Heating a garage with an insert?

[drew13ee]

I want to heat my garage. And I'd like to use a fireplace insert that i have to do so. If i were to cut a hole in the wall, and build a noncombustible box to house the insert. The box would be connected to the garage. But it would be deep enough that the insert would sit far enough from the garage wall to keep it from getting too hot.
I hope that i explained that good enough.
Would it be safe? Would it be efficient?

 

[bholler]

I want to heat my garage. And I'd like to use a fireplace insert that i have to do so. If i were to cut a hole in the wall, and build a noncombustible box to house the insert. The box would be connected to the garage. But it would be deep enough that the insert would sit far enough from the garage wall to keep it from getting too hot.
I hope that i explained that good enough.
Would it be safe? Would it be efficient?

There is no way to make this meet code without building an actual code compliant masonry fireplace. You could do it with a high efficiency prefab fireplace instead of an insert though. Assuming the face of the fireplace is in the house not the garage

 

[BotWoogy]

An insert is meant to go inside an existing masonry chimney. I think what you want is a ‘fireplace’. It’s comes in a box and is all contained. Being in a a garage could cause issues,

 

[begreen]

Definitely not safe. Woodstoves in general are not permitted for use in a garage and inserts need to be in a fireplace. A good, EPA ZC fireplace solves the problem. The fire in the ZC can be in the room and the fireplace can vent its heat into the garage.

 

[drew13ee]

Thanks for the repies. I don't have a lot of money to trlhrow around. Nor do i own my home or the garage. That doesn't mean i don't care if i burn it down. But I'm not investing in my landlord's property.
Another question for you all to shoot down. I have a welder, and a bunch of scrap. If i were to cut the "shell" ( not sure what it's called, but the exterior of the insert) off, and added legs, could i convert my insert into a "stove"?
And to be quite honest, I'm not really concerned with legality. But i am about safety.

 

[bholler]

Thanks for the repies. I don't have a lot of money to trlhrow around. Nor do i own my home or the garage. That doesn't mean i don't care if i burn it down. But I'm not investing in my landlord's property.
Another question for you all to shoot down. I have a welder, and a bunch of scrap. If i were to cut the "shell" ( not sure what it's called, but the exterior of the insert) off, and added legs, could i convert my insert into a "stove"?
And to be quite honest, I'm not really concerned with legality. But i am about safety.

Yes you can do that but it will be an unlisted stove at that point and need 36" clearance to to combustibles. And may not be insurable. Is your landlord ok with you doing this? Are you trying to heat the home or the garage?

 

[mdocod]

Hypothetically...

With a welder, and the right pieces of steel scrap, the stove can be modified to a 6" exit flue in many possible ways. I would build a little box adapter on top of the rear of the stove. A pedestal that sets the appliance up high (2' or more) off the floor away from vapors could be fabricated. 3' clearance to combustibles for a custom stove situation is best. If it's an old stove design consider fobbing up a baffle. Use a wood stove rated chimney system with proper insulated chimney, thimbles, support boxes, transitions, etc installed in accordance with local codes and manufacture requirements to safely handle the exhaust. The cost of the chimney system will probably make the whole project seem pointless but there's no good way around that while maintaining good safety margin.

Open garage door about 1" when in use so that combustible vapors easily drain out of the garage and blow away rather than building up. Move all combustible liquids to a shed. Don't operate this stove unsupervised.

Such a thing will likely not be to code unless the stove is put in a separate utility room in the garage.

 

[drew13ee]

Yes you can do that but it will be an unlisted stove at that point and need 36" clearance to to combustibles. And may not be insurable. Is your landlord ok with you doing this? Are you trying to heat the home or the garage?

Garage

 

[Shank]

The reality of it is there are plenty of ways to make it safe but it is unlikely your landlord and/or insurance will go for it.

 

[bholler]

Garage

You can't run a woodstove in a garage in the US by code. Which means insurance won't cover a loss. I don't think. Your landlord will allow that

 

[begreen]

What's the insert make and model? Normally, an insert is not approved for use outside of a masonry fireplace enclosure unless tested and designed to be, like some Buck stoves.

Then there is the matter of draft.

 

[bholler]

If it were your house I would tell you it's against code but it's your decision to make whether the risks outweigh the benifits or not. But it isn't your house and therefore not your decision to make