Heating the shed

Heating the shed

So far, its still relatively nice fall weather--some mornings have been almost down to freezing, but not yet.  (Might have been frost one morning...)

But winters coming and Missouri can get very cold when "theres jes two bob-wahr fences between here and the North Pole and one a-THEMs down," as I heard an old farmer say once!  I know, -12 degrees F. isnt as cold as its been in some places, but its not really conducive to sketching...

We didnt install a "real" heating system in the shed...certainly no furnace, no natural gas, and no electric baseboard heat or similar--in other words, nothing that comes on with a thermostat when the temperature drops below a certain level, so water WILL freeze at night or when Im not there.  I wont be storing paints, waterbrushes, or drinking water...

This is the current solution to those cold mornings: 

Its a small ceramic heater with 1500 BTUs** (Note!  J reminds me thats 1500 watts, not BTUs...), about standard for most electric heaters.  (Yes, the floors still going to be cold till we solve the insulation problem...)

 

This is a BIG help for now, however.  J. found a timer that comes on an hour or so before Im likely to be out there, and makes it nice enough to work...about 60+-ish, on chilly mornings. (I used to need 72 degrees, but Ive weaned myself pretty well, with wool or polar fleece and localized heat.)  For now, we have it set to turn back off at 9 am, with an override button on the side so I can manually keep the heat up if Im out there...

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And heres the other solution...polar fleece knee sock/slippers I got a few years ago at a thrift store--they were brand NEW, and have been great.  Js old heating pad now has a slipcover of a quilted pillowcase, also a thrift store find, and my toes are toasty!

We had originally thought wed install a small woodstove, and may yet, one day (I really do love wood heat)--but with the necessary clearance from combustibles, it would need nearly 1/4 of the floor space.  Hm.  Thats a LOT.

Plus the fact that Ive got arthritis and J. has a bad back, since a fall 4 years ago.  Very much wood cutting, carrying, and splitting is NOT an option.

So.  Heres something else Im considering, a home made solar heater.

(Wouldnt you know, plans for one from the 70s fell victim to my Discardia mania a few weeks ago!  Yes, I want less stuff, yes I want a simpler life, and yes, they WERE sort of beat up, but I wish Id thought a bit first...)

Anyway, a home made one could vent right into the AC hole during the winter, and come down and be stored away in summer...I purposely left that big south-facing wall blank so Id have privacy and plenty of wall space for the books and desk.  Plenty of room for a solar panel, too!

Another possibility is a wall mounted convection heater...saw this link on the Tiny House Blog...heres the direct link.  http://www.eheat.com/categories/Wall-Mounted-Electric-Panel-Heaters/ 

Hmmmmmm---wall mounted...more floor space...no vents or additional holes needed...energy efficient...

But for now the tiny heater and the timer are getting the job done...with a nice low-tech heating pad.


Heating the shed