Wood stove in your garage

[ducpainter]

How much is a bag of pellets weight, Nate?


Just trying to gauge how many bags are in a ton and see how long that lasts to heat a house

40# bags...50 bags/ton

You really can't gauge much because my shop is small when compared to a house.

I made my decision based on the cost and aggro of propane...I'm not paying the prices for propane delivered around here, so I go get it...the fact that my materials can't freeze, finished parts need 65 deg to cure, and the amount of work to do that with a wood stove and try to keep the shop halfway clean.

In many places they use a term face cord which is also a legal measure...it's a third of a cord. I had never heard of it. My BIL told me he had bought x number of cords and when I saw the pile I told him he had gotten screwed.
This is in upstate NY.

http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/cord.htm

[cyrus buelton]

So that comes out between 6-12$ a day to heat your shop.


That doesn't seem too bad.

[ducatiz]

So that comes out between 6-12$ a day to heat your shop.


That doesn't seem too bad.

using pellets alone, but you have to factor in the cost of the stove plus installation.

the good pellet stoves arr 1500-2000 and installation is whatever it costs to run air and exhaust. (i assume you have to run an intake).  amortize the cost of the stove.

i spend about 200/month in winter to heat our house with central air heat from NG and that's for a 3000 sq ft house, and only running the fireplaces once in a while. 

6-12$ day is A LOT of money to heat just a shop, unless it is huge.

[ducpainter]

So that comes out between 6-12$ a day to heat your shop.


That doesn't seem too bad.

It isn't, but those numbers are based on 20 deg + temps.

It's been cold the past few days...about 10 deg...and I've let the temp stay around 60. It would be warmer if I was out there working.

I'll know better at the end of the heating season...around June   ...what my heating costs will be with pellets.

6-12$ day is A LOT of money to heat just a shop, unless it is huge.

Totally different environment 'tizzz...

A paint shop is a total loss system.

[The Architect]

The pellet stove I have is an insert into a fireplace.  The only drawback is that it doesn't have an ash pan since it's compact to fit in the opening.  I have to turn off the stove and empty it with a scoop.


There are 12 volt powered pellet stoves that have a battery back up (a conventional car battery.)  I've been told that some of these stoves can run a week without power.

We have a wood stove as the main heat for the house and it works fine.  I personally don't like the idea of pellet stoves because I'm a bit of a survivalist (yeah, I own guns, lots of 'em) and don't like the idea of being dependent on trucking companies, the outside world, etc., for a basic need such as heat.  Also, pellet stoves need electricity.  Having said all that, for a normal well adjusted person there's no question that a pellet stove is better.

I understand.  The recent increase in pellet costs was due to trucking.

I burn both pellets and wood because they provide very little profit to OPEC.  FU OPEC!   

One of the benefits of wood is you can capture the heat and use it elsewhere.  Can't do that with the pellet stove.

Don't try this at home kids!



I want to look into gasification stoves.  I understand the can burn anything cleanly, efficiently and very hot.

[Popeye the Sailor]

We might be adding another stove to the house, but given the amount of trees on the property, wood stove would be the way to go for us.

[Langanobob]

We might be adding another stove to the house, but given the amount of trees on the property, wood stove would be the way to go for us.

We have a tree we call "Mountain Mahogany" here and although it's too small and twisted to make good lumber, the very beautiful wood is used for violin knobs and other fancy wood items.  It's also the wood of choice for barbecues and woodstoves due to it's extreme density.  Although I burn it I really  hate doing it since it takes centuries to grow even a small tree. 

Seems to be a similar case with your red oak.  Would it pay to by a Woodmizer and saw it into boards instead of burning it?

[MendoDave]

I have one of these stoves only it's a wider 2 door unit. Its a very good stove. It could use one of these though.

The best shop stove I have seen is a dual Oil barrel like this. heat goes into the upper barrel and it will heat up a large shop. you may want to duct some of that air into the rest of the house.



You can get parts for it here.
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/NTESearch?storeId=6970&in_dym=1&Nty=1&D=than&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=0&Ntk=All&Ntt=barrel%20stove&cmnosearch=PPC&cm_ven=PPC&cm_cat=I-search%20(Google%20Adwords)&cm_pla=heatersstoves&cm_ite=barrel%20stove

[the_Journeyman]

It's even less if you cut & split it yourself.

You'll be hard pressed to find a new GOOD woodstove under $600.  Mine is a small one and it was $1100.  Not in the garage though.  My parents have one in the basement and it makes a huge difference in the warmth in the whole house ~

JM

[The Architect]

You might want to wait for spring to buy a stove.  Many of the suppliers are cleaning out their stores for next years inventory. 

[capt steubing]

After years and years of fighting an oil furnace, my wife and I installed a vent free propane heater this winter, and I absolutely love it.  I read before where you mentioned the gas line, and that is the route I'd go.  I used to burn wood in our previous house, but if you take your time and effort into consideration, it's not any cheaper than any other method, and it's a lot messier, and not nearly as convenient.  This propane heater was less than $300 and its 30,000 btu, and has a thermostat, and there is no need for a chimney with it.  It was an experiment this year with the intention of getting some kind of wood heater in the future, but I'm really happy with how well this thing heats and how efficient it is.  The other nice thing is that if the power goes out, it still works with no electricity, and it also has a nice blue flame...Bow chicka bow wow.

[pndwind]

$120 to $140 for a full cord 4x4x8 not a face cord or rick.

[ducpainter]

$120 to $140 for a full cord 4x4x8 not a face cord or rick.

green or dry?...

not that it matters.

A truckload...7-8 cords used to cost $350-$400 here when I was heating with wood.

The same load today sells for $1350 because that's what they can get for a load of hardwood pulp at the mill.

[pndwind]

If your watchful 1 yr dry.

[The Architect]

You can still pick up a loggers load in these parts for around $600-$800.  You'll get about 7-8 cords.  But you have to cut it, split it, stack it and wait for it to dry.

Way too much work!