Charmaster Chalet as a standalone wood burner for barn?

[Aardvark5513]

Brand new to the forum. But not forums in general. Happy to be here.
Of course I've come here with a "burning" question. Im doubtful it's been touched on ive searched for awhile for a success story on something similar. Hopefully it's atleast entertaining or an interesting idea.

I have an old medium sized barn that I use as my workshop for all of my various endeavors but am struggling to spend time out there in the coldest months.

I have a Charmaster Chalet stored in the barn, it was in my house when I moved in years ago but was disconnected because the furnace ran like crap with it(airflow issues) and with a newborn at the time I was not interested in burning anything(but natural gas lol) indoors.

Anyway, I figure the thing is just sitting there, for a few years I've considered setting it up as standalone wood burner. Running a chimney at the right angles outside the wall with proper insulation and up the side at the correct distance away from outer barn wall and the correct height over the lip of the roof. All of that to be calculated/determined once I'm all in on doing so or rather if this is even wise to do so at all

The way I see it, if it can be properly set up so that it exhausts out the chimney safely, what's stopping me from burning wood in the chamber for some radiant relief in the coldest months, which are getting more and more tame, I know this isn't what it was designed for necessarily but....

So, let me have it? What am I over simplifying? Should I just scrap it and go with a traditional wood burner? It's in fairly nice shape from the looks of it.

If I can move the 400+ pound beast 40 yards over grass from my walkout basement and into the barn all by myself with nothing but a 125lb slab of slate and a spud bar, surely this can be done no?

 

[salecker]

I would use it
you could always hook up a fan of some sort to help move the btu's, but the chimmany is the most important. Any reason why you want to go out at a right angle and up the wall as opposed to straight out the roof?

 

[Aardvark5513]

I would use it
you could always hook up a fan of some sort to help move the btu's, but the chimmany is the most important. Any reason why you want to go out at a right angle and up the wall as opposed to straight out the roof?

Hi! thank you for chiming in.

The main reason is because, in my eyes, it would be easier. To go straight up I'd have to go through the loft floor and then through the roof.

The angle would make it more prone to creosote build up, however having it attached on the outside has to be someone safer in the event of a chimney fire, no?

I would also think it would be easier to dismantle the chimney and clean it frequently if it's all on the outside. Im meticulous about safety so I would actually sweep it frequently.

Lastly, with how big the chamber is, I'm actually worried about it be TOO hot inside the barn in the workspace, so I figured keeping most of chimney outside could mitigate the shear amount BTUs the chamber will put out.

But perhaps I'm wrong

 

[bholler]

Hi! thank you for chiming in.

The main reason is because, in my eyes, it would be easier. To go straight up I'd have to go through the loft floor and then through the roof.

The angle would make it more prone to creosote build up, however having it attached on the outside has to be someone safer in the event of a chimney fire, no?

I would also think it would be easier to dismantle the chimney and clean it frequently if it's all on the outside. Im meticulous about safety so I would actually sweep it frequently.

Lastly, with how big the chamber is, I'm actually worried about it be TOO hot inside the barn in the workspace, so I figured keeping most of chimney outside could mitigate the shear amount BTUs the chamber will put out.

But perhaps I'm wrong

Ok first thing to answer is what work is the barn used for? If it is used to work on or store vehicles or gas powered equipment you can't install a woodstove.

Straight up is typically easier and is always cheaper that out the wall. And no you absolutely do not disassemble the chimney to clean it. You clean it while it's together

 

[Aardvark5513]

Ok first thing to answer is what work is the barn used for? If it is used to work on or store vehicles or gas powered equipment you can't install a woodstove.

Straight up is typically easier and is always cheaper that out the wall. And no you absolutely do not disassemble the chimney to clean it. You clean it while it's together

Please don't mistake any of my following questions for "attitude", I know it can be challenging to gauge feelings on the internet. But I do want to know more. Which is why I am here!

I use it for a little bit of everything, metal work, wood working, tinkering on vehicles, motorcycles. So if I were to have a wood stove setup, in the fall I can't pull my motorcycle in to do general maintenance for example? it becomes against code(ohio) the moment the motorcycle is inside the shop? I understand dangers of gasoline vapors, I'm just trying to understand more on this topic. I store my tractor, mower and other gas powered equipment in a lean-to on the back side of the barn. separated by a wall. Motorcycle is stored off premises during winter months, at work.

Struggling to understand what exactly one can even do with a heated outbuilding if not some of these things? Surely, there are folks out there doing this anyway, hopefully intelligently? So is this against code or wise recommendation?

On woodworking, I am aware of the dangers of sawdust, the wood working I do is the summer and for ALL cutting I move my saws outside, can't stand a dusty shop.


On the cleaning aspect, I assumed, if there was an elbow/angle joint on the bottom of the chimney outside, it could be taken off and swept from the bottom side? No? Just trying to understand more on why it must must swept completely assembled.

Thank you!

 

[bholler]

Please don't mistake any of my following questions for "attitude", I know it can be challenging to gauge feelings on the internet. But I do want to know more. Which is why I am here!

I use it for a little bit of everything, metal work, wood working, tinkering on vehicles, motorcycles. So if I were to have a wood stove setup, in the fall I can't pull my motorcycle in to do general maintenance for example? it becomes against code(ohio) the moment the motorcycle is inside the shop? I understand dangers of gasoline vapors, I'm just trying to understand more on this topic. I store my tractor, mower and other gas powered equipment in a lean-to on the back side of the barn. separated by a wall. Motorcycle is stored off premises during winter months, at work.

Struggling to understand what exactly one can even do with a heated outbuilding if not some of these things? Surely, there are folks out there doing this anyway, hopefully intelligently? So is this against code or wise recommendation?

On woodworking, I am aware of the dangers of sawdust, the wood working I do is the summer and for ALL cutting I move my saws outside, can't stand a dusty shop.


On the cleaning aspect, I assumed, if there was an elbow/angle joint on the bottom of the chimney outside, it could be taken off and swept from the bottom side? No? Just trying to understand more on why it must must swept completely assembled.

Thank you!

Stoves in Residential Garages

Can you put a wood stove, pellet stove or coal stove in a residential garage? The answer is usually NO. The guidelines in this case are those written by NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). These are accepted and considered as the "base" code for most places in the USA. As per the...

www.hearth.com

Here is a link outlining the applicable code. In your case since you do have a ducted furnace you could do a furnace room separate from the work space and duct the heat into the work space.

And yes there will be a tee cap outside you would pull off to clean. Also pulling the pipe off inside to clean that.

And don't worry about attitude your absolutely fine

 

[bholler]

Please don't mistake any of my following questions for "attitude", I know it can be challenging to gauge feelings on the internet. But I do want to know more. Which is why I am here!

I use it for a little bit of everything, metal work, wood working, tinkering on vehicles, motorcycles. So if I were to have a wood stove setup, in the fall I can't pull my motorcycle in to do general maintenance for example? it becomes against code(ohio) the moment the motorcycle is inside the shop? I understand dangers of gasoline vapors, I'm just trying to understand more on this topic. I store my tractor, mower and other gas powered equipment in a lean-to on the back side of the barn. separated by a wall. Motorcycle is stored off premises during winter months, at work.

Struggling to understand what exactly one can even do with a heated outbuilding if not some of these things? Surely, there are folks out there doing this anyway, hopefully intelligently? So is this against code or wise recommendation?

On woodworking, I am aware of the dangers of sawdust, the wood working I do is the summer and for ALL cutting I move my saws outside, can't stand a dusty shop.


On the cleaning aspect, I assumed, if there was an elbow/angle joint on the bottom of the chimney outside, it could be taken off and swept from the bottom side? No? Just trying to understand more on why it must must swept completely assembled.

Thank you!

BTW I think the code is stupid. The Canadian approach makes much more sense to me

 

[begreen]

I don't know the spec for the blower, but it may need a plenum and at least a 90º turn at the top to present some static pressure.

 

[salecker]

Yea up here in Canada you need to add height under the stove at 18 inches if it is in a garage

 

[Aardvark5513]

Yea up here in Canada you need to add height under the stove at 18 inches if it is in a garage

When I read the code, posted above, it seems pretty much like its written to allow them on a case by case basis. Which it all comes down to insurance really right? Not that is going to be easy, but If you're going to have your insurance try to cover your outbuilding and it's contents, seems to be that you cannot store vehicles inside long term, i.e use it as a garage. I would say that is the very definition of "garage", a building that is meant for the purposes of storing vehicles.

If you were to pull your car or motorcycle or tractor into your outbuilding to change the oil for example, i'm not so sure it immediately becomes a garage at that point. Of course the inspector is not going to be there watching your every move, especially in a rural area like where I live, so it seems like they expect some common sense to be used if your are to get your stove permitted.

The code is written in an attempt to stop dummies from burning their houses. Some people are not too bright, but of course there are real life accidents that happen even when all of the codes are followed. I think with some common sense and talking to an inspector, FD, insurance, my particular scenario would be fine.

The part about not having a burner in an attached garage actually makes quite a bit of sense to me personally, I would not go with a wood stove in a building attached to my home.

 

[bholler]

When I read the code, posted above, it seems pretty much like its written to allow them on a case by case basis. Which it all comes down to insurance really right? Not that is going to be easy, but If you're going to have your insurance try to cover your outbuilding and it's contents, seems to be that you cannot store vehicles inside long term, i.e use it as a garage. I would say that is the very definition of "garage", a building that is meant for the purposes of storing vehicles.

If you were to pull your car or motorcycle or tractor into your outbuilding to change the oil for example, i'm not so sure it immediately becomes a garage at that point. Of course the inspector is not going to be there watching your every move, especially in a rural area like where I live, so it seems like they expect some common sense to be used if your are to get your stove permitted.

The code is written in an attempt to stop dummies from burning their houses. Some people are not too bright, but of course there are real life accidents that happen even when all of the codes are followed. I think with some common sense and talking to an inspector, FD, insurance, my particular scenario would be fine.

The part about not having a burner in an attached garage actually makes quite a bit of sense to me personally, I would not go with a wood stove in a building attached to my home.

No the code clearly says no solid fuel burners in any garages or spaces where gasoline or other flammable vapors will be present. The simple fact is if something happens the insurance adjuster won't care what the inspector or your insurance agent says. They will care what the policy says and what the code says.

All of that being said many people including me choose to take the chance and do it anyway