Wood stove in your garage

[The Architect]

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. 

I'm going to have to put on my tree hugger hating hat.  Wood is most likely a local natural resource for the majority of us.  It's locally grown, locally harvested and delivery is minimal.   Unlike oil or propane.  These days it's hard to find foresters that don't practice good forest management techniques.  They've learned to respect their source of income.   Yes the older stoves can be dirty if not run correctly but the newer stoves have catalytic converters or double and sometimes triple burn chambers.  Wood is an option to help us break our foreign oil dependency. 

[Triple J]

Wood is an option to help us break our foreign oil dependency. 

Only partially. I'd bet that if everyone used wood for heat we would quickly run out.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Only partially. I'd bet that if everyone used wood for heat we would quickly run out.

I hear it grows on trees.

[The Architect]

Only partially. I'd bet that if everyone used wood for heat we would quickly run out.

Yes, only partially but it's a good start.   

[Triple J]

I hear it grows on trees.

Yup...but fairly slowly. 

[Popeye the Sailor]

Yup...but fairly slowly. 

Now we can give our trees growth hormones instead of the beef 

[The Architect]

Now we can give our trees growth hormones instead of the beef 

We'd have to find a way to grow trees on corn based products.   

[Howie]

Only partially. I'd bet that if everyone used wood for heat we would quickly run out.

True of any fuel source if we use it as our only source.  The real answer is to diversify, conserve and consider cradle to grave environmental damage.  If wood is cheap where you are most likely there is an abundance and  if proper forest management is followed plus you are using one of these new fangled low emission stoves you are probably reasonably green.  My buddy's country home which actually was his primary residence was heated mostly with wood.  Most of the wood came from felled trees on his property that had to come down or already came down.

Keep away from my trees though, unless, of course, you would like to hug them

[ducatiz]

I bought a free-standing kerosene heater after talking to a bunch of ppl.

Kerosene is cheap around here, only $3 gal which will run one of these heaters for up to 2 days (according to the "word" on the street).

it says up to 23k BTU output which may be sufficient for my garage, but i am not keen on this kind of flame -- i.e. a portable heater.  i'd rather have something more sturdy and built-in

plus, i plan to only run it at night, so maybe the cost will be tolerable.  we'll see.

[Langanobob]

I bought a free-standing kerosene heater after talking to a bunch of ppl.

Kerosene is cheap around here, only $3 gal which will run one of these heaters for up to 2 days (according to the "word" on the street).

it says up to 23k BTU output which may be sufficient for my garage, but i am not keen on this kind of flame -- i.e. a portable heater.  i'd rather have something more sturdy and built-in

plus, i plan to only run it at night, so maybe the cost will be tolerable.  we'll see.

I have a few of those in my shop which is too big for them to  heat, but they do work OK in smaller spaces.   I'm not sure about any carbon monoxide issues?  Might be something to confirm before leaving it on all night, even in the garage?

[ducatiz]

I have a few of those in my shop which is too big for them to  heat, but they do work OK in smaller spaces.   I'm not sure about any carbon monoxide issues?  Might be something to confirm before leaving it on all night, even in the garage?

It says they are ok to use in the house with typical ventilation, so I think a drafty garage is probably fine.  Also, the garage is sealed from the rest of the house.

I am looking into all options.  The bedrooms are over the garage and the floors are horribly cold due to 1960's insulation in the floors.  I am thinking of pulling the garage ceiling down and insulating it properly -- or maybe even putting in some kind of heat source in the ceiling (to heat the floor above).

It's pretty brutal.

[Langanobob]

I am thinking of pulling the garage ceiling down and insulating it properly -- or maybe even putting in some kind of heat source in the ceiling (to heat the floor above)

I've thought about that too, and it's probably the best long term solution, but pretty expensive and also time consuming if you do it yourself.  They used to make radiant heat ceiling drywall boards with heating elements in them, don't  know how well they work, if they still make them.  I looked at running hot water tubing in the ceiling and also electric heat.   But in the overall priorities around here I never really came to the best conclusion or did anything.

Seems like the kerosene heater is at least a good short term solution.

[ducpainter]

The only downside to kero heaters is the odor and that normally only occurs when lighting or when they run out of fuel.

Vented heaters don't create any odor

[ducatiz]

this one lights pretty fast with not much smoke/odor and the tank is big enough to run 12-15 hours without a problem, which is all i need for now.  i plan to run it sundown to sunrise pretty much, until we have a better solution.

i have a window in the garage and i put a CO detector there.  we'll see what it reads tomorrow morning.

it heat up the floors VERY nicely last night and the garage was a "toasty" 60 degrees according to the thermo.

it burned about 3/4th gallon or so last night for 12 hours.  that's not a bad deal for now.  that is the 1-K from Citgo.

Home Depot has synthetic 1-K which is odorless but they want 11/gal for it -- sheeet no!

[Popeye the Sailor]

Don't try this at home kids!

Can you tell me more about this setup you have? How'd you set it up? Is it circulated through the house? Is it forced?

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!

I think I want to try this