Jump to content

Fitting a Log Burner in a garage


Cornish Rattler

Recommended Posts

I've been getting a few egg pallets from work ( white wood ) recently and I gave them ago yesterday just to see how they are and I am quite pleased with them as they burn a lot better, slightly slower than what I have tried and quite hot aswell so I mite keep to getting these instead as it's free aswell 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Cornish Rattler said:

I've been getting a few egg pallets from work ( white wood ) recently and I gave them ago yesterday just to see how they are and I am quite pleased with them as they burn a lot better, slightly slower than what I have tried and quite hot aswell so I mite keep to getting these instead as it's free aswell 

Free is always good! If the heat is free you're more likely to use it and get out to the workshop on a cold day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My MK2a test burn.

Pumped out a nice bit of heat in my 4x8 m garage and moved the thermometer from 4 to 18 degrees in half and hour (with the door shut).

It was finished in a nice coat of black stove paint and sold last week on fleabay, the next one is just waiting the coat of paint and I'll be listing that this evening.

And before anyone says, the Mk1 that normally sits there is a bigger bottle so that's why theres a jury rigged stack of bricks supporting it :)

IMG_3153.JPG

Edited by Igol
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎2‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 6:31 AM, Igol said:

My MK2a test burn.

Pumped out a nice bit of heat in my 4x8 m garage and moved the thermometer from 4 to 18 degrees in half and hour (with the door shut).

It was finished in a nice coat of black stove paint and sold last week on fleabay, the next one is just waiting the coat of paint and I'll be listing that this evening.

And before anyone says, the Mk1 that normally sits there is a bigger bottle so that's why theres a jury rigged stack of bricks supporting it :)

IMG_3153.JPG

Nice, wish I could weld :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just an update, managed to get round to insulating the wall at the back of the stove aswell as the sides using two std plaster boards stuck together for the wall behind the stove then used two single boards one on either side on the stove to protect everything from getting hot and it throws out more heat now and everything around it stays cold :)

We also raised the stove by about 8" aswell as it just makes life easier filling the stove, will post pic's later :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On ‎01‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 0:39 PM, Retroanaconda said:

That looks great. I've got a couple of gas bottles kicking about but haven't plucked up the courage yet to drain them and start cutting them about.

My draining technique has been mainly wedging open the valve for a few weeks then a very slow and wet drill through the valve so there's no chance of a spark.

Once the valve is totally buggered and opened out its in with the funnel, fill with water and again leave alone for at least a day (though last time it was a few weeks) then its out with the No1 LR tool and grind off the valve.  After that I've been happy enough to cut into it and burn it out to get shot of the propane smell and paint.

They seem to have gone quite well on flea bay with free shipping.  I'm onto my Mk2a now though they're obviously a seasonal product and my last one has been stuck for about 2 months now .  To my mind this is the time to start fitting one ready for the winter so your not having to be routing flues in the cold and wet.....just the normal wet :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Igol said:

My draining technique has been mainly wedging open the valve for a few weeks then a very slow and wet drill through the valve so there's no chance of a spark.

Once the valve is totally buggered and opened out its in with the funnel, fill with water and again leave alone for at least a day (though last time it was a few weeks) then its out with the No1 LR tool and grind off the valve.  After that I've been happy enough to cut into it and burn it out to get shot of the propane smell and paint.

They seem to have gone quite well on flea bay with free shipping.  I'm onto my Mk2a now though they're obviously a seasonal product and my last one has been stuck for about 2 months now .  To my mind this is the time to start fitting one ready for the winter so your not having to be routing flues in the cold and wet.....just the normal wet :)

Nice it sounds like it's a nice little earner

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Ok it's been nearly 3/4 of a year in and with autumn just around the corner I decided on fitting an adjustable vent on the opposite wall to where the stove is which is where my bench is as for some reason it's the only place in the garage that wouldn't get warm, so Saturday I got my SDS drill out and cut a hole in the wall and fitted the vent but didn't have time to try it so today I got the stove going and after 1/2 an hour I opened the vent and hey presto it works and the bench area is nice and warm, just need to see how it is once winter kicks in again

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, the memories . . . I kept myself alive for several Canadian winters working on Landies in a horrible draughty shed heated only with a big wood stove. This was often at -10c or so and your milder weather makes me a little jealous because it would be easy to keep warm there! 

Cornish Rattler, try and get some shiny metal to line the little plasterboard box you've built, as the amount of heat you can reflect in this way makes quite a difference. I noticed someone mentioned that insulated chimney pipe you're supposed to use for houses, but you shouldn't need it. It's only for sub-zero temperatures when the hot exhaust condenses creosote onto the inside of an uninsulated pipe, and then dribbles down everywhere. Creosote is flammable, so that's how you get a chimney fire. Luckily I was able to upgrade mine after I had this stuff leaking everywhere but before it caught fire. It also depends on what you're burning, but in any case cleaning the chimney before winter every year is a very good idea. (Wear a mask though.) And as also mentioned here, don't use anything remotely flammable while the fire is burning as it's just too risky. 

I must say I do miss being inside a toasty shed, working away while the weather howls outside. Though here I have coconut palms to look at, so I suppose that's the direct opposite! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only just saw this thread after having done a bit of research myself on the topic of wood stoves (note to self: check this part of the forum more often!). But for anyone who's thinking of a new stove install check this site out http://www.stovefittersmanual.co.uk - seems comprehensive enough. Some points I've gleaned:

- plasterboard (the non- fire rated sort) is combustible, so normal clearance distances apply (see below)

- single skin flues do get v hot so require 3x their own diameter clearance to combustibles

- single skin does also suffer from additional charcoal build up due to condensation and will need more sweeping, as well as not giving good  draught when cold - a twin wall warms up quicker because of the insulation - a similar reasoning applies to external flues vs internal  

- there are some excellent deals on twin wall on that auction site (and other places) - the only thing you have to watch is the price of the connectors to connect up to your stovepipe, what may seem like a bargain often isn't due to the humungus pricing of say a 6inch stove pipe connector. And the other problem is that often secondhand twinwall is of unknown manufacture, or worse is obsolete. That means trying to identify it yourself (from what seems like 20-30 different manufacturers over the last 20 years or so, or taking a piece of it to your local flue specialist who may be able to identify it. I say 'may'  because I saw a cheap one, asked my local specialist who said he'd asked his technical rep, and came back with the name Powrmatic, who no longer make that kind of flue. In the end it turned out the tech rep was completely wrong and the real make was actually a well known one! So tread carefully.

Anyway, apart from all that time-consuming shenanigans I'm looking forward to a toasty winter. Good luck to all you wood burners

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

If you're looking at a wood burner, or any other type of burner, for your shop it's probably worth having a single wall flue within the shop, but dual/insulated outside and accepting that it needs cleaning more frequently.  The single wall section gives out heat straight away, and that's why you have a burner.  That's the set up that I have and immediately after light up I use a pedestal fan to blow on the flue directly above the burner.  This greatly accelerates warm up of the shop.  Once the burner body starts getting warm I redirect the fan onto the body and the shop temperature rises by at last 10 Deg C within an hour.  I use my shop ~4 days per week and over the 7 cold months - October to April - I burn about 2 cords of wood, mainly pine and birch.  A cord is a pile of split wood measuring 4ft x 4ft x 8ft.

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Snagger said:

I read the other day that the UK government is planning legislation or taxation to discourage wood burning in towns and villages due to pollution issues.  Worth checking on before buying a new burner.

I read something about it and I thought they were only talking about London? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't remember.  I think it was a very vague and short article anyway, so you could well be right.  Still, when one city starts, others tend to jump on the bandwagon.  It's just a consideration to make before parting with a lot of cash.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy