Putting a woodstove in a shed outside the house and piping the hot air in - sane idea?

[Techstuf]

There's an old Chinese proverb that seems appropo here....."Those that say it can't be done should not interrupt the ones who are doing it."




TS

 

[woodjack]

I'm not one to knock innovative ideas or out of the box thinking. In fact, I love it. Initially, the stove in a shed idea sounded great, but these little fire boxes need a lot of attention. Who here doesn't monitor their fire and adjust it accordingly? And who wants to be constantly running out into the freezing cold just to see what the fire is doing, then adjusting it, then readjusting it, then adding wood, then dampering down, then adjusting it, then . . ..

I love tending to my fire, but there are limits. If all that back and forth in the frigid cold doesn't bother you, I'm behind you brother. Go for it.

 

[madrone]

Well, the answer seems pretty simple to me. Move into the shed.

 

[woodjack]

Well, the answer seems pretty simple to me. Move into the shed.

that's funny.

 

[Techstuf]

And who wants to be constantly running out into the freezing cold just to see what the fire is doing, then adjusting it, then readjusting it, then adding wood, then dampering down, then adjusting it

Sounds like these owners:

http://www.outsidewoodheater.com/page10.html

Either love to do what you suggest, or your conjecture stems from a lack of knowledge of such devices.


Surely the truth must lay somewhere in between.


TS

 

[Jimbob]

Awesome! That looks exactly like what I'm looking for!

Thanks so much to everyone for all your advice, I've pretty much decided not to do it and maybe invest some money in the Outside wood heater Jimbob posted the link to.

Thanks again!

No problem ;-)
Let us know how it works out.

 

[begreen]

Hello all!
This is my first post here - hope you don't mind if I start off asking ya'll for some advice!

I live in Up State NY, I have a small Jotul woodstove that I bought for my freestanding garage that I didn't get around to hooking up yet. I've been going through Propane alot quicker than I thought (hot forced air in a fairly drafy single wide trailer), and I am looking for a way to save some money on heat.

I don't want to put the woodstove inside my trailer as it isn't rated for trailers and with the clearance and all it would take up alot of living space.

A friend suggested building a small shed just next to the trailer, insulating it really well, putting the woodstove in there and then ducting the hot air the stove produces into the house, I would also have a cold air return going back out to it. I would use a fan inside the mouth of the duct going in to pull the heat inside.

Is this a reasonable (if somewhat ghetto) idea? The idea is to just cut down on heat consumption during the day, I wouldn't be using it at night.

If anyone is willing to share any thoughts and/or ideas I would REALLY appreciate it.

Thanks from frigid upstate NY!

George

You would be far better off to create an alcove extension on the house, sized appropriately for the stove (actually size it a bit bigger for the next stove you will be getting when this one proves too small). That way you can put in a proper flue and not deal with the silliness of trying to move heat around via ducting. Done right this will actually make the living area seem more expansive and will work without ducting. Something to think about if the power goes out with any frequency.

 

[meathead]

My course of action in your situation would be more along the lines of what BG is driving at. A used EPA stove approved for trailer instalations and enough chimney pipe (could be used as well) to get you 3' above the roof and tall enough for good draft.

But if you decide to do it your way I say more power to you. Hope it works out well - post pics if ti does.

 

[T Osborn]

I've heard of a guy here at work that actually does something similar to the OP's inquiry. He started with a concrete pad, a double-barrel stove and one of those metal 10X12 yard barns. Extremly well insulated (we work in a power plant, wonder where the insulation came from?) he also ducted underground and uses a fan to pull heat from this building into his existing ductwork. I am passing this along for entertainment only and not an indorsment. This is not a trailer application. I imagine this thing eats wood like crazy. Here's yer sign!

 

[meathead]

Consider pulling air from the trailer into the shed so the shed pressurizes and pushes warm air through the duct back into the trailer. Solves your combustion air problems.

 

[drdoct]

Most of the time when you try to rig things it ends up costing more than if you had just done it right. That doesn't keep me from trying, but most of the time I end up paying twice. Everything I can think of requires you to buy a new stove or furnace. So if you've got to buy a new wood furnace or an insert, then why not just buy the right one to go in the trailer? The rigging part of me says.... buy one of those wood furnaces from Tractor supply and stick that sucker out in the cold with ceramic insulation covering it. Pipe your air in and out using well insulated ducting. Or... Install an insert outside with insulation around it and duct the air coming off it. All those options would produce a much cooler result than the right insert for your trailer installed correctly. Shoot, anything can be done, but is it really worth all the extra effort of building a shed and then trying to move the air? NOPE! When you start moving hot air with fans it cools it dramatically. I learned that you have to create the vacuum and let the air flow naturally to displace the cold air. If you try to push it you get cool air. Unfortunately physics still apply even to rig jobs. I can think of all sorts of ways that sound good, but once science kicks in, it gets ruined. The biggest example of this is the idea of blowing air though a fireplace grate like this http://www.woodlanddirect.com/site/fireplace-grate-heater.html
It sounds good, but in reality it cools the fire down a whole lot. Again, with the whole physics thing. It all seems free till you try to harvest it.

 

[MishMouse]

If I were you I would go with BG's suggestion, but if you do go with an outdoor solution and vent it inside, make sure you put a fire damper on it. Along with multiple smoke and CO2 detectors inside your house. Also I would ask a local fire inspector before you start such a project.

 

[Hanko]

Hello all!
This is my first post here - hope you don't mind if I start off asking ya'll for some advice!

I live in Up State NY, I have a small Jotul woodstove that I bought for my freestanding garage that I didn't get around to hooking up yet. I've been going through Propane alot quicker than I thought (hot forced air in a fairly drafy single wide trailer), and I am looking for a way to save some money on heat.

I don't want to put the woodstove inside my trailer as it isn't rated for trailers and with the clearance and all it would take up alot of living space.

A friend suggested building a small shed just next to the trailer, insulating it really well, putting the woodstove in there and then ducting the hot air the stove produces into the house, I would also have a cold air return going back out to it. I would use a fan inside the mouth of the duct going in to pull the heat inside.

Is this a reasonable (if somewhat ghetto) idea? The idea is to just cut down on heat consumption during the day, I wouldn't be using it at night.

Bad idea, sorry

If anyone is willing to share any thoughts and/or ideas I would REALLY appreciate it.

Thanks from frigid upstate NY!

George

 

[Techstuf]

The customers of the outdoor stove posted above seem to love it. One customer stated that the stove kept them warm while 8 inches of snow accumulated on TOP of the outdoor stove....AND they're burning less wood than a neighbor with an indoor stove. A well insulated system can be very efficient allowing for greater temperatures which make for more complete combustion and increases thermal transfer.


And look at the savings over the $6,000 dollar wet transfer units.


I doubt all his raving customers are as ignorant as they are being made out to be by some....


It's easy to mock what one does not understand.



TS

 

[firefighterjake]

Another vote for cleaning up and selling the Jotul and turning around and buying a stove rated for trailers . . . it may cost a little more now, but the peace and mind that comes from doing something right so one could maximize their heat and minimize any potential dangers is a cost to me that has no price tag.