So im in the early stages of planning my fur shed build. I plan on sectioning off a part of my garage so I can insulate and heat it. Im looking for some suggestions on what would he the best way to heat it. I think the easiest would be electric heat. But obviously I need the climate decent for hanging fur. Thanks in advance for any help

what will the square footage be?

I heat my area with a small ceramic electric heater my walls and ceiling are well insulated and I never have a problem keeping it warm

Even when it's near zero outside. I run the heater 24/7 during season I do turn it down when I'm not in the shed but never off. It keeps in dry also so pelts dry evenly, I do runny small fan to keep air moving

Electrical use seems to be minimal as I do not notice a big bump in my bill

How do you heat your house?

If you don't park in the garage, it might be better just skip the partitioning and heat the garage, most that I built were insulated, and the air circulation would be better. Imo, a fur shed needs to be at least as big as a one car garage and more room is just going to make it all easier.

The square footage I'm planning on is 96 sq ft. Its small but its what I have to work with



Natural Gas, but there isnt easy access as my garage is detached



That is the issue, my wife still parks in the garage, but it is large enough where I can separate a dedicated area. That way it can be insulated and heated.

Might be better to build a small shed. It wouldn't cost much more, especially if you get a kit. It would be bigger and be your own space. Many different ways to heat a shed that is separate from the house.

Building another structure on my property isn't really an option as I do not have much room.

Base board heaters are cheap to buy and take up very little space. They also come in various voltages 120 or 240 volts

Paired with a fan will that make for a good drying environment?

Woodstove here. Nothing like wood heat and takes the moisture out of the air for drying wet fur/hide.

I spend a good portion of the cold winter in my fur shop. Nothing more comfy than a woodstove out there. Really makes it nice.

Any ignition source you put in a garage or any place that may store flammable products like gasoline has to be 18 inches off the floor. hot water heaters and heating units. I would go with electric heater and put in a carbon monoxide detector. That's a small space and sealed tight with no fresh air intake could be a problem spending a long time in there. Had some friends almost died in an Ice house over night.

Ditto!

Thank you for the safety info. I do appreciate it. Pleas correct me if im wrong but I don't believe electric heat produces carbon monoxide.



A woodstoce has crossed my mind because I love wood heat. But I'm afraid keeping it warm all day when I'm at work wont be practical.

I was going to build a new fur room/shed. My plan was to use an electric heater just for a more constant heat, I am not around during the day so I need something a little easier to maintain the heat. Wood heat would be really nice though.

Yes electric heat will dehumidify the space heated. Coupled wit a fan I cant see it going wrong. I heat my shed with a small wood stove but it heats to well! Its been the demise of a few pelts because of that reason.The up side is cheap heat, Down side it takes up valuable space

I am building a trap cabin at the moment and my plan is to have the skinning portion of it very well insulated, and have a small direct vent propane heater to keep it above freezing only, maybe 5 degrees above. Keep my water from freezing, etc. Then when I am there, the woodstove in the living quarters, right outside the door will be used to keep the place warm while I am there. That way critters needing skinning wont freeze.

CYSQUATCH you are correct it's not the heater It's you yourself depleting the oxygen in such a small space.

I was thinking of adding a window to be able to keep it ventilated in the off season, so that would help I think.

Windows are nice for fresh air especially if you plan on ever processing skunks! Or make baits

Be mindful to not over load the circuit the heater will plug into. Some draw a bunch of amps.

Furs do not need heat 24/7. There are exceptions though like wet critters, needing to get pelts dry for a coming sale, damp conditions, keeping yourself comfy being a big one, etc.

For the most part it wont take much to warm a small insulated space like that.
In my life I have found that no heat is better for pelts than too much.
I heat with wood/coal, hence the too much comment.
I'm talking about well fleshed and handled pelts.

IMO you are doing right by planning ahead before jumping in.

Personally I would buy one of the infrared electric space heaters a few years ago our furnace went out and we did not have the cash to replace it so long story short went to Walmart and bought 3 of them and they kept the house warm for a couple weeks till I could raise the money for a new furnace and that was about 1100 sf

It did add about 150 to the electric bill that month for running them about 3 weeks and it was as cold

I still have th m as a back up just in case and sometimes use one in my none insulated shed/workshop

But definitely add a window or other means of venting

And if you go the propane route venting is even more important because they add moisture to the air

The extra moisture from propane is the reason I want to stick to electricity.

If I were doing it I would go propane heat and run a dehumidifier. The dehumidifier will work as a fan as well. I just don't like electric heat, and in my experience it works well to keep a constant temp, but doesn't have the instant heat out put that propane does. I like to keep it cool and just stand in front of the heater to thaw out my hands if needed.
Also I could watch my fuel usage better rather than finding out after a month when I get the electric bill. And it eliminates the conversation with the wife on why the electric bill cost so much more to heat the shed when she needs a blanket in the house. LOL...(Imagineing the argument of her yelling at me cuz I take more care of the beaver in the shed than I do of her.)

Keeping the heat it is a product of how you insulate it.

My shop woodstove will burn a log for 8 hrs if dampered down correctly. And frankly it's hard keep it cool enough to work without sweating, so I installed a ceiling and wall fan when I don't feel like opening the door in January.

But you have to be willing to cut wood I guess. I happened to like it.

If you have the floor space to spare, a wood stove is hard to beat. If you don't, a ceiling mounted electric unit is the way to go. Most require a 220/240 circuit, and I would run it on a dedicated circuit which is probably what you'd need to do anyway.

right now I heat the area I have with base board heaters. But this area get used for other projects by myself and my wife. She doesn't like to spend all the time in the space where I have been putting up fur for years. Smell is hard to get rid of. I keep the heat thermostat at about 55 degrees. Just warm enough to be comfortable working.

Remember he said it's 96 sqft he is heating. Not sure anybody would not over heat that with a would stove or hurt your fur value.In my opinion.

Not would stove but WOOD STOVE. sorry my bad

Me the only time I like heat is when skinning and fleshing after that furs go into a unheated building I just feel that they turn out better

Yeas ago I had a traiger camp stove ( pellet stove) that I used to heat a 12 by 16 foot shed, it would run about 8 hours on 5 pounds or so of pellets, don’t know if they still make them or not but it makes gut be something to look into

My fur shed is well insulated, I just use a milkbarn heater. I keep it at 50 degrees with a small fan moving some air. That temp works the best for me for drying fur.

My bad...I missed the 96 SQ ft part. For that small of a space, I'd go electric, personally. Would be real hard to regulate wood stove temps in that unless you just had a little kindling stove.

Wood stoves are nice and nostalgic , but you got to get it dialed in right for a small area. I gave up on wood stove in my 12x20 fur shed; get in and it's cold, get fire going and still cold while waiting, then too hot, then way to hot, open window to cool down , then just right for about 45 mins then add wood and start all over again. Spend money on good insulation, R30 in ceiling, R19 in walls and a electric milk house heat set on 50* to 60* is all you need. I don't like to sweat and would rather layer on a flannel and such and remove as needed.

This^
There is more than enough work to do in the fur shed without having to tend a wood stove. Wood stoves were great until someone invented the thermostat.

I run a dehumidifier & fans in my drying area. I have a small electric heater but rarely use it. My area is 8x16 & insulated well.

My shop is 24x26, and it is a wood shop as well. Always more than enough scrap to burn. When it is -20 outside no way am I footing the bill for electric...

I dry in a separate heated area unless running the wood stove for a while. And with good hardwood, A burn should last 6 hours at least. For a small space its not maybe the answer. Why not propane? With a direct vent propane heater any combustion products are vented outside. Cheaper than electricity here.

Don't put propane or wood in a garage because no matter how careful you are there will be fumes. Use water or electric base board or nothing. Any radiant heater or spark maker can burn you out.
If the garage is attached you have one side warm fro the house any way. If that is enough to keep a bucket of water from freezing there is no need to heat. I skin and scrape out doors and dry the skins in unheated shed.
If you just want to separate the fur from the car a simple uninsulated partition is sufficient.