Shop Heat - Wood Stoves

Re: Shop Heat - Wood Stoves

Bob Dodge

>Brian,

You better call your insurance company before adding a wood-stove. My father-in-law's insurance rate tripled after adding his. He ended up going with a different system.

Bob

Re: Shop Heat - Wood Stoves

Grant Smith

>I can tell you that I am completely satisfied with my Lopi brand steel stove with a cast iron door frame. It was here when we moved in, so I am not sure just how old it is, but it is at least ten years or so. It is in our home and I burn it most of the winter (work from home the last few years).

An acquaintance has another, larger Lopi and his is in his basement. He installed an elaborate triple walled stove pipe with two 90 degree bends in it to run the chimney on the outside of his home and his doesn't draw nearly as well as mine with a straight pipe up through the roof. His pipe runs up the outside of the house in an insulated chase, but it takes him several minutes to get his flue/pipe heated up enough to draw very well.

Mine uses a straight pipe up through the ceiling (triple walled in the attic and on the roof). It draws very well and is simple to sweep myself each fall with a sectional sweep brush from the roof. It should be a simple matter to roof around such a pipe with no leaks.

One advantage to steel over cast iron is that it can be easily welded or patched should it ever develop a crack from the heat/cool cycles. I have seen cracked cast iron stoves that had to be replaced due to such cracks more than once. Both metals are close enough to the same mass that I don't think there's much difference in heating/retention properties between the metals.

Before you get too far with your plans, however, ask you insurer what the requirements are for such stoves from their perspective, and perhaps they'll be able to recommend a given type over another for a lower rate. They may not even allow one in a garage or shop...who knows.

FWIW,

Grant in Iowa<---burning the stove as we speak...

Re: Shop Heat - Wood Stoves

Dan Arrowsmith

>My father in law had to take out his wood stove fom his shop, they wouldnt insure him with it. His place is in michigan.

Insurance issues is...

Brian in Sandusky, OH

>...not a concern.

I talked to my agent, and he said to go ahead and buy one. There might be a slightly higher rate, but only in the ballpark of $75 annually compared to having no stove.

Thanks for that consideration, though...

Re: Insurance issues is...

John Lucas

>My insurance agent said I could not have a wood stove. I can't see how that's any different from running a kerosene heater or propane heater which is what I do now. I ran a wood stove for years but the insurance company didn't know I had it. I didn't think there was a problem. When I move I wanted to make sure the shop was adequately covered and the first thing he asked was did I have a woodstove.

I use a double-barrel Wood Stoves

Keith Newton

>I have heated my 4000 sqq ft shop with wood for about 25 years. My stove is a drum with liner brick, and cast door. I put another barrel over the first one after a few years, and got a lot better heat exchange by adding the second one.

When I brought it in and hooked it up, The obvious location for it was on a slightly raised spot, ( an old in-floor grease trap from the butcher shop, when this was a grocery store.) Also there was a nice flashed hole through the roof about 10' over. I ran the flue up about 8' and over 10' with about 2' rise along that run, before turning up to get out the roof.

The first night I loaded up the stove with enough wood to keep a fire through the night with the flue and intake air turned down, I was surprised in the morning to find that I had created a creosote distillery. There was about a half gallon of black smelly liquid on the floor under several joints of the horizontal run.

Needless to say, I ran a new straight up flue the next day. Ever since then, when I brush it out now, it stays very clean.

obviously its not the same everywhere...

SanMan

>...the key is to make them aware you will have or be using one.

If you dont and your shop burns down and that woodburner is the cause....your pretty much gonna be told your S-O-L.

Make the call to your agent first.

SM

Re: Shop Heat - Wood Stoves

Jerry Gibbs

>I had a wood stove in my shop about half the size of yours and I hated it. In mid-winter I could not use the shop after work. On weekends it was easy to get the shop too hot. The stove was like a charcoal grill, the coals were just right after dinner. My biggest complaint was the space I had to allow around the stove for safety clearance during the heating season. I installed a unit natural gas heater which hangs from the ceiling and couldn't be happier. I keep the shop heated all the time at about 40 degrees. I work at about 60 degrees. The air heats quickly and I don't bother to pre-heat the shop. The tools and materials take longer to heat. For glue ups, usually I can just turn the heat down and the shop will stay warm enough. Otherwise I cover the glue up with an electric blanket or take into the house. Jerry Gibbs