|
| Author |
Message |
bhebby
Member
|
# Posted: 14 Aug 2011 07:25pm
Reply
Building a small 12x20 cabin in the tug hill region of NY. What kind of stove would be best for this space? Its an adirondack lean to style cabin,and I want to heat it well but also not take up a lot of room.
|
|
smitty
Member
|
# Posted: 14 Aug 2011 07:32pm
Reply
Hi neighbor!,
We are trying to build up in NY too :D
We are doing the cabin on wheels thing though.
have you thought about maybe a wood cook stove for the kitchen? It would heat the place hot, and do all of your cooking. You can make an outdoor kitchen lean to, and take it out there to cook in the summer..
|
|
fpw
Member
|
# Posted: 14 Aug 2011 10:46pm
Reply
http://www.fourdog.com/
|
|
bhebby
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:09pm
Reply
yes I have looked at a few of them. I have concerns about safety with them but that is a result of me not knowing much about them. I also dont want to drop big dime on one they seem to be expensive. where is your land smitty
|
|
MtnDon
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:25pm - Edited by: MtnDon
Reply
From what I see one big issue with all the cheaper stoves like that is one of clearances from combustibles. By the time they are placed far enough from walls, etc. they occupy huge amounts of space. Even modern stoves will usually require something like 24 inches side clearance.
My personal experience is that small cabins (like this) are best served by propane heaters; direct vent, not the unvented or so-called ventless/vent free type. If you have available power electric is another choice. We have a VC Aspen in a 16x30 that is great. The planned 14 x 14 bunkhouse will get a propane heater.
|
|
smitty
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Aug 2011 06:31pm - Edited by: smitty
Reply
Quoting: bhebby yes I have looked at a few of them. I have concerns about safety with them but that is a result of me not knowing much about them. I also dont want to drop big dime on one they seem to be expensive. where is your land smitty
Finger lakes/Southern tier region, just a little bit to the south of ya.
The only suggestion I can make, because there are so many to choose from, is one with an outside air intake. So you use outside o2 for combustion instead of cabin air.
Or like MtnDon says, a direct vent propane heater would work great. The one in the link is the one I've been thinking about. It's a pretty good price. Not supposed to use it above 2000 ft elevation.
|
|
CabinBuilder
Admin
|
# Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:22am
Reply
bhebby,
Check this page and this cabin heating thread. There are some other related discussions in the forum's Off-Grid section.
|
|
davestreck
Member
|
# Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:34am - Edited by: davestreck
Reply
For my cabin (12x16 with a loft) I'm looking at the Jotul 602 and the Morso Squirrel. Neither are cheap, but I don't see those Northern Tool box stoves lasting too long with hard use.
|
|
|
bhebby
Member
|
# Posted: 23 Aug 2011 02:03pm
Reply
smitty I got my hands on a wood cook stove. It will go well with my getting back to basics old school ideas. Just have to figure out the lighting question now,not sure I want to use propane lights.
|
|
larryh
Member
|
# Posted: 24 Aug 2011 08:25am
Reply
Don't forget that wood cooking stoves need correct distances from combustibles as well. Any exposed direct heat should have the correct distance to flammables maintained to be safe. Also a depending on the cook stove frequent wood attention is necessary to keep it running and they can put out a lot of heat so be prepared to be hot in a small space. That said a cookstove is a nice way to have cooking and heating.
Propane lights are a question as well. I find that propane tends to put out an odd smell especially in the lights. I think its the mantle that is a factor here. I had some city gas lights that ran on mantles in an old home and they always put out an odd odor compared to the non mantel flat burner gas lamps. So I have to say its the mantle. We have two of the new wall mantle lamps in my moms house for emergency lighting. While they do work well and provide a good light, that lingering odor is a bit troublesome after a while. Also they need good ventilation to be safe as well in a small space.
|
|
ross
|
# Posted: 25 Aug 2011 11:30am
Reply
Re the wood stove, good stoves will be rated for a specific square footage, so buy accordingly. However these are very rough estimates and you will heat less of a space if you are using soft woods or not fully dred wood. Another factor is how much insulation you have. My suggestion would be to look to a small wood stove for really cold weather, and have an alternative heat source for times you just want to take the dampness out of the cabin, such as a propane or kerosene heater. It is important to ensure there is outside air coming in, and a battery powered CO monitor is highly recommended. Re the comments about cheaper stoves needing more clearance, this is becuase better stoves have heat shields built in, but you can cut clearwnces by 2/3 by having a metal heal shield with an inch of air clearance. If you live in Canada check out a good wood stove store, they should be able to provide you a very well writen government booklet describing clearances, draft, sizing etc
|
|
PlicketyCat
Member
|
# Posted: 25 Aug 2011 09:39pm
Reply
Stove heating efficiency depends on several factors outside just the stove. How insulated is your cabin? What is the average ambient winter temperature? What type of wood are your burning? How seasoned is the wood?
In our neck of the woods, a normal stick-built cabin (4" walls, R-28) would need a stove at least TWICE as big as the listed sq. ft. recommendations because our avg winter ambient temp is -40 and we don't have high BTU species hardwoods here. However, with a super-insulated building (R-38 walls, R-50 ceiling/floor), we can heat our cabin effectively with seasoned softwoods with just a slightly bigger stove than the test recommendations. Our stove Harman Oakwood) is rated to heat up to 2000 sq ft, and our cabin is only 768 sq ft.... we'd cook ourselves out if it weren't so cold here, but we'd still freeze if we didn't have all the insulation keeping the heat in. We also have a secondary propane heater to augment the woodstove when the temps get down to -60, or as a lower BTU substitute when it's too warm in the spring-fall to really need a full fire in the stove.
Be aware that cook stoves are not normally built to be run continuously for heating purposes. So, if you live somewhere with really cold winters, it's better to have a dedicated efficient heat stove. If you still opt for a cook stove, make sure that it is designed for continuous long-term heating (like the Kitchen Queen).
If you live with cold winters, I highly recommend that you get a stove that is either cast iron, or the heaviest gauge rolled steel you can afford. Cheap box stoves are often made with thinner gauge steel and they will warp or burn through if used continuously over long periods.
For reference, we have a 4-Dog heavy gauge rolled steel tent stove in our wall tent, and we have burned it continuously for 6 months through two winters... it has deformed, and is suffering from thermal stress, but has not burned through *yet*. I'd say that the 4-Dogs are the best steel stoves I've found in the lower price ranges. Even the high-end high-efficiency steel stoves (like Blaze King) are at higher risk of burn through, which is why they are lined with firebricks... inspect your firebricks before heating season and replace if necessary!
Cast iron has the best long-term survival rate, but they take a LONG time to warm up (and also to cool down) compared to steel stoves and you can run the risk of thermal shock cracking it if you light a really hot fire in it when it is really cold. For this reason, it's a good idea to get a secondary heat source (like a propane/kerosene heater) to help warm up the space and the stove a little if it's "dead cold".
Cast iron stoves are also MUCH heavier and a little more expensive than a steel stove... however, they do last longer. Since it takes cast iron much longer to cool down, it also extends your overnight heating period. With a properly banked bedtime fire, your cast iron stove should still be radiating warmth in the morning even if the fire has completely burned out... no more frigid morning wake ups!
There are several space-efficient models of woodburning stoves, but double-check the clearances. Some wood stoves can be placed with less clearances if they are used in conjunction with additional shields or double-wall flue pipe. If your space is extremely tight, a propane heater may be more space-per-BTU efficient than a wood stove... and there are several models that are tall rather than wide, which also provides more heat in less space. You may also be able to get a much smaller coal stove since coal has higher BTU than wood. It's up to you to decide if the costs of fuel outweigh the use of space. Propane heaters require less maintenance than wood or coal stoves, and all 3 require a LOT less maintenance than oil heaters.
|
|
lifes good
|
# Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:31am
Reply
We have an old wood cook stove that we restored for our cabin...beats the jenaire gives free hot water Check out craigslist
|
|
lifes good
|
# Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:52am
Reply
We have an old wood cook stove that we restored for our cabin...beats the jenaire gives free hot water Check out craigslist
|
|
groingo
Member
|
# Posted: 29 Aug 2011 01:22pm - Edited by: groingo
Reply
An older box stove (in my 10 by 20 foot place) works well, takes little space and is very heat controllable and relatively efficient plus you can cook on it.
I had a couple of the Vogelzang box stoves but they heated poorly because the iron thickness was often less than 1/8 inch thick on the sides, more like sheet metal.
The one I have now (was being used as yard art) was made in South Korea (late 70's) much thicker iron throughout 1/4 to 3/8 inch, is 32 inches long overall and it can be stoked for a good overnight burn as well and is not a big wood hog and allows for safe clearances.
|
|
Martian
Member
|
# Posted: 30 Aug 2011 08:02am
Reply
I bought this Morso.
It is a convection heat stove; so it can be placed close to back and sidewalls.
Tom
|
|
Anonymous
|
# Posted: 30 Aug 2011 09:55am
Reply
lifes good- how big is your cabin? does it heat well? not looking to be sous chef on the thing but I would like to cook on it does it cook food fairly easily?
|
|
Martian
Member
|
# Posted: 30 Aug 2011 08:20pm
Reply
My cabin is 20X24 You can see it here: http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_933_0.html I'm still building, but I put one the same size in my ex's house, and it works great. That's why I bought mine.
For a cabin your size and wanting to cook on it, I'd look at the Shipmate "boat" stoves. They'll heat the cabin and provide a cooking surface for you.
Tom
|
|
Ann
Member
|
# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:05pm
Reply
Quoting: davestreck For my cabin (12x16 with a loft) I'm looking at the Jotul 602 and the Morso Squirrel.
I use the Jotul 602 to heat about 370 square feet. It was certainly pricy, but very well made and effective. It requires small pieces of wood, is easy to light and can quickly bring the air temp to 80+ if you're not careful. I use a stove thermometer to keep track of how hot the stove is getting. It has a cookplate also, which can boil water to increase humidity, or to cook something.
|
|
brokeneck
Member
|
# Posted: 19 Sep 2011 07:03pm
Reply
I found a near new Vermont Castings Aspen on Craigslist including all the stovepipe for $400 -- installation was pretty straightforward it heats my 10x20 cabin on the coldest of nights -- and it's walls are 70% heavy canvas -- Use it for any cooking that can't be done on the fire pit. Unlike propane wood is free ...
|
|
|
