Need Advice On Wood Burner Heater

[msmit62]

A friend of mine has a wood burning unit that was attached to the furnace in his basement. He removed it because they never use it anymore and asked me if I wanted it. It doesn't look like the traditional wood burners that people have in their garages, though. Can anyone tell me if I can use this to heat my garage? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jackfre]

I am not sure what it is. Is there a label on it somewhere? Yes wood can heat a garage, but your first step should be a discussion with your insurance company. I think they will not be supportive of the idea in which case, no, wood cannot heat a garage.

 

[Bondo]

It doesn't look like the traditional wood burners that people have in their garages, though.

Ayuh,.... It appears to be an add-on indoor wood furnace,......

I imagine it used the house's furnace plenums, 'n blower to move the air, 'n manage the heat,......

With a fan/ blower, No reason it wouldn't work just fine as a stand-alone unit,.......

As noted, look for markings or numbers to Id it,.....

 

[msmit62]

I'll see if I can get a mfg and model on the unit and post it here. Thanks.

 

[fang123]

Do you have a picture of the door? I think that is just like the one a friend of mine has in his garage. It heats a 30x40 for him. Always about freaking 80 in there.

 

[BLUE72CAMARO]

If all the parts are there most definitely. I have a somewhat similar furnace in my 24x54 shop and I can run it up to 80 in there on a 10 degree day without any problem.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I am not sure what it is. Is there a label on it somewhere? Yes wood can heat a garage, but your first step should be a discussion with your insurance company. I think they will not be supportive of the idea in which case, no, wood cannot heat a garage.

First step is to check with your agent.


That's an add on wood furnace. Basically a wood stove with a box built around it with a thermostatically controlled fan. When the temp hits a certain point, the fan kicks one and blows the heat out of the box into a plenum, generally into the home furnace duct work. When it cools down enough, the fan shuts down, allowing the heat to build back up.

I have a similar unit, a Daka, I bought at Menard's. It works great and churns out the heat. It has two plenum openings in the box, one with a short section of duct work and an elbow. The second one goes up into the attic, across to the other side of the garage. It's has an insulation blanket on it and then wrapped with Reflectix to help seal it up further.

 

[James-W]

Do you have a source for getting free wood? If you have to pay for wood, then I would suggest using natural gas, assuming it is available. I am not knocking wood heat, several people have wood heat and it works just fine. I mention it because the cost for natural gas is pretty cheap and once installed a working a natural gas heating system doesn't require you to continually "feed" the furnace and empty the ashes. Additionally, there is quite a bit of work involved in using wood for heat. If you have the time and the equipment, then wood heat can work out well for you.

 

[nadogail]

Even "Free Wood" has a cost, you have to collect it, prepare it for burning, Store it, deal with the homeowners insurance considerations.

After all these costs (not always financial) are known it then becomes possible to do the Cost versus Benefit study.

For instance here, where we have one of the highest costs per Kilowatt Hour, I have determined that electric heat for my workshop is the best value.

Your calculations and results may vary from mine.

 

[finn]

I like wood heat, as long as you have a backup, and splitting and stacking doesn’t get to be a chore.

Gives you an excuse to buy a splitter, a couple of chainsaws, a tractor, and an old pickup truck. Also pretty good exercise, if you’re careful, but a gym membership is probably cheaper.

My shop wood burner is similar to that, albeit older and probably less efficient (it’s a wood dragon). I put an 8” 90 degree elbow on the outlet to keep the heat down low.

Mount it on a couple of concrete blocks to get the bottom of the firebox 16” or 18” off the floor, same as a gas water heater.

 

[msmit62]

Thank-you for all the responses...they are very helpful. I actually have a natural gas line running into my garage, but haven't hooked up my furnace yet. A quick back story: a couple years ago, we bought a beautiful old farmhouse on almost 7 acres out in the country and moved out of town a little bit. We have been working on the house ever since, so hooking up the furnace in my garage has been on the bottom of a very long to-do list. As such, I thought that this might be a creative way to burn some fallen branches (after they've dried) and heat my garage at the the same time...even after the gas furnace is eventually hooked up. Here is a picture of the mfg information.

 

[JPinSTL]

Most important things to remember!! It is a "workshop" not a "garage" anytime you talk to your insurance agent. You mention you want to install a wood burner in your garage and they will soon be cancelling your policy. Discuss with your agent. Around here in MO you can still have wood heat in your house or barn/shop but the appliance has to have a UL tag and the flu needs to be "store bought" ie masonry or ClassA to pass the inspection. No more 55gal barrel or home built stoves and a stick of well casing for a flue.