Pellet stove insert in my shop... Without a fireplace

[Yotota]

Old house, old shop, working with what I got here. Short story long:

The house is 2 story with walkout basement and has a fireplace downstairs, with a stove flue inlet upstairs. Main floor is upstairs and has a freestanding Quadra Fire Mt Vernon AE pellet stove that heats the upstairs really well.

Downstairs has a Quadra Fire Classic Bay 1200 insert in the fireplace... With zero flue liner. The old owners tried running it just exhausting up into the open chimney and quickly realized how shitty of an idea that was. The downstairs bedrooms have electric wall heaters, and I plugged in a space heater in the downstairs family room that works well enough for now.

So the insert is just sitting here unused. We don't want to pay to install a full 30' flue liner since we plan to install a heat pump in the next couple years which got me thinking:

My cold-ass 24x36x12 shop could make good use of a pellet stove. But the stove is an insert. My first thought is to set it on some cinder blocks, plumb a chimney through the wall or roof, and let 'er rip. Then I got to thinking that with a couple dozen more concrete blocks (4x8x16 hollow) and I could enclose the damn thing in a faux "fireplace".

Or I could just sell the damn insert and install a bigass electric heater in the shop.

What do you all think?

 

[woods]

Or I could just sell the damn insert and install a bigass electric heater in the shop.

What do you all think?

Take your electric rate and see what 3000 to 4000 kw/h runs yea.

 

[Yotota]

Take your electric rate and see what 3000 to 4000 kw/h runs yea.

Shit, I did the math the other day for propane VS electric in the shop but not for pellets. Good call.

 

[woods]

Shit, I did the math the other day for propane VS electric in the shop but not for pellets. Good call.

I always get that one kid, 19, moved into his first apartment, on the first floor, in a seventy year old house with electric heat, and sets it to 72º. Comes in and swears somethings wrong when he gets a $744 bill.

Happens at least once a year.

 

[Yotota]

I always get that one kid, 19, moved into his first apartment, on the first floor, in a seventy year old house with electric heat, and sets it to 72º. Comes in and swears somethings wrong when he gets a $744 bill.

Happens at least once a year.

LOL at least his apartment might be cool in the summer.


Did some math using efficiency stats for actual heaters and market rates for fuel...

Propane @ $2.50/gal delivered = 32940BTU per $1
Electric @ $0.0816/kWh = 41789BTU per $1
Pellets @ $300/T delivered = 45866BTU per $1

So for that, pellets win.

But there's also the convenience of an electric heater, with no maintenance required. The cost would be a wash after selling the pellet stove. Hmm.....

 

[u2slow]

Did some math using efficiency stats for actual heaters and market rates for fuel...

Propane @ $2.50/gal delivered = 32940BTU per $1
Electric @ $0.0816/kWh = 41789BTU per $1
Pellets @ $300/T delivered = 45866BTU per $1

You highlight exactly why my go-to is either electric, or free firewood.

I did find out my insurance won't cover wood heat in a detached shop... so I better play that relatively safe when I'm finally insulated enough to bother heating it.

 

[Yotota]

You highlight exactly why my go-to is either electric, or free firewood.

I did find out my insurance won't cover wood heat in a detached shop... so I better play that relatively safe when I'm finally insulated enough to bother heating it.

For sure, it all costs money unless the wood is free.

INSURANCE eligibility... hmm I should look into that. Shit. LOL

 

[FC4X4]

For sure, it all costs money unless the wood is free.

INSURANCE eligibility... hmm I should look into that. Shit. LOL

Yep... they won't cover booty-fab home-owner shit when it burns down.

 

[u2slow]

My insurance doesn't want a certified woodstove either in a detached garage. In their opinion, since its not legit living quarters, you're not adequately/safely supervising it.

 

[Yotota]

Yep... they won't cover booty-fab home-owner shit when it burns down.

Hey... I resemble that remark.

My insurance doesn't want a certified woodstove either in a detached garage. In their opinion, since its not legit living quarters, you're not adequately/safely supervising it.

Yeah, the more I think about it from this perspective the less I think it's a good idea.

This insert is $3700 new so I can get $1k or more for it which easily than covers an electric heater plus the new circuit on my panel. I think that's the easiest route.

 

[alk1174]

My insurance doesn't want a certified woodstove either in a detached garage. In their opinion, since its not legit living quarters, you're not adequately/safely supervising it.

I went through this last year. Erie ins. did a suprise inspection on our house and saw the stove in my detached shop and cancelled my insurance. Would not allow any type of heat except electric. Didnt care one bit about the stove in the house. Went to Farm Bureau and they did not care one bit about the stove in the shop but wanted very specific details on the stove in the house to be sure it was ul approved and installed correctly. Once they got the info they wanted they wrote us a policy.

 

[u2slow]

^ Good lesson in shopping around.... if you have options. Westland has bought up most of the smaller outfits around here.

 

[bgaidan]

I went through this last year. Erie ins. did a suprise inspection on our house and saw the stove in my detached shop and cancelled my insurance. Would not allow any type of heat except electric. Didnt care one bit about the stove in the house. Went to Farm Bureau and they did not care one bit about the stove in the shop but wanted very specific details on the stove in the house to be sure it was ul approved and installed correctly. Once they got the info they wanted they wrote us a policy.

Did they actually get in the shop or just see the chimney?


I have Erie and when I bought this place last year they came out and did an outside inspection and made me waive coverage on my 120 year-old barn because they didn't like the rock foundation.

At the time, there was just the single stove pipe with wind cap sticking out the back of the shop and I'm guessing they didn't notice it. Now I have a 20' stack back there to get it over the roof and no way they'll miss it next time.

 

[Weasel]

faux fire place and burn the pellets.