I lived w/ my dad for about 30 years. He & I built a 33x60 garage w/ a paint booth. When my dad pasted away we sold the house & garage. I bought a house w/ a 20x 30 garage. I would like to continue doing body & paint. Anyone do body & paint in a 1 bay garage ? What do you use for heat ? I have to do some wiring & I am going to try to keep every thing 120/110 volts. 110 welder 110 air compressor 110 heat source Im thinking in the future extending the garage another 25ft or so. That will be for painting only. But for now 1 bay.
1 BAY GARAGE BODY/ PAINT SHOP
- Thread starter cawley
- Start date
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Dfr360cuda
Diagnosis... Plum Crazy.
If 220 is an option, I'd reconsider. Current for the heaters would be half meaning smaller wire plus balanced load. Air compressor too.
I think my shop(22x23) has 70 amp panel. I have a 220 elec heater also a 220v compressor. Both on seperate breakers. I havent painted or done bodywork in it tho. If you got around 70amps available, you should go 220 in my opinion.
There isnt a 110 compressor out there that will keep up with body tools very well.
If its a no go at all,consider a gas generator or a gas powered compressor.
If its a no go at all,consider a gas generator or a gas powered compressor.
My shop is 24x30. I manage, but i dont paint. Yet.
I will add, i have large out building,40x80 and i use it in summer for some work. I run my welder off a generator in the summer.
Jim Lusk
Well-Known Member
My work space is 14 x 22 (semi-open carport). If I didn't have anything on either side there would be plenty of room for paint and body. You've got enough room.
Princess Valiant
A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
I went to an electric DA sander to and a lot of electric tools to make the compressor not needed.
The only thing I use the compressor for now is the paint gun and a 110v can keep up with that, if not, it might be a signal the painter has to slow down.
Princess Valiant
A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
I have done paint and body in an oversized insulated 2 car garage.
I can fit 2 cars in there but to paint I pretty much hafta park the car in the middle.
For heat I use a big torpedo heater, I run it until the shop thermometer says 70 degrees which usually is about a 30 to 40 minute run and once it reaches that temp, it's comfortable for hours.
I can fit 2 cars in there but to paint I pretty much hafta park the car in the middle.
For heat I use a big torpedo heater, I run it until the shop thermometer says 70 degrees which usually is about a 30 to 40 minute run and once it reaches that temp, it's comfortable for hours.
I don't have any advice for you, but I can tell you a small story. The best paint and body man.....and perhaps old school mechanic I ever knew worked out of a single stall plywood shop in his back yard. I say single stall.....he did have a built on tool/assembly room for engines and transmissions, but it was only about 10' wide and the length of the shop. I would estimate the shop was probably only 25' long. It had a dirt floor. He painted some of the best looking paint jobs I have ever seen in my life. I am talkin real Barrett Jackson stuff. When he got ready to spray, he'd wet the floor down. I had the pleasure of working with him a few years at the local Chevy dealer, also went to school with all three of his kids. Decent family. That old guy sure knew how to do it old school.....so yes it certainly CAN be done.
DesertRat
Leading edge boomer
You can do it with the room you have but not with 120V power. Since you have to do wiring anyway, put in some 220V power. Besides heat and compressor you will want some power for ventilation fans.
Thanks suppose you all are right 220 would b the way to go comes to another question take the power from the house or put in its own service/ meter box
I have a 220 singe phase in my shop just enough for the lift and welder 50 amps, I take it from the house. My advise is strongly try to put 220-3 in there if you can and run from the electric heat also. $$$ 110 compressors barley keeps up with body air tools. Slickest thing I have seen to heat a shop in PA so far is a oil fired hot air heater out of a mobile home works great and sips fuel also. Pluss no oil residue from a space heater also all over.
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famous bob
mopar misfit
Remember , open flame or sparks do not go well with some paint and thinner !! Their are explosion proof elec lights too/$$$.
My 110 air compr. will almost keep up w/ air tools , and will probly keep up with a hvlp paint gun , due to the fact a painter lets off the trigger quite frequently --would probly run all the time tho.
That's the beauty of it it has a heat exchanger, the flame is on the outside and the exchanger and fan inside, no fumes/open flames. I want one just have to get time to put it in!
famous bob
mopar misfit
I ran 220 out to my garage about 40 yrs ago, underground , took the lights off one side and the outlets off the other side and the 220 for the welders , no problema --
I ran mine from my breaker panel in house. It's a 60A 2 pole in house. Buried legal depth out to shop. And a small "pony panel" in shop. Depending on how many tools you run at once, 60A should be good. My compressor is 20A and my "milkhouse" heater is 20A as well.
DesertRat
Leading edge boomer
Check the panel in your house. If you have extra space add a 50/60A 2P breaker and run four wires out to the shop. You will have a sub-fed panel in the shop with 220 into the main. One wire for each phase and a green ground and a white neutral. We use a 6 circuit small panel for our installations which would be perfect for your needs. You have 110 for convenience needs and 220 for a 3 hp +- compressor. Just a thought.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Is the garage attached to the house, or is it a detached garage? If it's detached, and not too far from the house....run the power out of the house. It might cost a little more in material to wire it to start with, but it will be cheaper in the long run. Doing it that way will keep you from having to pay another monthly service charge for a separate meter from the power company.
The garage is detached. The is a electrical pole between the house & garage. I would say there is about 60ft between the house & garage.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
60' isn't too far away from the house to run it from your existing panel in the house. Just bury it at least 24" deep, in 2 inch conduit. If you're getting an electrician to help you with it, he will know how big of wire to run from the house to the shop. I would think #2 or 1/0 aluminum is plenty big enough....but get an electrician to figure out what the voltage drop would be for that distance.
superchargeddrt
Well-Known Member
I ran mine from the house. I have a 200 amp panel in the basement. I ran 2 gauge wire from the house panel through the basement wall and into PVC conduit. I then connected it to my 125 amp sub panel in my garage using 2 6ft copper grounding rods for earth ground. The entire 220 volt single phase system is wired with 6 gauge wire. The 110 outlets are 12 gauge. I run my 220 volt compressor and 2 electric wall mounted heaters without issue. Even ran a plasma cutter or mig welder.
Kendog 170
Let the boy go !
My over sized 1 car 18 x 28 Exhaust fan in window storm door (strapping ) with filter material.
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