# Wood burning stove for the shop



## woodgu (Oct 21, 2010)

A friend of mine has a shop that is warmed via a wood burning cast iron stove. He used a stove because he sometimes heats up water or whatever on the surface. Now that I am using more handtools and considering some improvement in the shop in 2011, I am contemplating a cast iron stove. My friend was given his stove (it is an antique). I used to be a bit more concerned about dust igniting.

I just went online and see prices from $199 to over $7,000. I feel like a mosquito over a nudist colony.

I want quality, but I don't want to throw money out the window, either. I am interested in your ideas or insight on which stove is best or where to go to get it. I am in the planning stages, but my purchases may not be until mid-year 2011.

Thank you.


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## therookie (Aug 29, 2010)

I have a stove in my basement that is right in the middle of all of the dust and I have not had any problems. The stove that I have heats the whole house and was about $900


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## alba (Jul 31, 2010)

Phil,
you cant go wrong.
I use a "Hotspot", it is available UK. Prices from £95.
I's main advantage is that you can use all the dust from the DC.
Secret is a snorkel, that stops the very fine dust extinguishing the fire. I'm sure there will be a similar system your side of the pond.
I've heard tales of dust igniting in the air, however in 40 odd years never seen it or known anyone personally that it has happened to.

Jamie


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I would be more concerned about local codes and insurance company requirtements. What ever is legal will be safe.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

bob is right on that point ..make sure you dont have insurance issues with a wood stove, i live in alabama and i heat y shop with a wood stove… i love mine…it has two flat surfaces on it,when i want to cook on it , i can and i really like having that option…i got this stove at lowes and paid about 600 dollars..i used double wall stainless steel stove pipe…dont skimp on the stove pipe…its worth doing it right the first time…you can even go triple wall if you have any concerns..just to be extra cautious..but i do love my stove…if you live in an area that alot of people use wood stoves and can get the pellets…a pellet stove might be your ticket…you can load them up with 40 pounds or so and they are a simple vent that goes out the wall behind the stove..good luck…oh i think the stove i bought is made by england…its a very sturdy cast iron stove…a very nice door with a glass window to see the fire..which i enjoy…grizzman


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## Hacksaw007 (Sep 1, 2009)

Love wood stoves but a few things to consider. Only get a stove that you will burn hot enough not to create creosote. People buy a large stove and when the weather isn't so cold the stove doesn't burn hot enough to stay clean, thus a fire in the chimney. I have had a few of these, all from too large of a stove. Second, I have had one dust explosion, I was spraying finish, and my 90 year old grandmother took a shovel of dust and threw it into a large old wood stove and the dust caught. Needless to say I was lucky spraying and such. My grandmother had a little less hair for a while. Third, remember with the wood stove you will have to keep that area around your stove clean. At the end of the day you will shut down the stove, but hot ashes can come out and a dirty, dusty area can catch. I still burn wood, but I have learned a few things. There is nothing like a good wood heat, and an easy way to get rid of your shop mess by burning it in the stove is a big plus also.


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

I have heated my shop with wood for years….I have never had an issue with fire or what have you. I burn the small cut offs from my work….and occassionally a "larger" piece (great way for getting rid of bad mistakes). I do have a good dust control system - DC and shop air filter….I would be careful to use a wood stove otherwise and I sweep up the shop every night after using it..


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Doesn't matter what or how hot, you need to inspect and clean your chimney and stove pipe at least once a year. Almost very thing will make some creosote. Green wood and a cool fire will make the most.

Close off all the air to put out a chimney fire, use a fire extinguisher and never introduce water to it as that will likely break the chimney liner if it is a masonry chimney. Spent a few yrs a a volunteer fireman ;-))


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

The price difference refers to a lot of things,but quality is a big one. the cheaper it is, the thinner the iron will be. Thin iron will not last as long if your fires are very hot, but it may last a very long time with small shop size fires. Also, cheap stoves aren't sealed as well, which affects efficiency and may allow smoke to escape into the shop.

A good, small stove for a workshop without a blower will run about $300 new, but the proper chimney pipe and fittings will cost almost another couple of hundred depending on the placement of the stove. I think i would get a metal shield for the wall behind it unless you have drywall. And make sure your insurance will cover it. Hate to have an accident and find out your house isn't covered for loss!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

In Canada, or B.C. at least, we are required to have a CSA (Cdn standards assoc) approved stove and have the installation approved by a representative of the local FD. I have a small welded airtight type stove, the kind that were very popular in the 70's and 80's. Mine is about that old. I got it free from a friend who was upgrading. I use a double walled SS chimney and have four 2' x 2' x 2" cement patio slabs under it because I have a wood floor. I would never part with it.


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## JimDaddyO (Dec 20, 2009)

There are woodstoves that take the combustion air from outdoors (with a kit). That way the dusty air from the shop does not go into, or near, the combustion process as you are not using the shop air as part of the combustion process. Look for one that is approved for Mobile Home use.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Not sure about Georgia, but I know my relatives in Oregon had to rip out a wood stove and replace it with one that was emissions certified. Whatever that means I don't know… Even if not required now, it might be wise to install something that would make California type regulations happy…


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## woodgu (Oct 21, 2010)

This is some great insight. Today it is damp and cool. I wish I had the stove now, but you folks have given me something to think about. Thank you!


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## WoodLe (Sep 29, 2010)

I second what Topamaxurvior said! I am a volunteer firefighter for about 13 years now. The only fires that I can remember that we had with wood stoves was with the stove pipes or chimneys not installed properly! DON'T PUT A SINGLE WALL STOVE PIPE STRAIGHT THROUGH A WOOD WALL!!


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

There are a lot of other things to consider. Wood stoves etc are rated by the #of square feet they are supposed to heat. Bur you are actually heating cubic feet so if you have ceilings higher that 8 ft you have to take this into consideration. How cold do you normally expect to have to deal with ? and are you using this area for long periods ? Wood stoves don't heat up an area as fast as others. Newer wood stoves don't use a damper but rather restrict the amount of air entering the stove. I have to operate mine with the door ajar. This doesn't even mention the cleaning problems. On the other hand a pellet stove is highly efficient, has a minimum of waste and with a little circulating help will heat a house. Its also very pricey to get started and it seems hat the further south you live the more it costs for pellets. obviously the best time to buy either is at the end of the season and everyones needs are different ie how well is you shop insulated.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

We have an air tight form teh 80s. Nothing like today's airtight polution free models. *rtb* Seems like if it is that tight, those cold fires would create an awful lot of cresote?


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## DocK16 (Mar 18, 2007)

When I first built my shop a contractor friend gave me a second hand wood stove I thought great free heat. I'll just heat my shop with end cuts and scraps. Then I priced all the triple wall pipe, about $1700 for enough to clear a 1 1/2 story barn/shop. I opted for propane wall heater but the price of propane has alsmost doubled since I started using it5 years ago. Days of cheap energy are gone. Only good thing about wood burner is it is a one-time expense, unless you have to buy wood.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*DocK16* Couldn't you use single wall pipe except through the roof?


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