Do we need a warm garage....

   / Do we need a warm garage.... #51  
Single wall inside the heated space may not be such a great idea. That's what my FIL has in his cabin and the flue cools the exhaust off so quickly that creosote condenses like crazy. He sometimes has to clean every couple of weeks, or if he doesn't, he gets chimney fires. Even so, he usually has at least a few chimney fires every season :-o

This has not been my experience at all. In fact it shouldn't even be a factor in the grand scheme of things.
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #52  
I like a warm pole barn when working on my truck
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #53  
Single wall inside the heated space may not be such a great idea. That's what my FIL has in his cabin and the flue cools the exhaust off so quickly that creosote condenses like crazy. He sometimes has to clean every couple of weeks, or if he doesn't, he gets chimney fires. Even so, he usually has at least a few chimney fires every season :-o

This hasn't been my experience either. But I can see that if the fire is damped way down, it will build up more carbon in the stack. In a shop setting, he probably will be keeping the fire pretty hot.

Another thing: With a high ceiling, the heat will stratify up near the ceiling and there will be almost nothing at floor level. That shop needs at least one large paddle fan. It will make a huge difference! An excellent fan choice is the commercial, metal blade fans like the ones they use in the big box stores. They only cost about $50. and are 52" diameter. Nothing fancy and designed to run for many years. I put one in my shop (18' ceiling) and it really helped. I also have a large "Big ***" ceiling fan in my living room with 14' ceiling. It makes the room very comfortable and much easier to heat.

Put the shop fan in the middle of the room and it will develop a circulation with the stove. Up at the stove and down from the fan. Excellent. It will heat the room clear to the floor.
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #54  
Yep mine runs all winter.
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #55  
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #56  
Here's the one I installed in my shop: Very low price for what it is, with steel blades and will run for many years. Not fancy, but designed to be totally functional and last a long time. Low speed is enough to do the job in my 900 sq ft shop with 18' ceiling and I can't hear it running.

Westinghouse Industrial 56 In. Ceiling Fan - Mills Fleet Farm
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #57  
Not to be critical, but is he burning unseasoned wood?

Most people do. Most people don't know the difference.

If you are burning hard woods (notice I didn't say hardwoods) like oak, you need two years to call it properly seasoned. I used to see people say that on forums, and I scoffed at them as fanatics and woodburning elitists. My 6-12 month wood was burning just fine!

Then I had the chance to get a bunch of honestly two-year seasoned wood, and found out that I didn't know what I was talking about. The difference was amazing.

Now that I know better, I have found the same to be true even of pine. I don't get much pine, and I keep it for shoulder season, but still, I have now burned enough to know that 6 months is not enough. Pine needs at least a year in my climate (Virginia) and it's noticeably better at two years.

In terms of ease of lighting, long burns, BTUs, and less creosote buildup, 2 year wood is far superior.

The downside is that you need more room to store your wood. I only have an acre, but I manage it with 4 pallet bins that hold about 2.5 cords each, and I burn about 4-5 cords per year, so that allows me to rotate bins and keep 2 years worth on the property.

My wood stove is my only source of heat, so it matters to me!


Of course, if you live in a very dry climate, like, say, Flagstaff, your wood will dry faster.
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #58  
If you have a home with high ceilings these move a ton of air. Our living room has 26' ceilings. We have two of these that have basically ran year round for 3 years now. Even in low settings they do a good job of moving air even from that high up.

Home Decorators Collection Altura 68 in. Oil Rubbed Bronze Ceiling Fan-26668 - The Home Depot

I have one of the Altura fans in my great room. It has a mind of its own, and will come on, go off or change speeds and/or direction all by itself. The problem is inside the radio based remote control, and if you read the reviews on the HD site, is well known. I get around the problem, mostly, by using the remote only to change the speed or direction of the fan, then relying on the wall switch to turn it on or off. Once switched off at the wall, it won't do anything unexpected.
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #59  
I have one of the Altura fans in my great room. It has a mind of its own, and will come on, go off or change speeds and/or direction all by itself. The problem is inside the radio based remote control, and if you read the reviews on the HD site, is well known. I get around the problem, mostly, by using the remote only to change the speed or direction of the fan, then relying on the wall switch to turn it on or off. Once switched off at the wall, it won't do anything unexpected.

Have you tried reprogramming the fan to a different channel setting using the dips switches on the remote. Knock on wood we have 5 total in the house with no issues yet.
 
   / Do we need a warm garage.... #60  
The thing about single wall vs an insulated flue is this: You should be running your stove to keep the exhaust temp ideal, not the stove temp. In other words, if you opt for a lengthy single wall in the living space, that means you will need to burn at a slightly higher temperature in order to keep that flue temp up and avoid deposits. An insulated flue allows you to burn at a slightly lower stove temperature since the exhaust will hold it's heat all the way up. There's no free lunch. Single wall = more wood to burn hotter but throws off more heat. Insulated flue = less wood required to keep flue temps up but you don't get the extra room heat from the flue.
I had over burn and under burn problems until I learned to monitor the flue temperature better. Now I use the look of the fire and the stove temperature as an indicator, but the flue temp drives my controls.
 

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