Lets see your shop woodstoves

[Ben Grunow]

A friend of mine just happened to emtnion to em today that he had an old black iron pot belly stove sitting in his shop and it is going to be mine tomorrow. My shop is 15' x 24' so space is tight but I dont think I can resist the idea of having a fire out there. The question is.. how to make it safe and not take up too much space.

I have a concrete floor and plywood walls and so far I am thinking that I will sit the stove on a flagstone set in mortar on the floor and place another flagstone vertically behind it (3' wide x 5' or so tall) or make a copper surround that is furred off the plywood wall with metal studs by at least 2".

I can make either at little or no cost so neiter is an issue and I just got a Hot Dawg (to be up and running as primary heat source this Sat) so the stove will be purely for fun. Hope there are some pics out there for me. I will post as soon as I get the thing in my sweaty hands.

Thanks in advance.

Ben

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I would probably put the stove out a little further, maybe 30-36 inches and also be sure the wall behind the pipe is protected too. I always cut away and then reinforced the framing around the hole for the pipe and used a sheet metal arrangement for the pipe to go through. A roofer can give you ideas on how to do this to keep water out. Be sure tp put a cap over the top of the stack with a screen to keep things out.

[David G Baker]

Ben,
Check with your home insurance carrier. My insurance company will cancel my policy if they catch me with an indoor wood furnace or deny any claim if I have a fire and they find out I have a wood burner.
I asked about a corn burner, they said that a corn burner is fine but they want a $175 premium added to my annual payment.
I have a 75,000 BTU natural gas fired Hot Dawg in my 30x40 pole barn that I run during the cold season to keep the building at 50 degrees. Costs me around $30 a month to operate.
I would love to have a wood burner.
David B

[Aaron Koehl]

This is usually where all those 'Creekers living in Florida, Southern California, Bermuda, and Hawaii all chime in..

[Marcus Carr]

I have a big old blaze king that I burn my scraps in. Works great.

[Rick Schubert]

Check with your local codes. Most towns have clearance requirements. BTW, I've been told that putting brick or flagstone on a wall behind a woodburner does nothing to prevent a fire, in fact, possibly hurting more than helping. The heat will travel right thru the flagstone. The heat could build up behind it and start burning.

We have a lot of stoves up here so I think that is prettty credible info. For ours, we bought a special metal barrier for behind the stove which reflects the heat and has an air space between it and the wall. This reduces the clearance required between the stove and the wall.

Rick

Rick

[John Bailey]

I think Rick is correct. 20 years ago when I started wood burning, I was told the same thing. I put sheet metal between the burner and the stove with a two inch clearance, if I recall correctly, then put brick in front of that. It worked great.

John

[Ed Lang]

I use propane for backup only. It is set to come on at 50*.
Primary is wood.
I built a barrel stove from parts available at Harbor Freight and other sources. a sheet metal box was built around the stove with just the front sticking out of the box. Holes were cut for 8" duct on the back end and over the door in the front. A 5" hole was cut on top for the stack to exit.
This unit site about 5' from the outside wall of my shop and I run a 8" duct from the shop, which is using a old furnace blower like others here have made a dust filter from to blow air from the floor out to the box. The 8" duct connected over the door of the stove then returned heated air to the shop. Both 8" ducts are insulated and covered to keep the rain out. At this time, I am using a timer to control when the blower will turn off. I set it for 4 to 5 hours after I fill the stove for the last time at night. I have the parts to install a bimetal snap switch on the box outside so the blower will turn on and off with the temp of the box. Then I will not have to wonder if the blower is running with no fire in the stove and causing my warm shop air to cool down.

I can take pictures if wanted.

This allowed me to burn scraps, have the stove outside, get almost free heat.

Works for me!

ed

[Rod Torgeson]

Here is a picture of the woodstove I have in the shop. It has been in there for 6 years. It was installed by a professional. For those of you who think the wood on the floor is too close to the stove, not a problem, I can put my hand on the sides of the stove when it is going. It is firebrick lined and also double wall on the sides. The name of the stove is "Warrior". Don't know where its made or when it was made but works great. Even on the coldest days(single digits) I can work in the shop without a coat. The shop is 24 x 30. The pipe on the inside is single wall and then goes to triple wall through the rafter area and beyond. The peice of plywood on the wall behind the stove is where I had a vented propane heater. I used that 1 winter and just recently took it out and installed it in a friends shop in California. The wood stove is a lot better.

[Mike Cutler]

Ben.
Attached or detached shop?

Things to consider;
Flue/chimney pipe. Dura pipe is about the best out there. It's triple walled. Straight chimney sections are about $20.00 a foot. The transition thimble kit, Going through the ceiling or wall is about $275-$400 depending on the pipe size. I forget the cost of the spark arresting chimney cap

Connecticut has codes for minimum distances from the walls and the ceiling. Expect to put fire retardent sheetrock and an insulating heat shield between the stove and the wall, and the stove and the floor, even if it is concrete. The days of natural flagstone are kind of over. A lot of the new construction surrounds that you see are actually Faux flagstone, granite, or bluestone made from the same material as insulative fire brick.

The chimney has to extend 4' above the peak of the roof, if it is within 10' of the peak.

Fortunately, Connecticut has one of the largest woodstove dealers,and suppliers in the US here in the state. Unfortunately it is across the state from you in Preston Ct. A google search for "Preston Trading Post" will start you off on a good path for info.

I don't have a woodstove in the shop, but my house is heated with a Quadra-fire 5700 woodstove. When I looked at the cost of putting a woodstove versus a pellet stove in the shop. The pellet stove won because of the cost difference in the vent pipe requirements. To properly vent a pellet stove through the wall was going to cost me about $400.00 in parts to do it properly within code. To vent a woodstove was going to cost me about $1000.00 in parts to do properly.

I know that some folks will say that double wall pipe is fine,and even single wall pipe for the section of the chimney that is above the roof. It's really not. The primary location of a chimney fire is in the flue pipe at the point that the pipe transition the roof line, or an attic in the house. The cooling off of the flue gasses happens rapidly and creosote builds in this area. The hotter the fluepipe is, within reason, the better the exhaust will be, and less creosote build up.

Woodstoves are nice. The heat is unlike anything else. Good luck It should be nice when you finish.

[Dan Gill]

I don't have one in my shop, but my FIL has one in his. Basically two 55 gallon drums on their sides, one above the other. There are two sections of stovepipe, about 12" long between them. The top one is a heat exchanger. The fire burns in the bottom one. His is out pretty much in the middle of the floor, which heats the room evenly. His shop is huge, an old converted country store, and he doesn't have to worry about the space

[Dan Oelke]

How far from flamable material and how far from the walls can depend on two things. First is your local inspector. Second is the manufacturer of the stove must have setback in their installation instructions if they have any kind of agency approval (UL or otherwise). IMHO the manufacturer setbacks are the real requirements.

Good luck!

[Dave Jackson]

I installed a fireplace in my shop. Nothing special, it was an insert I salvaged from a remodel job that was originally installed just for "looks". Although previously installed, it had never been used. It came with all the double wall pipe, flashings and cover I needed to install it, still in unopened boxes! Quite nice to have the peaceful, warm glow from a fireplace/woodburner as you work in your shop. As a precaution, I keep a good sized extinguisher close by and make sure shavings are swept up around it. Get the woodburner! If anything, you'll have somewhere to put those scrap pieces. I suppose it be wise to check insurance regs as noted above (I need to do this as well)--dave

[Steve Clardy]

Homemade

I made this is 1995.
10' long butane tank cut in half. 1/2 steel plate on front.
Bricked in with fan behind. 8" flue pipe, schedule 80 water pipe.
I also drip burn my used motor oil in it.
I heat 3500 sq ft with it.

[Jim Becker]

IMHO the manufacturer setbacks are the real requirements.
Unless the local jurisdiction requires more... ;) (larger setbacks)

[Ben Grunow]

Thanks for all the info. My shop is detatched and I will check my insurance before acting. The floor is concrete and walls are plywood. I (builder) know the codes and plan on surround of non flammable materials with airspace (2" in CT) behind.

I am not planning on burning down my garage as my father, the wx-fire chief would not soon let me forget that and he and his firefighter friends' verbal abuse would be the most unbearable part of it (trust me).

Just wanted to see pics. The one I got is slightly rusty (needs resto) and only about 12" in diameter and 24" tall. Its pretty cool. Not sure if I'll use it yet. Pics to follow.

I did learn that there is such a thing as triple wall pipe and will be investigating. I have a stove dealer near me called Nordic Stove and they are a pretty comprehensive source.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

All good posts and they show the difference in thinking between city dwellers and country dwellers. Where I lived at the time I was using wood stoves I was rural; my nearest neighbor was 1 1/2 miles away and I listened to the coyotes and cougars at night. Had a bear or two come by, so we weren't in a place where we worried much about home inspectors. Even so I was careful about installing and operating stoves because fire protection was a long way off. I love wood stoves but I am from a generation when wood heat was used by a lot of people. Just do it right and be careful.