Finishing and insulating farm shop, looking for a suitable stove.

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CKinKS

New Member
Jan 25, 2023
3
East central Kansas
I have a 40x60 shop with 13 ft walls that i am finishing the interior on. For this post, I am running under the assumption that insurance is fine with a wood stove being installed for heat.( I will make sure being i purchase anything) I do not plan on running the stove full time, but do want it to be able to keep up with the Kansas winters when i am out there working or entertaining. I plan on using my torpedo heater for the time being and maybe to get the shop to a good temp quickly, but the noise and diesel fumes are not great.

I would like a stove with a glass front so i can see the flames. A stove that does not require power would my first choice.

The closest thread i could find to what i am asking recommended a Drolet HT 3000 but the building was maybe 2/3 the size of mine.

I would like to stay under 2k for the stove because I can probably get an LP HVAC system to heat the space if i go much over. That could have air conditioning too!

Does what i am looking for even exist? Especially within my parameters?

Thanks in advance!
 
Osborne 2400 is a tad over $2000. Have you taken into account the cost of the chimney? How is your wood supply?

You should not store flammable liquids or equipment with flammable fuel in a building with a wood stove.
It will take a while to get the building warmed up.
Personally I would go with an electric mini-split to provide heating and cooling.
 
I am running under the assumption that insurance is fine with a wood stove being installed for heat.( I will make sure being i purchase anything)
I bet this will be the biggest hurdle...and it needs to be the first one, as nothing else matters if you can't get past this one...
 
My shop is 30x40 and a stove got it a decent temperature for working. insurance company didn't like it as I was working on vehicles. I put an overhead gas furnace in and it's been great. They didn't have mini-splits back then and I wonder about their heating ability in sub freezing temps. I've got a split AC unit from my house that we're going to put in the shop this year.
 
I am waiting on a call back from the insurance folks so we will see how that goes. I figured that the chimney would be another 1000-1500 dollars for any choice of stove. I don't have any wood cut yet, but i know that this project wont be ready until next winter anyway so i have time for that. I am hoping that my insulation job and putting a ceiling in will cut down the heated area enough for any unit chosen to be reasonable to operate.
 
Wood takes time to dry. Some species take 2+ years cut, split, stacked. I’d get to stacking that wood. It can be incredibly frustrating to spend thousands of dollars and not be able to light the fire. New stoves are very picky about wet wood.
 
If you’re not planning to run the wood stove full time, what will be supplying the base heat? It takes a stove a long time to heat a building from a cold/winter outside temperature.
 
My shop is fully insulated and with a ceiling with blown in insulation above it. I can say that when I had a stove I'd have to run it pretty hot to feel it but it wasn't a very good stove. Between the time to feed the stove, the time to carry wood to the shop and the floor space I'm very happy with my gas furnace. It's also nice to know my shop never goes below freezing. The biggest problem I have is remembering to turn the thermostat down when I lock up.
 
One of the best values in a large stove is the Englander 32-NC. @Highbeam is running the predecessor, 30-NC in his shop and has posted about the installation. Englander is now owned by SBI, the same parent company of Drolet, Osburn, etc.
In the Drolet line, the Austral III would be a good choice with its big firebox and unshielded sides.
 
I am not in my shop often enough to justify heating the shop full time but when i am it is usually planned so i can fire up the stove the night or day before. The englander 32 is a much more attractive price. I was looking at it before, but was worried about the rated square footage.
 
You will be pushing it, but it will run at a steady 650-700º if fed every few hours. A fan blowing across the top will help.