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How do you heat your reloading area?
- Thread starter nhyrum
- Start date
I don't believe loading temperature to have an effect on anything. Powder charge is by weight(usually) not volume. So a load of 9 grains loaded at 20 below will still be 9 grains at 110, and should perform equally to the same ammo loaded at the 110 degrees. If anything, pressures would drop and cases might jam as they were sized appropriately at the cold temperature then expanded a tiny bit once warm
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I mounted one of these to the ceiling about 6ft from my bench,
Lifeplus Wall-Mount Infrared Electric Workshop Heater
That said, many moons ago my mom's uncle had a car repair shop that he heated by using 8" stove pipe in a double s configuration with a old hot water heater burner on the bottom end and vented out the wall at the top. It used natural gas and would easily warm up his shop with a slow fan behind to help distribute the air.
Lifeplus Wall-Mount Infrared Electric Workshop Heater
That said, many moons ago my mom's uncle had a car repair shop that he heated by using 8" stove pipe in a double s configuration with a old hot water heater burner on the bottom end and vented out the wall at the top. It used natural gas and would easily warm up his shop with a slow fan behind to help distribute the air.
How does cold effect reloading if at all .
I have a Tree 123 scale which drifts terribly below 65F. Above 65F it is as stable and reliable as my A&D 120. The A&D, my $20 Gem20, and my RCBS CM seem unaffected but that Tree was a disappointment. I can't really work well with small components with gloves on or with cold hands either
Nail some 2×4s to your ceiling joists, put in some screw hooks, or even just normal flanged head nails driven halfway in to hang some furniture moving blankets from. Those will act as insulating walls. Something with a fire retardant is a good idea for this kind of application. If you have an exposed ceiling, consider putting up a hung ceiling or putting up wallboard with insulation on top to cut the heat loss from your loading space. Then most any small space heater will be adequate. Putting down anti-fatigue mats will also insulate you some from a cold concrete floor and shorten how long the heater needs to be on to get the place warm.
Breathing unvented heat
Folks,please consider what you are breathing.
I live in Northern Colorado. It gets pretty cold here. I use one bedroom in my house for "The Gun Room"
But my reloading used to be in the garage. Necessary vehicle,etc mechanic projects have taken place in the garage.
I tried the exact same kero heater illustrated working on a car in my garage.
It was an extended project.
I got sick. A croup-like upper respiratory problem. Lost voice. Pretty bad.
I did not make the connection.
Later,lighting the heater, I noticed if I passed a match above the heater about 3 feet,it went out. Try it. The air above your heater extiguishes flame.
Then,some time later,healthy, I used that heater again. After a couple of days working in the garage,I got sick again with the respiratory problem.
That heater went to the dump. I don't know the exact issue,but I won't use one again.
Propane torpedo heaters... I bought one. It warms my garage right up. I sort of loved it.
I was working on a snow thrower that quit when it was full of slush then it iced up.
I had the torpedo heater blowing generally over the machine to thaw it as I worked on it.
Folks,the jet like exhaust from the propane torpedo heater contains carbon monoxide.
Your blood,via hemoglobin,delivers oxygen to your body and brain. I'm no chemist,but oxygen is O2 . The 2 means 2 electrons,like2 hands. One hand holds onto the iron in the hemoglobin and the other hand is open to be passed off to another molecule.
Carbon Monoxide only has one hand. When it ties up with a molecule of your hemoglobin,it does not let go. That hemoglobin is out of action.
Your body and brain starve for oxygen. Just getting some fresh air isn't enough. Your blood can't deliver the oxygen.
I got carbon monoxide poisoning from working with a propane forced air torpedo heater blowing on me.
I just cannot recommend being in an enclosed space with any combustion heat source that does not exhaust to outside air,
And there must be sufficient vent or infiltration to provide fresh oxygen.
You can go down without warning and you won't get up. You will be stiff when they find you.
Its the same stuff that has killed goose hunters in pit blinds and ice fishermen in shanties.
SOME of the propane catalytic heaters state in the literature they are safe for indoor use. They do produce humidity as a biproduct.
Check your local codes,but there are some propane/natural gas heaters that vent through an outside wall. A friend has a very nice between the studs gas forced air with a regular wall thermostat in his shop. It keeps the machine tools at a stable temperature.
IMO, for combustion,it needs products of combustion vented outside. However that gets done,woodstove flue, vent pipe,through the wall,etc.
Catalytic heaters,like Mr Buddy, might be safe enough.
Beyond that,I'd say you are stuck with electric. Consider a Carbon Monoxide detector.
Folks,please consider what you are breathing.
I live in Northern Colorado. It gets pretty cold here. I use one bedroom in my house for "The Gun Room"
But my reloading used to be in the garage. Necessary vehicle,etc mechanic projects have taken place in the garage.
https://images.homedepot-static.com/...4s-64_1000.jpg
I use one of these kerosene heaters efficient and quiet in my shed / reloading room not quite as big as yours though 12 x 16.
__________________
I tried the exact same kero heater illustrated working on a car in my garage.
It was an extended project.
I got sick. A croup-like upper respiratory problem. Lost voice. Pretty bad.
I did not make the connection.
Later,lighting the heater, I noticed if I passed a match above the heater about 3 feet,it went out. Try it. The air above your heater extiguishes flame.
Then,some time later,healthy, I used that heater again. After a couple of days working in the garage,I got sick again with the respiratory problem.
That heater went to the dump. I don't know the exact issue,but I won't use one again.
Propane torpedo heaters... I bought one. It warms my garage right up. I sort of loved it.
I was working on a snow thrower that quit when it was full of slush then it iced up.
I had the torpedo heater blowing generally over the machine to thaw it as I worked on it.
Folks,the jet like exhaust from the propane torpedo heater contains carbon monoxide.
Your blood,via hemoglobin,delivers oxygen to your body and brain. I'm no chemist,but oxygen is O2 . The 2 means 2 electrons,like2 hands. One hand holds onto the iron in the hemoglobin and the other hand is open to be passed off to another molecule.
Carbon Monoxide only has one hand. When it ties up with a molecule of your hemoglobin,it does not let go. That hemoglobin is out of action.
Your body and brain starve for oxygen. Just getting some fresh air isn't enough. Your blood can't deliver the oxygen.
I got carbon monoxide poisoning from working with a propane forced air torpedo heater blowing on me.
I just cannot recommend being in an enclosed space with any combustion heat source that does not exhaust to outside air,
And there must be sufficient vent or infiltration to provide fresh oxygen.
You can go down without warning and you won't get up. You will be stiff when they find you.
Its the same stuff that has killed goose hunters in pit blinds and ice fishermen in shanties.
SOME of the propane catalytic heaters state in the literature they are safe for indoor use. They do produce humidity as a biproduct.
Check your local codes,but there are some propane/natural gas heaters that vent through an outside wall. A friend has a very nice between the studs gas forced air with a regular wall thermostat in his shop. It keeps the machine tools at a stable temperature.
IMO, for combustion,it needs products of combustion vented outside. However that gets done,woodstove flue, vent pipe,through the wall,etc.
Catalytic heaters,like Mr Buddy, might be safe enough.
Beyond that,I'd say you are stuck with electric. Consider a Carbon Monoxide detector.
Good points about using fuel heaters in enclosed area. CO poisoning is real.Folks,please consider what you are breathing.
I live in Northern Colorado. It gets pretty cold here. I use one bedroom in my house for "The Gun Room"
But my reloading used to be in the garage. Necessary vehicle,etc mechanic projects have taken place in the garage.
I tried the exact same kero heater illustrated working on a car in my garage.
It was an extended project.
I got sick. A croup-like upper respiratory problem. Lost voice. Pretty bad.
I did not make the connection.
Later,lighting the heater, I noticed if I passed a match above the heater about 3 feet,it went out. Try it. The air above your heater extiguishes flame.
Then,some time later,healthy, I used that heater again. After a couple of days working in the garage,I got sick again with the respiratory problem.
That heater went to the dump. I don't know the exact issue,but I won't use one again.
Propane torpedo heaters... I bought one. It warms my garage right up. I sort of loved it.
I was working on a snow thrower that quit when it was full of slush then it iced up.
I had the torpedo heater blowing generally over the machine to thaw it as I worked on it.
Folks,the jet like exhaust from the propane torpedo heater contains carbon monoxide.
Your blood,via hemoglobin,delivers oxygen to your body and brain. I'm no chemist,but oxygen is O2 . The 2 means 2 electrons,like2 hands. One hand holds onto the iron in the hemoglobin and the other hand is open to be passed off to another molecule.
Carbon Monoxide only has one hand. When it ties up with a molecule of your hemoglobin,it does not let go. That hemoglobin is out of action.
Your body and brain starve for oxygen. Just getting some fresh air isn't enough. Your blood can't deliver the oxygen.
I got carbon monoxide poisoning from working with a propane forced air torpedo heater blowing on me.
I just cannot recommend being in an enclosed space with any combustion heat source that does not exhaust to outside air,
And there must be sufficient vent or infiltration to provide fresh oxygen.
You can go down without warning and you won't get up. You will be stiff when they find you.
Its the same stuff that has killed goose hunters in pit blinds and ice fishermen in shanties.
SOME of the propane catalytic heaters state in the literature they are safe for indoor use. They do produce humidity as a biproduct.
Check your local codes,but there are some propane/natural gas heaters that vent through an outside wall. A friend has a very nice between the studs gas forced air with a regular wall thermostat in his shop. It keeps the machine tools at a stable temperature.
IMO, for combustion,it needs products of combustion vented outside. However that gets done,woodstove flue, vent pipe,through the wall,etc.
Catalytic heaters,like Mr Buddy, might be safe enough.
Beyond that,I'd say you are stuck with electric. Consider a Carbon Monoxide detector.
My heat dish is electric. Again it is inefficient and unnecessary to heat up the whole room. The key to keep your body core warm. If I live in real cold climate, I would even consider wearing jacket with sewn-in electric heaters.
-TL
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I'm aware of how carbon monoxide and hypoxia work and it's one reason I open the door, even though the side of the garage Is literally used as a back stop for bows as a young teenager and the whole thing is just riddled with holes. The space I'm in is far from sealed or air tight. There's a number of holes a golf ball would pass through and the roof and side of the building are vented. But I think if I seriously reduced the volume I am heating, the carbon monoxide would become a much bigger issue. I might just stick to making a 10 foot radius bearable
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I know this is a touch off topic. But I don't have a reloading area at all. I'd love an out building. For now my press is on a piece of 2x6 that I clamp to my kitchen table with wood working clamps. Dies and supplies are in totes on a storage shelf with primers in a closet away from the powder. When I load I set it up, load and preferably put it back before dinner so my wife does not yell at me. By dinner is the deal.
Food and gun / ammo / reloading don't mix, espcially decapping. It is just my choice.I know this is a touch off topic. But I don't have a reloading area at all. I'd love an out building. For now my press is on a piece of 2x6 that I clamp to my kitchen table with wood working clamps. Dies and supplies are in totes on a storage shelf with primers in a closet away from the powder. When I load I set it up, load and preferably put it back before dinner so my wife does not yell at me. By dinner is the deal.
-TL
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Is that optimal, no. but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. If it's just the two of you, I wouldn't worry to much about it. I have cast on a kitchen table, that we really never ate at anyway. But as long as you're diligent and clean up after and don't have anyone that would go and lick the table, I think you'll be fineI know this is a touch off topic. But I don't have a reloading area at all. I'd love an out building. For now my press is on a piece of 2x6 that I clamp to my kitchen table with wood working clamps. Dies and supplies are in totes on a storage shelf with primers in a closet away from the powder. When I load I set it up, load and preferably put it back before dinner so my wife does not yell at me. By dinner is the deal.
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nhyrum: Its not just about having fresh air coming in.
Carbon Monoxide is cumulative. It takes your red blood cells out of service.
98% "good air" will not prevent 2% carbon monoxide from taking its toll.
But you go ahead and do it your way. Do try passing a lit match through the "air" rising vertically from your Kero-Sun heater. Its interesting.
Carbon Monoxide is cumulative. It takes your red blood cells out of service.
98% "good air" will not prevent 2% carbon monoxide from taking its toll.
But you go ahead and do it your way. Do try passing a lit match through the "air" rising vertically from your Kero-Sun heater. Its interesting.
I know. Carbon monoxide attaches to hemoglobin something like 40x that of oxygen. As a pilot, co poisoning and hypoxia are something we learn about early and pretty in depth. I'm not at all dismissing your concerns. I didn't have any matches, but I put a propane torch above the heater that I put a cookie sheet of brass to dry on(to block any drafts/wind. Since they're a convection heater, and by definition they create drafts, I wanted to rule that out as being the cause of the flame extinguishing. The flame went from blue to mostly orange. With propane, my two biggest concerns(ok 3) was 1, starting a fire, two, carbon monoxide, and three, the moisture propane puts out. Yes, any combustion will consume oxygen, this kerosene heater is supposed to have a catalyst to reduce the co. The match test wouldn't tell anything if co, just oxygen.nhyrum: Its not just about having fresh air coming in.
Carbon Monoxide is cumulative. It takes your red blood cells out of service.
98% "good air" will not prevent 2% carbon monoxide from taking its toll.
But you go ahead and do it your way. Do try passing a lit match through the "air" rising vertically from your Kero-Sun heater. Its interesting.
The biggest concern with carbon monoxide and hypoxia is the fact that you'll have no clue that you have it until it's too late, since one of the symptoms is euphoria (I've got quite a crazy and somewhat scary video of a pilot getting hypoxia) he's clearly having issues speaking and thinking, yet says everything is "a-ok". He sounds completely blackout drunk.
So really, I'm not trying to sound dismissive. Your statement really did make me rethink the whole" build a small room and heat it with propane. I'm fact, I bet I could heat the room I made with an oil radiator heater
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16x16 single car garage sized building. pellet stove, has just a short pipe sticking through the wall. a full height chimney is not necessary. a bag goes 24 hours. no danger of co2 poisoning.
...minnesota winters. it also doubles as a refuge from reality. bobn
as an edit, there is also a inlet air vent.
...minnesota winters. it also doubles as a refuge from reality. bobn
as an edit, there is also a inlet air vent.
Last edited:
Geezerbiker
New member
CO detectors are cheap and work. If you use any combustion based heat source, you should have 2 of them. One to be safe and one more for a back up.
That said I've used ceramic element propane heaters in my workshop for many years (but I don't reload there.) I've never had one set off a CO detector but running my bike outside an open door set them off pretty quickly and I didn't even suspect any CO was blowing inside...
My home has natural gas heating but the gun room can get a bit cold in the winter so I use a ceramic element electric heater there. No glowing elements and no sparks...
Tony
That said I've used ceramic element propane heaters in my workshop for many years (but I don't reload there.) I've never had one set off a CO detector but running my bike outside an open door set them off pretty quickly and I didn't even suspect any CO was blowing inside...
My home has natural gas heating but the gun room can get a bit cold in the winter so I use a ceramic element electric heater there. No glowing elements and no sparks...
Tony
How does cold effect reloading if at all .
Metal god: I don't know that it does. For me, the concern is just creature comfort. If the loading environment is cold, everything you touch is going to be cold. My bones are getting old. Etc. It would just kinda suck, I'd imagine. Like you, I currently live in a warm climate, so I don't really know. Moving to Idaho, I'm going to find out.
As for the concern of others re Carbon Monoxide, etc. That is a real danger, as everybody here knows. I would never consider heating the area with anything that oxidizes any substance for heat. I'm going to use those electric portable oil-filled radiators. I've used one in a previous life (was living in an out building). They work great. Takes them a bit to warm up; but once they do, they're fantastic. Quiet, efficient, safe.
Anything that causes condensation can be an issue. If you have cold brass and crank on the kerosene heater and start to see water vapor appearing, then you want to leave everything sealed until it has got warm. Electric heat doesn't produce water vapor and lowers RH rather than contributing to it. Ideally, though, you'd like a system that kept RH constant at around 60% so you were close to the storage conditions the manufacturer had when the burn rate was determined.
shooter1911
New member
When I reload in my garage in the winter I hook up my Big Buddy heater to a 20lb propane tank. I like that the Big Buddy is the only heater with an oxygen detector that will shut the heater off if carbon monoxide eats up the oxygen in the room. They are pricy, but if you buy one on sale at the beginning of the season they drastically cut the prices. I got mine at Tractor Supply. I noticed Northern also runs good pre-winter sales on them.
Moving
I'm curious myself. I'm in the process of moving to Idaho. I'll get there just in time for the cold weather to set in (I have never lived in a cold climate). I'm not going to concern myself with loading until next spring begins to approach, as I'll have much other stuff to unpack. But yes, my load area will be in a three car garage (with two cars in it).
I did request extra electrical circuits (home is under construction) in the garage (120 & 220) for heating, lighting, possible air compressor and/or electric car charger. But will heating it be a practical thing to do? In the dead of winter, I suspect not.
I'll likely get one (or two) of those portable oil filled radiators to "extend" the loading season a bit on each end of the warm months - if that makes sense. But when outside high temps are in the 20f range, I doubt getting the garage warm enough for loading is something I'm going to be able to do.
I'm moving from the Sacramento valley, where I had the opposite problem: The summer was too hot to load - no matter what time of the day. However, the winters were so mild that two warmed up car engines (not running inside the garage, of course) was sufficient to warm it.
Nick, you could always have the builder put a small wood stove in the garage. Just make sure they insulate really well. You could also have them run a duct from your central system to the a]garage and place it in your reloading bay