Pellet stove for workshop?

[Jason White]

Anybody use a pellet stove to heat a garage workshop? If so, what type and brand did you buy? I need something not too pricey. No gas in the street and propane is not an option. Electricity is way expensive here in the NE.

Jason

[Matt Evans]

Not a pellet stove, but the shop I use is heated by a Nordi woodstove. Works great.

The shop is attached to my fathers house, and he bought the woodstove, so I am not sure about price. I do know that I saw a cheap version of the same at Harbor freight a month ago for under $200.

[Arnold E Schnitzer]

I use a pellet stove to heat my 1500-square-foot workshop, and I'm thrilled with it. However, these things are not cheap. Perhaps you can find one used, preferably one with automatic functioning. I have a Harmon, and have used it now for 5 seasons. Pellet stoves can be a little finicky if you don't keep them clean and serviced.

[Jason White]

Is it legal to have a pellet stove in an attached garage?



I use a pellet stove to heat my 1500-square-foot workshop, and I'm thrilled with it. However, these things are not cheap. Perhaps you can find one used, preferably one with automatic functioning. I have a Harmon, and have used it now for 5 seasons. Pellet stoves can be a little finicky if you don't keep them clean and serviced.

[Sparky Norton]

This is my 6th winter with a pellet stove here in northern Maine. It's my primary source of heat for my 1600 sq ft home and I'm very happy with it (Harman stove).

As for your question about whether or not you can have one in an attached garage... why not? You can have one inside your house so I can't see any reason why you couldn't have one in your garage. Check with your local code enforcement officer.

Sparky

[David G Baker]

Jason,
Pellet stoves are not a problem in an attached garage if they are kept at 18 inches off of the floor due to the possibility of fuel from vehicles leaking and causing a fire.
Pellet and grain stoves are much safer than wood stoves from what I have read.

[Thomas S Stockton]

I've used one for the last 12 years, first one was an off brand bought used that the electronics finally died on. Replaced it with an Enviro-fire 38,000 btu model I bought used for $400. Works great, the combustion air comes from outside which makes them safer than some woodstoves and they also have safety switches that shuts the unit down if it gets to hot.
Buy your pellets before winter starts and you won't have a problem with shortages, I've only had a problem with one brand of pellets that were made of walnut husk and other ag waste. They were way to ashy, burned poorly and smelled horrible. I still buy whatever pellet is the least expensive as long as they are made of wood.
Tom

[Jason White]

I plan to insulate the shop in the near future, but it's currently just open stud walls.

Do you think the pellet stove will work well enough for awhile until I insulate?

Jason


I've used one for the last 12 years, first one was an off brand bought used that the electronics finally died on. Replaced it with an Enviro-fire 38,000 btu model I bought used for $400. Works great, the combustion air comes from outside which makes them safer than some woodstoves and they also have safety switches that shuts the unit down if it gets to hot.
Buy your pellets before winter starts and you won't have a problem with shortages, I've only had a problem with one brand of pellets that were made of walnut husk and other ag waste. They were way to ashy, burned poorly and smelled horrible. I still buy whatever pellet is the least expensive as long as they are made of wood.
Tom

[Tim Dorcas]

I just went through the same challenge. How do I heat my workshop\detached garage? I initially was going to get a forced air heater but the $5000 price tag (installed) was too high. Then someone mentioned a wood pellet stove and I was off to the races. I managed to find a used one for $500 and then bought the exhaust kit from a popular home supply store. That was another $300. New then usually run $2400 and up (not including the exhaust kit). It took about a half a day to get it installed.

I clearly need to have mine serviced. Even after a thorough cleaning it still takes a bit of effort to get it going. That said, when it's working it works great.

Everyone asks if it is save. As long as you not opening it when it's going at full blast, you should not have any problems. Do not however expect instant heat. It takes a little while for it to get going (at least mine does).

I would have some concerns since you say you don't have installation. I would absolutely make that a priority.

Glad to see I'm not the only one thinking about this as a heat source. Two weeks ago, I never heard of a pellet stove. Now I own one!

Tim

[Dave Wagner]

Shouldn't be a problem, but some insurance companies won't allow any type of OPEN Flame heaters in a garage (especially if you have vehicles in it, etc...). A pellet stove would probably heat quite nicely.

I may put a coal stove in mine eventually (have 2 in the house currently), same principle as a pellet stove, automatic stoker, etc..Coal is actually cheaper than pellets around here and puts out 2x the BTU than pellets.

[Thomas S Stockton]

A pellet stove should work OK in an uninsulated shop, might take longer to heat up than you like and not get toasty warm. I have about 1000 square feet in Northern California when it gets down to 15 degrees at night I usually use a propane infared heater for about an hour in the morning to help things along.
Tom

[Chip Lindley]

How about the cost and availability of wood pellets? Bags of pellets are quite pricy, I understand. You pay for the convenience of bagged sawdust. Have you considered an air-tight, free-standing, wood-burning stove? Shop scraps can be burned up in a wood stove where I understand they cannot in a pellet stove.

I burn *just firewood* in my garage shop, as I do in the house. My insurance company could care less, since in my rural area, I pay a rate which assumes any fire incident will be a total loss! But, I have heated with wood every winter for 25 years and the house is still standing!

[Jason White]

I'm thinking about getting the Enviro "Mini."

Anybody have experience with it?

http://www.enviro.com/fireplace-products/pellet/freestanding-fireplace.html#mini

[Dave Wagner]

I know pellets around here are about $260-$290/ton. I know get them before the cold season, a year or so ago, no one had pellets and were charging premium prices.

My sister runs 2 QuadraFire pellet stoves to help suppliment her oil burning. They work quite well.

[James White]

You need to be careful with pellets. Sometimes they cost just as much if not more than other fuels. Here is a cost calculator. Be sure to enter the correct efficiency for the appliance you would like to use. For example the oil boiler I have is 86% vs the default 78%. I am using an infrared propane heater for my basement shop since I cannot afford the pellet stove and a wood stove is out since you can not use a direct vent.

http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

James

[Philip Johnson]

Jason

I have a pellet/corn stove in my house, I burn which ever is cheapest. Ii's not hard to burn 4000 to 6000 pounds of pellets in a winter so check on price and availability of fuel.

Pellets stove give off a different heat then a wood stove, they will take a lot longer to warm up a room. They can also be finicky, and need regular cleaning. So figure a brush for cleaning the exhaust, I also have an ash vac for cleaning out the inside.

I would make insulation a top priority and hang some plastic to separate your shop so you heat as little space as possible.

There is a forum called Iburncorn which is a very good source of info for anything to do with pellet and corn stoves.

Phil