Question ask may a 1000 times!

[Flyguy]

I,m a newbie here. I have a 30x 50 pole barn. I have been heating it
by a wood circulator wood stove. I live in east okla as it most never
gets in the teens. Lots of hard woods in this forest to use.

But this stove does not do the job as I would want. Thoughts on a barrel stove with a box fan to circulate heat to the other end of the shop? Do any of you
heat with a barrel stove. I can remember as a kid being in shops that were
very warm on a cold night with my dad. lets hear your thoughts.

Fly

 

[James-W]

A wood stove puts out a lot of heat, but without a way to circulate the heat around the building it will always be too warm next to the stove and too cold farther away. Ceilings fans would help, assuming you have ceilings tall enough to use them, but the better way to do it is with ducts and forced air in order to get the heat to where you want it.

 

[Elginz]

Dad uses a box fan behind his.

 

[Flyguy]

How big is your dad shop & does he use a two barrel stove?

Fly

 

[Richard Cranium]

How about a "heat robber" it fits into the stove pipe and has a fan on it that blows though the heat exchanger. They are a little over 100.00 but work very well to get a few more btu out of your wood stove. If you need a picture p.m. me I will take a picture of one I have laying around out side the shop...rich

 

[James-W]

Correct me if I am wrong on this, but I am making a few assumptions based on what has been said. The size of the building is 30 feet by 50 feet. He has a wood stove, probably in one corner of the building. I am assuming it isn't sitting in the middle of the building. If the stove is few feet from a corner, then there is quite a distance the heat needs to travel in order to get to the opposing corner. A box fan would help somewhat, but if there is a car or anything else in the way, then the heat won't get to where it needs to go. I really think the most practical way to get heat that far is by forcing the hot air thru ducts. I have no doubts the wood stove is capable of providing enough heat to do the job, it is just a matter of getting the heat distributed around.

 

[Flyguy]

Well it is not in a corner. It is almost middle of the shop but on one side not
in the center.There are no cars ever in the shop.

Fly

 

[James-W]

Well it is not in a corner. It is almost middle of the shop but on one side not
in the center.There are no cars ever in the shop.

Fly

In that case, box fans may work out reasonably well for you, although it would make a breeze all the time.

 

[nadogail]

I have seen a two barrel stove with a. 12" tube running through the top barrel. There was a circulating fan driving air through this tube. It kept the workshop toasty.

 

[Richard Cranium]

how about a couple of ceiling fans to get the heat off the ceiling?

 

[Flyguy]

Yes ceiling fans I thought of & may be the best . I have a tall ceiling & I know
much of the heat is toward the ceiling.

Fly

 

[Kevin54]

I'm surprised that no one has brought it up about insurance yet. You may want to check to see if the building would be covered in the event of a fire if you have a barrel stove. Don't be surprised when they tell you that you can't have a barrel stove. Insurance companies have tightened things up as far as woodburners go, where they go, and how they should be hooked up.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a woodstove in my 30x60x14 pole barn. It's a big, EPA, modern stove.

No, you do not need ducts to move heat in a big open shop. You do need to move the air somehow though to get even heat if you even want even heat. The ceiling fans are not as effective as a box fan setting on the floor at the cold end of the shop blowing the cold air gently towards the stove. The cold air then rises as the stove heats it and creates a circulation loop. I actually heat my shop with a woodstove, it was permitted and my insurance is fine with it. I had to change insurance companies from state farm to farmers for this reason.

I would not use a barrel stove. Go to home depot and buy the biggest stove they sell. It will be safe, UL listed, EPA certified, have a window, flat on top to heat stuff, and way easier on wood.

 

[aka Larry]

I have double barrel stove and it heats my 40'x40' just fine.

 

[danfromsyr]

every Cuft of heated exhaust going up the pipe comes into the shop as outdoors chilled air.. and ALOT of heated air goes up the pipe..

 

[theoldwizard1]

Probably the most efficient wood fired heater (most heat for least amount of wood consumed) are the "rocket heaters". This are direct brothers to "rocket stoves". Remember a stove is not a heater, but the basic design of a rocket stove can be turned into a heater fairly easily.

There are a lot of DIY plans online (and on YouTube) for rocket stoves and rocket heaters. They all seem to work, but some work better than others. There are several commercial rocket stoves on the market, but I have not seen a commercial rocket heater.

Do some research. There is some welding required. I think designs that use a fire brick burn chamber are better. The biggest problem is getting the proper size tank/drum. Your typical 55 gallon drum is really too large. An old water/air tank in the 30 gallon range would be better and have thicker steel.

I like the design of this one.