Wood Stove for Shop/Garage Questions

[Highbeam]

I think I would just put one of those Big Maxx ceiling furnaces in on propane. Put it on a setback thermostat for overnight. Takes up zero floor space.

They are cheap to buy, easy to install, and work great but horribly expensive to run on propane in the PNW. Propane cost is highly variable by region so if you're lucky enough to live in a cheap lpg area then maybe it's more reasonable.

If my AHJ or insurance company ever change their mind about allowing wood stoves in shops then I would probably just use a propane mod/con boiler to supply the 1800 feet of pex in my insulated slab with hot water. Until then, wood is so much more fun!

 

[john26]

A wood boiler with electric elements as back up in the air handler works great. My brother heats a 40x94 metal building with a boiler usually keeps it in the upper 60's to low 70's the electric is for cool days to take the chill off the air or if for some reason the fire goes out. he is using it as machine shop so its fairly important not to get too cold.

 

[CutterComp]

Thanks to everyone that posted, it's been informative reading through the responses and I'll head in a new direction.

Aside from the debate of safety issues of a wood stove in a garage there are some negatives about the day to day usage of a wood burner for me which the OP had touched on . Let's say I want to do some work in the shop/garage for an hour or two in the dead of winter. Cold machinery takes a long time to heat up . I might need to run the wood stove 3hours to get an hour or so of work done . That gets old fast. If the machine shop is to be used to earn income time is money . Even with free wood on the property it stills takes equipment ,time , maintenance of saws/splitter , storage space / wood shed ,etc. I would look at a ceiling mount propane heater for the shop along with quality insulation . There should be very little maintenance to do , you can keep the shop at a comfortable minimum temp and bump it up when you want or need to . Over ,done . Now look to install the wood stove upstairs in the living space and grab some savings there .....
Just my thoughts ..........
Bob

Good points and I agree. I am now looking into doing exactly this. The living space above the "garage" is no longer, just storage nowadays, all the utilities were ripped out years before we bought the place. However, I am still looking to install a wood stove in our 1700s stone farmhouse but that's for another thread, another time.

I think I would just put one of those Big Maxx ceiling furnaces in on propane. Put it on a setback thermostat for overnight. Takes up zero floor space.

I've been looking into the Big Maxx units. Definitely affordable to purchase and install, but reliability seems suspect. Thinking a Modine Hot Dawg or a Reznor might be better built units, though costing more. Need to research more. But I guess that takes me off topic here. Any recommendations on a good forum for propane heaters?

 

[Ludlow]

Reznor is the best no doubt.

 

[SpaceBus]

Thanks to everyone that posted, it's been informative reading through the responses and I'll head in a new direction.

Good points and I agree. I am now looking into doing exactly this. The living space above the "garage" is no longer, just storage nowadays, all the utilities were ripped out years before we bought the place. However, I am still looking to install a wood stove in our 1700s stone farmhouse but that's for another thread, another time.

I've been looking into the Big Maxx units. Definitely affordable to purchase and install, but reliability seems suspect. Thinking a Modine Hot Dawg or a Reznor might be better built units, though costing more. Need to research more. But I guess that takes me off topic here. Any recommendations on a good forum for propane heaters?

I'm excited to see the stone house.