Bug In Stove

[Dorky_D]

Hey, I have been giving some thought to getting a wood burning stove to put in the shed use in the house if needed for a long term bug in.

I currently have a gas furnace, but if this is rendered useless, could I vent a wood burning stove up the chimmney as the furnace is now? The chimmney was built with brick and is lined with rectangle tile. It was built for a oil funace back when that was what you did.

Also, I am a bit ignorant on stoves. What would you suggest? I have seen some stoves with the burner like openings on the top at Menard's. Would that work? Wouldn't that allow smoke to come out of the burner openings?

Do you have suggestions?

 

[.45 Dave]

I think you could, but I definitely would get someone who knows what they are doing to install it for you. Doing it wrong and risking burning the house down isn't worth it.
In the days before central heating, way too many houses caught fire from poorly installed stoves and fireplaces. Plus you definitely want to make sure your chimney is cleaned. Built up suet over the years can catch fire.

 

[dukeboy_318]

Also, I am a bit ignorant on stoves. What would you suggest? I have seen some stoves with the burner like openings on the top at Menard's. Would that work? Wouldn't that allow smoke to come out of the burner openings?

Do you have suggestions?

My father in law has one like this, has used it for over 20 years, the top plates are so heavy that they seal really well and no smoke comes out of them. It does a really good job of heating his house.

 

[CarmelHP]

Built up suet over the years can catch fire.

Soot? Creosote?

 

[churchmouse]

A qualified chimney sweep needs to look at your flu. If it was built for fuel and is in good condition it might stand up to a wood burner. If it does not pass muster it will need a liner.
What area are you in. There are some good sweeps available but they only travel so far.

 

[Dorky_D]

Indy area, so it should not be a problem.

 

[Car Ramrod]

Look into Rocket Stoves. They are very efficient and will boil water off of just twigs and small branches.

I plan on making myself a couple when I can source the supplies I am looking for.

 

[DanO]

Once you get the flu looked at, just 2 questions. How many floors and how many square feet are you heating?

Look at the tinyhouseblog.com from last week and look at the brick masonry stove that the "Lithuanian house" owner built. THese heat a large thermal mass very efficiently (90% plus!), relaease the heat slowly over time and leave little or no residue. I have a relative in the Appalachins of upstate NY and in the Winter he lights 2 fires a day to heat 1800 SF TOASTY warm.

 

[churchmouse]

Once you get the flu looked at, just 2 questions. How many floors and how many square feet are you heating?

Look at the tinyhouseblog.com from last week and look at the brick masonry stove that the "Lithuanian house" owner built. THese heat a large thermal mass very efficiently (90% plus!), relaease the heat slowly over time and leave little or no residue. I have a relative in the Appalachins of upstate NY and in the Winter he lights 2 fires a day to heat 1800 SF TOASTY warm.

Does it work like a thermal bank????

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Churchmouse is the resident pro on these things, listen to him. Also, I have the same chimney based on your description and I have used a barrel stove to heat our house for 3 years now. You can get a kit for about $40 and a barrel for about $10, then about $50 worth of stove pipe and you're good to go. Keep an extra barrel or two around though, if you don't take care of it properly it will rust through after a few years. I put about 30 pounds of sand in the bottom of mine and dump it out in the spring so it doesn't hold moisture in the barrel when it isn't being used. I also welded a steel plate to the top so I have a flat surface for cooking. There are some really neat plans online for making a water heater for it too. I grew up in International Falls MN and was raised on these things, I doubt there is any more efficient way to heat with wood. I also doubt there is a single person in northern MN that doesn't have one at least in the garage. I actually have mine in the attached garage due to the cement floor and access to the chimney, we keep the door open to the kitchen and I hung a box fan from the ceiling at about a 45* angle to circulate the heat into the house. When stoked well, it keeps our house around 72-75* through the coldest windiest winter nights. Our first winter in this house cost around $6,000 to heat it with LP and I can heat it with bought wood delivered for around $750-$1,000. Usually about a rick per week, less in warmer weather, more in colder...average a rick per week.

Point of note: DO NOT let your homeowners insurance company know about it or they will drop you!

ETA, I've also seen plans online where they built a "housing" around the barrel from stones mortared together for looks and further efficiency as they will hold the heat for a longer period and can have a blower in the back to force hot air out.

 

[churchmouse]

Churchmouse is the resident pro on these things, listen to him. Also, I have the same chimney based on your description and I have used a barrel stove to heat our house for 3 years now. You can get a kit for about $40 and a barrel for about $10, then about $50 worth of stove pipe and you're good to go. Keep an extra barrel or two around though, if you don't take care of it properly it will rust through after a few years. I put about 30 pounds of sand in the bottom of mine and dump it out in the spring so it doesn't hold moisture in the barrel when it isn't being used. I also welded a steel plate to the top so I have a flat surface for cooking. There are some really neat plans online for making a water heater for it too. I grew up in International Falls MN and was raised on these things, I doubt there is any more efficient way to heat with wood. I also doubt there is a single person in northern MN that doesn't have one at least in the garage. I actually have mine in the attached garage due to the cement floor and access to the chimney, we keep the door open to the kitchen and I hung a box fan from the ceiling at about a 45* angle to circulate the heat into the house. When stoked well, it keeps our house around 72-75* through the coldest windiest winter nights. Our first winter in this house cost around $6,000 to heat it with LP and I can heat it with bought wood delivered for around $750-$1,000. Usually about a rick per week, less in warmer weather, more in colder...average a rick per week.

Point of note: DO NOT let your homeowners insurance company know about it or they will drop you!

ETA, I've also seen plans online where they built a "housing" around the barrel from stones mortared together for looks and further efficiency as they will hold the heat for a longer period and can have a blower in the back to force hot air out.

Thermal bank.....

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Thermal bank.....

Yes Sir thank you.

 

[Trav43]

There are also some really easy ways to supplement a woodstove. You could use some 4" non perforated black pipe with a fan powered by a small solar panel. That way you would use less wood during the daytime.

 

[Bull]

I have a Hardy H2 and for about 1 rick or less a week I heat my house and 30 X 60 garage and hot water. Love it

 

[Iroquois]

I have to wonder if this house once had a coat furnace. Your chimney sounds like my old house(circa 1890. Getting it checked is real wise. If you build a barrel stove I'd light it out side the first time,to remove what ever was in it originals...I smoked myself out of the garage once...

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I have to wonder if this house once had a coat furnace. Your chimney sounds like my old house(circa 1890. Getting it checked is real wise. If you build a barrel stove I'd light it out side the first time,to remove what ever was in it originals...I smoked myself out of the garage once...

YES! Burn the barrel out completely outside before you even build the stove! Also, many will tell you that galvanized stove pipe cannot be used indoors. Very sound advice unless you are wise enough to burn it VERY thoroughly and VERY hot first to remove/burn off the zinc coating. That's how we've done it and everyone I know has done it my entire life and none of us/them have suffered any ill side effects. In fact, it's supposed to get chilly outside tonight so I'd better go fire that puppy up before I go to bed I almost took it down for storage last weekend, glad I didn't yet.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

There is another barrel stove idea I saw last year but haven't tried yet. It seems like it may be more efficient yet. It involves using a smaller 30gal barrel as a fire box with a 50 gal barrel outside of it as a hot air transfer chamber with a blower in the back of it. The 30gal barrels are tough to find but I got ahold of a few and I have a small blower from an old burned out ashley stove... Man those blowers are expensive new!

 

[churchmouse]

There is another barrel stove idea I saw last year but haven't tried yet. It seems like it may be more efficient yet. It involves using a smaller 30gal barrel as a fire box with a 50 gal barrel outside of it as a hot air transfer chamber with a blower in the back of it. The 30gal barrels are tough to find but I got ahold of a few and I have a small blower from an old burned out ashley stove... Man those blowers are expensive new!

The solvent parts cleaners have 30 gal. barrels to hold the solvent. This could be a source for barrels.
What you are doing is building a heat exchanger just like a forced air home furnace. The very early ones had a barrel shaped fire box.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

The solvent parts cleaners have 30 gal. barrels to hold the solvent. This could be a source for barrels.
What you are doing is building a heat exchanger just like a forced air home furnace. The very early ones had a barrel shaped fire box.

I hadn't thought of that source. The ones I found held grease and the barrel was lined with a plastic bag so they weren't even greasy!

 

[CountryBoy19]

Churchmouse is the resident pro on these things, listen to him. Also, I have the same chimney based on your description and I have used a barrel stove to heat our house for 3 years now. You can get a kit for about $40 and a barrel for about $10, then about $50 worth of stove pipe and you're good to go. Keep an extra barrel or two around though, if you don't take care of it properly it will rust through after a few years. I put about 30 pounds of sand in the bottom of mine and dump it out in the spring so it doesn't hold moisture in the barrel when it isn't being used. I also welded a steel plate to the top so I have a flat surface for cooking. There are some really neat plans online for making a water heater for it too. I grew up in International Falls MN and was raised on these things, I doubt there is any more efficient way to heat with wood. I also doubt there is a single person in northern MN that doesn't have one at least in the garage. I actually have mine in the attached garage due to the cement floor and access to the chimney, we keep the door open to the kitchen and I hung a box fan from the ceiling at about a 45* angle to circulate the heat into the house. When stoked well, it keeps our house around 72-75* through the coldest windiest winter nights. Our first winter in this house cost around $6,000 to heat it with LP and I can heat it with bought wood delivered for around $750-$1,000. Usually about a rick per week, less in warmer weather, more in colder...average a rick per week.

Point of note: DO NOT let your homeowners insurance company know about it or they will drop you!

ETA, I've also seen plans online where they built a "housing" around the barrel from stones mortared together for looks and further efficiency as they will hold the heat for a longer period and can have a blower in the back to force hot air out.

You're right, your homeowners insurance will definitely drop you if you're using a non-listed wood stove (such as a barrel stove). Barrel stoves are great at 1 thing only IMHO, getting a cheap wood burning stove. That's where they "good" ends.

They definitely are not the most efficient, and they definitely aren't the safest, but they are cheap.

Also, you'd probably do better with a fan on the floor blowing the cold air from the house into the garage. It's easier to move the cold air on the floor than the hot air that's on the ceiling.