Heating uninsulated basement garage

[austin]

I have an unheated, basement, double garage in a cold, northern climate. I am planning to insulate and heat the garage in order to be able to use it as a workshop. Two walls are exterior, sub grade, cement block. One wall is taken up with the garage doors (soon to be replaced by 2", R18 aluminum doors). The fourth wall is an inside insulated wall. I am planning to put up a 2x4 frame on the concrete walls, insulate and drywall them, but I won't be able to get around to that until next summer. I've installed an independent electric line to one corner of the ceiling for a future electric blow heater. If I heat it now, periodically (in order to be able to work in there), before insulating the exterior cement block walls, will this cause thaw/freeze problems that may lead to cracking of the walls? In other words, do I have to wait until the insulation is finished before I turn on the heat in the garage?

[LazyPup]

While it certainly will not be as effiecient as heating an insulated space, there is no major concern about heating an uninsulated masonary block struture.

Given that your are intending to convert this space to a workshop you must exercise great care when selecting the type of heater to be used in that space. You should not install an open flame type heater in a workshop intended for woodworking or automotive work where their is a high likely hood of airborne combustables such as saw dust, paint or varnish fumes or volatile flamable liquids.

In the case of a potentially flamable atmosphere I would elect to use a circulating hydronic forced air system, with the boiler in another location and an air handler in the room.

[imeduc]

Cant you tie in to the heat set up you have now for the home there????. On the block walls you want to hang a 6 mil poly from the sill plate down keep the 2x4 1" away from the wall be sure and use a P/T bottom plate for the wall. Put a R 13 in the studs paper side to the room and a R19 up in all the joist there right on the sill plate all a round the home. With lazypup code here is flame up off the floor by 2' and I see up in canada its the flame of a furnace has to be 5' up off the floor there in a shop are garage

ED

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