Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage 2022: EPA Approved!

The wood burning stove has been used as a supplementary heat source for thousands of years. It’s said to have been invented in 16th century Europe, but did not become prevalent until the Industrial Revolution.

Today, wood burning stoves are more efficient and widely used in many homes. It’s a great choice for those who are looking for a fast and effective way to heat their space. Now, that the winter season is fast approaching, we have reviewed the top five best wood burning stoves that will make your living area warm and cozy.

Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage 2022: Overview

  • Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P: I like this because it can easily bear and accepts 30 lbs of wood and logs up to 22 inches. So, you can relax for long time without worrying about putting woods into it. If you are interested check the detailed review below.
  • EcoZoom Versa Camping Stove: My brother is using it for a long time and it is also one of the most popular wood burning stove models in the USA. This is mainly made for camping purpose but works really well in a garage. know more about it below.
  • Drolet Escape Wood Burning Stove with Blower: It’s the cleanest wood burning stove, a proud EPA approved member and safety tested to US standards.
Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage Detailed Review
Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage

Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage: A Detailed Review

💁Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P

Key features

  • Made of premium quality wood, this burning stove heats up to 3200 square feet. 
  • The total heat output that the Ashley Hearth stove produces is about 152000 British thermal units. 
  • For long life and combustion efficiency, it comes with a heavy gauge 3/16 inch reinforced steel plate lined with firebrick. 
  • It is stable enough to hold up to 30lbs of wood and fit logs up to 22” in length. 
  • The Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P gives an elegant look to your garage with its pedestal base and brushed nickel door handles. 
  • For even heating, it includes a high-speed adjustable blower of 100 CFM. 

The Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P is a 39*24*32.5 inches wood-burning stove specially designed to give you the best warming experience. Made of ecologically premium components, this stove offers you the ultimate comfort. Besides, the heavy gauge reinforced steel plates with firebrick lining make it sustainable. 

Its unique design and resistant features make it efficient for combustion and ensure it with a longer life span. The heat output of 152000 BTUs heats the room and affects the whole house. Further, the pedestal base and brushed nickel door beautify your interior greatly. 

With sufficient space inside, the Ashley hearth burning stove accepts logs up to 22 inches. Additionally, it can easily bear up to 30 lbs of wood. The adjustable high-speed blower that it includes contributes greatly to even heating. Moreover, it has a limited lifetime firebox warranty for all other parts. 

Despite every pro, this burning stove should used with proper ventilation; otherwise, health hazards like carbon monoxide poisoning can occur. In addition, the glass door of the stove often turns black and doesn’t work fine without a fan. 

This multi-purpose stove of 350 pounds meets all the stringent requirements of the EPA and replaces the previous Vogelzang TR007 wood-burning stove.

Pros

✅ It is absolutely value for money.
✅ Produces commendable heat output.

Cons

❌ The glass door turns opaque while heating.
❌ Doesn’t work adequately without a fan.

The Final Verdict

Apart from a few burning issues, this stove is the best choice overall.


💁EcoZoom Versa Camping Stove

Key features

  • This stove is made of ceramic and perfect for outdoor cooking, camping and emergency preparedness. 
  • It utilizes biodegradable fuels like wood, charcoal and biomass for heating. 
  • Being one of the most popular models in the United States, the EcoZoom camping stove offers great heat output. 
  • When cooking with wood, it provides the same efficiency as Zoom Dura. 
  • While using charcoal, the Versa offers a more controlled and organized cooking experience. 
  • With the presence of a fully insulated vertical combustion chamber, it prevents harmful emissions. 
  • The refractory metal lining on the top door and combustion chamber makes it highly durable. 
  • The Versa has a cast iron stove top, stainless steel handles and silicon grips, making it easily portable. 

The EcoZoom Versa Camping Stove is a 13.8*12.8*12.7 inches burning stove that is ideally crafted for all outdoor cooking experiences. Made of quality ceramic, the EcoZoom versa provides you with all the comforts of backpacking. Besides, it’s also a great match for emergency preparedness. 

It is one of the most popular stove models used in the United States that presents its buyers with overall convenience. Providing the same efficiency and heat output as Zoom Dura, this camping stove offers a controlled cooking experience with wood and charcoal. Moreover, the versa comes with a vertically insulated combustion chamber that decreases harmful emissions and increases fuel efficiency. 

Like other camping stoves, this, too, needs to be used under proper ventilation. Further, it is not suitable for use inside tents. 

With the presence of the top door and combustion chamber insulation, this stove is tremendously durable. Moreover, the chamber and damper door reinforced with metal frames regulate the airflow properly. 

The EcoZoom versa is compatible with any outdoor cooking set like cast iron cookware and stainless steel products. Additionally, its eco-friendly and green design makes it a top buyer choice. 

Pros

✅ It is sturdy-built.
✅ Extremely easy to use.
✅ Absolutely value for money.

Cons

❌ Quality is not as good as advertised.
❌ Adaptable for slow cooking only.

The Final Verdict

Advisable for long-term use, it is of premium and beneficial quality.


💁Fitinhot Camp Wood Stove

Key features 

  • Made of stainless steel, this titanium-plated camp stove is an ideal match for outdoor cooking. 
  • It is not painted and does not stink during the first burn. Hence, it can be used directly inside tents. 
  • This upgraded camping wood-burning stove can be assembled easily without extra screws. 
  • Designed with an unbreakable glass door, the Fitinhot model prevents leakage. 
  • It is foldable and light in weight and can be carried and transported easily. 
  • This camp stove is fitted with a front and chimney adjustable damper system to adjust the airflow and release smoke. 
  • The chimney’s height is also adjustable and suitable for various types of tents. 
  • To improve combustion, it has a removable pad made of stainless steel at the bottom of the stove. 

This Fitinhot Camp Wood Stove is an 18.1*12.5*10.7 inch burning stove manufactured to enhance your camping experience. Made of high-quality stainless steel, this camping partner is extremely sturdy and light in weight. Besides, the foldable feature makes it portable and easily carried around. 

It doesn’t stink and can be used inside tents as well. The glass door does not require screws and can be assembled without extra effort. Additionally, the glass installed is unbreakable and prevents leakage to a great extent. 

With a total of 10 chimney pipes, this titanium-plated camp stove can be easily packed into a tent stove. It has a front and chimney adjustable damper system that regulates the airflow and releases smoke.

The flat top of the stove is used for cooking, and the dual shelf on the sides is for supporting ingredients. Also, dry gloves, small wet items and socks can hang on their sides. 

Despite being cost-efficient, this multifunctional burning stove is perfect for heating and cooking in limited spaces. 

Pros

✅ It is extremely light weighted and, thus, portable.
✅ Built on a sturdy framework.

Cons

❌ Smaller than advertised.

The Final Verdict

This camping stove is ideal for its price range.


💁Guide Gear Outdoor Wood Stove

Key features 

  • This premium burning stove is made of galvanized steel and is perfect for camping trips and backyard cooking. 
  • The stove firebox has a heat-resistant black finish, making it durable. 
  • It is fitted with five 15.5” L interlocking stove pipes of 3.3” diameter each. 
  • This camping stove has a front-hinged cast iron door fixed with an adjustable air vent. 
  • The top platform of the stove is suitable for keeping coffee and saucepans hot. 
  • Designed for easy movements, the entire stove can be stored and transported effortlessly. 

The Guide Gear wood stove generates 75,000 plus BTUs per hour providing a steady reliable heat for your 2400 square feet of living space. It’s also the cleanest burning large fire box on the market. It has three and a half cubic feet that can take logs up to 20 inches which means less logs compared to other smaller stoves.

It also features the high tech non-catalytic X BT fire box that produces maximum results for your fuel. To guarantee you clean and efficient burns every time, this wood stove is EPA certified in WA States certified as well.

The durability of the Guide Gear wood stove is evident by its cast iron arched door and quality welded steel designed for years to come. It is a six inch top vent that fits standards so pipes and allows for easier installation. This wood burning stove also comes with side heat shields and a built in rear heat shield for close clearances.

Ashes can be easily removed with its convenient ash drawer and it comes with a blower for an added value of over $100. Aesthetically, the freestanding Guide Gear wood stove perfectly accentuates any modern or contemporary space with its sleek satin black steel body and cast iron door with added cast legs and pedestal.

Display it as a focal point in your living room area and let friends and family gather around on chilly nights. You can also enjoy the look of the roaring fire with its arched door design with large door glass and air wash system.

Pros

✅ Extremely easy to install.
✅ It can be assembled without any additional tools.
✅ Entirely value for money.
✅ Crafted on a compact yet useful design.
✅ The materials used are of premium quality.

Cons

❌ Not suitable for use in tents
❌ Less resistant than advertised
❌ Needs external modification in some cases.

The Final Verdict

The benefits are as advertised. Therefore, it is essential to look after your requirements before opting.


💁Drolet Escape Wood Burning Stove with Blower

Key features 

  • Comes with an inbuilt faceplate and can be installed easily. 
  • This burning stove is made of quality components and ideal for giving your fireplace a touch of elegance. 
  • It weighs 360 pounds and is partially difficult to carry. 
  • The Drolet escape wood insert measures 36.2*32.2*26.5 inches and can be inserted without external tools. 

It’s the cleanest wood burning stove, a proud EPA approved member and safety tested to US standards. It’ll heat your home more efficiently with a longer burn time and accept bigger logs. It sizes 37 and 13 fourths inch deep, 34 and three fourths inch in width and thirty two and a half inches high.

This stove features a pedestal base, rear heat shield, side heat shield and is constructed with three sixteenths gauge reinforced steel with firebreak lining making the stove a sturdy guarantee.

Aside from having larger log capacity, it’s also capable of a 14-hour burn time. You can leave the house for work and come home with a warm house waiting for you. Since it has a 14-hour burn time, you don’t need to feed the stove or attend the fire at night.

You can go to bed worry free from chill without the need to stoke it up and wake up in the morning fully refreshed. The product has a large cast iron feed door and a rear end side heat shield, so you don’t have to worry about bumping or burning yourself while feeding or tending the fire.

It’s ceramic glass window with size of 15 inch by 19 inch helps radiate more heat into your room while giving you the fantastic view of the brilliant dancing flames inside the fire box.

This stove includes the silent 100 CFL adjustable high speed blower with a heat output of one hundred and fifty two thousand BTUs per hour. It’s capable of heating up a space of 3,200 square feet.

The Vogelzang Ponderosa has an overall weight of 400 pounds with three manufacturer warranties. It has a three year warranty for the fire box, flue collar and door with a one year remainder and a 90-day returnable option.

Pros

✅ Completely value for money.
✅ Built on stable textures.
✅ Highly durable.
✅ Resistant to rust.

Cons

❌ Larger than advertised.
❌ Not portable.

The Final Verdict

Despite being a bit expensive, it is worth the money.


Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage Buying Guide

It’s easier to find the right stove for the space than to find the right space for the stove. Therefore, purchasing a wood stove starts with identifying the right spot for it in your house. Based on this, you’ll know how big of a stove you can get.

Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage things to consider
Best Wood Burning Stove for Garage Buying Guide

💁Necessary clearance

Of paramount importance are clearances to combustible. Wood stoves have to be installed at mandatory distances to combustible materials such as drywall or wooden studs in the walls.

If your stove carries one of three recognized US certifications, UL, CSA US or InterTek, then you’ll find clearances in the stoves manual and spec sheet typically in the 12 to 16 inches range.

It’s important to ask for this information before you buy the stove. If the stove doesn’t carry one of the above marks, it means it’s an uncertified stove and will need to be installed according to your local building code for uncertified appliances which typically means a much higher 48 inches clearance on the sides and in the back.

However, do not lose heart. You can reduce the clearances or even do away with them completely. Remember, clearances are too combustible as only. If you remove the combustible, then the clearance requirements will be gone.

For instance, if you cut off the drywall around the stove, replace wooden studs with steel studs and use a non-combustible board such as the hardy backer, then quite often you’ll be able to install your stove right next to the wall.

The same goes true for a solid brick or block wall. Make sure there are no combustible materials on the other side of the wall within 48 inches of the stove. You can also cover your combustible walls with heat shields and though not eliminate, but greatly reduce the clearances.

A heat shield can be a simple solid sheet of steel installed one inches away from the wall. This will usually reduce the clearances by 66%. And if you use a UL list that heat shield by 87%. It’s important to understand that the above two ways to reduce clearances will work on both certified and uncertified stoves.

However, if you’re buying an uncertified stove such as any antique stove check with your home insurance company first if they’re willing to insure it. Now, that you know how big of a stove will fit it’s time to choose the right stove.

💁EPA rules

Almost all stoves sold in the USA and many sold in Canada are EPA-approved which means they’re already very efficient. EPA rules guarantee that the stove fully burns its fuel. Even burning the actual wood smoke before it goes into the chimney.

This is what the term secondary combustion stands for. Be aware that EPA rules have a few loopholes and one of them is a stove meant for outdoor use. Such stoves do not need to be EPA-approved. You’ll see many of them for sale seemingly for outdoor use.

However, we recommend to not try using these stoves indoors. These stoves are not nearly as efficient as EPA stoves. The difference in their efficiency and wood consumption is dramatic. They’re usually just an empty fire box chamber made of steel or cast iron and will consume tons of wood providing little heat compared to EPA stoves.

What about the catalytic stoves? These are regular woodstove that do not get hot enough to rubber in their smoke which is what they need to do to meet EPA requirements. To circumvent the problem, they use a special device to heat up the smoke to the point that it catches fire.

The converter or combustion as it’s also called is covered with precious metals and chemically ignites the smoke inside the stove. It’s hard to maintain and will likely need to be replaced every few years at the cost of a few hundred dollars each time. You’ll also need to operate the stove manually each time it’s fired up.

The smoke should not go through the converter at a temperature below 500 degrees Fahrenheit because the converter will not ignite it, but it will get covered in soot making itself useless. It’s only after the stove reaches 500 degrees Fahrenheit that you can direct the smoke through the converter with the help of a damper.

Conversely, when the temperature falls, the smoke will again need to be manually directed straight into the chimney bypassing the converter. This can be hard to manage especially at night and therefore our advice is to go with a non catalytic stove.

💁Electric blower

Another thing to consider is if you want an electric blower in your stove. Keep in mind that wood stoves are mostly space heaters and do not force hot air around the house like a furnace. They tend to overheat the nearby space and under heat other rooms. If your concern is moving air inside one room or a few connected rooms, then a blower is a good idea.

But be aware that however powerful the blower is it will not compare to the central heating air duck system. You can also purchase separately non-electric stovetop blowers which require only the stoves heat to turn. In short, do not base your decision on the presence of a blower all the more so since in the case of a power failure it will become useless.

💁Purpose

Another important thing to consider is whether you also want to use your woodstove for cooking and baking. Wood cookstoves have made a comeback in the last decade. They’re exempt from EPA rules since EPA recognizes that they’re used primarily for cooking, but cookstoves are very powerful heaters too.

You should get a cook stove only if you are in fact planning to cook on it. Otherwise, you’re probably better off with a smaller stove. Modern cookstoves have sleek designs and allow you to cook, heat and bake all at the same time. Some of them even come with a water heating option.

There are two types of water heaters. Some cookstoves will have a closed integrated water tank heated by the body of the stove and others will require a separate free standing water boiler and copper tubes to feed water through the fire box of the stove and back into the tank.

Be aware that hot water turns to steam and where there is steam, there is pressure. And where there is pressure, there could be an explosion if pressure is not released. For this reason you’ll need to install a temperature and pressure valve. You’ll also see coil kits for sale designed to be retrofitted inside the fire box of a non-water heating stove to heat water.

We highly recommend to stay away from this option. In the very least, you will avoid the stoves warranty immediately. All in all, water heating can be a great option but only if set up safely by a professional.  We hope you have enjoyed this woodstove shopping guide.


 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it worth having a burning stove?

A burning stove is worth the money compared to open wood-burning fireplaces. It provides adequate warmth, durability, efficiency and a healthy environment. 

Can a wood stove heat an entire house?

Yes, a good premium burning stove can not just heat your room. It can warm up the entire house. However, the area a wooden stove heats up completely depends upon its efficiency, heat output and placement in the house.

What is the most efficient wood-burning stove?

The Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P burning stove manufactured by Ashley hearth is the most efficient wood-burning stove that suits every purpose. You can use this pedestal wood-burning stove for outdoor and indoor cooking. Moreover, it’s a great fit for your fireplace too.
From being durable to cost-effective, this burning stove is certainly value for money.

Can you get carbon monoxide poisoning from a wood-burning stove?

Yes, you can suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning from a wood-burning stove. 
Using the stove with proper ventilation and limitations won’t cause any health hazards.

What is the future of wood-burning stoves?

The food-burning-burning stoves aren’t much promising. They can be successfully replaced by more eco-friendly options like bioethanol, biogas and electric burners. 
However, they can survive by improving efficiency and adopting a more sustainable design.

What is the life span of a wood-burning stove?

Generally, an average wood-burning stove lasts up to 10 to 20 years. The cheaper models may have a lesser lifespan, and the premium ones can last more than 15 years.


Conclusion

Well, that sums up a review of the top five best wood burning stoves on the market. Using a wood stove to heat up a space is a traditional way, but still loved by many people. However, there are many other ways of heating your garage. Also check some of these garage heaters.