need help selecting workshop stove

[Peter_V]

I'm in the process of building a workshop (Interior dimensions 15 x 23 feet). I live in southern AZ so I expect one or two months per year when it might get cold enough to need something more than passive solar heating.
I have a large stack of seasoned Mesquite so I was thinking of installing a small wood burning stove.

I'd rather not spend a fortune on something that will only be used occasionally so I was wondering if I could get away with one of those cheap little cast iron stoves?

The workshop will have 4x8 sheets of hardiboard siding (basically concrete), so I'd rather have the chimney go through the wall rather than the roof, is that viable? What would I use? Can I put the stove out near the middle of the room (say 8-10 feet from the wall) and run the stovepipe up at a shallow (near horizontal) angle?

Thanks in advance.

 

[littlesmokey]

What hind of work are you doing in the shop and what is your ugly tolerance?

 

[Peter_V]

Anything from working on cars to wood work. I'm installing a central vacuum system for the saws so I shouldn't have too much sawdust flying around.

An ugly stove is fine, I can always hide it in a corner the rest of the year.

 

[webbie]

1. You cannot run stovepipe that kind of distance across the room
2. A chimney going out and up like that, on a short building (my guess) will not draft properly.

So, first thing, for proper stove operation the chimney should go straight up. It should be insulated class A type. You can build an exterior masonry chimney (or use class A), but the stove will have to be closer, and it will be harder to get proper draft (operation).

You didn't mention whether the workshop is connected to the house. If it is, my guess is that only a UL approved stove would do, and some of those little cast ones are not. In fact, it is likely that any stove should be UL approved - this way at least you know it met some minimum standard (clearances to walls, etc.)..

I'd rather see you with a used UL approved model than an new non-approved one.

Codes do not allow stoves in garages, due to the use of combustible liquids, etc. in them.....so keep that in mind also.

 

[littlesmokey]

Peter,

Because you are going to work on cars, you should consider this a garage. There are lots of threads on garage and stoves, so I'm not going to rehash any of it. You should do a search on garage stoves and see what there is to find. The wood part is OK, if done right, but not the garage part in my opinion.

 

[webbie]

I believe the garage thing relates to attached garages, the idea being that your entire house ends up burning down. As to whether yours fits that description, that is up to you, your insurance company and the local building/fire jurisdiction.

Working on cars and wood involves some pretty heavy duty combustibles, and I have seen more than one woodworking shop go up in flames from a little lacquer thinner or something similar.

Realistically, if you are on a budget (I would normally suggest a furnace or boiler located outside the actual room), then you might want to consider another type of heater....you might even be limited as to some of them due to the garage thing.

The code snippet is enclosed, and it simply says "garages", so this could be construed as meaning "any"....

 

[Peter_V]

The code snippet is enclosed, and it simply says "garages", so this could be construed as meaning "any"....

Maybe I'm tired, but I don't see "Garages" anywhere in that image.

 

[webbie]

12.2.4 near the bottom

 

[Corie]

It you decide to put a stove in the workshop, I'd say wait for the end of year close-outs at Howes and Lome Depot and pick up a discounted Century or Englander wood stove. You won't be able to beat the price at the end of the year closeout and you'll end up with a quality unit, WITH a glass window to boot.

I'm not saying this because I work for Englander, BUT I would recommend the Englander 13NC because it can be hooked up to a full outside air supply for combustion air which would certainly help prevent any fumes or sawdust from causing a fire an explosion.

Am I saying this a recommend install? No, not really. But lots of people put stoves in garages and workshops so us telling you not to may not change your mind. If you do, please be careful, keep in mind clearances to combustibles and IMO look for a unit that is burning only outside air. It will be much safer that way. Also, I'd personally recommend putting it up on a raised hearth pad, probably 24" off the ground. This will help to prevent any floor level combustible gases from being at the stove level and always makes loading the stove that much easier.

 

[Jimbob]

If you are insuring the shop against fire, I would talk to your insurance company first. They will tell you what they require.
A stove with a window and an outside air supply is a good idea. You won't have to open the door to check on the fire.

 

[begreen]

Corie has it right. Those cheap box stoves that begin with the letter V are just that - cheap boxes. You can get a way better stove by picking up an early spring clearance stove from the big box store mentioned and probably at an equal price.

Whatever you choose, do install it safely. The flue is half of the combustion system and needs to be treated with equal respect. Mesquite will burn hot, plan for that.

 

[Peter_V]

Thanks everyone for you advice.

After checking prices on Class A chimney's, stoves, etc. I believe it will be cheaper to just use an electric space heater.

Thanks again.

 

[begreen]

Safer too. Often this is the best choice if there is a chance of volatile fumes in the air.

 

[webbie]

BTW, I have a Pellet stove in my attached "shop". It has a garage door and certainly a car could be pulled in, but I did get a permit and the inspector knew what he was doing.

Since it is attached to my regular garage (which DOES have cars), but NOT directly to my living area, I think he made the call that was OK. Also, I do not intend to have cars in there, and do very little work with combustibles - mostly just fool around and sheet metal stuff.

As we can see by the text, NFPA does not heavily qualify that particular statement!

 

[Bill]

Where I live you cannot have a wood burner or chimney, in any garage, period. What about an electric garage heater, no flame, and you can mount it in the ceiling and point it downward.

 

[timfromohio]

One issue that I didn't see mentioned is how frequently you'll be working in the shop - is it related to your livlihood or will it be used primarily on weekends? I went through the same mental exercise regarding heating of a completely detached dedicated woodworking shop. I have decided to upgrade electric to the shop and use a couple of electric, radiator (filled with oil) type heaters. I know, blasphemy on a wood burning site, but to combine any fine dust and/or flammable vapors with open flame of any kind (even just when opening the door to feed stove) just isn't a good idea in my mind. Plus, a woodstove requires a lot more forethought. The bulk of time available for my woodworking is the winter - therefore, I can't say "Oh, the next couple of hours are open - time to make sawdust" if the stove is not already rippin and the shop is warm. Then there's the cool down - I would hesitate to leave a cheap stove unattended so it's not like I could say, "OK, done" and just take off. I figured with electric I could go out, turn on heaters, and within an half hour or so it would be warm enough to begin work. When done, just turn off. Cost? Well, not as cheap as the free firewood I burn all winter, but I figured it might be a dollar max every woodworking session. I can handle that for the reduced risks. Further, the up front cost of the electric heaters is far less than even the cheapest woodstove. Just my thoughts.

 

[Woodcrafter]

I too, have a pretty large woodworking shop, where I build custom furniture. I noticed that you mentioned that you have a central dust-collection system for the machines. This is a wonderful addition to your shop, but you have to bear in mind, if the dust-collection is vented to the outside (to avoid noise) that you will effectively create a negative pressure system inside the shop......making it very diffucult to operate a wood stove needing normal chimney draft. A mid-size dust collection system will normally be rated at approx. 1200 cfm. or more, and if vented through the filter, to the outside. would require pretty substantial make-up air to defeat the deficit. Just a thought.