Reversed Radiant Tube Heater

[vawtman]

 I have been searching for a shop heater to replace mr woodstove(had to go) and settled on a radiant tube heater.Did not purchase one yet but witnessed them in action.Nice feel.

 The thought is that one could cover the reflector with glass to absorb the solar btu's and transfer the heat back to the innards of the tube.

 Could be easily homebrewed.Unlike the gas models that cools has it gets farther from the burner this would get hotter at the tube flue.

 Here's a link to what they are.

http://www.infraredinfo.com/superiorradiant.html

[richhagen]

A Home Depot store and a Sam's club store near me both use those types of natural gas tube heaters.  Don't have much to judge them on, but they appear to work ok and have been there a while.  What happened with the wood stove?  Was it an insurance issue?  Rich

[vawtman]

 Hi Rich

 Here's the story.I think they just hired a college kid has an inspector.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2008/7/17/222619/433

[richhagen]

I remember that now.  I even wrote a response at the time.  I guess you couldn't find anyone else to insure it for a reasonable fee.  Too bad.  I suspect in the not too distant future people are going to be returning more to wood and other waste cellulose as a fuel as the price of petrolium based fuels increases.  Rich

[TomW]

Rich;

The way we got around the wood stove insurance "issue" was to list electric as the main heat and the wood burner as "backup". We have a storage heater on electric so its not a stretch.

The electric heater has not been run since 1998 or something.

They made a point of inspecting the install of the stove. UL plate on the stove, stainless pipe and stone wall behind got a thumbs up with a smile.

Just how we got insured with one.

Tom

[richhagen]

Right now I am in a three unit building that I have near downtown.  In my case, they would allow me to add a listed wood stove, or a fireplace but it would double the premium.  I can't realistically add a wood stove to my apartment there because of the increased cost of the insurance, vs. only heating my unit of the building with it (unless the cost of heating drastically changes).  I wouldn't trust some of my tenants over the years with a match, let alone a wood stove, so I never entertained the idea of returning the original fireplaces from 1869 to function or adding wood stoves to those units.  If I get a single family home at some point in the future, I will definitely add the wood stove and eat any added insurance.  I like your installations apparent goals of do it once and do it right with the stone and the stainless.  Youv'e gotten at least 10 years of use out of it so far it seems.  Rich

[jclaudii]

You should check into the pellet stoves.  My brother installed one in his house and the insurance doubled.  But he then called them and pointed them to the makers of the stoves site that said it met guidelines for not being a wood stove and was a air heated source.  Plus he uses his Electric Heat as backup and the stove as primary, but did not put it that way on insurance.  

Our house has a wood burning fireplace, I didn't want it any other way.  Now, insurance was crazy expensive with a volunteer fire department, but after I found out I could claim the other fire department that was manned, it went from like 1000 a year to 400 or so a year.  

If it's a shop why even insure it?