# Heat for the garage



## aguysmiley (Jul 2, 2004)

I have a new garage now and need to get heat in it pretty soon. The previous owner took the woodburner that was in it, but the chimney is still there. 

Eventually I would like to put a gas furnace in it, but for now wood will have to do. I've been thinking of making one out of a 55 gallon drum. I can buy a kit with the necessary hardware, and plan to line the bottom with fire brick so it lasts longer. 

I'm just wondering how well this would heat the shop. It's 1900 sq. ft. with a 12' ceiling, and it is insulated.

Any thoughts?


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## Archdean (Jul 15, 2004)

> _Originally posted by aguysmiley _
> *I have a new garage now and need to get heat in it pretty soon. The previous owner took the woodburner that was in it, but the chimney is still there.
> 
> Eventually I would like to put a gas furnace in it, but for now wood will have to do. I've been thinking of making one out of a 55 gallon drum. I can buy a kit with the necessary hardware, and plan to line the bottom with fire brick so it lasts longer.
> ...


Big Fire hotter than hell if your close by!
Small fire, stand closer!!

Point is its not necessarily how hot you can get it but how well you can distribute the heat!

For the money saved by using a barrel stove invest in some big fans near the stove and at the ceiling unless of course your 12 feet tall and you really don't like your feet!!


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

aguysmiley…

The problem won’t be heat output. Any barrel stove will put out enough
heat to warm my mother-in-law’s heart. More likely your problem will
be heat loss. Spend some effort plugging up the air leaks in the garage.
Areas to look for are around windows and doors, gable and soffit vents
if there is no ceiling separating the attic from the space below. Don’t
be concerned about insulation, but air leaks can make a space very hard
to heat. Once you get the garage sealed, I would follow Deans advice and
use a couple of fans to distribute the heat, but don’t use big fans. You just
want to mix some air, a couple of cheap box fans should do.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

just a thought.. you may want to check w/your insurance guy to ensure a wood stove in the garage is ok.. in maine, im told they are against code.. 
My only concern would be if anything happened.. you would not want to void out any insurance..


here i put a kerosene heater in and am doing the ceiling.. that should be ok to take thge chill out.. but mines only 988 sq ft.. 1900 ft is huge.... 

nothing beats a nice wood fire... looks, smells, sounds great... ill probably do some other heat source in the future... maybe an oil stove...


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## Rodster (Sep 26, 2003)

I went the temporary route with kerosene for years. Finally went with natural gas forced air. If you can swing it and spend enough time in the garage I would bite the bullet and put in the natural gas. You will be glad you did.
Rodster
ps... picture attached


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I just went over this issue with my insurance agent last week as I am moving to a recently purchased farm with a garage building that has a wood heater. The wood heater could be insured but a a MUCH higher rate. Depending upon how much you use the garage and need the heat; a wood heater may not be very practical as it take a long time to get lit and burning well enough to put out any degree of heat and then it takes a long time for the fire to go out. In my opinion either propane or kerosene heater would be the most practical and insurance friendly.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Chief said, "a wood heater may not be very practical as it take a long time to get lit and burning well enough to put out any degree of heat and then it takes a long time for the fire to go out. In my opinion either propane or kerosene heater would be the most practical and insurance friendly."

I agree 100% with the above. You can spend an hour or more of your valuable shop time just getting a wood fire lit (on a bad day), and then add another 30 minutes or more for it to start generating heat.


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## aguysmiley (Jul 2, 2004)

Well I'm familiar with all the work involved with wood heat, getting the fire started and keeping it going, cutting fire wood and all that crap. I'm concerned about the safety issues too. I can honestly say I'm not to keen on the idea.

Gas heat just isn't in my budget right now. The house is heated with oil, and I don't think we have natural gas run out here. I would have to get a tank and a furnace, plumb and wire it...

I hadn't even thought about kerosene. The garage seems to be pretty air tight. We've had some evenings in the 40's with heavy winds, and I've been comfortable out there in a t-shirt. The bathroom has a small electric heater in it so I don't have to worry about that freezing. I think I'll check into kerosene heaters. 

Thanks guys


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

heres a thread i started about kerosene a few weeks back..kerosene heat 



Heres the heater i eventually got..

<img src=http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/164149_3.jpg>


it puts out 23000 btu.. but your garage is twice the size of mine... i dont know if that wil be enough heat


The Gas stoves they sell at home depot (vent Free) would only require a propane tank somewhere near it.. my neighbor has one in his basement.. no vents needed, he claims it uses minimal gas and no odor..

On my thread, duc posted about oil burning fireplaces.. Franco belge... this type of stove looks very interesting.. but requires a vent


ive been using the kerosene heater for 3 weeks now..and it barely smells at all, burns clean, and produces a fair amount of heat... It cost 120$ at home depot.

My goal will be to upgrade to something later(oil or gas stove w/a vent).. for now the kerosene works well..


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

I have almost the same heater SJ, but got it about 15 years ago. I used it last year to heat my 24x24 garage and worked well. Only time it realy smelled was when I first started using it. That was probably becouse it had not been used in ten years, and still had some old kero in it  After that it was fine, but does stink a bit on shut down.


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

Glad you brought that up SJ....still thinks its the best way of going
for garages and open space heating needs....Hooking up a vent is one of the easiests things to do in a gagrage. Just like putting in a light bulb 

The key thing with these units is its home heating oil convection heat. The oil is gravity fed and requires no electricity...no soot and it burns a clean blue flame....
Throw a ceiling fan in the rafters and your done...


This guy is based in MA ..I havent even search that hard....the spec's they have are off, most of the better Franco's like the Normandie are true 40,000 BTU unit and higher...

The mfg site:

http://www.francobelge.com/gb/indexgb.asp 

Some sources:

http://www.baygo.com/oconnell/stoves.htm


This guy is in CT -scroll down on the web page you will see Franco Belge Oil heaters

http://www.farmval.com/virtual/greenmtn.htm


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

i sooo much agree with you about wood.,. not as efficient but the smell, the crackle.. the look can not be beat...


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