Heating a new metal building

enterprisebbc · Dec 8, 2013

After much thought on heating this building which is 18x 26 I am going to use a convection lp heater 100-200000 btu. I have an old Atlantic wood stove I was going to use and have the pipe go up on the inside then elbow out. Was told because of creosote I should go completly through the roof no elbows. I'm not going to put a hole in roof for thr few times I might have to use it. I want to use 2 40lb LP tnks. for the ease of moving them to fill up. Will they be enough and will they freeze up themselfs. I know they recomend 100lb tnks. or the wood stove? WTF?

George2615 · Dec 8, 2013

If your going to use your bldg. occasionally the 2 40lb tanks will be fine. I have a 100lb tank kept outside all winter for cooking stove only and it doesn't freeze up.
If you are going to heat the bldg. on a daily basis 2- 40lb ers wont last long. Why don't you get a 2- 100lb tanks or a 300lb tank and have them deliver when it gets empty.

grsthegreat · Dec 8, 2013

I installed a 125,000 BTU propane heater in my shop, and was toying with the idea of using small tanks. Had the figures run by a heating contractor friend of mine.... no way did i want to mess with that. I contacted my propane supplier and asked about renting an additional 250 gal tank that could be filled when they fill my 500 gal tank at the house. They recommended just running a high pressure line underground between the existing tank and my shop. This run is about 300 feet. They told me if i provide the trench, they would supply and install pipe for free.

Boy, i jumped at this offer. I was running new power lines to shop anyways.

Now, as for elbow chimney stack. there is nothing wrong with using an elbow. As a matter of fact they make a special cleanout style 90 bend that allows for very easy creasote cleaning when needed. Alot of my neighbors use them without any issues.

Loadstar · Dec 8, 2013

I would venture to bet you will get frosty lazy propane using 40lb jugs.

enterprisebbc · Dec 9, 2013

I called my Gas folks and they told me I need a building permit plus the cost of intalling renting or buying the tanks, one 1oolb tank $320 to buy which came to nearly $500. I would have loved to have it deliver at fill up but they price themselfs out of it. I do have a 100lb for my stove and generator but they are on the opposite side of the house. I understand that if you hook up a manifold to both 40lb tanks when running at full blast it wont ice up. What did the 2 100lb tanks cost you or did you rent them?

George2615 · Dec 9, 2013

Wow, price sure is high in your area or else prices have gone up significantly since I bought mine. Originally I had a 300 lb tank from one company and they delivered propane when I called them (about once a year). Then after 20 years of their tank sitting on my property they decided to start charging an annual fee just to have the tank. The annual fee cost more than the annual propane I was using for cooking so I told that company to come pick up their tank. Fortunately we have many propane companies in my area so I called another company and bought a single 100lb. tank. That was about 4 years ago and cost about $150 with regulator plus fill up. When empty I load it on my trailer, take it to the propane place about a mile away and get it filled (about $57 to fill). The hard part is when I get back with it. It's pretty heavy once filled but my small trailer is low to the ground so I only have to lower it about a foot off the trailer to the ground then roll it back in place and hook it up. Luckily I only have to fill it a couple times a year.

KennyG · Dec 9, 2013

For occasional use, I wouldn't mess with the propane and tanks. I heat my 40x48 building most weekends with a wood stove and I use a 70K diesel/kerosene torpedo heater to take the edge off while I build the wood fire or if I'm only working a few hours. The new diesel heaters have very little odor and don't need much venting. I put my vent straight through the roof but elbowing out, with a cleanout elbow is a great way to go.

kenmac · Dec 9, 2013

If it's insulated well, I don't think you need 100-200k heat. I heat my 24x42 shop with an 80 K BTU NG furnace. I used round metal pipe for the duct and cut holes in it

rhett · Dec 9, 2013

If efficiency is of interest, the "Rocket Stove" principle seems it might fit this topic. Below are links to one example that has detail for the project. Larger or even "Mass Heat Systems" could be employed. They are inexpensive to operate and build. There is a lot of information out there for design and construction.

Zero's website: Wood burning Rocket Stove heater plans

A well prepared PDF document by Zero: http://alt-nrg.org/images/rocket/Zero's_Rocket.pdf

You-tube video's by Zero: #322 Lab DONE! Rocket Stove Mass Heater begins! - YouTube

Note: Personally I have only tried a small brick Rocket Stove for cooking and it works great. (about 32 bricks stacked loosely)

coobie · Dec 10, 2013

enterprisebbc said:
I called my Gas folks and they told me I need a building permit plus the cost of intalling renting or buying the tanks, one 1oolb tank $320 to buy which came to nearly $500. I would have loved to have it deliver at fill up but they price themselfs out of it. I do have a 100lb for my stove and generator but they are on the opposite side of the house. I understand that if you hook up a manifold to both 40lb tanks when running at full blast it wont ice up. What did the 2 100lb tanks cost you or did you rent them?

That price is CRAZY.I bought a 100 lb tank at the local farm store for $99 bucks and had it filled for $1.25 gal.I had my Barn 28X34X14 sidewalls sprayed insulation (walls and ceiling)2-3 inches thick for around $2,000.I heat with a wall mounted 30,000 BTU propane heater and 100 lb tank.It stays 75 degrees when it,s ZERO degrees outside.