Garage Workshop Heating - Pot Belly Stove

[Keith Blaszak]

Over the last year or so I''ve been building my workshop in my two car garage and adding items piece by piece however I've gotten to the point now where I need some heat in the garage for working during the winter months.
This workshop is primarily for wood working however I haven't quite gotten to the point where glueups and painting are a common event. At some point I will insulate and run heating elements from the house however I don't quite want to spend the cash on that just yet which brings me to my reason for posting.

I was wondering if it was a good idea / safe to consider a small wood stove in the shop? I'm generally a dilligent person and do not leave unattended fires however being that it is a wood working shop theres alway a concern.

What are your opinons on this?

[Lee Schierer]

Your local building codes probably won't allow it. Wood stoves near vehicles or gas cans are a problem. You might also want to check with your insurance company if your local codes allow it.

Wood stoves are prone to get too hot and few people put the fire out when they leave.

[Kirk Poore]

Keith:

I looked at wood stoves when building my shop, but decided against for a couple of reasons. First, a stove needs a certain amount of free space around it to keep from lighting other stuff on fire--and we know how much shops abhor a vacuum--err, free space. Second, in my case, I had very high ceilings and the chimney length and installation cost would have been fairly high. I don't do any spraying in my shop, so that wasn't a consideration.

The second reason may not affect you, but you have to keep the first in mind for safety.

Kirk

[Keith Blaszak]

Interesting, I was originally thinking of dropping it in a corner with cement boarded walls and ceiling (left over cement board) but I never even gave it a thought to check with my insurance company. I'll have to give them a call.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I heat mine with a potbelly. It was installed when I got there so I didn't do any checking. Yes, it does eat up lots of space and no I don't douse the fire when leaving, but I do make sure to stay in the shop until the fire has burned down. It works great to get the shop nice and toasty and then stop adding fuel about an hour before cleanup. By the time I've left, there's just a small pile of embers.

As an aside, I don't know what your cost considerations are, but have you considered an outdoor wood furnace? I know for a fact that the next house/shop (we'll be building) will be heated (and hot water) with an outdoor wood-fired boiler. Some of them are downright inexpensive and around here I can come up with more firewood than I'd ever be able to burn. Just a thought.

Ryan

[Dan Hintz]

Low end pellet stoves are quite cheap these days (all things considered)... $1,500, give or take. Due to their high efficiency, there's no major flue like with a wood burner. It's a 4", single-wall pipe that goes right out the wall (not roof), and it can suck in external air instead of taking your good internal air and spitting it outside. And you only need a few inches (literally) of space around the unit as they don't get that hot (the majority of the heat is kicked out by the internal fans).

By the time you pay for all of that double-walled flue, casement, etc., you'll have more than paid for a pellet burner.

[John Gregory]

I installed a propane Hot Dawg with portable tanks It works great.
My issues with wood burning in a shop:
1. takes lots of floor space to be safe
2. no thermostat to control heat
3. too much work to build the fire, keep it going, clean out the ashes.
4. in my area the shop would get freezing or below in the winter.

Right now my shop never drops below 50*, so I can keep my finishes in the shop year round.

My shop time is precious and limited. I want to build furniture, not fires.

Just my two cents.

[Bruce Volden]

I talked with my insurance agent (Farmers Ins. Grp.) and he told me insurance agencies no longer have an added premium for woodburning stoves / fireplaces! I was up front with them. As you know the insurance industry is quite crooked and always looking for a way out and that is when I was told this. As far as a pellet stove-don't waste your money. Have you priced pellets or corn lately?? Wood is always falling down somewhere:D Anyway that's my $0.02 worth. Also, please be kind about my crooked insurance industry comment, the facts are out there.

Bruce

[Larry Whitlow]

. Also, please be kind about my crooked insurance industry comment, the facts are out there.

Bruce

I shouldn't but can't resist. What are the actual facts?

[Clisby Clark]

I just finished installing a chimney for the stove in my shop and by the time I bought all my stove pipe and double-wall plus fittings,etc, I spent about $600. This is for a straight up chimney with 9 feet ceilings and 9 more feet of doublewall thru the roof.

[Rick Prosser]

... It's a 4", single-wall pipe that goes right out the wall (not roof), ...

What are the pros-cons about taking the chimney pipe out the wall or roof?

I have a wood stove to install, so it will be double wall.

My insurance company also had no premium change for wood stove heating.

[Dan Hintz]

The double-wall pipe for a wood stove will be fairly beefy in diameter and be just for exhaust (ours is like 16"-18" in diameter)... the pellet pipe is 4" and can include both intake and exhaust. Since the pellet exhaust is much cooler, it can be exhausted out of a wall, similar to a dryer vent.

[Don Jarvie]

If the stove is just temporary until you can run proper heat like gas or electric, I'd forget the stove.

The time and money to put in a proper chimney would be better spent on getting the gas line run or buying an electric heater.

[Jim Laumann]

Hello

I am a newbie here - have been in lurk mode for a couple weeks. I am in the process of partitioning and insulating my pole shed - getting 40x30x12 for a shop.

I plan on using wood to heat for the short term - I live in SE Minn, so it's not optional thing. I have a wood stove I picked up several years ago - also have several years worth of cut/dry firewood - from when we used to burn wood in the house (wifelet developed asthma - so burning wood in the house (fireplace) came to a end).

I went to a local wood heat store - got the "education" on what to do, and the materials there. I have 8' of double wall pipe and the adapters for going thru the ceiling and the roof (steel). The insulated pipe is 6" ID, while the stove pipe is 8" ID - an adapter does the trick there.

I need to put my stove up on a 24" base (home built), with the stove legs - the fire box will be setting up about 32" off the floor. The base is 2x4's, and will be covered w/ cement board. Will also sheath the 2 closest walls (in a corner) w/ cement board. The stove and base will sit 18" from the walls.

My insurance company is fine w/ this - as long as it (the install) meets local code (which I learned from the wood heat store). Spent about $800 for the parts. Had I done this (installed a wood burner) before - I could have saved some money by hitting the local big box store for the pipe etc.

What I'd really like to have is what is locally called a 'tube burner' - propane, but I'm a little leary of what the folks in Washington plan on doing w/ regard to 'cap and trade' - that could play havoc w/ the price of propane (we live in a rural area).

I know wood isn't the best solution, but it beats the heck out of -20F.

Jim

[Chip Lindley]

Pot-bellied stoves do lend a certain ambiance to the shop, but I recommend an air-tight, free-standing wood stove. Those are much kinder to your wood pile! I put a used Timberline stove in my shop years ago.

If you must buy your wood, there is no advantage. It's a bit messy and requires stoking the stove every couple of hours. Electric, gas, or propane might be just as attractive. But, if you can get cheap or free wood, the choice is a no-brainer for me. And, there is always plenty of kindling available!

Many who have never used a wood stove are wary of them or just plain scared! Heating with wood is quite safe if a few simple rules are understood. There is no worry with leaving a wood stove unattended to burn itself out. The only harm done is sooting up the flue a bit.

A greater concern is burning a stove too hot! A flue thermometer can tell you how hot things are getting. Over 400 deg. is too much. Turn the damper down before it gets Too Hot! Another real concern is burning green wood only, especially at low heat settings. This causes creosote to cook out and condense in the flue. Eventually, a very hot fire may set the creosote ablaze, which can be serious indeed!

Burning "seasoned" wood (cut last season) insures very little creosote is produced. Soot (not the same as creosote) is produced in the flue at lower heat settings, but is easily cleaned out with a round flue brush on a pole. Clean the flue twice each wood-burning season and there should never be a problem. I clean mine in October (now) before our winter gets started. Then I clean again after New Years Day. It has worked in my home that way for 25 years.

[Dan Hintz]

A greater concern is burning a stove too hot! A flue thermometer can tell you how hot things are getting. Over 400 deg. is too much. Turn the damper down before it gets Too Hot! Another real concern is burning green wood only, especially at low heat settings. This causes creosote to cook out and condense in the flue. Eventually, a very hot fire may set the creosote ablaze, which can be serious indeed!
I would consider 400 to be too cool to fully burn the wood and doing so on a continual basis will require chimney sweeps more often. I try to keep mine in the 550-600 range for complete combustion. If I'm notpaying attention, it'll shoot up 900+ within a few minutes, and then I jump into action with some water to cool it down (and that's even with the air dampened off). Once I get it in "the zone", though, I can shut the air dampers completely and it'll burn around 500-550 until it needs more wood.

Of course, those days are gone for me now as our new pellet stove was just installed yesterday :) Noisier fan on high than I would like considering it's in the main TV-watching area, but we're already getting used to it.

[David Helm]

+1 on most of what Chip said. I heated with wood for about 80% of my adult life. Since I'm 67 that is quite a few years. My shop is heated with a freestanding wood stove. Yes I do use some regular firewood (cut from my property) but it is also an easy way to dispose of all those pesky off cuts that I don't seem to have a good use for otherwise.

[Joe A Faulkner]

I'm assuming you are only goinig to heat the shop when it is occupied. Sustained cool temperatures can lead to condensation\rust challenges on your tools. Some of this can be mitigated with a dehumidifier; some with wax finishes. In the summer, same argument can be made for needing A\C. Just something to think about.

[Charlie Stone]

I can speak from experience, corn stoves are a great source of heat. I have 2 of them in my house. I live in Iowa, the past few winters, we have gone at least 3 weeks straight without breaking +10 in the winter. For 2 years we used nothing but corn to heat our 7000 sq foot house. It got a bit chilly a few times, but we were never in danger of freezing. That is running 2 standard size free standing corn stoves. They each ate 1 bushel of corn in 24 hours. That came out to about 1 ton (a full pickup bed) every 2 weeks. I am sure shop could be heated much more efficiently than what we were doing. I bushel should last 2 or 3 days in your shop. Its about $5 for standard feed corn and that's what we used. I am currently debating using one to heat my shop once I get it finished. Granted, I like the idea of hitting the magic wall switch and having near instant gratification, but there is just something cozy about a fire.
I would go with a pot belly stove if my wife would let me get away with it. However, my "shop to be" is a 130 year old brick building. Not to much fire risk there.

[Dan Hintz]

They each ate 1 bushel of corn in 24 hours. That came out to about 1 ton (a full pickup bed) every 2 weeks. I am sure shop could be heated much more efficiently than what we were doing. I bushel should last 2 or 3 days in your shop. Its about $5 for standard feed corn and that's what we used.
Holy schmoly that's a lot of corn to move around! On low our pellet stove burns one pound/hr... two tons will get us through the entire season, most likely. I'd rather move two tons in a few hours once than do a full ton every other week!

[Charlie Stone]

Well Dan, yes, it was a lot of corn to move around. Notice I say WAS, as in I have had enough of that. Now days inside the house (and I will whisper this part to avoid angering the gods of all knowing home heating) we are using vent-less gas heaters. And only keep about 5 bushels of corn laying around for "topping off" when it gets REALLY cold.
As to heating with a wood stove, I noticed that Mathas's (woodgears.ca) fathers shop in Canada is heated with a wood stove and has been since the dawn of time.

[Dan Hintz]

Yesterday I dropped by the store that installed our pellet stove this past weekend to find out how to have our free ton of pellets delivered. Yeah, they're free... you only have to pay $129 for delivery :( Well, that's not going to happen. So off to Google...

I just found pellets online for $219/ton with free shipping if ordered before Oct 31. I'll take three, please :) This should let me know how much of this stuff I can expect to burn a season (I expect less than two right now), and if I order earlier next year it should be cheaper per ton.

[Charlie Stone]

Dan, One of the issues I ran into with corn was where/how to store it. Our solution, good or bad was trashcans. I think 1 ton filled about 10 cans. This was a couple years ago, so my memory may be off.

[Lee Schierer]

Yesterday I dropped by the store that installed our pellet stove this past weekend to find out how to have our free ton of pellets delivered. Yeah, they're free... you only have to pay $129 for delivery :( Well, that's not going to happen. So off to Google...

I just found pellets online for $219/ton with free shipping if ordered before Oct 31. I'll take three, please :) This should let me know how much of this stuff I can expect to burn a season (I expect less than two right now), and if I order earlier next year it should be cheaper per ton.

If you could get one ton for $129 delivered locally and paid $219 per ton for the free delivery from the internet, where did you save any money?

[Dan Hintz]

Lee,

I didn't give all of the details. $129 was the delivery fee... not counting the "freebie", a ton of pellets itself was $229 (and I need at least two for the winter). I'll sell the "free" ton for $200 to a neighbor who has the ability to pick up themselves (i.e., a truck). They save money, I make nearly enough money to pay for a ton from someone who delivers right to my door.

It was also the principle of the thing... I was never informed it was going to cost so much with every delivery from this store (they tout guaranteed stock for anyone who purchases one of their stoves, even when stock gets tight, like it did a couple of years ago). Sure, I have guaranteed delivery... if I want to pay through the nose. Maybe not false advertising, but certainly very sketchy. I would rate this place 5 stars for install, but I'd rate their overall sales experience a sad 2 stars due to a number of poor communication experiences (telling the customer the vent is similar to a dryer vent in size during the quote phase, installing a hideous 1.5' pipe straight out of the wall during the install phase, and then telling the customer "Those dryer vents are no longer installed due to pressure issues" during the "WTH?!" phase is one example).