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jamie_dee
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2011 09:32pm
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Hi, I'm in rural Vermont and just started building my small cabin. I started with a 10x12 tool shed and added a sleeping loft. I also insulated it and put in better doors and windows. I will be finishing it this winter and will move in in April. I heat it with a small Pro-Com vent free heater, which seems to do the job very nicely. I plan to have a small burner Coleman stove to cook on but was wondering if anyone had ideas on which stove model is the best. I want something that will cook hot, but also has good simmer-abilities and can easily be hooked up with a 6 foot propane cable to a 20lb propane tank on the outside of the cabin.
Thoughts appreciated, here's a pic of my dwelling in progress!
xmas_trees_and_bough.jpg
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xmas_trees_and_bough.jpg
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2011 04:29pm
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Nice place! Do you have some interior pictures? We just completed (mostly) a 10x12 project this last fall and have another planned for this spring. I have a bunch of barn wood but we are in range fire country with no fire dept. and I have to use something less flammable on the exterior.
I have both a Primus and a Coleman 2 burner propane camp stove. They both seem to be very adjustable. Many sellers have a return policy so if you don't like it you should be able to return/swap. If you are shopping garage/craigslist then take a 1lb bottle with you. We just bought a Coleman coffee maker to go on the gas grill. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.
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jamie_dee
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2011 04:39pm
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Hey mikeonabike - here are a few inside photo's though the inside still needs a lot of work. the loft is in and ceiling is up, but still putting boards on all the walls. Just got the heat in last week which makes working on it much more present. Good call on the return policies! is your stove hooked up to a 1lb bottle or a larger propane tank?
the finished ceiling
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boarding up the ceiling
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ladder to the loft isn't built yet
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inside clutter!
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2011 04:55pm
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Quoting: jamie_dee is your stove hooked up to a 1lb bottle or a larger propane tank?
1lb during the building process but will convert to 20lb bottle.
Hmmm a light fixture. Are you on solar, grid or generator?
Be careful with the vent-free heating.
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jamie_dee
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2011 05:05pm
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I'm actually on the grid, which is quite convenient. There was already a line to the cabin from my folks barn when I started renovating it. I'm not going to have running water though, I will carry in my water and have a composting toilet.
thanks for the tip, yeah I'm going to have a Carbon monoxide detector. I know some folks who have used this particular one in a cabin before, so I'm hopeful it will work out as planned. If i have trouble with it I may have to replace with a vented one.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2011 06:12pm
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Three things I don't like about non vented heaters;
1. they add moisture to the air and in winter that can cause interior condensation.
2. the potential for producing CO
3. they use up the interior oxygen.
Vented heaters don't have those concerns and draw combustion air from outside.
But it's a personal call.
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2011 06:35pm
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We had a father and daughter die from monoxide poisoning in a cabin near our place several years ago. The ventless scare the hell out of me.
Unfortunately there don't seem to be very many vented options for tiny <200sqft. cabins.
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backattheshack
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2011 01:06pm
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why not look at rv stove tops most are 3 burner much like regular home types .small in size hook up with regulator to a 20# lp tank on ebay used for fair price... my buddy actually uses an rv oven / stove in his cabin works out great.
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backattheshack
Member
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2011 01:09pm
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heres one i found quick on ebay 60.00 plus 20.00 shipping brand new cat beat that i feel many others to choose from
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bushbunkie
Member
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2011 07:43pm
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I agree with Mike on ventless propane heaters...too many folks have gone to sleep...permanently.
I understand your challenge though....even a tiny woodstove is often overkill and I have a 100 sq. ft bunkie....so I have the same problem.
My solution was to find a Coleman Gravity vented propane furnace salvaged out of an older RV.
No electricity required...just propane and it vents to an outside wall.
Fresh air comes in....bad air goes out through the vent.
I had a friend recondition it for me...not many working parts...heats up extremely well. Next project is the install.
Just something else to consider!
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2011 08:18pm
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That's a great idea! Those non electric RV furnaces used to be fairly common. We had one back in the 70's. Check out salvage yards. There used to be some on the web; I haven't looked lately.
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jamie_dee
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2011 09:35pm
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Thanks for the input, I have heard some scary story's, but I also have known people who have used the safely for years. I will see how it goes this winter (i'm not sleeping there, only working), and if I feel there is any danger I'll look more into other options. As was mentioned there are very few vented options that are small enough for my needs. and I have heard just as many horror stories from folks using old vented ones too (not to mention wood stoves of course!). My cabin is well insulated but not nearly air tight. We'll see how it goes!
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2011 12:06pm
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Good luck with the options, Jamie_dee.
Whatever option you or anyone :) uses to heat their cabins, it never hurts investing in a $30.00 carbon monoxide detector and smoke alarm.
I put one in my bunkie when I was first heating with a non vented propane furnace. I never intended to sleep in it, but there were a couple of times I lay down to take a break and woke up 5 hours later...ahhh fresh country living.
Cheers.
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jamie_dee
Member
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2011 07:04pm
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good call on the cabon monoxide detector. I actually plan on getting one this week since I'm working inside more and more with the heat on. Trying to decide if I want a combined smoke/CO or if I want separate ones.... doesn't seem to really make a difference though! Also planning to get a fire extinguisher, especially since i don't have running water nearby!
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lukabrazi
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 03:51pm
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I'm planning to do something similar to this using 8x12 shed plans. I had been looking at a small wood stove made by Vogelzang called the Lil Sweetie which could be had for a a relatively cheap price. I decided that to do this I would need to make my cabin/shed a couple feet longer to accommodate the needed wall clearance for the stove. Then I came across Fatsco stoves which burns charcoal or pea cole and are meant to heat sail boats. They do not need much wall clearance and won't roast me out the door the way a wood stove would have. It costs a little more but I will save on building materials.
I found this picture on the net.
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lukabrazi
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 03:52pm
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Oh and it also has a cooktop.
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jamie_dee
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 04:06pm
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ooh that looks fabulous! I'll have to look into those more. The other thing worth looking at is a pellet stove, which can be quite small and not need much clearance. The one we have at work you can literally put store paper's on top of! For me though the biggest purpose of wood stove would be its free (i live in woods). Maybe some day I'll go a few feet larger in each dimension to accommodate one. Best of luck with your project, if you get one of these I'd love to hear how it works out for you.
My propane heater I've been using just for when I'm working their during the day, and I really like it so far.
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bugs
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 04:09pm
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One thing we found with our tiny shed (check our original post thread) that having clearance space dedicated to heating the cabin (a tiny wood stove) when it was not needed (ie late spring, summer, early fall which also coincides with the heaviest use for us) would in fact be a waste of space. Our solution using propane/portable Big Buddy Heater has worked extremely well. We can use it when the weather is cold but it easily stores away when not needed and its clearance requirements are smaller than any of the smallest stoves we looked at. Plus the heat is easier to control.
Just my cdn 2cents worth..... Hey it is almost par!!!
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 04:41pm
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I'm hoping one of you guys can tell us if what we have will be safe. We purchased a Coleman ProCat Portable Catalytic Space Heater. We want to use it if the power goes out here. We have used it in the past and it seemed to work fine. It doesn't heat up the entire place, but keeps the chill off. Do you think this is safe? It is designed to be used indoors. All this talk about vented heaters is scaring me. Hubby says we have nothing to worry about, but I'd like to hear your opinions. Thanks.
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jamie_dee
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 04:50pm
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I don't have any experience with this heater specifically, but I think it should be fine. My research about these are that you shouldn't run it in a really tightly sealed small space (like a well insulated bedroom). I'd definitely recommend getting a carbon monoxide detector and making sure the batteries are always good. best of luck.
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hattie
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 06:48pm
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Thanks jamie_dee. We only use it when the power goes out, but it would probably be a good idea to get the carbon monoxide detector (just in case).
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jamie_dee
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 06:54pm
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good deal, it absolutely should be fine. non-vented propane heaters are used all the time and I think are in general totally safe if used smartly.
But sort of as a side note to everyone regardless of use of heaters, everyone should have a carbon monoxide detector. Period. you can get them for $25-30 and they save lives. My neighbors whole family had a chimney drafted weird suddenly last week and they all would have died if they hadn't had one. It can come from anything that heats - wood-stoves, hot water heaters, furnaces, propane heaters, you name it. carbon monoxide is odorless and very very deadly! just my thoughts from a community with several recent scares!!
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 07:58pm
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like your camp, on the Coleman stoves i like the" coleman fuel" type 2 or 3 burner for cooking---and i will take the chill off in your camp, while you are getting your other heat source going .
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2011 10:51pm
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I have used the procat in a tent and had no problems.
It is small so unlikely to use all your air.
It is catalytic so I don't think it makes CO unless deprived of O2.
Still, there are vented propane wall heaters as small as 10kbtu that only require one 10" hole in the wall for both intake and exhaust. They have a thermostat and don't require electricity. I have used them for two years and they work great. There is no reason to chance waking up dead when the alternative is so easy.
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spee
Member
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# Posted: 28 Feb 2011 09:15am
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I have a Mr Buddy I use for Ice fishing, so if/when I decide to build a little place. I will likely use it in the beginning to heat the place... Along with a CO2 tester !
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nicalisa
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2011 09:32pm
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I was reading this reply late, so sorry about the tardy reply, however we are also building a little cabin in the woods. No electricity, so we wanted a propane stove and little propane fridge. We really did this project on a shoestring so we didn`t have the $$$ to buy the appliances, so we instead looked on craigslist until we found someone that wanted to sell cheap a trailer with functional propane appliances. We went with a saws all and a couple of other tools and dismantled the trailer, took the appliances, regulators, windows....basically anything we could salvage and then brought what was left to the scrap metal yard. Attached is a pic of our kitchen:)
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Just
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2011 10:22pm
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that is one of the best ways to do it on a shoe string , there are lots of thread here on solor power and propane fridges , how big will the cabin be ??
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 25 May 2011 05:20pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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I plan to have a small burner Coleman stove to cook on but was wondering if anyone had ideas on which stove model is the best.
I used one from an RV. Its a Magic Chef 4 burner with oven. It has a stainless top for more counter space when not in use. Its plumbed with 3/8" copper pipe, I used a double flare on the ends and hooked it to a BBQ regulator and rubber whip hose to attatch to the propane tank.
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