[Closed] Anyone put a wood stove in their workshop/outbuilding?

Don't think you mentioned anything about insulation? Surely that would be the first thing to think about.

Otherwise almost all the heat is just going to piss out straight away.

It’s about to get the Marie Kondo treatment and some order bestowed on the chaos

Doesn't work in a workshop.

"You bring me joy, you bring me joy, you all bring me joy"

So you empty the overflowing bin and call it a day.

Don’t think you mentioned anything about insulation? Surely that would be the first thing to think about.

Yes, it's already insulated. Not brilliantly but rockwool in walls, between floors and roof.

This is a project I've sort of inherited from my father (well bought from my mother -its a bit complicated) but he's not alive anymore to ask his logic. Insulated but no source of heat - I think that might have been his initial vision when he built it but he got ill and priorities changed.

It has the potential to be every man's dream man cave....

I have been looking at it / considering it
I have a badly insulated workshop 10m x 5m at the bottom of my garden. Calories would work but makes everything damp so looking at a wood stove. However there are specific regulations that apply to them - regarding flue pipes etc
Can't actually remember what they were - but easy to google

Doesn’t work in a workshop.

Yes, my definition of Marie Kondo might run as far as organised enough that I can find a hammer without swearing or make space to do a thing without resorting to spitting a dummy and throwing things around the room.

One downside would be that a stove will take quite a while to heat that, you'll need to fire it up a good hour or so before you go out?.

Run a cable and fit a couple of oil filled rads, or a space heater, or even one of those rip off Chinese diesel heaters?

One downside would be that a stove will take quite a while to heat that, you’ll need to fire it up a good hour or so before you go out?.

Run a cable and fit a couple of oil filled rads, or a space heater, or even one of those rip off Chinese diesel heaters?

Yes, though about that. I think I could live with a delay. To be honest the delay of getting oil filled to warm it up is not a lot shorter. Wood is virtually free though which is a driving motivating factor. Yes, putting in the stove is more spendy but hopefully this is a long term setup.

Doesn’t work in a workshop.

“You bring me joy, you bring me joy, you all bring me joy”

Make me chuckle. It's funny because it's true.

Are you thinking with your head or your heart OP? It really can't be the best solution, can it?

Are you thinking with your head or your heart OP? It really can’t be the best solution, can it?

Pretty sure I am......I think
...

If you do put one in, make sure it’s a decent distance from the walls and we’ll surrounded by fire board (or what ever it’s called). Friend also installed one in a wooden shed in his back garden and soon received a visit from his local fire brigade.

OK I crossed over with your post about wood being free.

Setting aside the environmental side of it (which would be a stopper for me), how often will you really be heating the workshop and for how long?

Does the initial cost of a wood burner & associated faff then possibly outweigh occasional use of an oil-filled rad?

Not saying it does, just putting the question.

I 've done it, fitted a cheap pot-bellied stove into my wooden 16'x10' shed/ workshop about 15 years ago. Still use it every winter, in fact I'm going to use it this evening. Very very simple job.

Setting aside the environmental side of it (which would be a stopper for me), how often will you really be heating the workshop and for how long?

Does the initial cost of a wood burner & associated faff then possibly outweigh occasional use of an oil-filled rad?

An evening and a day at the weekend a week. Plus probably 3 full weeks of 9-5 in the winter every year. So.....quick maths...winter hours only....350 hours a year. Feels like enough to justify.

Yes, though about that. I think I could live with a delay. To be honest the delay of getting oil filled to warm it up is not a lot shorter.

The difference is that an oil rad can be switched on from house, or even planned ahead if you fit a smart plug, not like going in and stacking, lighting and tending a stove.

Free wood, and where you live though, would probably swing me towards a stove tbh!.

I've helped a mate do his, half workshop half reading room/retreat. Ace.

Let's have no more of this talk of sensible solutions or insulation. Convert has a 6x6m with mezzanine. He probably also has a wife who knows the sensible solution is to have it converted to a granny flat for mother by the nice chap who did Abigail's loft. The one with the beard and Transit Custom, all done in six weeks and no mess.

No, Convert needs a man cave, and short of an actual homemade jet engine or carving something meaningful from the rock of Fife, a woodburner in his shed is exactly the solution he needs. Then he can say to his wife when walking round Next: "Why buy that shelf for £59 when I can make you one at home for just £234, two new powertools and a trip to A&E".

midlifecrashes, I like the cut of your jib.

I like the cut of your jib

You're putting in a sail loft aswell?

Just do it. Sounds like your not in built up area so local air pollution is not an issue and people on about co2 with regards to waste wood have not thought this through.

For guidance Google "stove fitters manual" and part j of the building regs. As for roof via wall depends on your confidence in making a good job of the seal in the roof. Not hard but requires care.

My workshop is 6m x 6m and insulated with 100mm in the roof and 25mm plus 20mm ply on the single skin block walls. I use a fairly small oil filled radiator for background heating and then backed up with halogen when I’m not moving around much. The radiator can be left on 5 degrees overnight. The main aim is to keep a constant temperature to prevent condensation and damp on tools, sometimes it’s warmer outside and I open the door to equalise the temperature or keep it closed in summer. I’d be concerned with a stove regarding the hazards of a flame and some of the flammable products that us cyclists use! Hope this helps.

I put a homemade one in my 10x4m single skin block garage. I used it when I was in there for a whole day (before I had kids, working offshore) but now it's just evenings I don't bother. Too much hassle for not enough benefit. Big boots and a fleece and keep moving,fine for a couple of hours.

I've fitted two wood burners into my sheds, one with a difficult curved ply roof and the other a corrugated steel roof.

It's six or more years ago now so I can't really remember the suppliers of the flue etc but you might find some useful info in my shed building thread.
I start the stove on page two.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-good-old-fashioned-shed-building-thread-picture-heavy/page/2/

I picked up a second hand workshop stove for mine which is great. Feels safe.

I got some twin wall flue and connectors and a roof gasket and cracked on.
It's all still working perfectly years on.

This was the start of the stove in my other shed. It's surrounded by Hardiebacker board then tiled.

I'm in a similar situation and reckon that an oil filled rad be a better option for me in the workshop. Trying to work out size needed 24 m2

Thanks for that Kayak. That workshop stove was exactly the model I've looked at. Got one from Amazon on back order for sub £100 (price seems to vary wilding from one day to the next).

That's a pretty epic shed there.

You’re putting in a sail loft aswell?

It will please you to know there are actually sails stored in the loft. Including a jib.

You will need to make a hole in the wall for ventilation so you don’t end up killing yourself with carbon monoxide poisoning. Stove on a large non combustible plinth and flue nowhere near anything that will burn either. Just fit an oil heater or infa red panel heater.

You’re gonna have to be scrupulous at keeping saw dust and wood shavings tidied up. I’d also fit a smoke alarm that can remotely alert you if you eg leave the fire to die down on its own.

You will need to make a hole in the wall for ventilation so you don’t end up killing yourself with carbon monoxide poisoning.

That's not really purpose of the ventilation required in a building with a stove, it's about supplying the stove with enough oxygen to burn and not depriving the occupants. Whilst insulated (a bit), this is a wood workshop with barn doors - it'll be leaky as hell and a mile off the 2008 domestic regs.

Contemplated putting an old log burner in the garage/workshop since we've been here. Took a small one out of the house when we moved in so already have a burner, can get hold of flue ready enough, the garage is single thickness stone walls with slate roof, no insulation.

Long and the short of it is its too much work for so little benefit (imo) the amount of time I actually spend in the garage, it's easier to just for up a small fan heater directed where I'm working.

It sounds like a nice, cheap sensible thing to do, but I think it's just romance which has no place in my garage!

I did consider it but it's a lot of extra work and cost. It would also take up a chunk of space and can only be located in one place. It'd be a nice thing to sit in front of and drink beer but for actually working something that is quick and easy makes more sense. I've got an electric heater for taking the edge off and a portable gas fire for pumping out some heat fast. I can also move them around, depending where I'm working. Happy with that. Instant on and off, pretty safe, cheap.