Topic: Heating for my shed

[Froglegs]

On cold days it would be nice to have a little heating in me allotment shed so I can have a tea break in the warmth. Is there a cheap way of doing this?

[RenishawPhil]

Make a stove and put in a metal roof for it?

[Duke Ellington]

What about one of those camping gas heaters?

[Unwashed]

What Duke Ellington said - I think the cheapest simplest answer is a portable gas or parafin heater.  The problem is if you've sealed up the drafts well enough to make a heater worthwhile then you might well accumulate carbon monoxide which would be very dangerous.

A less simple answer is one of these:

[gavinjconway]

Get a bigger jacket - it's cheaper than heating!!

[chriscross1966]

You can make a little wood-burner out of the smallest calor gas bottle, bit of old metal pipe for a chimney, but I'd suggest a non-obvious flap to dismount chimney when you're not there, otherwise it screams "break into MEEEEE!"

[Digeroo]

If you are a DIY genius, there is a way of making a solar heating panel using alumium cans.  Not sure it works well if the sun does not shine.

[RenishawPhil]

I wonder if the is any safe way of putting a wood stove safely in a caravan......

[Unwashed]

I wonder if the is any safe way of putting a wood stove safely in a caravan......

Oh sure there is, caravans existed before electricity was invented and they weren't unheated then.  It's really no different from putting a wood-burner in a bricks-and-mortar home, and certainly no different from a wooden-framed home.  Canal boats very frequently have wood-burners, and although canal boats are often made of metal the issues are much the same.  You really need an insulated flue so the hot flue wall doesn't come into direct contact with the structure, you need enough air-gap between the hot stove and it's non-flamable surroundings, and you need a non-flamble hearth that's big enough to catch any sparks and hot conders.  As long as you have somewhere for fresh air to get in so the stove doesn't deplete the air you're breathing of oxygen I don't think there's a problem.

[Digeroo]

What about a small paraffin heater.

[Ian Pearson]

South-facing window (perhaps with security shutter) for some passive solar gain.

[gypsy]

Lots of portable gas heaters on Ebay! The ones with wheels and a lpg gas bottle inside at the back. May be too much heat though...

[goodlife]

I have small woodburning storage heater/stove even in GH ..though now it has had its best years and in need of TLC.
But it  has served me well and kept me thoroughly cosy when potting on and sowing seeds. Originally it was supposed to be for keeping young plants warm..but as it doesn't hold on to the heat and heated the GH bit too warm!..it didn't quite work for my plans.
When asembling it into glass GH..I replaced 3 or 4 glass panels near by the heater and chimney with marine ply(with metal collar  in the exit)...and the heater is standing on slab base..there is no reason why it would not work in shed..just some metal paneling attached on to exit point of chimney exit and next to the heater on the walls and on floor.

[Hi_Hoe]

If you are a DIY genius, there is a way of making a solar heating panel using alumium cans.  Not sure it works well if the sun does not shine.

Sounds interesting! How does it work??

[artichoke]

For years I worked from home (illustration) in a wooden shed with no insulation or heating. I have pictures of icicles hanging off the roof in winter plus snow. I found a small paraffin heater enough to keep me going. I also set up a screen around my chair and desk, hung with blankets against drafts, and put my feet on folded blankets and wore a woolly hat.

In the past (three day week, strikes etc) I have heated a room by lighting a group of candles - a bit extravagant if they are thin and burn down quickly, but they do get a fug up quite nicely.

[Digeroo]

There are number of videos on youtube if you google 'solar pop can heater'.

[pumkinlover]

I've got a small pot bellied stove in my allotment shed. It wasn't expensive but the chimney was! It goes out through a metal plate which replaces the glass in the window at the top. It uses up all the rubbish wood which isn't worth bringing home for the log burners. I got it from machine mart but it is not very good quality.