I know that furnace well! It was selling when I was in the business. It was a nice stove. The thermostat setup works well and should last forever. Check out the firebox for any cracks, etc. before you try to fire it up. If you find any, get them welded (or do it yourself if you are a welder). In fact, a good way to test it out is set it outside on concrete and put a short stovepipe on it. Fire it up outside to be sure you don't have any firebox leaks. Then let it cool down and move it inside the workshop. A new coat of hi-temp black paint (you can find it at most wood stove/fireplace shops) will make it look almost new! If you do paint it, the paint will stink when you first fire it up. Open a couple of windows and it will subside shortly. The sheet metal shouldn't be a problem. Remember, don't cut corners on the chimney!!
Bob: I don't have much experience in heating but here's my 2 cent's worth. Any system you choose should take into consideration the amount of time it takes to recover the savings as compares too other methods. Wood is great, and cheap, but requires your attention frequently. Natural gas or propane are reliable, but not necessarily cheap.
A friend of mine has a mechanics shop with 13 bays and a parts store in the middle. In each of the wings he installed a "used oil" furnace. The cost was near $ 4000.00 ea. The good thing is that due to his business, he has 'free fuel', maintenance is very low, and the tank holds enough to last several days.
I don't know what the situation is where you live but, where I live, most garages are happy to give you the used oil. I have read that you have several pieces of equipment, so I assume that you have a truck large enough to haul in what you need.
I do like your idea of having a combination of systems to heat this area. As I said, I don't know that much about the subject but I do enjoy these types of discussions. Have a good one ~ shao
ceiling fans make a world of difference Bob, The new home i built out here on the island has a ceiling height of 19 foot, vaulted, and if it weren't for those fans, all the heat would be up at the ridge.......Sounds like you are going to have a very nice shop.......
Rick... "The cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." -Oscar Wilde,
Bob, I just put in a Regency Medium Insert (wood) a month ago! So far so good!! The POS zero-clearence fireplace was just that, a POS. Anything was an improvement & now I'm heating up 2K sq/ft of the house pretty well. http://www.regency-fire.com/pages/wiml.html
I think I need some gravity vents now, do you have any of those?
Has anyone seen that Chimney Sweep Log CSL? Whats the scoop on that?
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