electric stove?

[Mulelover]

Here are some sites you might find helpfull.
http://astore.amazon.com/thestevandwe-2 ... TF8&node=1
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... _200339233

The second one is for a propane/gas fireplace. I know you didn't want fuel, but It looks like it would work great on a bus.

[Duckf00t]

I have been toying with the idea of wood gasifaction to heat the bus, and provide hot water for showering, and cooking. I'm going to start some experiments based the Swedish Army Trangia Stove http://www.factsurplus.co.uk/product/57
I had a boy scout leader that had one it was super neat to watch it in action. I'd like to go with aa biomass version of it. I've been pretty unsucessful as of yet. I'll post if I can make it work.

[Redbear]

Originally Posted by Duckf00t

I have been toying with the idea of wood gasifaction to heat the bus, and provide hot water for showering, and cooking. I'm going to start some experiments based the Swedish Army Trangia Stove http://www.factsurplus.co.uk/product/57
I had a boy scout leader that had one it was super neat to watch it in action. I'd like to go with aa biomass version of it. I've been pretty unsucessful as of yet. I'll post if I can make it work.

Surely I am understanding you wrong, and you are not planning on piping Carbon Monoxide from a gassifier into your living quarters to run gas stove burners, are you? It's one thing to have a wood (biomass) stove with a hot water coil in it, quite another to pump odorless poison into your home.

I'm trusting that your biomass experiments with the Swedish alcohol stove are limited to using the housing to burn wood pellets under the pan outdoors??

[lornaschinske]

I don't understand the problem with LP. I've cooked and heated with propane most of my life (much better than electric for cooking). I've also used the white gas/kerosine cook stoves from coleman. We had one of the old 60's era pumper ones when we first started tent camping along with a white gas/kerosine coleman catalytic heater.

Here is some info on propane...
http://www.propane101.com/index.htm

[Duckf00t]

Yes I know lal about the emmissions- I have heated with wood my whole life. I have made my own mini wood gasification/ rocket stove out of coffee an bean cans. Getting the right air supply and draft is prooving a challenge. If I did use a pure biomass system- I was planning on having an outdoor unit to provide steam/ hot water for heating- The cooking part is more just shrouding the unit a piping in hot air for an oven.

Right now w have a traditional potbelly cooktop wood stove. I am just trying to get more out of the wood.

[Duckf00t]

It's very easy if you can weld. I am working on a stove plan right now that will have an oven. I'm planning a small size to fit in the bus. The stove I have now is good, but too much.

These are great little stoves- pick one up for 100.00 new- at a yard sale like my rusty one- 15.00. Ran the pipe right out the window.

I'll post some pics of my prototype cooker when we build it.

[Duckf00t]

I've had two of these stoves- never split- they are a little thin. They will leak smoke, here and there. As long as you have a good flue shroud, the wind won't blow back on you. The one in my bus now is older than me- still going with no problem. If you know how to burn wood, you shouldn't ever have a problem. There is more to it than chocking it full and startng it up. Until age 19 I had never heated with anything but wood- In the years after 34 of the 41 years I've been alive I have been using wood- My Dad is 77 and never used anything but wood or coal. With combigned 111 years experience that pretty much makes me an expert on wood-stoves-and use.

The rough plans look good- Drafting from outside might be a pain- unless you figure out a way to choke it from inside. My opinion is you're over thinking the draft. I'd hate to have to walk outside to control the draft. The damper goes on the flue pipe, that allows you to control heat capture once your coals are going. With only a draft on the bottom and no damper- you're going to go through twice as much wood. That old LP bottle walls are thinner than the stove above. Loading it will be a pain. I've had those coal type round stoves- they are much more trouble than they are worth. You'll find putting wood in vertically is a real pain to keep burning- unless you spend the time cutting the wood in 10 inch lenghts. You can't build any bed of coals and they need constant feeding. If you like to sleep for more than three hours at a time. Getting a fire started in one is even more of pain.

I'll be working on my stove hopefully in the next week or so- will take lots of pictures.

[Duckf00t]

Air tight or not. Many pepole have the idea if you starve the fire of air you'll be fine- truth is you won't. Starving the fire of air will decrease the efficency of your stove. Increase build up of cresote in the flue, a potential fire hazard, and reduce BTU output. All stoves need both a draft and a damper. They are not one and the same as many believe, draft controls air supply to the fire. Damper controls burn rate/heat rentention. A draft low on the fire is fine- the damper on the flue will retain your heat from escaping out the flue.

I've seen many people not using a damper/draft system- they would cotinually complain about how long the fire lasted. I'd tell them they need a damper- they'd say not in this stove the manufacturer says its not needed. They'd complain they had to clean the chimney too often- I tell them put in a damper. Finally after hearing me say damper a thousand times- they' do it. Presto, all their problems solved. A good draft/damper system one you learn how to use it- you'll never go back.

I'd put a fire in my air tight stove- get a bed of coals from some good "standing dead" hickory, close the damper- and open the daft a small amount- when I'd go to bed 8-10 hours later. I'd find a nice bed of coals waiting for me- while my neighbor was setting his alarm clock for 3 am to feed his stove... he got tired of that and asked for my help.

Gonna be bulding my stove soon- my plans have changed about once a day...finally got a solid plan.

[Duckf00t]

All good stuff above- I'm too much of an old dog for new tricks... experts sure say alot of things- some I listen too some I don't- why? Experience has taught me more than any experts theories... Experts say wake a new baby every 3 hours for feeding, even if it is asleep- guess they never tried going 3 months with no sleep- or fed a half asleep cranky baby...

Personally I could care less about what these so called experts say- great you can control a fire from the draft- I've done that. Problem is none of these guys go out in the woods and cut their own wood . They get it delivered. So they can go ahead and load that stove up chock full and let it roar all night. Yes you can cut the the air and burn that wood from one end of the stove to the other- you'll get hardly heat out of it, and you'll burn just as much wood as letting it roar. I been there and done that experience has taught me you use too much wood you do however make really good charcoal. I've heated a two story 2500 sq,ft. farm house using two wood stoves- with 2 cords dry and 3 ricks green. In a time span from october to april.
I'll bet you my bus full of beer- give me a cord of dry hard wood, with one rick of in it green. I'll make it last three times longer with a draft/ damper system than any airtight fancy over elaborate stove out there.

I'm not trying to start a war here mearly giving years of advice- if you dont want it fine- ignore me. Or hop over to http://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=5404 this thread and douse me with gasline- I'll be there with my blow torch lit...