Installing heat in hangar
- Thread starter mandm
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Radar Contact
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I have a Wi-Fi thermostat where I control it from my phone. Leave it around 47 unless I’m heading out then I usually crank it up to 70.
Is your hangar insulated? Do you own it?
Insulation is the key. If you're going to run more than a space heater there, you'll want insulation.
In my case, I installed radiant floor tubing in the slab and it's connected to a geothermal heat pump. The hangar is spray foamed.
In my case, I installed radiant floor tubing in the slab and it's connected to a geothermal heat pump. The hangar is spray foamed.
sourdough44
En-Route
Growing up in the Northern U.P. of MI, I’m usually happy just to be out of the wind. I have nothing against heat though.
lblandina
Filing Flight Plan
I would never want to leave heat on in a hangar unattended. Fuel tanks expand and spill with heat on sometimes, potential for problems. I don't want any units with standing pilot lights on all the time either. Unit heaters should always be ceiling hung also. In addition, have seen furnaces misfire and blow back if burners are not maintained especially on propane so caution needs to be observed.
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
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Light and Sporty Guy
Gas? Oil? Electric?
Had a "mini split" heat pump system in my shop/garage, works well and can cool in the summer if I want.
Had a "mini split" heat pump system in my shop/garage, works well and can cool in the summer if I want.
Stewartb
Final Approach
My 60x55 hangar is heated and temps have been below zero outside more often than not this winter. Insulated wood framed and urethane foam sprayed on the 50x14 door. I use one Modine Effinity 93 gas unit heater and it works well. I did add 4-8’ ceiling fans to move the warm air down from the ceiling.
Your cost to install depends on lots of factors. Do you have gas and electric there? Type of building construction? How efficient do you want the heater to be?
Your cost to install depends on lots of factors. Do you have gas and electric there? Type of building construction? How efficient do you want the heater to be?
455 Bravo Uniform
Final Approach
IMO your main concern should be how much does it cost to heat a hangar 24/7.
Probably compares to the cost of owning a twin. Then again, if that were true, would you want 2 cold twins or 1 warm one? (get your mind right, we’re still talking about planes)
Stewartb
Final Approach
Do you guys heat your garages? It isn’t much different. How much heat costs is mostly driven by how often you open the door in cold temps. I don’t open mine when it's below zero.
My garage isn't heated but I sure wish to hell I had insulated it as well. Neither the hangar or the garage is airconditioned, but the hangar is quite comfortable in the summer due to the insulation and all I need is a couple of big ass fans to augment that.
None of the garages I heat have ceilings as high as my hangar does. And heat rises.
LesGawlik
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If you're talking about continuous heat, I can't help. But it you're talking about occasional heat for work around the hangar, the diesel heaters look really interesting. They are sold as cab heaters for trucks and RVs. I guess they would work on Jet A.
Do they require electricity?
I am sitting in my hangar right now waiting for the power and lights to come back on due high winds and rain.
I still have heat though since 2 of my heaters don’t require electricity.
I heat my hangar many days and nights when I am there. Never heat when I am not there mainly because it would be a waste. My hangar is a tin can and I literally over whelm it with BTUs to be comfortable. Soon as I turn them off the heat is gone.
I go through a lot of LP gas during the winter.
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kshaw
Pre-takeoff checklist
I have a white kerosene heater that I fire up occasionally. That generates a lot of heat.
LesGawlik
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The diesel heaters require 12v. Not much current. Could be supplied by a battery or plug in power supply. They run on about 1 gal per 10 hours of diesel. There is a pump which require lubrication derived from the road diesel. I don't know if Jet A would have that lubricity.
Clip4
Touchdown! Greaser!
You can leave it on if you have the money to pay the fuel bill. Hangar doors leak air and if the door faces the prevailing wind even a well insulated hangar is going to use a lot of fuel.
Stewartb
Final Approach
Like I said earlier, I have four 8’ ceiling fans. Mostly to circulate air so the slab warms a little but if reduces the heater running.
I added four 8’ Hubble fans a couple of years ago. They work great at a fraction of the price of a Big Ass Fan. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Progres...Satin-White-Ceiling-Fan-P250030-028/312499722
IMO
Infer red radiant heat is good for large,open, drafty areas like hangars. They heat up you, the plane and the floor first and then the air. Just what you want when you start with a cold hangar.
Infer red radiant heat is good for large,open, drafty areas like hangars. They heat up you, the plane and the floor first and then the air. Just what you want when you start with a cold hangar.
Fans sound nice
Here is a poor mans ceiling fan. I use it year round. Winter time I point it up and it blows the warm air down.
there would be enough lube in #1 fuel oil aka Jet A. Plenty of people use #1 in their #2 fuel oil furnace that have pumps. Viscosity is lighter with jet A.
Jet A has less BTUs than #2 fuel oil aka diesel fuel. So it would be down on BTUs but might not be a problem if it is sized large enough.
Sinistar
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Alhough we haven't finished out our hangar yet I did get a quote. I believe it was around $3500 installed. That was for a 130,000BTU forced air heater. It assumed electrical was available and they would run the exhaust out the back wall and all other installation. This was to heat 50'w x 35'd x 14'h. The ceiling will be minimum R38 and probably R50 bib. Walls are 6" and would be R18 minimum. That quote was when lumber prices had really risen so maybe still close to valid.
At our tiny airport there is a mix of heated hangars both force air and overheat radiant. Everyone leaves them on. Most keep temps at +40F. All have propane tanks and I don't think anyone every blows through tank per year. So they are usually heating from October to April. Most have someone checking up on them or actively flying. Outside air temps for us go as low as -40F.
I'm a fan of the forced air heater. The most comfortable heated hangar at our field is forced air. When the big door is opened and closed it really recovers fast. In the radiant heated hangars if feels great when it directly on you. But gets cold when under the wing or behind something. Radiant never feels like it truly heats a space. But the direct heat does feel nice. Radiant are nice because they are up and out of the way vs the big forced air unit..
Both have there plus and minus.
I heat 2 garages full time with radiant heat on thermostats for 25+ years. Once the shop is up to temp there are no cool spots when out of sight of the heat.
They are very quiet, do not create cool drafts because there is no fan to come on, they don't blow dust around, are great to dry paint with, have cheaper installation cost and are 100% efficient. In the winter time with enough make up combustion air my shops are like a desert in there with very low humidity . This day it was 33°f outside and raining, 100% humidity and look how dry my shop is. If you see condensation on your windows, doors etc then you do not have enough combustion air in the room. I am talking about once the place has been up to temp for a day or so.
Turning the heat on and off is hard on your shop and tools and equipment inside. You will get some condensation no matter what kind of heat you use if you keep causing huge temp swings.
66° and 28% humidity inside with 100% humidity outside using gas radiant heat.
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Hangontight
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Figure $3-5k to install a 60,000 BTU suspended gas unit heater. Gas company treats airplane hangars as 'commercial' accounts so they bill you $35/month fees plus whatever gas you use. Mine ends up costing $70-80 per month to heat in Northern Illinois, and I keep it around 50 degrees. As others have said. Insulation (or lack thereof) is probably the biggest determining factor.
Looking at options now, this is one for sale without heat. I don’t think it’s insulated.
Which airport are you at? $80/month is very reasonable imo.
60K BTU sounds low to me.
My T hangar uses 100K to heat up, sometimes 125K if it is real cold out.
I spend more than $80 month to heat mine.
JD318
Pre-takeoff checklist
I have uninsulated hangar with 120v electric. Only have the option of portable heat to heat plane/engine/oil. What is the best option for periodic use when temps dip? Winters are almost always below freezing and below zero is fairly common. Thanks for input.