Thread: Shed heating options

Originally Posted by 19brendan81

"The smell may not be an issue with me but then it may"

I dont think youd have much prob on a farm (except maybe with your wife)...in suburbia, my limited experience with burning used motor oil is that its no good. I remember my cousin walking up to my house from his nearby house when I did it and he said he could smell it from the end of the street. It could well be that I wasnt getting complete combustion and a better burnder would fix the issue, however i wasnt prepared to experiment. i do recall that it wasnt smoking though, so I must have been halfway close to complete combustion.

Re insulation - it will be an easy job in my shed (flat roof) so I will definitely do it. 1/3rd has been done already, just need to finish it off. The low roof would defintely make heating it easier than a typcial pitched shed.

Brendan

Did you clean your motor oil before using it and if so how? I am planning on using a wick system to clean it.

I thought about fitting a ceiling but decided it would be too constrictive in height and would cost much more to do. The current construction does not have rafters at all. Just the pitched frame.

Dean

I strained it to remove any large particles but then just let it fly. I used a forced air blower and a small aperture to mist the oil into a preheated furnace (used charcoal first). It smelt like a Mitsubishi Sigma x 1000

Originally Posted by 19brendan81

It smelt like a Mitsubishi Sigma x 1000

This thread might be a good opportunity to show off my pot belly (from the 'Shed Heating Ornament' thread) after a burned-in coat of Rustoleum High Heat stove paint. Yes I actually finished something

I did notice that (anecdotal evidence) that it does seem to throw out more heat. Whatever style of heater you build, if you paint it black it will radiate more heat. I also welded in a baffle with a 30mm gap just below the opening to the flue.

CIMG0570.jpg

....but of course, with holes like this in the shed, radiant heat is about all you get out of my magnificent stove.

CIMG0569.jpg

Shed is large but VERY agricultural in construction with just about recycled everything... plans are afoot for a rebuild which includes insulation.

Insulation is a must for keeping the heat in your shed. Insulation is not expensive, can be a PITA to install, especially when trying to work around an already 'functional' shed. It can be done a little bit at a time, and is definitely worth the effort.