I am certain my local (and maybe state) building code will not allow a woodstove/wood boiler to be installed into a garage. (Makes sense, gasoline and open flames in the same room, not a good idea). My garage however, is a “woodshop”, couldn’t get a car into it if you wanted to....BUT, as far as the building inspector is concerned (who must inspect the final install), what can be done to a garage to make it no longer consider a garage in the eyes of the law? Is it the overhead door that makes it a garage?
Anyone dealt with this issue as part of their wood boiler setup?
It’s a national code, so it’s the same everywhere. As I recall, any place where a vehicle can be parked is considered a garage. The restriction only applies to attached garages, however (I think). The easiest solution would be to make the building inaccessible to cars. One popular suggestion is to sink an iron pipe or other permanent barrier at the entrance, making it unnecessary to frame in the garage door, and possible to return the garage to service with a minimum amount of work.
As nofossil suggests, your local inspector is where the rubber meets the road. Since he or she is going to be making the call, best to check first before doing anything.
people put wood burners in garages all the time around here. I really don’t understand how a wood burner would be worse then a over head NG heater that had a open flame.
I plan on putting a wood burner in my garage this fall and thought about sectioning off part of it but i don’t want to unless i have to.
The guy in the Garn promotional video has his set up in an attached garage, I believe, which tells you how seriously Garn takes the code.
I agree that it’s no more dangerous than some of the alternatives. That doesn’t change the law, which is pretty specific. My opinion also doesn’t carry much weight with your insurance company, which takes its cue from the code. There’s a thread around here somewhere with the actual wording, and a rather thorough discussion of the whole issue.
The best place to look to find out if you can do it is a local chimney sweep. From a certification standpoint they need to know all new codes and rules for all appliances. From what I’ve seen it is a NFPA code. It was meant so that people wouldn’t put a wood stove into a garage and blow themselves up while working on their cars. As previously stated I don’t believe that an inspector cares what you call the garage (i.e. workshop, woodshop, hobby shop, etc) if it has a door that can accomadate an automobile than it’s a garage. The other factor is that as a homeowner you can practically install anyway you want but you take the responsibility of the install and if you need it inspected than the inspector is going to use the wording in the manufacturer’s owners manual and local fire codes.
I would seriously look into finding a certified chimney sweep and ask him his thoughts.
The guy in the Garn promotional video has his set up in an attached garage, I believe, which tells you how seriously Garn takes the code.
I agree that it’s no more dangerous than some of the alternatives. That doesn’t change the law, which is pretty specific. My opinion also doesn’t carry much weight with your insurance company, which takes its cue from the code. There’s a thread around here somewhere with the actual wording, and a rather thorough discussion of the whole issue.
The Garn is a sealed combustion appliance which takes all of the combustion air from outside the space through a direct outdoors connection. Sealed combustion appliances are allowed in a garage.
That being said, I would never recommend anyone installing any type of heater in a garage without checking with your local inspector. Every code book I have in my possession has the statement “these codes are applied subject to local jurisdiction”. In other words, your local inspector has the final Yea/Nay on just about anything.
I made a call to my local building inspector, and he pretty much said if you can get a car in it, it is still a garage. Framing in the door and making it otherwise inaccessible to a car is all I need to do (I don’t use it as a garage anyway, so I am happy to get rid of the 15 foot overhead door).
He also said I could “subdivide” the garage and put the boiler in one room and the car in the other, except the boiler couldn’t draw its air supply from the garage (i.e. can’t put in a vent from the boiler room to the garage), but an outside vent for air would be OK.
I am probably going to just turn the whole thing into a permanent shop since I have not put a car in it in years, and putting the boiler their makes firewood “delivery” (me with my tractor) very convenient.
The guy in the Garn promotional video has his set up in an attached garage, I believe, which tells you how seriously Garn takes the code.
I agree that it’s no more dangerous than some of the alternatives. That doesn’t change the law, which is pretty specific. My opinion also doesn’t carry much weight with your insurance company, which takes its cue from the code. There’s a thread around here somewhere with the actual wording, and a rather thorough discussion of the whole issue.
The Garn is a sealed combustion appliance which takes all of the combustion air from outside the space through a direct outdoors connection. Sealed combustion appliances are allowed in a garage.
That being said, I would never recommend anyone installing any type of heater in a garage without checking with your local inspector. Every code book I have in my possession has the statement “these codes are applied subject to local jurisdiction”. In other words, your local inspector has the final Yea/Nay on just about anything.
theres still a chance for an open flame when the door is open.
The guy in the Garn promotional video has his set up in an attached garage, I believe, which tells you how seriously Garn takes the code.
I agree that it’s no more dangerous than some of the alternatives. That doesn’t change the law, which is pretty specific. My opinion also doesn’t carry much weight with your insurance company, which takes its cue from the code. There’s a thread around here somewhere with the actual wording, and a rather thorough discussion of the whole issue.
The Garn is a sealed combustion appliance which takes all of the combustion air from outside the space through a direct outdoors connection. Sealed combustion appliances are allowed in a garage.
That being said, I would never recommend anyone installing any type of heater in a garage without checking with your local inspector. Every code book I have in my possession has the statement “these codes are applied subject to local jurisdiction”. In other words, your local inspector has the final Yea/Nay on just about anything.
theres still a chance for an open flame when the door is open.
That is a valid point. The fact still remains though that a Garn is a sealed combustion appliance during normal operation. It should also be understood that some codes and localities allow open combustion appliance in a garage provided the “flame area” is a minimum of 18” from the floor. I don’t know of any other wood burner, of any type, that can make both of those claims in the US market. As for installing one in a garage, please re-read the boldfaced print in my other post.
It is a national code, but these are usually subject to interpretation by the local inspectors.......they may be right, they may be wrong (when interpreting), but at the same time that is what would “allow” you to do it not.
In terms of your own safety, the main things (IMHO) are that you not store motor vehicles or gasoline and/or other extreme flammables.
