Wood stove for shop

[Bardo]

I am in the middle of building a shop. It is a uninsulated metal building 500 sq ft. Concrete floor - the ceiling is open and the walls are 10’ to 13’. I live in southern Utah at 4500’. I am wondering what wood stove you guys would recommend. I would go as high as $1800 for the stove if I can take advantage of the 26% tax credit. Every thing else (chimney) is an additional $8-900. From the store I went to. That was uninstalled.

 

[bholler]

I am in the middle of building a shop. It is a uninsulated metal building 500 sq ft. Concrete floor - the ceiling is open and the walls are 10’ to 13’. I live in southern Utah at 4500’. I am wondering what wood stove you guys would recommend. I would go as high as $1800 for the stove if I can take advantage of the 26% tax credit. Every thing else (chimney) is an additional $8-900. From the store I went to. That was uninstalled.

Honestly I would recommend a big old steel box like a fisher Alaska etc. Lots of btus fast and they are tanks that you can abuse pretty hard without hurting them.

On question I have to ask is what will it be used for. If it will be used to work on or store vehicles or fuel you can't install a woodstove by code

 

[BCC_Burner]

The OP is from southern Utah, you'll probably get beaten and tied to a fence for the vultures to pick clean for even mentioning building codes to him.

 

[Bardo]

It will be a wood shop. It won’t get daily use. I will be parking a side by side inside but not storing fuel.

 

[Bardo]

What I have noticed is most the epa small stoves dont have much any user contraliaiblity. I have looked at the jotul 602 and the VC aspen. The 602 has some air control in the door but doesn’t qualify for the tax credit. The VC aspen has no controls but qualifies for the tax credit. These stoves fit my 500 sq ft. But now I’m wondering if I go a little bigger stove because of the exposed concrete floor the taller ceiling and uninsulated building.

 

[bholler]

What I have noticed is most the epa small stoves dont have much any user contraliaiblity. I have looked at the jotul 602 and the VC aspen. The 602 has some air control in the door but doesn’t qualify for the tax credit. The VC aspen has no controls but qualifies for the tax credit. These stoves fit my 500 sq ft. But now I’m wondering if I go a little bigger stove because of the exposed concrete floor the taller ceiling and uninsulated building.

You need to go allot bigger than either of those. The square footage ratings are for well insulated spaces with 8' ceilings. And you will be bringing it up from cold which takes allot of btus. As far as code check with your local code about a stove in a wood shop there is no national code against it but some areas don't allow it.

And if you are storing your side-by-side in there you are storing fuel as well

 

[stoveliker]

I'd think that a stove has a "start up time" that is rather long. So I would consider how often and how long you'd be in that shop. All the time? (Will you have enough wood, time to work for wood for the stove?)

Or intermittently? It takes time to heat up (the stove, and then the space), in particular when it's really cold in there.
It's not "switch on and be warm".

Wouldn't a propane heater/blower be easier?

 

[bholler]

I'd think that a stove has a "start up time" that is rather long. So I would consider how often and how long you'd be in that shop. All the time? (Will you have enough wood, time to work for wood for the stove?)

Or intermittently? It takes time to heat up (the stove, and then the space), in particular when it's really cold in there.
It's not "switch on and be warm".

Wouldn't a propane heater/blower be easier?

That is what I have went to in my shops. Most are kept at 55 or 60 all the time then turned up a little when I am working. My automotive shop isn't heated fulltime just

 

[Bardo]

It would be used mostly on the weekends and for all day. The side by side won’t be in there while using it. It would be used for personal projects and I do some wood turnings for my work on the side. My full time job is I work in a wood shop. I draw in auto cad, program for a CNC router and then do the cutting for all our custom stuff. I have access to a lot of good sized fall off hardwoods. We have a rip saw for our molder that I can get truck loads of smaller thinner fall off. But I also enjoy cutting firewood and have about 5 chords dried and ready. So dried firewood isn’t a problem.

 

[begreen]

A cold, uninsulated building with a concrete floor is going to suck heat like nobody's business. This space will need a much larger stove than the sq ftg indicates. Additionally, it takes a lot of extra btus to bring the mass of the building (including all the equipment in it) up to temperature. Go for a large stove. I'm not even sure if the tax credit covers non-residential installations. For example, it does not cover rental properties that one does not live in. Something to check on.

Take a look at the Drolet Myriad if the desire is to buy new and consider adding a ceiling fan to move hot air that will pocket up high at the roof peak.

 

[peakbagger]

I have an ancient wood furnace in my shop. It is basically a firebox surrounded by a plenum with a fresh air blower blowing into the bottom of the plenum. it blows heated air out of duct on the top of the box with a snap disk to turn the fan on and off. it really warms the place up quick, far quicker than a regular wood stove. The trade off is its a bit noisier.

 

[begreen]

Not a bad idea. It will move a lot of air quickly.

 

[marty319]

I have an ancient wood furnace in my shop. It is basically a firebox surrounded by a plenum with a fresh air blower blowing into the bottom of the plenum. it blows heated air out of duct on the top of the box with a snap disk to turn the fan on and off. it really warms the place up quick, far quicker than a regular wood stove. The trade off is its a bit noisier.

My friend has same setup in his garage. Whenever I gotta work on my car I text him I'm coming over and in an hour his garage is toasty warm

 

[peakbagger]

In cold weather, I run a jet heater for a few minutes while the stove is warming up. I do not have the duct coming out the plenum connected to anything but expect I could hook it up to duct running to the other end of the shop but what I have works. I wish the stove was a more efficient design, its a bottom grate where all the air comes up through an ash pan. The air damper is basically on/off.

 

[Bardo]

So for new i should look at the Drolet Myriad. The place that i was looking to buy new had a used regency medium wood stove with a blower. He said it was in excelent shape and only had a few fires in it. He said it was an older gentlemen's stove and he decided he wanted a gas stove. He was asking 1000. I dont know if that is a good deal or not. He the me they stopped making it with the new 2020 epa regulations. He wasnt really pushing me on that stove i just asked if he ever got used stoves.

 

[begreen]

Medium-sized means different things to different people. Exactly which Regency model? At $1000 it's not much less than a known large stove.

Drolet Myriad III Wood Stove

Drolet Myriad III Wood Stove

www.landmsupply.com

A cheaper stove that will also work.
(broken link removed to https://amfm-energy.myshopify.com/collections/timber-ridge-brand-new-factory-seconds-or-manufacturer-refurbished-stoves/products/copy-of-50-tnc32-epa-certified-non-catalytic-wood-stove-2-400-sq-ft-factory-2nd)

Or

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200832987_200832987

 

[JaroMato]

What about what has been suggested in this thread? Leaky shop heater

 

[Highbeam]

I have a shop stove. Permitted and insured with three bays. You need as big a stove as possible because you will be bringing a cold shop up to temp as quickly as possible and that takes high output. My epa stove is 3.5 cubic feet and i could always use more. Plus it’s more pleasant loading a large stove.

I insulated my concrete slab, walls, and ceiling so once warm the shop holds heat well. I recommend at least the slab insulation since you can’t add it later.

 

[Bardo]

Well i ended up getting the regency it is older but in great shape. It is model r6 which i believe is there 3100 now and is a bigger stove. He came down on price. I like that it had the blower it is real quiet on low.

 

[Bardo]

I have already poured the slab.

I have a shop stove. Permitted and insured with three bays. You need as big a stove as possible because you will be bringing a cold shop up to temp as quickly as possible and that takes high output. My epa stove is 3.5 cubic feet and i could always use more. Plus it’s more pleasant loading a large stove.

I insulated my concrete slab, walls, and ceiling so once warm the shop holds heat well. I recommend at least the slab insulation since you can’t add it later.

 

[Bardo]

Finally got it installed this winter. Decided to insulate the walls and ceiling. When it is in the teens outside and 35-40 inside it took about 45 min to heat it up to 70 inside. That was burning juniper or pinyon which makes heat fast. Then i have to turn it way down to maintain that temp range. The blower really helps and i have a ceiling fan. The thermometer is on the other side of the shop. I am happy with the results.