I have a 30x35 pole barn that is fairly insulated by previous owner with faced fiberglass covered with 1/2 plywood on walls, and some thin foam insulation panels on ceiling. The large barn door and side door don't have insulation so would need to buy foam panels for that. I have debated different ways of heating the barn and was looking for some thoughts. Located in Midwest so it can get single digits but typical in winter is 20-40. Most of use is to heat the barn up to 50 degrees or so to workout, work on projects etc and typically would only be for a couple hours at a time, either 2 hours on weeknights occasionally or throughout the whole weekend or just a couple hours on a weekend. So one option is a wood stove, just makes me a bit nervous having a stove in there and not sure the practical ability to heat it. I was exploring this outdoor wood boilers as an option as well and wanted to some thoughts on how those work for sporadic use? Maybe barking up the wrong tree. My neighbor owns a tree service so i have plenty of split wood now and access to much more so i was giving it a look. The other options are to run a gas line ("300 feet") , wood stove, or just buy a salamander or some type of radiant heat unit. Thoughts or advice appreciated! Thanks.
For that amount of heating you should get one of those forced air propane "torpedo" heater. Turn it on and come back 30 minutes later and you're good. A wood stove seems like a lot more work for a couple hours of heat a couple times a week.
OWB would be the most expensive choice, by a mile. I'd run the gas line before doing that. The turbo heater is a good option IMO...another good one might be to install one of those outdoor forced air wood furnaces...just have to run really well insulated supply and return ducts out to it...keeps the fire outside of the building, and will keep the insurance company happy (most of the time) as far as having a solid fuel fired heater in a "garage", which many of them won't allow. If the insurance company is not an issue, and you have the room for it, I think I'd put in a double barrel stove...lots of heat, quick.
I would consider partitioning off a smaller area for a workshop and leave the larger space for working on equipment and big projects. If the barn has tall walls this would also give you an "overhead" loft above the workshop for storage. Heating a smaller area like just the shop would greatly simplify things. I think I would then go for a ceiling mounted electric radiant heater in the workshop and a barrel stove or salamander in the larger area!
An OWB is a big investment. Even bigger for part time use. I would seal up and insulate the best you can and use a propane or kerosene space heater.
So, have a partially insulated 24x24 shop that I heat for the same purpose occasional evenings and most weekends. It takes quite a while to get the building to a comfortable temp. I tried most all of the propane and kero heaters. They burn pretty dirty and it doesn’t take long for your eyes to start burning. I figure if your eyes are burning it’s probly not too good for the lungs. Then moved to wood stoves. Started small and moved up. The one I am using now will take a 26 inch stick and it’s been the best solution. It’s more work to make the firewood but I can get that place warm pretty quick. As said if your insurance is ok with wood I’d go that way. Bigger the better. The double barrel would be pretty inexpensive to build. if you had a good supply of waste oil a waste oil furnace would work well too. They are messy and require a bunch of cleaning. But if you can get the fuel for free then… No experience with outdoor burners. I think it would be pretty expensive up front for what I need.
I had a older forced air furnace fed by a 150 gallon lp tank. Bought that furnace for 75 bucks. Used it for years. Worked great for quick heat. Respectable efficiency as well. Another thought.
I use a kerosene salamander for the occasional days I need heat in my shed. Prolly use maybe 10 gals each winter? I go out 45 minutes before the work starts and let that salamander roar. It is very loud but heats my small shed nice like. I have used off road diesel in a pinch but it really stinks. Kerosene burns much cleaner.
Any heating appliance in a garage /shop/ pole barn should be a minimum of 4ft off floor. local codes or ins might modify that further. here in my shop heating units are only allowed as hanging from ceiling. combustive vapors are generally heaver than air. Even those little electric space heaters can make for a BIG bang. Not sure on the oil filled ones as I have never been inside one so do not know how the heating element is installed in those. Here in my county at home OWB new installs are verboten. (thanks Kalifornia.) not sure if an outdoor forced air unit would be covered under that . there might be a minimum distance from other structures for an external heating source as well. Used to a couple mfg of the hot air units - do not know if any are still around.
Definitely not an application for a wood boiler. You get 'em hot and keepum that way. Start a fire in your new wood stove then split a half cord for your workout, you should be warming up in a few minutes and by the time you finish that the w/s temperature should be about right.
I burn a woodstove for intermittent heat in my well insulated 30x60 with 14’ ceilings. Permitted and insured. 18” off the floor, not 4’. it takes a long time to heat the whole thing from 50 to 70 but as soon as the stove is hot you will be warm standing near it until the whole shop heats up. Even if you add gas heat, the wood stove is extremely enjoyable. A hanging unit heater (aka reznor, hot dawg) is cheap and easy and safe because it’s vented. It can be propane or natural gas and make huge fast heat. I have 1800 feet of radiant heat tubes in my slab that I never have put hot water into because good insulation and a woodstove is sufficient.
Sure, the biggest noncat I could find, the Englander nc30 which is 3.5 cubic feet. Today I would be looking at the biggest drolet. You can’t go too big, it will never be too much for intermittent heat in a shop. It’s much different than heating a home. You’re looking for a big pulse of intense heat. I’ve often thought it might be even better to have installed a wood furnace. Similar firebox size but a big heat exchanger in the exhaust and a big blower. No ducting is necessary.
I ended up getting a Ashley Hearth 3200 sq ft stove for mine. So I was kinda curious what someone else was running in theirs.
For what I'm doing and trying to accomplish, it's exactly what I need/want. Normally, I would agree with you though.
A flat roof ceiling sure, but there are some pretty wild pitch vaulted ceilings using scissor trusses or steel manufactured trusses that allow a tall peak. I have a flat ceiling and sometimes I wish I had gone 16' instead of 14' just to have a 14' tall overhead door and be able to fit tall 5th wheel trailers or motorhomes. Another consideration is an automotive lift needs head space. 8' is silly low. There must be a good and interesting reason.
Agreed...mine is 8', but hey, it was existing when I bought the place...not much I was gonna do about it (actually did consider jacking the roof up and having a few more rows of blocks laid)
Maybe make a woodshed or boiler barn out of it and build a taller shed off to the side as an addition? A lot of storage functions will work just fine with an 8' ceiling height.
Nah...I have a wood shed or two...and no boiler...its gonna have to continue to work as my garage/shop....I did just add 8' onto the back, so its actually deep enough to get my extended cab 8' bed Superduty in now...the addition makes it 28' x 28'...not big enough, but it'll do.