Wood Stove for Shop/Garage Questions

[MAD MARK]

@CutterComp I live in SW PA and switched insurance from State Farm to Farmers; who allowed my garage install and even took pictures of install after.

$23 premium annually. Worth it.

 

[MAD MARK]

I was waiting for this.

Nobody waits for this.

 

[bholler]

@CutterComp I live in SW PA and switched insurance from State Farm to Farmers; who allowed my garage install and even took pictures of install after.

$23 premium annually. Worth it.

That doesn't mean it is to code or that they will pay a claim if it comes down to it

 

[bholler]

Nobody waits for this.

I am sorry if it bothers you that I inform people of the applicable codes so they can make an informed decision.

 

[MAD MARK]

That doesn't mean it is to code or that they will pay a claim if it comes down to it

I never said it is/they will either. Thanks.

 

[WinterinWI]

As long as it isn't in the same room it's fine. Notice it says location not structure.

So if you walk past the stove with your groceries (flammable hairspray, rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover) your install would be in violation of code then, because the stove would be in a "location where a corrosive atmosphere, flammable gas or vapour, combustible dust, or combustible fibres may be present."

 

[bholler]

So if you walk past the stove with your groceries (flammable hairspray, rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover) your install would be in violation of code then, because the stove would be in a "location where a corrosive atmosphere, flammable gas or vapour, combustible dust, or combustible fibres may be present."

Technically yes. But really unless you are storing that stuff in the vacinity of the stove no one will care.

 

[John Galt]

"Walking by" is not covered in the building code, it pertains to building.

 

[WinterinWI]

Technically yes. But really unless you are storing that stuff in the vacinity of the stove no one will care.

So then consider a house that has a kitchen open to a living room with a wood stove in it. There is a closet in the kitchen with aerosols, flammable cleaners and rubbing alcohol in it. This technically prohibits the installation of a wood stove in that environment, and is grounds for an insurance company to deny a claim.

 

[ShawnLiNY]

Code issues aside , a coal burning stove will give you consistent heat output round the clock . Perhaps selling the wood to offset costs

 

[Seasoned Oak]

That's not a garage, it's a basement.

With a garage door on it and a car in it.

 

[8#sledge]

I think you mentioned a new concrete floor. I have a machine shop in my drive in basement and I heat it with radiant floor heat. The heavy iron of machinery just becomes part of the constant even heat. I would not poor a slab without hepex tubing installed in it. You can always add or change the heat source later but you can't add the tubing after the pour. The heat source for me is a small tank-less water heater and or a water to water heat ex-changer from my wood stove upstairs. Best of all there is no fire near your flammables. We have a lot of extra strong rules to keep absent minded people from hurting them self or others. Carefully consider the kind of person you are when bending rules. Try not to rationalize a favorable outcome. The most likely thing to happen, is usually the poor out come, unless you are consciously and continuously doing something to prevent it.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

That description disqualifies wood stoves from being installed in just about any house I've ever been in. The average house has hairspray, aerosol cleaners, rubbing alcohol, gas lines, combustible fibres (furniture) ect ect ect.

In that case, to be code complaint, you'll need to start advising members that in order to install a wood stove in their house, the only way they can do so is to remove the following from their house:

Hairspray, flammable cleaners, aerosols, non-dairy creamer, flammable furniture, rubbing alcohol, nail polish/remover, LP or NG gas lines, ect.

So if you walk past the stove with your groceries (flammable hairspray, rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover) your install would be in violation of code then, because the stove would be in a "location where a corrosive atmosphere, flammable gas or vapour, combustible dust, or combustible fibres may be present."

So then consider a house that has a kitchen open to a living room with a wood stove in it. There is a closet in the kitchen with aerosols, flammable cleaners and rubbing alcohol in it. This technically prohibits the installation of a wood stove in that environment, and is grounds for an insurance company to deny a claim.

I believe you have made this point sufficiently clear.

 

[begreen]

If the walls in this space were properly insulated then it would not be hard to heat with electric. Tthe floor could have some foam pad floor dropped in at least temporarily. This does remarkably well at isolating heat loss thru the floor and it's not affected by dampness. It's what I have in our garage shop that is electrically heated.
(broken link removed)

 

[Sawset]

Interlocking foam:
We have our basement floor covered in something similar. 20 x 20 area
That area went from just a cold concrete floor, to something where people want to be in.
It's not very resistant to abrasion though, or dirt, metal chips, etc. Works good for a living area, gym, etc, from what I see.
It's a good insulator, makes the floor seem warm and dry, soft to walk on.

 

[Ludlow]

Code issues aside , a coal burning stove will give you consistent heat output round the clock . Perhaps selling the wood to offset costs

Anthracite stove?

 

[SpaceBus]

Since the shop floor needs work anyway I second radiant pipes. This will allow you to use multiple heat sources. I would build a closet for an indoor wood boiler and then the whole structure can be heated.

 

[Highbeam]

Highbeam will be along soon to tell us how that isn't a garage so the code doesn't apply here. And no that car isn't really parked there either

Ha! There are lots of places that cars are parked that are not garages. The code doesn't say "where cars are parked" it says garages which the OP called it also so you are right to point out the code. No stove in a garage.

Also, not every car leaks gasoline fumes so that isn't really a definitive test either.

It's called an overhead door. Garage doors are a slang term. The presence of an overhead door is not listed in the code as a reason for prohibition of the stove. Gasoline vapors and calling it a garage seem to be the triggers.

But you will notice that I let this one slide until you called me out by name. It's not worth the argument really.

 

[Highbeam]

Also, what is the reasoning behind disallowing solid fuels in a garage? What is it about liquid fuels that makes them safer? Living out in the countryside, natural gas is not an option, so that leaves me with propane or heating oil or waste oil.

It's a totally stupid and outdated code section that is often misinterpreted. In Canada you are allowed to have a stove in the garage so long as you elevate it 18". They have the same "except where gasoline vapors are present" language though. In the old days, most cars leaked gasoline vapors. Modern vehicles capture all of those vapors since it is pollution.

 

[Highbeam]

If you have an integral garage in your house you cant have a stove?

The space named a "garage" is expressly prohibited from having a stove.

 

[Highbeam]

@CutterComp I live in SW PA and switched insurance from State Farm to Farmers; who allowed my garage install and even took pictures of install after.

$23 premium annually. Worth it.

I made the same insurance company switch just because the shop stove was allowed. My county issued me a permit and inspected the install too. State Farm prohibited all solid fuel burners in "outbuildings" which my shop is. They are allowed to be more stringent than code.

 

[SpaceBus]

It's a totally stupid and outdated code section that is often misinterpreted. In Canada you are allowed to have a stove in the garage so long as you elevate it 18". They have the same "except where gasoline vapors are present" language though. In the old days, most cars leaked gasoline vapors. Modern vehicles capture all of those vapors since it is pollution.

There are also diesel and electric vehicles. It's a stupid code requirement that pretty much forces you to pay an electric or fossi fuel company to heat your garage/shop/etc and this really becomes worth noting for commercial enterprises. The work around is a closet for a boiler or furnace, but that hugely elevates the cost involved.

 

[SpaceBus]

I made the same insurance company switch just because the shop stove was allowed. My county issued me a permit and inspected the install too. State Farm prohibited all solid fuel burners in "outbuildings" which my shop is. They are allowed to be more stringent than code.

I'll definitely keep this in mind.

 

[Highbeam]

I think it is wise to recognize the elevated risks of danger and insurance forfeiture when installing a stove anyplace other than in your home. There is indeed a greater chance of flammable vapors in a building that could also contain a car. There is an elevated risk associated with an unattended woodstove in an outbuilding.

But it sure is nice to have a rip roaring fire in your shop stove while working on a project.

 

[bholler]

It's a totally stupid and outdated code section that is often misinterpreted. In Canada you are allowed to have a stove in the garage so long as you elevate it 18". They have the same "except where gasoline vapors are present" language though. In the old days, most cars leaked gasoline vapors. Modern vehicles capture all of those vapors since it is pollution.

I totally agree it is stupid and I think Canada's code is a very good common sense solution to the potential issues. But we and the op do not live in canada we live in the us. And you can call the space you park and or work on your vehicles what ever you want. But it doesn't change what it is or get around the other clauses in that code which make installs like this against code.

I think it is wise to recognize the elevated risks of danger and insurance forfeiture when installing a stove anyplace other than in your home. There is indeed a greater chance of flammable vapors in a building that could also contain a car. There is an elevated risk associated with an unattended woodstove in an outbuilding.

But it sure is nice to have a rip roaring fire in your shop stove while working on a project.

Well said