Andrew Pritchard Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 With winter approaching, I'm beginning to wonder if/how to heat my barn workshop. Nova Scotia winters can get rather chilly. I don't have power installed in the building. I'm currently running extension cables from the external plugs on the outside of the house. This means electric heaters are pretty much out. I was thinking of using a small wood burner I have, but was wondering what other people had any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 I have friends that heat their shops with small wood burning stoves. They keep things fairly clean and have never had any problems. I hope you have access to free firewood. Buying cord wood can get very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 I heat my shop with a wood stove, and I love puttering around out in the shop nice and warm tee shirt weather inside, nasty cold and raining outside. I cut my own wood I also get offcuts of constuction lumber off my job lots of short 4x6's I love getting a bunch after work it's a great way to heat the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted September 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Round here, cord wood is pretty cheap. Most people heat their homes with it, because it's cheaper than doing it with heating oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 A word of warning, if you plan on using any flammable finishes, then you might not want to use a woodtove with an open flame. It might be a bad day in the shop if there's an explosion. Jonathan ============================================ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted September 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Johnny No Name - A word of warning, if you plan on using any flammable finishes, then you might not want to use a woodtove with an open flame. It might be a bad day in the shop if there's an explosion. Jonathan ============================================ This is definitely the kind of advice I was looking for. Not something I'd at all considered! Anyone had any problems with wood dust? My DC system currently consists of a shop vac (ie chip collection, not really dust per se), and the really fine dust still forms a very fine layer on things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Anyone had any problems with wood dust? My DC system currently consists of a shop vac (ie chip collection, not really dust per se), and the really fine dust still forms a very fine layer on things. I've never heard of anyone having dust/heating problems other then the dust clogging filters. Replace/clean them and you should be OK. While it's not exactly wood, I think that there are wood pellet stoves that can draw outside air for combustion. Of course that would require elcectricity ... If you went the wood stove route, maybe if you heated up the shop first, and then extinguished the fire, before you did finishing work it might remove the flammable vapors issue? I don't really know, but it sounds like ti might work. Jonathan ========================================= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 maybe if you heated up the shop first, and then extinguished the fire, before you did finishing work it might remove the flammable vapors issue? Extinguished the fire, shoveled up all the coals, embers and ashes into an appropriate metal bucket, took it outside the shop, and left it on a non-flammable surface. I bet we're going to hear from the fire fighters on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted September 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 I do know a fire fighter locally. Extinguished the fire, shoveled up all the coals, embers and ashes into an appropriate metal bucket, took it outside the shop, and left it on a non-flammable surface. I bet we're going to hear from the fire fighters on this one. I do know a fire fighter locally - he works in one of the local hardware stores. I might ask him, see what he says. Just not seen him in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 As long as the flame is not exposed I would think you will be OK with a wood stove. Look for one that takes it's combustion air from outside the building (If it is rated for mobile home use it has this). Just don't open the door to feed the fire in the middle of spraying. I think to get an explosion of wood dust would entail a specific size dust particle, at a specific density compared to the air, and the stars and planets lining up just right (meaning, it would be pretty hard to create the proper environment for it to happen). I have known auto body men heating their shops with wood while painting cars without a problem. If the stove is air tight, it is just a hot surface, no different than an electric coil heated up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I don't have a spray gun for finishing but if I did I would build a plastic sheeting tent with a box fan exhausting the fumes out a window or door, than you have no worries in that regard. Wood working shops have been heated by wood forever, my uncle's cabinet shop had a pot bellied stove for heat I remember working out in the shop with him when the stove was glowing cherry red. A modern wood stove would be a hundred times more safe than that, IMO wood heat is a cozy heat I enjoy my wood stove set up, and I don't worry about fire or explosion I just use common sense. The amount of dust that would cause an explosion would be tremendous if your creating that much dust it would be time to invest in a dust collection system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverken Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 You may want to check with your insurance. Some companies dont cover fire if a stove is present Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 As long as the stove is certified, and properly installed your insurance shouldn't be a problem. If you are going to install a home made barrel stove, with single wall stove pipe penatrating the roof instead of double wall insulated pipe (which is real spendy by the way), so definatly buy a certified stove, and have it properly intalled/or do the research and properly install it yourself thats what I did. My insuance is in good standing for my woodheated shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mar10 Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 HI Andrew Are you open to the idea of Hot Water Heat? First Co makes these with Elec. or Hot water heat. Mar10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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