Barrel stove using Vogelzang barrel kit.

[Oldmainer]

Hi Gang...I'm thinking of using a Vogelzang barrel kit...and one or two of their unpainted 55 gallon drums...to replace a stove in a 28' by 28' shop...and in my basement which now has a mid-moe wood stove thats alittle long in tooth. If I go the kit route I will use one of their grates in the bottom of the barrels also. Will the single barrel throw lots of heat in normal firing...and would a two barrel kit be worth using? About how many years service would I get from the drum stoves? I have my own wood lot so wood is free. Franklin

 

[Todd]

I'd never put one in my home. Not UL listed so it's not legal to install in house. If something happens and the house burns down your not covered by insurance. I've seen them in garages and camps, they throw the heat but are hard to control, can rust and burn through in no time.

 

[vvvv]

sand on bottom, firebricks on sides- no grate, damper on fluepipe

 

[BrotherBart]

Had one in the basement for a few years. Basically an uncontrolled burn and you should measure clearance to combustible in yards, not feet or inches. And have lots of wood to burn because it will eat it.

The suckers are dangerous. I cut the top barrel in half and made a outside smoker out of it after I pulled it out. A guy at work bought a house with one already in the basement and one night while he was feeding it he got his arms trapped in the door frame. Burned the hell out of his arms. Told that story here one time before and everybody thought it was because he was stupid. It wasn't. Easy to see how it could happen.

 

[sksmass]

why not just scour craigslist for some cheap real woodstove. Lots of people just move into a house and want to get rid of the old smoke dragons (to upgrade, or just to bring back the fireplace ambience). There are two stoves on CL right now for <$100 in Windham Maine.

 

[cmonSTART]

Personally I would look for a cheap wood stove. However, if building one is really your thing than do as BB alluded to. Take the utmost care in clearances and make sure things are very very safe for when it takes off on you. They do get hot, though if done carefully, can work.

I remember a video on youtube of a Canadian guy who had one in his home/shop. It even had forced air induction. Personally I would never even dream of it. No thanks.

 

[BrotherBart]

The sides of the barrel on mine got so red it got translucent sometimes.

 

[yanksforever]

I know someone who's house burned right to the ground with one of those installed! Not safe at all...please think twice about it!

 

[n3pro]

We have one at the club cabin, it works, not my favorite but in an old 1800's three room ranger's station surviving on donations could be worse. One of the biggest problems I hate is the smoke inside and out. We have to keep the door open enough to keep a good draft but not enough that smoke spills out - a real challenge. It does need a lot more attention the mine at the house, but typically the club cabin only gets used a few evenings a week then usually Saturday is the more hoping day so that's when you really notice the attention.

I would agree if you can get something better - do it, if not got to do what you got to do.

 

[Oldmainer]

Thanks guys for the thoughts on the barrel kit stoves. I don't have to change either stove right now so will wait and see what I can come up with for used equipment. Franklin

 

[Dune]

To answer your question, yes the extra barrel is worth it. Can't comment on the rest of the stuff, since my experience was with a barrel stove I built myself, and was very controlable. It was also in a 5000 ft shop, with plenty of clearance.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks guys for the thoughts on the barrel kit stoves. I don't have to change either stove right now so will wait and see what I can come up with for used equipment. Franklin

I think this is a good idea . . . wait and see what comes up in Uncle Henrys or Craigslist . . . or let friends and family members know you're looking . . . I'm not a big fan of barrel stoves.

 

[cmonSTART]

Thanks guys for the thoughts on the barrel kit stoves. I don't have to change either stove right now so will wait and see what I can come up with for used equipment. Franklin

Smart move.

 

[SteveKG]

A neighbor of ours built a double-barrel one and situated in the center of his one room cottage on a "sand-box" bed to protect the wood floor if the worst happened. The house had a loft upstairs, so he did not burn it really hot as he wanted it reasonable upstairs in the sleeping area and didn't mind keeping downstairs a bit cooler to effect that. He really like the thing, and even though I never saw him really stoke the thing to red-hot, and he claimed he never did, I greatly prefer my heavy stoves. The thought of his makes me nervous, though he's been using it for some 20 yr., and this is in a full-time residence.

 

[Bone1099]

I am not sure if everyone here has fully read your first post but i think you said this space you needed to heat was 28x28 and already had a (mid-moe). I have never seen a mid-moe but i have refurbished and used a small moe stove that would be more than enough heat and burn time for a workshop of that size. I also can't comprehend why you would want something made from a thin barrel and cheap castings when you already have great stove granted it is a "smoke dragon" and granted it is a copy of a Fisher but when this stove was built it was a copy of one of the better stoves made. As for "long in the tooth" the moe stoves I have seen can be as good as new with a couple of feet of door gasket rope a good scouring and a small can of stove paint. if youre handy enough to assemble a barrel stove then youre handy enough to restore this moe to tip top shape. and it should heat your workspace with much less effort because it is controllable and burns less wood and a hell of a lot safer than any barrel stove. But if you are bent on replacing it with a barrel slide it to the corner and I will pick it up sometime this winter to get it out of your way. If i am mistaken or simply wrong I will welcome the correction.

 

[fossil]

I think the OP is talking about two different spaces...the shop (presumably detached from his house), and then his basement (presumably in his house).

 

[Bone1099]

Ahh this is so. then I am the one who didnt read completely but in this case Moe still gets a good refurb and if he isn't hot enough for the basement then send him to the shop and locate a more suitable stove for the basement. Furthermore there is absolutely no way i would consider putting a barrel stove in or under my house. good quality smoke dragons are lurking everywhere cheap and with a bit of care can be a safe alternative heat source.

 

[Dune]

As a possibly irelevent aside only, much thicker 55 gallon barrels are available than those used to ship and store oil these days. Resins for example are shipped in much heavier barrels and are available free form manufacturers whose use bulk resin quantities.

 

[rowerwet]

my brother in laws father heats his house with one of these, it is the double barrel kit, as far as I know it has been almost 30 years using it, not sure how many barrels he has gone through. He loads it with wood and it burns most of the day before needing a reload, it keeps the basement hot and heats the house fine. He has muffin fans in each corner of his house blowing down to even the heat, His house is in Lake Placid, NY, in all that time his backup heat, electric baseboards, has only been used twice, both times it was about -50*.