Let's see your wood stoves

[Frogpondfoug]

Heh everyone,

Winters coming and I'm about ready to invest in a new stove. Just curious to what everyone is using. I can't use those stupid small ones so don't bother I love in Canada.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by Frogpondfoug

Heh everyone,

Winters coming and I'm about ready to invest in a new stove. Just curious to what everyone is using. I can't use those stupid small ones so don't bother I love in Canada.

Heh. Those stupid small ones are a pain in the ass. We're about to repurpose ours for a kayak anchor. I mean, it's cute and all, but it's a bit finicky. We're looking at ideas for a bigger one that'll work in the space we have.

[gs1949]

Kayak anchor? Must be really small then. Is the size the biggest problem, or are there others?

I am very leery of a stove that is too large for the space it's in. During my bush hippie phase in the Yukon I encountered quite a few people who had installed a large stove in a small cabin with sauna-like results. But obviously if you really need heat a tiny stove just won't cut it.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by gs1949

Kayak anchor? Must be really small then. Is the size the biggest problem, or are there others?

I am very leery of a stove that is too large for the space it's in. During my bush hippie phase in the Yukon I encountered quite a few people who had installed a large stove in a small cabin with sauna-like results. But obviously if you really need heat a tiny stove just won't cut it.

It's a bit smaller than a milk crate, for reference. Max length of wood is around 6". If you have the flue choked down at all, it snuffs itself out....so it's full burn or nothing, and it requires constant tending. The burn time is maybe 30min. It's much better an maintaining a warm bus than it is at heating it up. We use our propane heater to take the chill off, then use the Cubic Grizzly to do the rest of the job. We're not new to wood stoves, so it's not like we're neophytes.
It's hard to find a stove that's not too big and not too small. We'll likely keep it and just deal with the challenges it presents us.

[Frogpondfoug]

Yeah I'd like a medium one I think

[gs1949]

Same here, I recently came across one that I thought interesting. I'll go through my bookmarks, later when the sun is not shining.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

It's a bit smaller than a milk crate, for reference. Max length of wood is around 6".

I have a Dickinson's marine stove, its really small. But without the small size I don't think I'd fit a stove in at all, at least not without making other sacrifices I'd rather not make.


Pretty sure 6" pieces are about the biggest I could fit in it as well. Wonder if there are any alternative fuels that would bump up the tending time a bit...


EDIT: This thing apparently can burn coal/charcoal... hmm.

[BlackJohn]

When first installed, this is comfort, but they do take some work.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

The burn time is maybe 30min.

That's pretty disappointing. I've read some accounts of them that say they need tending every 2 hours or so at night which nicely matches my bathroom schedule; every half hour would suck.

[Rochey6957]

I have always considered this stove from tractor supply a good option. Small enough for a bus but actually big enough to fit proper full sized wood.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...epa-certified#

But I ended up finding a very similar stove on Craigslist that I just finished refurbishing.

[gs1949]

Cast iron tends to be more brittle than steel. I've seen 2 different cast iron stoves that cracked because some one tried to jam in a piece of wood that was too big. Steel would never do that. I would never do that either but I am concerned about cracking a cast iron stove in a bus on a rough road. For that reason, I would prefer steel in a bus even though I love cast iron stoves. Please let us know how the cast iron works out for you.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by Rochey6957

But I ended up finding a very similar stove on Craigslist that I just finished refurbishing.

I tried installing essentially the exact same stove in my bus. I had to sacrifice too much space, so I gave up on it. It'd be nice for someone living in cold weather most of the year, as it has plenty of room up top for cooking.



I need to put mine on Craigslist. Its a little rusty from sitting around, nothing a little spray paint wont fix.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

That's pretty disappointing. I've read some accounts of them that say they need tending every 2 hours or so at night which nicely matches my bathroom schedule; every half hour would suck.

I dunno man, I wouldn't count on it being on a 2 hour schedule. Some people might be able to get it to burn than long, but we sure haven't found the secret. We had the same plans as you....to load as needed every few hours. We're considering moving it closer to the living area since we don't use it at night and it would be easier and more pleasant to use if it's closer to the seating.

[PNW_Steve]

I have not gotten to that point in my project yet but I did help a gent with his conversion. He put in a compact stove that he has been quite pleased with from these folks: https://www.tinywoodstove.com/store/

[gs1949]

I went through my bookmarks, and it was the Dwarf from Tiny Woodstove that caught my eye a few weeks ago. I think I want one of those. It has a cast iron door and firebox, but the body, and I assume the legs as well are not cast iron. So that's good.

I think the 3kw model is a little small, but the 4 or 5 kw models look good.

[SolomonEagle]

Whatever stove you get,make sure you can adequately secure it, and all it's parts, when driving so it doesn't become a projectile in the event of a crash or emergency braking situation.

[gs1949]

Yes, that's a big part of wanting legs made out of steel, not cast iron. With steel I will drill holes in the legs and bolt all 4 legs to the floor. I wouldn't feel all that safe with cast iron.

[Frogpondfoug]

Originally Posted by Rochey6957

I have always considered this stove from tractor supply a good option. Small enough for a bus but actually big enough to fit proper full sized wood.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...epa-certified#

But I ended up finding a very similar stove on Craigslist that I just finished refurbishing.

I have one of these too

[Frogpondfoug]

Very good point on the cast legs, I fully intend on cutting them off and bolting new legs too it with a decorative cradle around, should look good and be safe

[Frogpondfoug]

Tiny stove is useless, I need to use real peice of wood not some tooth pics