Heating the Dog Wash

[Bubbles Galore]

I have a Dayton hanging furnace that I use to keep my equipment room warm during the winter months. Once I built the dog wash, I ran some duct over to keep the dog wash warm also. I am currently using a programmable thermostat that is keeping the room around 62 during the day and 42 at night when we are closed. My question is, do you think it would save me some money if I were to keep the room at 42 all the time and rig up a motion sensor in the dog wash to kick on the furnace when someone walks in? The room would heat up in a matter of minutes, so I am not too worried about the lag from when the customer walks in to when the room is at temp.

I haven't even received my first gas bill of the season yet, but I want to remain as efficient as possible in operating the dog wash. Margins are where it's at!

 

[bigleo48]

42 is kinda low. I think people would walk in and out. Maybe 52.

 

[Buzzie8]

68 degrees or above. Many people view the dogs the same way they would view a child. IMO, If it feels the least bit cold, they will not wash.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Thanks for the input guys! I am going to mess with settings a bit to see what works best.

 

[bigleo48]

If you are in a winter climate as I am, people usually will show up wearing a winter jacket and might not feel it as long as its not too cold. With the motion detector kicking it up 10 degrees and the hot water, you might be ok.

Also, if you keep it too cool, you might get the door freezing on really cold days as the room temp won't be enough to stop ice from forming on the door frame.

 

[Waxman]

Is it this one Bubbles or similar?

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-Gas-Unit-Heater-4LX44?Pid=search

 

[bigleo48]

If its a smallish room and you already have a boiler for the hot water & glycol floor heat, why not just use a fan coil. Cheap, easy to install.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Big, I agree that with jackets and the hot water, it should be good being set at 62.

Wax that is similar to mine, just go back about 20 years. We took off the fan and added a 473 cfm squirrel cage fan to move the air better and reduce heat loss through the exhaust pipe.