Wood Stove For My Pole Barn

[dooleysm]

My wife just gave me a kit for a double barrel wood stove to use in my 32x40 pole barn. The directions state that you need at least 36" clearance between the stove and any combustable structure. They state that as little as 4" clearance is acceptable if you have noncombustable structure.

Well, my barn was built so that the layers (working from outside->in) are metal siding, styrofoam insulation, 2x4 purlins, 6x6 posts. That all seems pretty combustable to me. I really need to be able to shove this stove back into a corner or up against a wall as I just don't have room to have this thing hanging out 3 feet from a wall.

I was first thinking maybe I could get some hardiboard or cementboard or something of that nature to attach to the inside of my 6x6 posts, and this would give me protection against the heat. Further consideration is leading me away from that option.

I've also got a pretty good number of bricks left over from the construction of our house that I was thinking maybe I could build a brick wall up around the stove. I've never built a brick wall, but I don't imagine it would take much to put a small one up around the stove.

Anyone have any thoughts one way or the other, or a different suggestion?

 

[MikeD74T]

Hang radiant heat shields between the stove & combustible surfaces. I'd use 2 large pieces of sheet metal spaced 2" off the wall & 2" between pieces on all sides where 36'" cannot be maintained. I'd go up to 24" above the stove top. Keep the bottom 2" off the floor. Hang with 6" drywall screws & small diameter pipe spacers. The metal does not have to be very thick. I've bought full sheets from heating/AC supply houses & had them cut to size and or bent around a corner. A single sheet works well - 2 sheets is foolproof. MikeD74T

 

[Dusty]

Using a few pieces of 6" x 1/2" pipe bolt a piece of steel to the uprights on the wall, using the pipe as spacers. If you use long lag bolts going through the pipe, it will act as a insulator and as long as the air can circulate behind the steel, it will work as a heat shield. It will need to be double the size of the area that you want to protect so the heat will be reflected forward of the stove. As an example, if the stove is 24" wide, then you will need at least 48" of plate, so 12" on either side of the stove is protected besides the 24" behind the stove. Same for the height. The steel plate should be at least 3/16" or heavier. Check with your local building inspector to see if this will meet there requirements for safety. Dusty

 

[schmism]

i use a heat sheild behind mine that is set only about 6-8" off an OSB coverd wall.

i use a piece of 1/4" AL plate set about 3/4" off the OSB.

when running the stove at its abslolute hottest the the plate is still cool enough to rest your hand on. (although the air that close to the cast iron is a bit toasty)

do watch other stuff you stack near the stove. I had a stack of wood about a foot-18" off the side of the stove. Had a stick or 2 of the wood start smoking one day... decided i should change were i store my wood

 

[dooleysm]

I took a load of scrap metal from building the barn to the junkyard about 2 months ago after putting in my lawn. I KNEW I should have kept that metal. The wife was getting tired of looking at it though, and I didn't have a use for it at the time.

Anyone have any experience with these barrel stoves (you convert a 55 gallon drum into a stove)? Double barrel vs. single barrel? Assembly tips?

 

[mjarrels]

How about just "dry stacking" a wall of cinder block behind the stove?

mark

 

[dooleysm]

That's kind of what I was thinking about doing with the bricks, since I already have them taking up space out back.

 

[Buckeye_Jim]

Stack the bricks in front of the shield,not in place of a shield. Our county allowed us to use a much lighter shield of 0.062 sheet metal with the gap at the bottom and spacers as MikeD74T had described. Probably only took a few hours to install. We then faced it with red brick. That may have been another 8 hours. Just can not remember. Good Luck, and remember that this is one time insurance against burning the place down.

Jim

 

[CurlyDave]

Don't forget to put the heat shield between the stovepipe and the wall.

Around here we are only allowed to use single wall pipe inside a building, and it can get plenty hot in normal situations.

Chimney fires are not uncommon (I have had one) and the proper heat shield can be the difference between "an exciting experience" and burning the place down.

And, you can not always count on the proper reactions. When I had the chimney fire, I dampered the stove completely, and then tried to shut the house up as tight as I could to further reduce air flow. One of the kids panicked and kicked the french doors shut, breaking two panes of glass in the process, which provided a lot more air than I wanted in the house right then.

 

[Egon]

Just remember a home made barrel stove may void insurance.

There are also different guage barrells so try and get the heaviest.

Do a google search on Barrell stoves to get more ideas. Also do a search for heat sheilds stoves for more information . There is lots of it out there.