Heated water in a garage

[Dustin Crawford]

Hey guys I am starting my shop really soon (still grading) and was wondering about some things. I dont want to plumb it for domestic water, but I would like to have a shop sink fed from 1 or 2 55 gallon rain barrels (pacific NW, always raining).

My buddies old cabin style house has 1/2" copper tubing ran around and around their wood stove to help with the hot water.

I will have a wood stove as well. Do you guys think it would be worthwhile to feed from one rain barrel round the stove pipe for some warm water (at least in the winter when its cold out)?

I cant see really needing warm water in a shop except for washing hands maybe, but this would be easy and free heat.

What do you guys think?

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I think it sounds really dangerous.

You have no control over how hot the water gets and it presents a scalding hazzard.

Phil

 

[Motofixxer]

Ok so your gonna be running the wood stove because it's cold outside obviously. So how are you gonna keep the rain barrels from freezing exactly, and supplying you with water???

What do you really need water for in the garage? I generally just use some Simple Green and a rag. If you gotta wash something...drag out the hose.

Or just run a water line and use an electric tankless water heater. Drain into a bucket or something.

 

[Dustin Crawford]

Good point on the freezing, I hadn't thought of that. Although it is not often it freezes here I suppose.

 

[rideorange]

you will never have the chance again, install a water service pipe below footing and slab, it is too easy not to and want it later. a 3" waste line would be thinking ahead, even if it ends up connecting to the footing drain or a dry well, it can always be used later for a sink drain.

 

[rideorange]

the wood stove and hot water is not a great idea, the theory is fantastic, it has been done a thousand times, but there are a lot of unthought of quirks and it is not the safest thing, ya im a plumber

 

[Dustin Crawford]

you will never have the chance again, install a water service pipe below footing and slab, it is too easy not to and want it later. a 3" waste line would be thinking ahead, even if it ends up connecting to the footing drain or a dry well, it can always be used later for a sink drain.

10-4 Im with ya there. I will probably not install the services, but I will install a sleeve for a possible future poly line in the floor. I will also stub out a sewer connection in case I change my mind in the future.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

I do the simple green and a bottle of clean water spray in the back of the truck a few paper towels and good. I must wash my hands 10 to 20 times a day this way, it's convenient.

 

[UncleJoe]

If it is at all possible run some plumbing to the shop. A sink and a toilet are things I wish I had. I am now in semi Retirement and often spend long hours in my shop and I sure wish the previous owner had run plumbing out there. When we move to our retirement home the shop will have plumbing.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

Here's the setup I have, i ran one water line out to the barn and then used a instant water heater with a barbque tank to heat it.

the sink drain hooks to a floor drain and then out the wall into a 4'x4'x4' deep dry sump.

the termination is my own idea with a clean out at the top, I figured that sooner or later a open end pipe would plug and with the clean out I would have at least a chance to clean it.

 

[StaggeringGoat]

I agree with the others...you definately want plumbing in a garage. My new shop condo has a little 120V instant hot water heater for the bathroom, it's enough for a small shower. Much better than having a standing hot water tank...

No way I would have a shop without a shop-sink.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

its nice to have hot water for washing yours hands, or even mopping the floor.
I also have a delta faucet (the kind that a janitor has over a slop sink )on the outside wall for washing my cars with hot water or even the dog.......there's lots of uses.

 

[Zengineer]

Heating coils in woodstoves went the way of the dodo because they removed too much heat out of the fireplace. You kill your performance and efficiency. Mostly this was emission driven, but the side effect was increased creosote buildup and greater likelihood of chimney fires.

Run a domestic water line and install a small heater in the garage... my 2 bits.

 

[hdshinn]

I modified my Fisher air tight stove (in the shop) with a coil inside the firebox for in floor radiant heating. A scrounged hot water tank serves as a heat ballast. It works great. I've yet to plumb in the water line(s) to the shop but they're roughed in and available.

My shop is more a wood shop than a 'garage'. It's handy to have water for things like my water cooled sharpening setup, washing brushes and tools after using waterborne finishes, washing hands, ... the list goes on. No matter what, at least have water and waste lines roughed in so you can in the future install fixtures to use them. Depending on your building code jurisdiction you want to make sure you can run 'grey' water waste to a storm drain or similar rather than being required to tie it in to a sanitary sewer/septic system.

Or if you're like me, you ask forgiveness rather than permission.

 

[70redbee]

There is no time better than the present to do all the right things. At sometime you will kick yourself for not running that water and sewer to the garage. You have the time and equipment on site now to do it right. It will also be much cheaper to do it now than later when you finally figure you screwed up. I would never run it into a drywell, only to the sewer system. A sink in the garage is great, but a sink and toilet is awsome. Save yourself some time, money and aggravation and do it now. Just my 2 pennys.

 

[darkk]

I think it sounds really dangerous.
You have no control over how hot the water gets and it presents a scalding hazzard.Phil

You don't want to stick your hands in the hot water at my house then......it says hot on one of those handles for a reason. If you can't read....well then!

 

[Dustin Crawford]

You don't want to stick your hands in the hot water at my house then......it says hot on one of those handles for a reason. If you can't read....well then!

I was thinking the same thing.

You guys must have larger shops than me. I cant imagine giving up the space for a toilet (and small room) that could be usable shop space. My house is only 15' away and I dont go into it enough anyway lol.

 

[78Bird]

I was thinking the same thing.

You guys must have larger shops than me. I cant imagine giving up the space for a toilet (and small room) that could be usable shop space. My house is only 15' away and I dont go into it enough anyway lol.

Maybe not a full toilet... but a urinal mounts to the wall

 

[Virgil Cain]

I wouldn't necessarily do a toilet if the walk to the house is short (particularly if the shop is small), but hot water (or water at all) is a great thing in a shop. You'll need it for more than just washing hands, or a least I do. I have a small metal plating setup and if I didn't have water available it would be just about unworkable.

 

[John in OH]

mrobins297aaa .... Your setup looks nice and simple, but if you are in SE Michigan how do you keep your water lines from freezing??? Your shop does not appear to be continuously heated.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

mrobins297aaa .... Your setup looks nice and simple, but if you are in SE Michigan how do you keep your water lines from freezing??? Your shop does not appear to be continuously heated.

John this coming winter will be the first year for that setup. My plan turn off the water and blow out the lines around thanksgiving and that'll be it until about the end of april.
I had something similar at another house that i lived at and thats what I did and it worked quite well.

 

[tinbender 66]

I roughed in a water line, toilet base and waste line prior to pouring my slab. Later, I bought 100' of plastic water line for $35. That and a good old shovel and I was hooked up. At this point I at least have a hose bib that works. The plumbing for everything (two sinks and a toilet) is roughed in. I lucked out and got a 4 gallon point of use hwt at a barn sale for $15. Next step is a drywell for gray water. The toilet will wait until I put in a tank and drainfield for it as there is no good way to hook it up to the existing system. My garage is 100 feet from the house so the bathroom will be a blessing. My neighbor is a semi-retired septic contractor who works cheap for neighbors.

So I would advise to at least prepare for it. You can worry about hooking it all up later.

 

[Brad1234]

I have a 25gal water heater that I turn on about an hour before washing the car in the winter. It sure is nice to wash with warm water when its cold outside.