Recommend some shop heaters.

[SteveSS]

We have a metal building at the ranch. It's about 40' by 30'. No insulation and it has a floor made from patio blocks. The roof is gabled. It does have electricity but not gas. I suppose I could get propane but I don't want all the hassle of those big farmhouse tanks. I suppose any gas heater has to be vented, right?

We have plenty of firewood for a wood stove but the fire danger is so high here in the forests of Colorado.

Less expensive and used is better. I'm only going to use it for about 1 day a week. Colorado can get cold but we have intense sun here at 7500' above sea level.

 

[493 Mike]

We have a metal building at the ranch. It's about 40' by 30'. No insulation and it has a floor made from patio blocks. The roof is gabled. It does have electricity but not gas. I suppose I could get propane but I don't want all the hassle of those big farmhouse tanks. I suppose any gas heater has to be vented, right?

We have plenty of firewood for a wood stove but the fire danger is so high here in the forests of Colorado.

Less expensive and used is better. I'm only going to use it for about 1 day a week. Colorado can get cold but we have intense sun here at 7500' above sea level.

Solar would be ideal for you but the less expensive part of your requirement doesn't fit unless you build the collectors yourself.
Mike

 

[OKDart]

My neighbor heated his 30x40 with an empty clothes dryer back when he only needed heat occasionally

 

[69L48Z27]

Portable construction site heaters w/ propane (portable tank). That would be the cheapest and possibly used. Construction heater assumes you have a building that might be open or vented. They are used around here in closed up buildings. A non insulated pole building should be open enough.

 

[bandit67]

With no insulation and planned limited use I say propane is your best bet. A company called "Mr Heater" makes 1, 2, and 3 head units that attach directly to 20, 40, and 100 pound portable gas tanks that can be used indoors and no vent. I use them as they do not stink as do most kerosene units used indoors. Another option , if you wish to build or buy, is one that burns used motor oil. U Tube lists many build it yourself units that start with an old cast iron frying pan...

 

[65Fury440]

If you could find a used waste oil heater, that would be cheap to run.
There are a lot of oil collection centers that would probably give you fuel.

 

[Darter6]

I put 2 electric infrared heaters in my 40x40 shop.Concrete block and no insulation.Actually it was too much and I removed one for a friends shop.
Thermostatic control,uses about the same amount of electric as a hair dryer.
Same as you I only use it occasionally when needed.

 

[6872n73]

Propane heaters are the quickest easiest.
I bought a home electric heater at an auction for five bucks planning on using the squirrel cage for a fan around the shop. After some late night libations I took the squirrel cage out the electric heater elements out of the large case, simplified it with the element in front of the fan and transferred the controls to the top of the fan. How about a thermostat at the habitat for humanity repurposed store for another five bucks.

 

[bm02tj]

If you go with the direct fired construction heaters draw out side air so you do not use up the
O2 and start making C0 it is odorless and deadly

 

[gkent]

A byproduct of propane is water. A propane heater that exhausts to the exterior (read "furnace") would be fine BUT any type of propane radiant or flamethrower is going to emit gallons of water into a freezing cold building with freezing cold contents. Guess what's gonna happen !!!

I think heating that building one day a week is a losing battle regardless of the heat source. Maybe just dress warmer !!

 

[dadsbee]

Can't believe you're worried about sparks going up a chimney and setting the forest on fire..

 

[Burnout68]

Would say propane
And Tube radiant Heaters that hang from the ceiling
They heat objects not the air if that makes sense

 

[gkent]

They heat objects not the air if that makes sense

Objects that have been freezing for the past 6 days !!

 

[Ron H]

With my slightly oversize 3 car garage around the dimensions you describe, I found a suspended natch gas heater on ebay close by for $400 so I picked it up some years ago. Earlier I put in my 220v wall electric heater I took from my old house and did pretty much squat. I used my gas heater for a few years before insulating my garage and after insulating, was a huge difference. I had a gas pipe in the basement run to the the garage wall when building the house that I was able to run out to the heater. It does the job as it gets COLD hear where I am. I keep the heater set at 45 degrees when I'm not in the garage as if you let it get stone cold you're trying to overcome everything being stone cold to heat it up to a decent working temp and have stuff stored out there that can't succumb to freezing anyway. Before insulating, that heater would work hard to maintain temp burning up more gas. Can't see trying to keep an uninsulated space especially of a larger size, at a decent temp unless taxing the hell out of the heater. Isn't all that costly, I put of peg-board over the sheet insulation to hang tools.

 

[Burnout68]

Objects that have been freezing for the past 6 days !!

Well for the day he is in there he will feel the radiant heat on him while working in a cold unisulated warehouse setting instead of waiting for a forced air to heat the whole space to feel the warmth

 

[70chall440]

I have a 40x60 shop that is probably 90% insulated, I use a multi fuel heater that I got at Home Depot and have for many years. I really want to put propane into the shop so I don't have to go and get diesel but never do, perhaps one day I hope. It never gets stupid cold here but will get into the teens and low 20's in the winter, I run the heater for probably 20 minutes and get it up to around 60-65, I might do that 3-5 times in maybe 5-6 hours. The heater holds 8-10 gallons and it is supposed to run for 8 hours on a full tank.

I would say, you need to have an open area and decent ventilation, if it runs for too long you won't like it.