Wood Stove For My Pole Barn
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MikeD74T
Veteran Member
Years ago I built a double barrel stove & loved it. Lined the bottom barrel 1/2 way up sides & ends with fire bricks. The 1/2 thickness ones are called 'soaps' & work best. Use high temperature refractory cement to put them togeather. It comes premixed in one gallon buckets at masonary supplies. Get barrels with removable covers & the band clamps that hold the tops on so they can be removed for cleaning/inspection and makes assembly easier. I used a horizontal baffle on both barrels to create a back & forth smoke flow to get the most heat. It will last for years if used reasonably. MikeD74Tdooleysm said:
I put in a heat shield last weekend. I used scrap metal barn siding, 74" tall. I made an L shape. I framed in the area and attached the metal to the wood frame with 4 inch lag bolts with 2 inch pieces of copper pipe between the metal and the wood frame. I also put an angled piece of trim coil stock at the top to deflect the heat out away from the wall above the stove.
As a test I put my salamander in front of the heat shield and fired it up. The metal got pretty hot pretty quick, but behind the metal remained well within normal temperatures. Warm but not hot by any means. I think it may work.
I also started to assemble the stove but am not done with that. I'm still working on ideas on how to vent the thing. I have 0 experience with this. Someone earlier said that double walled stovepipe is not approved for inside use, this doesn't make sense to me? That seems ideal to me.
There is foam insulation between the metal and purlins. There will be a gap of maybe 2.5 - 3 feet between the foam and where the stovepipe goes up and out. Also, I'm not sure on how to get the pipe through the roof. There's insulation on the roof as well that I'm worried about. I'm also worried about leaks where the stovepipe goes out the roof. If I had a shingled roof I would run the top side of the flange under the upper shingles and leave the bottom of the flange on top of the bottom shingles and call it a day. Do I need to cut off the piece of roof metal and cut a longer bottom piece and then overlap the roof metal around the stovepipe flange?
Should I look at running the pipe out the side of the building and up from there?
As a test I put my salamander in front of the heat shield and fired it up. The metal got pretty hot pretty quick, but behind the metal remained well within normal temperatures. Warm but not hot by any means. I think it may work.
I also started to assemble the stove but am not done with that. I'm still working on ideas on how to vent the thing. I have 0 experience with this. Someone earlier said that double walled stovepipe is not approved for inside use, this doesn't make sense to me? That seems ideal to me.
There is foam insulation between the metal and purlins. There will be a gap of maybe 2.5 - 3 feet between the foam and where the stovepipe goes up and out. Also, I'm not sure on how to get the pipe through the roof. There's insulation on the roof as well that I'm worried about. I'm also worried about leaks where the stovepipe goes out the roof. If I had a shingled roof I would run the top side of the flange under the upper shingles and leave the bottom of the flange on top of the bottom shingles and call it a day. Do I need to cut off the piece of roof metal and cut a longer bottom piece and then overlap the roof metal around the stovepipe flange?
Should I look at running the pipe out the side of the building and up from there?
I am in the same process as you. I have the kit but have not started it yet.
Also trying to figure out how to vent. My metal building is not insulated except for the roof. I plan to go out the side into a "T" and then go up the side of the building with that. My thinking with the "T" is I can always remove the bottom of it to check and clean out the vertical if necessary.
What I am trying to figure out is how to seal around the inside and outside of the 6" pipe going through the metal.
For those interested, Tractor Supply seems to have the best price on these things. $30 for one kit and $20 for the 2nd barrel.
For barrels that are painted is it best to grind off any paint? I would think it would burn off during the first light an stink like crazy.
Thanks,
James
Also trying to figure out how to vent. My metal building is not insulated except for the roof. I plan to go out the side into a "T" and then go up the side of the building with that. My thinking with the "T" is I can always remove the bottom of it to check and clean out the vertical if necessary.
What I am trying to figure out is how to seal around the inside and outside of the 6" pipe going through the metal.
For those interested, Tractor Supply seems to have the best price on these things. $30 for one kit and $20 for the 2nd barrel.
For barrels that are painted is it best to grind off any paint? I would think it would burn off during the first light an stink like crazy.
Thanks,
James
I was thinking about adding some T's in there to aid cleanout if I went with the through the wall method. Someone mentioned that it wouldn't 'draw' right (or some such terminology) if I went through the wall and had a horizontal section. I'm not sure if I believe this, as I recall seeing stovepipe that goes horizontal.
With going through the wall, I was wondering about how to support the outside stovepipe. I assume a large vertical run could be unstable in high winds/rain. I thought maybe I could run some wire around it and attach to the side of the barn.
If you haven't started building the kit yet, I had great luck cutting out the holes with a jigsaw equipped with a metal blade. That worked much better than my first attempt where I used up a 4 inch grinder wheel. That did the trick, but took a while, used up the whole wheel, and led to some serious sinus blackness.
I also obtained some longer screws than were provided. The legs didn't fit quite tight with the barrel and the screws provided didn't stick through the inside of the barrel quite far enough for a good bite with the nut.
Once I get my stove assembled I'm planning on firing it up outside for a while to burn off any nastiness inside and out of the barrels, before installing it inside the barn.
With going through the wall, I was wondering about how to support the outside stovepipe. I assume a large vertical run could be unstable in high winds/rain. I thought maybe I could run some wire around it and attach to the side of the barn.
If you haven't started building the kit yet, I had great luck cutting out the holes with a jigsaw equipped with a metal blade. That worked much better than my first attempt where I used up a 4 inch grinder wheel. That did the trick, but took a while, used up the whole wheel, and led to some serious sinus blackness.
I also obtained some longer screws than were provided. The legs didn't fit quite tight with the barrel and the screws provided didn't stick through the inside of the barrel quite far enough for a good bite with the nut.
Once I get my stove assembled I'm planning on firing it up outside for a while to burn off any nastiness inside and out of the barrels, before installing it inside the barn.
RonMar
Elite Member
You want to keep the pipe run as vertical as possible. Any horizontal runs should be right off the stove where the exhaust gas is the hottest. Cresote and other combustables are in suspension in the hot gas but will quickly condense out of the gas as the gas cools. Horizontal runs where the flow slows down are perfect for collecting this very flamable buildup.
Have you thought about putting the stove outside in a metal enclosure(external furnace)? I switched over to a pellet stove in my home last spring. I plan on using the old small woodstove to heat the garage but I am unwilling to give up the floorspace which is quite limited with all my junk
I plan on putting the stove(about 24" X14" X 14" outside in a double walled metal locker(old recycled flamable storage locker). The gap between the metal locker and the stove will have heatsink fins welded to the stove for more surface area. I will duct air from the garage floor to the base of the locker where baffels will force it around and thru the heatsink fins on the stove. The hot air off the stove will return to the garage thru an insulated duct from the top of the locker to the garage wall. This keeps the wood mess outside and I don't have to mess with meeting internal code/safety distances in an already crowded shop space.
Have you thought about putting the stove outside in a metal enclosure(external furnace)? I switched over to a pellet stove in my home last spring. I plan on using the old small woodstove to heat the garage but I am unwilling to give up the floorspace which is quite limited with all my junk
I plan on putting the stove(about 24" X14" X 14" outside in a double walled metal locker(old recycled flamable storage locker). The gap between the metal locker and the stove will have heatsink fins welded to the stove for more surface area. I will duct air from the garage floor to the base of the locker where baffels will force it around and thru the heatsink fins on the stove. The hot air off the stove will return to the garage thru an insulated duct from the top of the locker to the garage wall. This keeps the wood mess outside and I don't have to mess with meeting internal code/safety distances in an already crowded shop space.
CurlyDave
Elite Member
just curious...why is that?
Building code.
I have no idea why, but my best guess is that some bureaucrat had some time on his hands one fine morning and decided to make a rule all us peons had to follow.
Building code.
I have no idea why, but my best guess is that some bureaucrat had some time on his hands one fine morning and decided to make a rule all us peons had to follow.
Dusty
Veteran Member
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- bx22
Horizontal runs of stove pipe should have a slight upward tilt away from the stove. My guess about the double wall not being acceptable inside is you wouldn't know if you have a chimney fire with double wall. Make sure to use black stove pipe, not galvanized. Also, check with the local building codes to see what hight over the nearest high point of the roof you have to be above. All this is important to have a stove that functions well. If you have the time, money, and patience, consider building a masonry chimney. They sell square blocks that hold a clay tile inside of them, and all you need to do is stack and mortar them in place. You will need to dig a footing and pour a concrete base, but with a clay lined chimney, you will not have a problem with it for years, if you take good care of it. Metal stovepipe rusts out quickly when used with a wood burning stove. Dusty
Westonium
Silver Member
Aluminum sheet metal works wonderfully. Aluminum conducts heat far better than steel. I bought big sheets of the stuff online and wrapped the corner walls with it. The more sheets, the better because it will conduct the heat in all directions thereby making it exceptionally hard for a hot spot to form that could ignite the wood behind it. I have a couple of feet from the walls and a brick area below the stove to deal with having a combustible floor. Hardibacker with brick layed on it, stove on that.
If you use something like stone, concrete etc close to the stove, you can get heat buildup over time in one spot. It has a lot of thermal mass which will make it take a long time to get very hot, but if you run the stove all day/night it can happen. Concrete and stone don't conduct heat very well at all. Aluminum (or copper chaching) sheet between the stove and the concrete or stone would be pretty safe. Deciding on thickness vs size, go for size. You want a lot of surface area with the aluminum so it can radiate the heat into the room.
A slow fan pointed at the walls around the stove wouldn't hurt as long as it doesn't blow combustible stuff around it and it would help heat the barn.
I did all that and frankly, the stove isn't big enough to do the job. I used the one that used to be in the house and basically the barn just leaks heat faster than the stove can heat it.
I'm thinking a forced-air propane heater like they use in greenhouses would have been better for me. Insane amounts of heat quickly and only when I need it (not often).
If you use something like stone, concrete etc close to the stove, you can get heat buildup over time in one spot. It has a lot of thermal mass which will make it take a long time to get very hot, but if you run the stove all day/night it can happen. Concrete and stone don't conduct heat very well at all. Aluminum (or copper chaching) sheet between the stove and the concrete or stone would be pretty safe. Deciding on thickness vs size, go for size. You want a lot of surface area with the aluminum so it can radiate the heat into the room.
A slow fan pointed at the walls around the stove wouldn't hurt as long as it doesn't blow combustible stuff around it and it would help heat the barn.
I did all that and frankly, the stove isn't big enough to do the job. I used the one that used to be in the house and basically the barn just leaks heat faster than the stove can heat it.
I'm thinking a forced-air propane heater like they use in greenhouses would have been better for me. Insane amounts of heat quickly and only when I need it (not often).
CurlyDave
Elite Member
I'm thinking a forced-air propane heater like they use in greenhouses would have been better for me. Insane amounts of heat quickly and only when I need it (not often).
I am thinking along the same lines for my not-yet-built shop. I spent 20 years heating my house with wood, and it took a significant amount of time to keep the fire going. When I am in my shop in the winter, it is not because I am having fun -- I want to get the job done and get out. Crawling out from under a car every hour or so to stoke the fire doesn't sound like nearly as much fun at 65 as it did at 30.
Especially when I am in the middle of something greasy, dirty, or just plain hard to interrupt.
I am thinking along the same lines for my not-yet-built shop. I spent 20 years heating my house with wood, and it took a significant amount of time to keep the fire going. When I am in my shop in the winter, it is not because I am having fun -- I want to get the job done and get out. Crawling out from under a car every hour or so to stoke the fire doesn't sound like nearly as much fun at 65 as it did at 30.
Especially when I am in the middle of something greasy, dirty, or just plain hard to interrupt.
