Heat for my chainsaw shed

[Patrick62]

Electric space heater with the little fan in it and I'll tell ya why.
Easy to place/hang and no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or flames/fires.
Heats quickly with no prep time and can be put on a timer to get the shed warm before going out or turn it on from the house.
Cheap and for the amount to use it, it would cost little.

If I had public service out here, I would agree with ya. I am off grid. 1200W electric heater on my solar system would be MURDER. Inverter is rated at 1500W, runs off a set of batteries 420 amp/hour. 1200 watts would be a bit over 50 amps on the batteries. 4 hours, and I am dead. if the inverter didn't expire first. Generators. My little generator would run the temporary hot water tank, barely. It did not like it. Run the larger generator, and essentially burn a quart of gasoline for a hot shower. But it worked... I finally rigged up a propane on demand water heater (cheap chinese thing, but it works!).

I will build a small stove out of a old propane cylinder. Maybe 12" long, vent it with a 4" pipe. There is very little fuel stored in here. I am aware of the hazards (burned up my shop 4 months ago). But that was more like several gallons of gasoline and a point of ignition...

 

[U&A]

I have this for sale[emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[U&A]

Can you weld?

I make these for fun.

Very easy and simple with good heat for a small room

Try making one? Use 4” stove pipe

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[Patrick62]

I can see it now... U&A woodstoves, you have a talent.
I can weld, but it is a bit cruder than what you have demonstrated.

But, that is the general idea... except, I am going to make my firebox about 10" long, outta a propane cylinder. I should try and do something like your air tube, but honestly, if it will burn it will be ok.

 

[alleyyooper]

My Michigan deer camp can get wet with rain soe years, other years with those wet sticky snows. Was hard to get our hunting gear dry so I did two things to fix the problem.
A 10x10 garden shed non insulated and a 2 burner propane heater.


Wet clothes we hand start the heater on high let it run like that till about 9:00PM. At 9:00 PM or there about go out and shut it down and relite just one burner on low.
Drys our clothes over night and in th emorning when we go out to dress the shed is toasty to boot. A 20 pound tank last us a week running it that way.

Al

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Propane buddy heater makes the most sense as far as ease of use, space efficient, and fast/easy heat. As long as the shed isn't 100% air tight, you'll be fine. And the Buddy heaters have a low O2 sensor anyway. This is really easy to turn on, would heat that shed up in minutes even on really cold days. We use one of the small ones in my ice fishing shanty and it gets up to T-shirt weather inside 15-20 minutes even on sub zero days. On low, we go most of a day on the ice with a 1lb cylinder. So a 20lb tank outside will last you quite a while.

For me, the ideal fire is a wood stove. It's just more cozy and satisfying to start a fire and warm the place up that way. Plus, you could cook on it while you're out there.


Electric(since you don't have service) or some sort of solar system is going to be a lot of work and expense for not much real benefit over propane/wood. IMO. I know I do a lot of work after the sun goes down in the winter since the days are so short, so solar doesn't make any sense at all in this application for me, but it may for other people.

 

[chainsawman123]

So, I got this little shed that I am using for my sharpening, repair. View attachment 841626
Ok, so it's gonna get chilly this winter, and I could just about heat it with a couple candles... I was going to use a small infrared propane but there would be a venting issue. I really don't wanna gas myself, so I had a idea....

I recently had to replace my water heater cause it leaks... Hmm the burner still works? I wonder what I could do with that? Maybe whip out the acetylene torch, and reduce it to just the burner and that pipe that goes up the middle of the tank. Hmmm, stand that sucker up in the corner, and hook a vent to it. Maybe weld on a couple fins for heat, the burner worked fine... maybe configure it with a different gas valve. Just thinking out loud here. I could run the thing on less than the full burn it used to do when it was warming water. Should not take a whole lot to warm this little shed...

I know the ideal would be some sort of a small wood stove, but propane is faster. Now I sort of wish I had kept that little pot belly I had... I could build something?

Thoughts? Ideas? Am I nuts (don't answer that)

you need to get a wood stove and fire it up in your shead for the winter

 

[chainsawman123]

you need to get a wood stove and fire it up in your shead for the winter

you should have a wood stove in your shed to keep you warm during ther cold weather

 

[jonsereds 621]

Would someone tell me what procedure they use for cutting a propane cylinder...safely. I generally take the valve out and fill with water and leave that way for a while. Then let enough water out to be able to cut where I need (oxy/propane). They still stink, but I have not had a bang yet, always makes me tremble though. I had quite an incident years ago repairing a petrol paraffin tank for an old tractor , vey little of it left after.....oxy/acetylene. Fortunately, none of it hit me, but tap mounting flange broke the windscreen in a nearby car.
Perhaps your initial cut with a disc ? Rather wary here in the UK !

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I'd look for something else use. About the only way to be safe would be to steam out the tank and then check for flammable gases with a meter.
Filling with water is still risky.

Would be better to weld up some 3/16" or 1/4" plate into a box for a stove. Or use a piece of pipe.

 

[chainsawman123]

Would someone tell me what procedure they use for cutting a propane cylinder...safely. I generally take the valve out and fill with water and leave that way for a while. Then let enough water out to be able to cut where I need (oxy/propane). They still stink, but I have not had a bang yet, always makes me tremble though. I had quite an incident years ago repairing a petrol paraffin tank for an old tractor , vey little of it left after.....oxy/acetylene. Fortunately, none of it hit me, but tap mounting flange broke the windscreen in a nearby car.
Perhaps your initial cut with a disc ? Rather wary here in the UK !

wow your lickey as hell did you have to pay them for the windshield

 

[RedShift42]

My Buddy heater always impresses.
Bonus: portable, so it can be relocated anyplace else it’s needed.
Mine has been used in power outages, hunting cabins, camping, XC ski event checkpoint...
Love it so much I picked up a 2nd (larger model) and got one for a family member too.

 

[soloz2]

My Buddy heater always impresses.
Bonus: portable, so it can be relocated anyplace else it’s needed.
Mine has been used in power outages, hunting cabins, camping, XC ski event checkpoint...
Love it so much I picked up a 2nd (larger model) and got one for a family member too.

I've had a big buddy for years. It's a fantastic unit. Used it to make my 10x15 uninsulated shed warm to work at my old place. It struggles with my 900sqft garage now. I just stopped by a stove place yesterday to see what it would cost for a wood stove and am waiting for an actual quote once I sent them measurements and pictures. I already have a chimney that will work and am still expecting a $3-4k quote for an "inexpensive" stove. Doesn't seem that inexpensive to me.