wood furnace in pole barn?

mgarrett88 · Sep 23, 2015

So I posted questions on the wood stove forum and the topic was brought up to possibly look into a wood burning furnace, over a stove. I thought I would post in here and see what is recommended.

My situation is this. I am building a 36x56 pole barn. I am going to heat 32x36x12. We have R21 in the walls and R30 in the ceiling as well as 2” of foam board under the concrete to help hold heat what I can. I am not going to be out in the shed 24/7, for work or anything. I will be using it to work on weekend projects, clean fish, melt ice fishing gear, and so on.

So my initial thought was to put a wood stove out there and be done. But it was brought up that a furnace will pump out a lot of heat faster and move it around the shop.

The only experience I have with a wood furnace is from reading on here, and that a co-worker has a hot blast and has always has issues with it. I have experience with wood stoves and inserts.

What are your thought with using a wood furnace? Brands? Recommendations? Pros/Cons.

Let me know

Thanks

velvetfoot · Sep 23, 2015

That's like 1200 ft2? Open layout? Why wouldn't a wood stove work?

mgarrett88 · Sep 23, 2015

Correct, all open except for a bathroom in the corner.
I am thinking a wood stove will be fine, as i plan to get one that is going to heat over sized for the area.
Just looking for thoughts on if a furnace would be better.

brenndatomu · Sep 23, 2015

mgarrett88 said:
The only experience I have with a wood furnace is from reading on here, and that a co-worker has a hot blast and has always has issues with it

Typical, stay away from 'em.

About the only models worth lookin at from a big box or farm store are (currently) Drolet Tundra and Engalnder 28-3500, there may be others that I'm forgetting., and new models coming soon.

I'm not so sure that a $800 Englander NC30 wouldn't do just fine though...

mgarrett88 · Sep 23, 2015

the NC30 is one of the top choices. Not to out of budget and i think it will put out enough heat for what i need with a large firebox. I don't mind waiting a bit for the shop to warm up. I don't expect it to just be hot instantly.

laynes69 · Sep 23, 2015

If you don't need the instant heat, I would go for a NC30. You don't have to worry about electricity, and your looking at less cost over a woodfurnace. You'll use less wood and have a cleaner chimney over a englander wood furnace. A couple of fans placed near the stove may be what's needed.

mgarrett88 · Sep 23, 2015

good deal
i think the responses from the stove side has pointed me to the correct stove
and this forum made my mind up that a stove can handle the job

STIHLY DAN · Sep 23, 2015

I agree that a stove is best for your situation. Plus if you are chilled you can place yourself close to it. Also a steel stove would be best.

DoubleB · Sep 23, 2015

mgarrett88 said:
I will be using it to work on weekend projects

mgarrett88 said:
a bathroom in the corner.

I'm curious--it sounds like you have plumbing that requires some amount of 24/7 heat, but it also sounds like the wood burner is just for occasional use. So then will you have a LP/gas furnace keeping a minimum temp all the time? If so, that probably matters for your question, and I assume would lend even more to just the stove. In fact I might also ask if you even need the expense and real estate for a stove at all? Completely up to your preferences, it just sounds like you might not get much use out of it?

Also, insurance companies get upset about wood burners in garages, I don't know if you've confirmed with yours or not yet.

brenndatomu · Sep 23, 2015

You need to check with your ins co about having a stove in the building, some frown on a stove if it is in a "garage". If they OK it I'd recommend putting the stove up on a "hearth" made out of something as simple as a dozen or two concrete blocks, depending on how high you want it. Having it up off the floor makes for easier loading and keeps it out of the area where fumes tend to hang out (gas, paint, etc)
Also, I'd recommend a straight up chimney through the roof rather than out the wall. It will draft much better, stay cleaner (and easier to sweep) and since you may be starting new fire often, the draft will start easier.

3fordasho · Sep 24, 2015

mgarrett88 said:
good deal
i think the responses from the stove side has pointed me to the correct stove
and this forum made my mind up that a stove can handle the job

If you are going with a 30nc checkout the factory second page at: www.amfmenergy.com , I just received mine, $849 shipped, no sales tax. Other wise there is the home depot deal at $649 + 99 shipping + tax - not sure that is still available though. The factory second means minor cosmetic flaw that you won't notice once you get a couple feet away. I intend on using mine in a 24 x 48' outbuilding.

I also just installed my 2nd Drolet Tundra wood furnace in a 40 x 60' Quonset style outbuilding (1st unit in house). I'll let you know how they do in 4 months or so ;-)

-

mgarrett88 · Sep 24, 2015

there will be a bathroom and kitchen area so i will have an lp furnace out there to keep it 40-45 degrees or so. the stove would be for when i want to be out there and warm it up a bit and not suck down my lp gas. not to mention i have an abundance of wood i can burn.
just trying to figure out if a stove or furnace is better for the 32x36x12 area.
also i got the green light from insurance. there is only one provider for me but not much to add it on to my policy for a secondary building not attached to house.

Highbeam · Sep 24, 2015

velvetfoot said:
That's like 1200 ft2? Open layout? Why wouldn't a wood stove work?

It's 1200 SF but it has 12 foot ceilings, low insulation, leaky overhead doors, cold concrete slab, and he is not trying to maintain the temperature but to boost is from 40 to 70 ASAP. This is not the same thing as keeping a 1200 SF home warm.

It takes quite a while to get a 40 degree NC30 making heat. It's not really making major mojo until you cross that 600 line. I am certain that a furnace would be a better fit for this application but at what cost? More money up front is all. The other reason a furnace is superior is the automation. You can light the furnace and pretty much walk away instead of having to go back out to the shop to make sure it isn't overfiring or underfiring.

Bad LP · Sep 24, 2015

I'm in the furnace frame of mind on this one. I had a Dover Stove (Dover Maine) in a house that was just unbelievable. It was overkill in the house tied into the HVAC ductwork and could easily bring the house up to 85 on any of the coldest northern Maine winter night taking a straight blast of NW winds off Moosehead Lake.

Fred61 · Sep 24, 2015

It's a shop or maybe a garage. Whatever it is when you're in there you are going t be active. After lighting your wood burning appliance you will start feeling warm. As long as heat is coming into your body you will feel warm. It's not like you're sitting around watching Judge Judy.
My garage is pretty crowded when two cars are in there but when I have a project to work on I back the cars out and use a small propane heater. Light it and within 10 minutes I'm comfortable. so I would go with a stove.

mgarrett88 · Sep 24, 2015

Torn on what i should do. Just then i thought i would just go with a stove i start to think more about a furnace. #1 reason would be that it would pump out the heat a bit faster. But as stated i do plan to have the temp already at 40-45 and most of the time i would have the stove going for what is said above, projects. If i am out there or know i will be out in the shop to host an event, drink some beers, and what not i can always get a stove started early and get it up to 60-65.
maybe the furnace would be too much but i guess i am not opposed to spending a little extra up front if it would be better.
what about maintenance/pipe cleaning on a stove vs furnace?

brenndatomu · Sep 24, 2015

It takes a bit of time to get a fire build up enough for the blower to kick on and start kickin heat with a wood furnace too.
Chimney maintenance would be about the same from a stove to a furnace as long as you go with a EPA furnace, which is gonna cost at least double the NC30...

Highbeam · Sep 25, 2015

Fred61 said:
It's a shop or maybe a garage. Whatever it is when you're in there you are going t be active. After lighting your wood burning appliance you will start feeling warm. As long as heat is coming into your body you will feel warm. It's not like you're sitting around watching Judge Judy.
My garage is pretty crowded when two cars are in there but when I have a project to work on I back the cars out and use a small propane heater. Light it and within 10 minutes I'm comfortable. so I would go with a stove.

That may be how you use your garage but that is not everyone's plan. My garage has a nice flatscreen tv in it, chairs, and I have absolutely sat out there alone or with friends watching a football game or whatever. I brew beer out there and have the kegs out there in the refrigerator. When the shop is big enough to have room for recreation you end up spending way more time in it than needed for work and comfort becomes important.

maple1 · Sep 25, 2015

I think I would go furnace with a space that big, even if it is only a shop or garage. You could put the heat output directly to whatever corner of it you happen to be working in with some creative ducting. Could even have a couple pieces of flex duct putting it right under a cold vehicle, or onto an otherwise cold floor anywhere. With 12' ceilings, most of the heat from a stove would go right to the ceiling - I would think. You should be able to find a nice used one on Craigs or whatever?

leon · Sep 25, 2015

mgarrett88 said:
Torn on what i should do. Just then i thought i would just go with a stove i start to think more about a furnace. #1 reason would be that it would pump out the heat a bit faster. But as stated i do plan to have the temp already at 40-45 and most of the time i would have the stove going for what is said above, projects. If i am out there or know i will be out in the shop to host an event, drink some beers, and what not i can always get a stove started early and get it up to 60-65.
maybe the furnace would be too much but i guess i am not opposed to spending a little extra up front if it would be better.
what about maintenance/pipe cleaning on a stove vs furnace?

==================================================================================
Both have the same issues with cleaning and maintenance.

Is a through the wall direct vent propane heater out of the question?

Thats about the fastest way to heat a space except for a propane fired
salamander but the salamander will have issues with exposure to cold
unless you keep the propane fired salamander in a warm area before
using it in the garage.

3fordasho · Sep 25, 2015

mgarrett88 said:
Torn on what i should do. Just then i thought i would just go with a stove i start to think more about a furnace. #1 reason would be that it would pump out the heat a bit faster. But as stated i do plan to have the temp already at 40-45 and most of the time i would have the stove going for what is said above, projects. If i am out there or know i will be out in the shop to host an event, drink some beers, and what not i can always get a stove started early and get it up to 60-65.
maybe the furnace would be too much but i guess i am not opposed to spending a little extra up front if it would be better.
what about maintenance/pipe cleaning on a stove vs furnace?

Either should work as long as you keep in mind that wood heat is not instantaneous like a propane/natural gas fired heater. The building I have wood furnace in also has a 120k propane hanging unit heater. It's there if I need the heat right now and could not plan ahead with the wood furnace. The goal however is to keep the propane off, just for occasional use. (even though propane is only .89/gallon right now, I have more wood than I can shake a stick at ;-) Yea I know- sell it and buy propane.... wood heat feels better and I like to stoke the furnace/stove.... Also need an excuse to use that new MS661cm the wife don't know about......

HitzerHillbilly · Sep 26, 2015

I can tell you that I have a hot blast wood furnace in my pole barn, un-insulated all the way around and up top 40x60. No issues so far, and in the winter I can go out at about 6 am and fire it up, by about 8 am I can head out there and work pretty comfortably in a t-shirt or lighter long sleeve depending on the activity. I only use the furnace occasionally when/if I need to work in the barn. Oh, concrete on the floors. I just put 90* elbows pointing in different directions, and I really like being able to just turn on the blowers and get some heat moving! I suppose fans would do the same with a stove.

Highbeam · Sep 26, 2015

HitzerHillbilly said:
I can tell you that I have a hot blast wood furnace in my pole barn, un-insulated all the way around and up top 40x60. No issues so far, and in the winter I can go out at about 6 am and fire it up, by about 8 am I can head out there and work pretty comfortably in a t-shirt or lighter long sleeve depending on the activity. I only use the furnace occasionally when/if I need to work in the barn. Oh, concrete on the floors. I just put 90* elbows pointing in different directions, and I really like being able to just turn on the blowers and get some heat moving! I suppose fans would do the same with a stove.

Good post. Really illustrates the difference between a 150k? Btu furnace with a monster blower and a 50kbtu stove with a cheezy blower. I was thinking about this thread yesterday when I boosted the temp in my well insulated shop from 60 to 70 with outside temps above 50. It took several hours after the stove hit 700. I have a large blower and ceiling fan. It was comfortable right next to the stove within an hour but real change in temp is very slow when you bring a knife to a gunfight.

I'm nearly certain that I'll change to a furnace when/if they become legal in Washington.

NAc · Sep 26, 2015

3fordasho said:
If you are going with a 30nc checkout the factory second page at: www.amfmenergy.com , I just received mine, $849 shipped, no sales tax. Other wise there is the home depot deal at $649 + 99 shipping + tax - not sure that is still available though. The factory second means minor cosmetic flaw that you won't notice once you get a couple feet away. I intend on using mine in a 24 x 48' outbuilding.

I also just installed my 2nd Drolet Tundra wood furnace in a 40 x 60' Quonset style outbuilding (1st unit in house). I'll let you know how they do in 4 months or so ;-)View attachment 162308 -

Would like to see pictures off your setup in the outbuilding. I am going to be putting up a 30Wx60Lx17H fabric arch building next month to use as a shop. It will be 13H but will be stacked on 4' Concrete at the base. I wanted to put a wood fired furnace as the heat source.

3fordasho · Sep 26, 2015

NAc said:
Would like to see pictures off your setup in the outbuilding. I am going to be putting up a 30Wx60Lx17H fabric arch building next month to use as a shop. It will be 13H but will be stacked on 4' Concrete at the base. I wanted to put a wood fired furnace as the heat source.

Tundra or 30nc install? The 30nc install is underway but nothing to show yet. It'll be a couple weeks yet.

wood furnace in pole barn?

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