Coalpail.com Forum

When I get the addition on my shop, I may put another stove in it. I'm sold on the HITZER's, but thinking of a different toy. Maybe a "D.S.Machine" toy. For conversation sake, which D.S.Machine stove would you put in a shop? The basement models are bigger but, how well would one circulate in a shop without much insulation? The D.S. Circulators, with the built in tubes, I'm thinking would move (circulate) more air. I made a wall protector with vertical channels inside. When heated with wood stove, it pulls cool air off the floor, which comes out the top quite warm (natural circulation). The force of air comming out the top will blow out a candle. The wall behind the wall protector would be cool. Before making the wall protector, the wood wall would get extremely hot. So, I'm thinking D.S.Circulator. What are your thoughts / opinions ??? Oliver

My DS1600 circulates heat in my ranch block basement with windows very well. Heat rises threw stairway and 1 floor register. Basement is 1000sq (70-72deg) and living floor is 1400-1500 (72-74deg.). Burned 2 1/2 ton in 4 months continuous.

I've got the DS 1400 circulator stove.The hotter you get it the air comes up through the tubes faster,and the air be a lot hotter.The air coming up through the tubes is not like a fan blowing up through them but you can feel the heat higher above the tubes than the stove top.I've put my bare foot under the stove and you can feel the air being drawed up through the tubes off of the floor.I think a circulator would be good for your shop.

This is my first season with the DS Circulator, I have the 1500. These stoves do an awesome job circulating the heat. I think they would be very well suited to "shop" duty.

Thanks for the replies. I've read on this site that D.S. Machine will customize stoves. One thought would be to have the circulator tubes come up through the top of the stove, and slightly angle off in different directions, instead of being straight tubes within the stoves dementions. Another thought would be to have the tubes come up through the stove, and all tie together in a 12" round honeycomb like shape, about 24 - 36 inches above the stove. Then put a turbine vent on top. Turbine vents work mostly on heat riseing, not wind. The turbine vent would spin, circulating heat. Or am I just dreaming here? What do you all think? Oliver

LDPosse wrote:This is my first season with the DS Circulator, I have the 1500. These stoves do an awesome job circulating the heat. I think they would be very well suited to "shop" duty.

I'm on my third with the 1600. I'd be completely frozen without this stove.

IMHO, the tubes don't do a particularly good job of circulating. Way in the past, I had a Wonderwood stove, the box-within-a-box style that U.S. Stove has been making for many years. In other words, the stove itself was surrounded by a sheet metal shell on all four sides, with the shell a couple inches out from the sheet metal of the stove. So in function it was kind of like the wall protector you made. That really did some circulating! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the DS Machine is a bad heater, just not a wonderful circulator. I set up a 14-inch pedestal fan to blow across the top of my stove -- not ON the stove, just above it -- and it vastly improved the circulation and the comfort in the heated area.

The tubes DO add significant surface area for heat transfer, but the limited convection air rising through them doesn't take full advantage. If you attached a manifold to the bottom of the tubes and ran fan-forced air from bottom to top, you would probably draw a lot more heat from them.

As far as "which stove" -- figure out how many BTUs you need, and go with the model that will produce it, remembering that all manufacturers exaggerate their stoves' output. DS Machine is no exception. Maybe the stove will produce its rated BTU at a flat-out maximum burn, but not as a practical everyday thing.

oliver power wrote:One thought would be to have the circulator tubes come up through the top of the stove, and slightly angle off in different directions, instead of being straight tubes within the stoves dementions....

I think dementia is the word you were looking for.
Kidding aside, I don't think it would help, and the angle would likely reduce the convection airflow through the tubes and reduce their efficiency.

rberq wrote:IMHO, the tubes don't do a particularly good job of circulating. Way in the past, I had a Wonderwood stove, the box-within-a-box style that U.S. Stove has been making for many years. In other words, the stove itself was surrounded by a sheet metal shell on all four sides, with the shell a couple inches out from the sheet metal of the stove. So in function it was kind of like the wall protector you made. That really did some circulating! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the DS Machine is a bad heater, just not a wonderful circulator. I set up a 14-inch pedestal fan to blow across the top of my stove -- not ON the stove, just above it -- and it vastly improved the circulation and the comfort in the heated area.

As far as "which stove" -- figure out how many BTUs you need, and go with the model that will produce it, remembering that all manufacturers exaggerate their stoves' output. DS Machine is no exception. Maybe the stove will produce its rated BTU at a flat-out maximum burn, but not as a practical everyday thing.

Understood! Growing up with woodstoves, they always warmed up the living quarters much better with some sort of fan behind them, circulating the air. The only stoves that heated well without a fan were the ones in the middle of the room. Maybe I should stick with the HITZER 50-93. I know first hand that the HITZER 50-93 is a prooven performer. I could run it with, or without the fan.