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jmccartney101
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2021 01:03pm
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Hey y'all, first time poster here, working on building a 100sqft bunkie and i found a brand new US Caribou Backpacker Woodstove for 120 CAD - Has anyone used this or something similar for "glamping" instead of in a tent as intended? What did y'all use for heat shields?
Any tips appreciated, first time builder here, rocking mostly solo!
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2021 02:18pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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Welcome! This is a good place to be 
I see online in reviews for that model some glowing, but short, replies and a couple not pleased with the flue size/draft.
Ime with tents, shacks, small to moderate sized cabins, campers and a small diy 'motorhome' from a potato chip truck.....
Woodstove to be safe takes a lot of footprint and clearances for stove and pipe.
My Aliner (A-frame pop-up) is about the size you are talking. It came with a built in, direct vent, lp, rv furnace. That thing warms it up in minutes; I dont have to run it constant. It has a stat that set low will cycle it but really, down to 32*f or so, I just cover up well and switch it on to warm the place up when I get up in the night (old guys do that a fair bit, lol) and/or in the morning. You could do the same with a non-vented lp wall heater, just be sure to have a CO alarm, keep some fresh air venting going and most recommend not sleeping with one of those going (you would need to do all that with a little wood stove or running your camp stove cooking too). A 'Buddy Heater' on a 20# (bbq) cylinder would do as well. Use one in a smart way to kick the chill off and you would have no trouble.
Downside of running a non-vented lp a lot is it kicks out water vapor, a roof vent part open will take much of that up and out since it would be in the heat rising.
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Al Burton
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2021 02:48pm
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I use the Grizzly model from Cubic Mini for my 12 x 12 bunkie. We could not be happier with the performance from it. Sure it won't burn through the night but we get it nice and warm in the loft before bed and it stayg pretty good until morning. Mounted on the wall so easy to load. I built a mount out of 1/4" aluminum spaced off the wall by 1". See picture.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2021 02:49pm
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Another option for a small space are the Chinese diesel heaters. My shop is 10x12 and the 5kw diesel heater I had in there did a great job. They come in various configurations.... all in one unit that includes the fuel tank, or a unit that is "in components " which allows you to even mount the heater under the building and run the hot air duct and control head into the cabin.... diesel tank could be mounted outside as well. They run off 12v so a small solar system could both supply power to the cabin and run the heater.
Would save valuable floor/area space.
HERE IS A LINK to a page on Amazon with a variety of heaters.
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ICC
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2021 05:00pm
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Hey, Nobadays, how long a time did you use it? Years? Any issues? You stated that you "had" one; you don't anymore?
I have wondered how well those Chinese ones worked. I had a Peterbuilt that had a Webasto heater which is what the Chinese copied. Webasto heaters are $1000 or more.
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willywilly2020
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2021 07:40pm
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I got a Nordic F100 from Jotul (~220 sq ft). Sometimes I wish I had gotten bigger (I have a LOT of windows), because I can always just open up some windows if it's too hot, and fire goes out usually around 2am.
Frankly, might be nice to get a cheap stove, see how it does in the place and then replace it down the line. What really gets expensive is your piping. Would recommend finding a local wood stove shop that does de-stalls, and asking them if you can buy/get stove pipe off of them.
For a firestop, I built my own using fireboard, grout, and rocks from the river. The fireboard part is key.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2021 08:01pm
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Quoting: ICC Hey, Nobadays, how long a time did you use it? Years? Any issues? You stated that you "had" one; you don't anymore?
"Had" it because I sat it on fire... fortunately caught it in time to get it outside and the fire put out! My bad, I was useing a propane heater leaned up against it to warm up the diesel (had summer fuel in it and it was 9° F) so it would pump. Really, really dumb move! Fuel line melted and the diesel caught. Fortunately the wiring burned quickly and it quit pumping fuel. Dumb, dumb dumb!!... but had done this several times.
Anyway.... used it for about 3.5 months pretty regularly, first in our greenhouse every day to extend the season then in the shop. I found information from a Facebook group to show how to adj ut st it for altitude. It had burned rich until I did that at our 9,500'. I will definitely be buying another one. We will use it in the greenhouse in the spring then back into the shop at the end of the growing season. They sip fuel, goes a long way.
BTW.... the controllers that come with them aren't the best, very limited in how much control you have. Some have a timer in them that can be set to turn on/off at set times.... some have a countdown timer that will turn it on at the end of the countdown then off at the second countdown, but this is a one time event. Unfortunately you have no idea which controller you will get, I even ordered a second and it was countdown as well. An Australian is making an outstanding controller that is plug and play but is costly. It has j ut st about any function you would want. The Chinese controller just heats to the set high then drops to low... never off... until it cools down to some unknown point then back to high. But this doesn't work too bad.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2021 12:43pm
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Quoting: Al Burton I use the Grizzly model from Cubic Mini for my 12 x 12 bunkie.
Al, what an adorable little woodstove. Very nice clean install too.
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mj1angier
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2021 03:22pm
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Dang, wish I had known about the diesel heaters before I went with propane
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Al Burton
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2021 03:54pm
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Al, what an adorable little woodstove. Very nice clean install too.
Thanks Toyota! Here is another that is not quite finished but usable. This is in a Monaco bus that my brother lives in up here in Canada. He loves it and thinks it is the best change he has made to his bus. I will finish trimming the top and add some down lighting etc.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2021 09:09pm
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Al, it looks like a large woodstove in the corner of a cabin, then when you see the beer can, it puts it all into perspective and you realize how small it is. Those look like those woodstoves you see in small boats.
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Al Burton
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2021 09:25pm
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Good observation! Lots of people are putting these in boats and rv's now. We removed a seldom used liquor cabinet. I think this model is rated at 8000-18000 btu/h so not too bad. It is a true airtight with secondary combustion and the option of fresh air intake.
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Fanman
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2021 08:31am
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How long do those tiny stoves burn?
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fiftyfifty
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2021 08:54am
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Here is my Grizzly. It sit on a shelf in the corner covered with cement board and tiles I made. That by itself is not ideal because there is no standoff, so I also put up metal sheets (they are cookie sheets) when it is actually burning.
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fiftyfifty
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2021 08:58am - Edited by: fiftyfifty
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here's a better pic:
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offgrididaho
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2021 11:14am
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Question on the Grizzlies (or any other smaller stove), anyone tried horizontal chimney with these? I know there are some issues with how they draw sometimes, and I know going out the wall instead of through the ceiling can create more draw issues (as well as chimney cleaning challenges), but I'm looking at bedroom on first floor with not very accessible space above it (and I don't want to put a hole in the metal roof if I can help it).
-- Bass
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Al Burton
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2021 10:06pm
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Quoting: Fanman How long do those tiny stoves burn?
It really depends on the wood but I think I get heat for 3 hours at least once it if fully up to temperature. If you notice in the first picture the thermostat for my direct vent wall heater is right beside the stove. That way the heat will kick in when the stove stops throwing any heat.
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Al Burton
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2021 10:12pm - Edited by: Al Burton
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Quoting: offgrididaho Question on the Grizzlies (or any other smaller stove), anyone tried horizontal chimney with these? I know there are some issues with how they draw sometimes, and I know going out the wall instead of through the ceiling can create more draw issues (as well as chimney cleaning challenges), but I'm looking at bedroom on first floor with not very accessible space above it (and I don't want to put a hole in the metal roof if I can help it).
I find they are fairly sensitive as far as draft goes.
I used insulated pellet stove pipe and increased my clearances but it doesn't draft as well as my brothers where we used the proper insulated "A" vent pipe. They also need cleaning far more often than a larger diameter chimney would. I know mine needs cleaning when the draft starts to get weaker. I am not sure that they would work well with elbows but that being said they do sell them.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2021 10:41pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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For a nice, small, expensive wood stove one would like it to work well. But the smaller the wood stove the smaller (less than 6") the pipe and the more critical the pipe. Flow dynamics of firebox and draft control to pipe size is not as easy as with larger stoves. You cant just put a pipe increaser on from say, 4" to 6" and have it work either. Box size, draft thru the box and pipe, number of and degree of bends and overall height are art and science. Sometimes even the pros get it wrong and an amateur wins.....
Typically:
90* elbows are to be avoided, for each you have to add height to the total pipe and it still may not draft well. 45* may work because 2 make only one 90*; just try to find a proper through the wall thimble unit for that!
Basically the thru the wall is a last resort with no guarantee, yet some have been successful... I wouldnt bet I would be one of them.
For smaller dia pipe there are some nice silicone boots (use only on dbl wall insulated or tpl wall pipe) to go straight up, preferably near the peak/ridge line.
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offgrididaho
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2021 01:01pm
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Thanks for the replies on through the wall, your answers are as I kind of expected that it's a lot less than ideal. Think my better bet might be a direct vent propane setup since that is designed to go through a wall...
-- Bass
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bugs
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2021 06:23pm - Edited by: bugs
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jmccartney101: Good Luck with your project. We had the same problem regarding heating our 90 square foot mini cabin to extend our visits into the early spring and late autumn. As you can appreciate space is at a premium. Every inch counts! When we looked at options ie mini wood stove, buddy propane heaters there were serious issues. A wood stove has to have proper spacing around it and behind it so that choice was out. Buddy heaters are out as they are not intended for use in enclosed spaces (H20 issues and CO issues as mentioned). So we went with an RV type propane wall mounted vented heater. Works really well. Cheap to use and takes up very little space. Just my thoughts.
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offgrididaho
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2021 06:29pm
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Bugs,
Did you do the propane plumbing yourself or have someone do it?
-- Bass
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bugs
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2021 06:39pm
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offgrididaho: I did it myself. The company I bought the stove from (2 provinces away) provided all the bits ready to assemble (pipes, regulator, fittings) and I just followed their instructions. Likely not "proper" but there ain't much "proper" at our shack in the woods. The scariest thing was cutting the vent hole in the wall.
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justins7
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2021 03:10pm - Edited by: justins7
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I recently bought and installed a Winnerwell tent stove in my barn/studio. It's been kind of a mad experiment, but it mostly paid off.
These tent stoves are great because they are light enough to move around easily and you can buy extra chimney pipes online. The appealing thing in general was being able to order the whole set online, rather than having to hunt down a nice heavy cast iron stove along with the chimney parts. I just didn't have a lot of time to install it (as much as I really want a nice cast iron stove).
I wound up using ceiling tiles for the surrounding walls and ceiling area, which is a bit nutty but it works well. Not up to code though.
The chimney does have a few angles as it snakes out of what was the lower window, through a proper silicone boot.
The major downside, as people mentioned, is the chimney draw — the pipes are only 3.5" diameter, and I am using a lot of them, at angles. So the stove sometimes struggles for air, and then when you open the door a rush of smoke comes out. This is the main problem — but, that being said, it still works well. The angled pipe inside is actually nice because it acts like a large heater in itself.
I blocked off half of my barn space with a curtain, so heating the remaining 200 sq. ft. isn't too difficult. The other night the temp. inside was 24°F, and once I got the fire going and the smoke out the window it got up to 63°, all in about 45 minutes. Not bad at all. And the space is not insulated at all. The amount of heat pumping out of a small stove like this is really impressive. The pipe glows red — it gets up to around 600°F. It easily beats my vintage Franklin wood stove I have in my cabin.
These portable stoves are great for fairly fast DIY installation in a small shed or shop. But the smoke / draw issue is a minor problem.
I got the idea from this site:
https://www.livesmallridefree.com/blog/why-we-chose-the-winnerwell-portable-tiny-wood -stove
The also sell accessories like stoves that attach, which I want to try:
https://winnerwell.us
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2021 03:50pm
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Do they have 45* elbows? If so and you used one near the stove outlet and another near the wall exit you would have an angled pipe between and improve the draft from that 90* and a mostly horizontal run, maybe by a lot.
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justins7
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2021 06:16pm
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gcrank1, They do make 45-deg sections, which I have. But the problem is that the pipe goes outside through the lower part of the window — and it's too low to be able to have two sections of 45-degrees. I really need to either cut some of the pipes or really try to go through a different, higher section of wall. But with temps dipping into the single digits I have just left it as-is for now.
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