuts.

My old boss would say "get down on the floor and do 50 press ups, then you'll be warmer".

A couple of weeks ago I decided to replace a dead storage heater and get an extra one. Of course, as soon as they were working
the weather decided to get unseasonably warm. It's 24º in the workshop. I'll be glad of them when it turns cold though...