Re: heater BTU's

Posted by jdemaris on January 12, 2004 at 05:37:54 from (209.23.30.127):

In Reply to: heater BTU's posted by Robbie on January 11, 2004 at 16:47:45:

Just buy a woodstove or furnace with a rating that's at least 25% over what you think you need. In this case, rated over 100,000 BTUs. Wood burning units are usually adverstised with a maximum output that you'll rarely experience (draft at optimum, best firewood on the planet, etc.).
I've been heating several houses and shops for years, with wood and oil and I've experimented a little. With your shop, one consideration is - are you going to heat all the time at least a little above freezing? Also, how fast do you want your shop to heat up when you want to use it?
If you need to keep your shop from freezing, using just wood will be difficult. If you want a fast warm up, wood is also difficult. My biggest shop has two systems, an 80K BTU oil hot-air unit and an old large wood stove that has a output of 125,000 BTU and just works on convection. It's an "air tight" that was popular in the late 70s. Used to be lots of this sort around. Heavy, simple, and reliable. Today, such woodstoves are not allowed to be called "woodstoves." Because of emission standards, they now have to be called wood furnaces or such. I paid $50 for mine (model 500) and it was built in 1980. The company is making them again, they have a Website at: http://www.cetsolar.com/ThermContrl.htm
I see good used ones often for around $300.
My shop is 25' by 50' first floor, and 2nd and 3rd floors are 20' by 25'. Only insulation is 1" foam board on sidewalls and 10" fiberglass overhead. I keep it heated all winter at about 40 degrees F with the oil. When I want to use it, I turn the oil up to 60F and start a wood fire. We get down to -35F on occasion, and the I've had no trouble keeping the place warm.
Seems a combo (wood-oil) unit should work well also. Those must have electricity, however, to run the intake damper and the blower. I like my wood burner since it needs no power whatsoever.

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