coppercutlass

ok so my garage is kinda big tall and not really insulated needs atleats drywall on the ceilings and im doing that soon enough. but it's probably a solid 1500 sq ft. I have been thinking of doing one of the wood buring heater kits with a small 30 gal drum. I have never used one and had a few questions about one. If anyone here has used one in their shop and or garage shre your experiences. I think if I do this I can actually enjoy working in the garage this winter. pro's cons , do's dont's etc.

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

I wouldn't put drywall. Use corrugated metal in a white or bone white. Screw it on and you are done, No tape or paint or sagging ceilings. It should work no problem. Are you making it yourself?

coppercutlass

Yes im making it my self and im venting it out of a side window im going to make a frame with 2x4's and sheet metal im putting the drywall up to just keep heat in and trap it in the summer my garage does get hot in the summer .

coppercutlass

shouldn't be too hard I made this smoker this summer.

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

Make sure you put the damper at the bottom

coppercutlass

I believe the kit has the damper right on the bottom of the flue . Im buying a kit with the cast iron door and all that stuff and I think im going to line the inside with some brick to hold heat vs a grated set up.

Edit

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...ct_20894_20894

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

Yep that will help alot

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

Nice smoker. I could use one

MDchanic

Just buy a used coal stove. Melt the corrugated steel right off your walls, very cheap to operate, and most will run 12 hours without refueling or messing around with it.

- Eric

coppercutlass

Well the kit is 50 I get the drum for 10 bucks and then the black stove pipe will be the most expensive. I also am thinking of isolating it from radiating heat since I have to put it close to my walls the only way I can see this being done safe is surrounding the 3 side with cinder block or re arranging my work area and stick the beer fridge in the basement.

J-(Chicago)

I build one of these every winter. You don't even need the door kit. You just have to get the right kind of drum, and a couple of door hinges.

No bricks, they just get in the way. The most effective way to fuel a single drum heater like this, is with wood and used motor oil.

Put 2 logs in, get them going hot enough to ignite the oil, and let her rip. It will sound and heat like a small jet engine.

You need to use durock around the pipe and heater not drywall or sheet metal.

J-(Chicago)

It's best to run it full throttle so it doesn't stink up the neighborhood. If you're not getting a complete burn, it won't smell pretty.

Be with wood, coal, or oil. You need a good hot burn to keep the emissions down.

coppercutlass

I'm doing drywall on the ceiling that's just to keep heat in. I didn't even think about the durock screw cinder blocks then. I don't wanna do the oil as I'm not comfortable with it. I was going to use sheet metal on the window where I'm venting the pipe out only .

J-(Chicago)

stick with concrete/stone based insulators. Wood ignites at 451 degrees Fahrenheit, and It's not worth the gamble of the metal getting that hot.

kitfoxdave

if the drum stove is not enough, this helps a lot...

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...=All&Ntt=majic heat&Nty=1&D=majic heat&Ntx=mode matchallpartial&Dx=mode matchallpartial&cmnosearch=PPC&cm_ven=bing_PPC&cm_ cat=HeatersStoves&cm_pla=generic&cm_ite=majic heat&mkwid=QCFNaLdk&pcrid=1715971299&mt=b

(Need to copy and paste into your browser search)

boese1978

I've used barrel stoves for years, they put out a ton of heat quickly, you need to keep stoking it to keep putting heat out as they are not very efficient. And they are kind of a "feast or famine" deal- hard to maintain a steady heat- it either is red hot or cooling down. I would recommend againest using bricks and certainly not concrete( unless you are using ones specifically designed for a fire box), possible they can pop and explode. These stoves also tend to produce a lot of creosote if the wood is not 100% dry.

coppercutlass

I have a small blower fan I can probably aim at the barrel's intake side to get things going.

Oldsmaniac

I have been heating my small workshop with wood for years. They say you only get what you pay for. I imagine the drum stove kits work but wont last very long at all and the heat output would be difficult to control. As Eric said I would suggest a used wood/coal burner from craigslist. One with a fan would be better for a larger workspace. You need 3 feet clearance from any combustables generally for wood stove placement. Stainless steel stovepipe or the insulated chimney systems are the best for venting too. You need clearance for the stovepipe to combustables as well. I believe it is 18 inches. You want to be safe above all when using wood or coal for heat.

MDchanic

Not to be a PIA, but I will reiterate:

You should be able to get a used coal stove on Craigslist for about $100. It will be heavy.
You can burn either coal or wood in a coal stove. If you burn wood, the stove will last forever.

Wood, especially scraps and old palets, is general easy to find, but in the Midwest coal should be cheap as well.
A good coal stove should be VERY regulatable to get just the amount if heat you want, and, as I said, requires no fiddling for about 12 hours at a time.

Some states and markets only have anthracite (hard coal) available, but in some places you can also get bituminous (soft) coal. Anthracite burns cleaner, hotter, and longer, but requires a sealed anthracite-designed stove, while soft vial will burn in a non-sealed potbelly or "Warm Morning" stove.
Wood will burn in any of these.

And I agree with Joe: check the NFPA code standards on stove placement. Even if you don't have to worry about a____le code inspectors, you should still use the code as your guide in setting up the stove.
You can mount much closer to a combustible wall (and DuRock is considered combustible by the code) by mounting sheets of metal 2" off from the wall (use 2" lengths of copper tubing as standoffs), with a 2" gap at the bottom and top of the metal for air circulation.
An air gap is key - if you mount DuRock or metal right up against a flammable surface, the heat can penetrate through and still set the surface on fire.
Also, the actual combustion temperature of wood, once it's completely dry, is closer to 180° - a long period if high heat to dry it out, followed by more heat to release the flammable gasses (which are what actually burns) can cause beams to just burst into flames when they're not even really very hot. This is how a lot if fireplace house fires in old houses (which are built to earlier standards) occur.

- Eric

Jamesbo

J If you build one of these every winter. Seems like they don't last long. I would think a smoker would get a whole lot less use than a stove.

I heat with a "Better than Ben's wood stove. I had for 40 years. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Plus, If you cut your own wood, you get warm twice.

eazy

If you use the right type of wood you can get that stove really putting off some serious heat, but you will need to throw more on every few hours. I actually think stoking the wood is kinda fun.

Now, how well that heat stays in your garage is in my opinion going to be more of an issue than your heat source. You want to think about insulation as well as exfiltration(warm air getting out). Being well insulated will help keep the heat in. I'm not sure what type of walls you have, but I would consider insulating them as well if possible. For the ceiling I would recommend some fiberglass insulation behind the drywall. It's cheap, and it helps a lot. The higher R value the better.

For the exfiltration, a small crack really goes a long way. Every structure has cracks to some degree, and some you can never find. This is where the drywall helps seal things off. Drywall itself is not really that good of an insulator.

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

(ok so my garage is kinda big tall and not really insulated.)

Do you have any insulation in the attic? If you are going to heating your garage you would need to put 6 mil poly first and then drywall it. The insulate the attic with blow in, cheap and easy. If you don't do this then forsure your drywall will fall in. You will create a big mess in your attic. She will look like winter in you attic. When it melts then you have a mess

oldcutlass

I'd just use the smoker, and you can make dinner at the same time. Heat the garage and smoke a brisket.

MDchanic

So, if he's thinking of getting a cheap stove, he Might As Well...

Install a vapor barrier
Insulate
Sheetrock
Spackle
Paint...

The MAW has many faces

- Eric

brownbomber77

Fo realz...just did a quick search on Chicago CL
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/app/4173357205.html

Have lunch with this one
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/atq/4172649006.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/app/4173350542.html

MDchanic

That last white enamel one for $75 looks like a soft coal stove.

Probably throws heat like a blast furnace.

- Eric

coppercutlass

I may just have to go look at that one eric and brownbommer thanks for the search lol. I still plan on making a surrounding for the furnace out of cinder blocks just to not radiate heat where I donw want it. Do you guys feel that's a good ideal. I'm thinking 4ft x 4ft x 4ft with open top so heat mainly radiates up and out and nowhere near the walls. I atleast now have way more info than I started with. Thanks a lot guys. Keep in mind the drum heater appealed to me because it's low and smaller. If you youtube it many people who have used the same kit I looked at have been very pleased. Some heat their cabins with them. I'm not looking for insane heat just keep my work are 60 degrees or so and I'm not looking for long burn times as I usually just work max 4 to 5 hrs in the garage.

MDchanic

If you use cinderblocks, raise them up on something so the holes are open on the bottom as well.

Also, consider putting shiny metal on the front, even tin foil, to reflect the heat back at you and not absorb it.

- Eric

Oldsmaniac

If you surround with cinder block it will absorb heat like a heat sink and store it but will also radiate the heat. A better thing would be to use a shiny piece of sheet metal to reflect/bounce some of the heat away from the walls. A problem for you is a high ceiling... as all the heat will be wafting/hanging up there. Lay on your floor and you will see your breath. Ceiling fans may be necessary.

brownbomber77

My grandfather used a an 18x18x18 wood burning stove to heat his 25x15 wood shop in Michigan. Granted, he had drywall on the tall ceilings, but he didn't stoke it very often to keep it around 50 degrees. Fire it up in the morning, and then an hour or so later when the entire unit is hot enough, dump some used motor oil on it. haha Stuff works great.

brownbomber77

It sounds like you may have to get up at 7 to work at 8 to be comfortable...layer up...

J-(Chicago)

I always end up giving them away to a buddy, or a buddy's buddy, or giving it to the scrap guy so I can put 2 olds engines in it's place.

I'm not sure how long they actually last, because I never keep them very long.

z11375ss

Whatever you do don't pour gas into a wood burning stove to get the fire going and then whip the can up and have the gas hit the drywall and set that on fire too. I had a fire extinguisher handy or the whole garage and two cars, gone. Yeah, that was smart.

coppercutlass

I'm starting to think this maybe something I should build and plan out a lot better. I found a 165000 btu kerosene heater for 100. The upside is it's mobile so I can move it and it take up less space which I'm short on.

47 Convertible

I say do your project however you want but know this: if you have a stove or chimney fire and lose your garage and car and tools your insurance will not pay unless you had any necessary permits and installed to code and inspected.

One winter of heating without insulating ceiling and walls and sealing cracks etc. will make an insulation believer out of you. There are places in most towns that recycle building materials including drywall and insulation and sell their stuff at about 1/4 or less of new cost. There is also Craigslist where surplus or scrap building materials are offered. That should help you afford to do the job right.

coppercutlass

That's good food for thought. And which Is why I'm leanining towards portable. For this winter atleast then I talked tomy friend and we can do it right with a natrual gas heater for about 1000. I'm drywalling the ceiling soon. The walls are insualted but not drywalled

47 Convertible

Never mind my previous comment. I see you must have found one of those construction type kerosene heaters. We call them 'dragons' because they roar like one and are hotter than Hades. Just be sure to have some ventilation so the fumes don't get you.

MDchanic

If this is a jet-engine-looking thing, it is a blunt instrument but will work well.
We call them "salamanders," but I don't know why.

As stated, they can be quite noisy, while a wood or coal stove is dead quiet, but there's something to be said for the convenience of liquid fuels.

- Eric

coppercutlass

Actually my friend called me wanted a cowl hood painted for his truck so I get a 200,000 btu heater now . I love trading lol.

MDchanic

Way to go!

- Eric