Wood burning stove for garage

[Fishy Jim]

I just use the O/A torch when I'm in the garage. Heats it right up (being productive at the time, not just burning off expensive gasses for heat).

[wb5jhy]

Crank up that new 200 and run a few feet of aluminum bead and the you won't worry about the cold.

[MACH4]

90blackcrx,
I heat my shop with a wood stove and my shop is 40'x60' with 20' ceiling. This morning the outside temp. was 30 degrees at 7 am. when I got to shop and my shop temp was 65 degrees. I have to say that my shop is VERY well insulated,R30 ceiling and walls and I also use a heat collecter and blower from stove and also have ceiling fans going. As far as the price of wood, here in my hometown the city workers{ who are regular visiters} bring me dump trucks full of cut wood from tree trimming and storm damage at no charge,except for a beer or soda depending on the time of day.My stove is a Wonder Stove and is brick lined. Good luck and keep us posted.
Mike
MACH4

[90blackcrx]

My garage is 50x 25 I think . So what BTU should I be looking at ?

I have a kerosene heater that's about 50 to 60,000 BTU ( I forgot ) but its pretty nice, actually after 10 mins I have to turn it off cause it gets to hot in there. But kerosene is not that cheap

[katiebo]

I just bought a kerosene heater for my garage (60,000 BTU model from Menards). Some other considerations to keep in mind:

The kerosene heater you mention heats the space to a comfortable level in 10 minutes. It will take a lot longer than that to get a good fire going in a stove.

You can turn off the kerosene heater after 10 minutes and conserve fuel, no turning off a wood stove.

Cutting and splitting firewood takes a fair amount of time and is hard work. It is also a good practice to only burn seasoned wood. Seasoned wood has been allowed to dry for at least 6 months. I only burn well seasoned hardwoods, most of which I have cut and split myself. As a result I know how much work the wood route can be.

A stove will need adequate clearances with combustibles. Loose translation, they are space eaters.

Kerosene heaters are portable and if you need it else where it is easily moved.

It may sound as though I am trying to talk you out a wood stove, but I'm not. I just want you to make an informed decision. I love my wood stove. A fire dancing in the firebox is one of my favorite things. But stoves are work and time spent cutting and splitting wood might be better spent on business matters (if thats your choice).

Well I've said enough for now, time to crack open a Sam Adams and sit in front of the fire!!

[Fishy Jim]

A couple cords of wood takes up some space too.

[Tims37]

Only down fall of the kerosene heaters is that they stink

[90blackcrx]

Only down fall of the kerosene heaters is that they stink

Actually yesterday I set mine up near my garage door, the back was facing the garage door, ( door was shut ) and I could not smell kerosene at all. Unless I got behind the machine which there was no reason to, unless I was leaving.

I really need to insulate my garage, its kind of sinking on one side so like there is a gap by the garage door. And just other little cracks.

[imported_frank865]

Actually yesterday I set mine up near my garage door, the back was facing the garage door, ( door was shut ) and I could not smell kerosene at all. Unless I got behind the machine which there was no reason to, unless I was leaving.

I really need to insulate my garage, its kind of sinking on one side so like there is a gap by the garage door. And just other little cracks.

If you can get your garage up to temperature in 10 minutes & don't get any objectionable odors from your kerosene heater....You'd be able to heat it for the rest of your life!!! with kerosene before you got a payback on the investment in a wood stove!!! & the kerosene is LOTS easier!!!

[Fishy Jim]

"Great Stuff" works well for that type of thing. It bonds to pretty much anything, so wear some cheap gloves when using it. When it cures, the stuff is rock hard and makes a good insulated barrier (lots of gas pockets).

Maybe a good weekend project would be buying a few rolls of fiberglass insulation and stapling it up between the joists. Even without a moisture barrier or sheet rock, it makes a big difference.

[katiebo]

The gap you mention may work well as it is ventilation that one should have when burning keresone. I fired up my new keresone heater last night and the wife was complaining about the smell (I was going in and out). I'll try it near the door as you mention and see if it cuts down on the odor.

[90blackcrx]

"Great Stuff" works well for that type of thing. It bonds to pretty much anything, so wear some cheap gloves when using it. When it cures, the stuff is rock hard and makes a good insulated barrier (lots of gas pockets).

Maybe a good weekend project would be buying a few rolls of fiberglass insulation and stapling it up between the joists. Even without a moisture barrier or sheet rock, it makes a big difference.

I use that before, I could never find the big gap filler though. Plus the gap is on the bottom of the garage door, so I could not put it there. Tried buying a thing for the bottom but the gap was to big. I was just sticking towels under there.

I can get insulation for free also, so maybe next year I will do that. Blown s-10 suggested putting a ceiling on to which would help a lot.

katiobo I'm sure the gap is helping, but I have used the heater in a different location, and it seems like the smell just gathers near the back, try to remember that next time you place it. And see if it helps.

[StretchNM]

90blackcrx.
You don;t say where you are, so I don;t have an idea what your temps are like.

I'm at 4300 alt in southern N.M. We have a 1880 sq ft home, and we heat it solely with a Quadra-Fire 3100 air-tight wood stove (yes, I agree with the fellow recommending "air-tight" only). We burn pecan and juniper (approx $170 per cord, spilt), and use kindling (mostly oak and pine) that I cut up from pallets that I collect throughout the year. Even the smallest air-tight wood-burning stove will heat your shop nicely, regardless of the outside temperature.... BUT.....

1. You buy, load, haul, unload, stack, and bring in your own firewood;
2. Even split juniper logs don;t light themselves, so kindling and proper firestarting techniques are absolutely necessary;
3. It takes time to heat the shop - I'd guess roughly 1/2 hour from the time you start the kindling until you start to feal a little heat on the end away from the heater (again, I don;t know your temperature zone)
4. You'll need a properly installed flue (extending through the attic and the right height above your roof-line);
5. You'll have to clean the firebox of ashes before each fire and the chimney once a year (more often if you're burning pine or other sappy or not completely "dry" wood);
6. There's no point in continuing.... you get the message.

I'd say go with natural gas if you live in the southwest; or a pellet-burning stove if you live anywhere else (or even in the SW). Pellet-burners use electricity (for the auger and, if you get one, fan) so if the power goes out.... no heat. Pellets cost about $250 per ton (maybe a little cheaper for corn) and a ton could last up to a whole year or more (again...don;t know your temp zone or how much time you spend in the shop). With a fan, a pellet burning stove will heat your shop faster and it'll cool down faster if it gets too warm.

I wouldn;t get that "wood-burner" from Northern, I'd get an air-tight Quadra-Fire or Lopi, a small one. I'm a woodworker, so I always have tons of hardwood scraps to burn, but if I had a wood-burner in my shop, I'd still need to bring in wood from the firewood shed.

[90blackcrx]

I live in Illinois, so it gets pretty cold over here. And the link I posted was just an example.

[tigman250]

one thing i would like to add, if you let the shop completly cool down for a few days then warm it up your tools will sweat and rust. i don't know what kind of tools you have in the shop, i am refering to milling machine type tools i don't think it would harm small electric hand tools. this is the main reason we decided to go with natural gas, our shop never drops below 45*F