Woodstove placement

[starwolf]

I would like to hear from anyone who has installed a woodstove in their trailer. I haven't yet purchase a trailer, but it will be 24' or under.

(1) Where could I find space to install one?
(2) Could one be installed in lieu of the stove/oven?

[Foiled Again]

Use the SEARCH Function - under that Select GOOGLE and just type in "Wood Stove" - it will bring up numerous threads. Some have done quite nice installs - but don't forget it's another hole in the roof!
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f459...ve-100085.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f462...e-44907-4.html
Frankly I wouldn't do it. There are a few very nice, very very small wood stoves out there - most of which cost over $1000! And a small wood stove doesn't hold enough fuel to last the whole night - so if you have to get up and feed it ever 3 or 4 hours how much good is it?

I do like the look and feel of the flames - but did you know there are marine propane or diesel stoves that can provide that (and keep a teapot warm on the top? One even had a flexible two layered hose/chimney that brought in cold air to the combustion chamber and exhausted the spent air to the outside - very efficient and safe!

You'll sacrifice a good deal of floor , wall and chimney space - and the smaller the trailer the more significant losing even 1 cu. ft. can be.

Paula

[r carl]

I've wondered about small coal stoves before.

[Alcoa Roller]

I would think the heat from a wood stove would run you out of there except in the most bitter of cold. Unless this would be a permanent park job for a hunting camp in an extreme location I would not do it. But yes it can be done and yes people have done it.

[BigAl]

have one in my house.
Would never think of one in my trailer. Unless parked to die(never going to move).
To much work with fuel and ashes etc.
Al

[Jim Foster]

If wood stoves were great in a trailer, most of us would already have one.

We heat with wood at home, but would never consider it for a trailer. Too many good other options.


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[starwolf]

The reason I am considering a woodstove is because I need to avoid gas, oil and propane for health reasons. If I'm living in the trailer full-time and need to be in a place for income purposes that's very cold in the winter, I need backup in case the grid goes down for several days or longer. i.e., a generator is not an option.

So experienced answers are much appreciated....

[Pams72]

check these out

Unforgettable Fire, LLC | Kimberlyâ„¢ & Katydidâ„¢ Wood Stoves

[nmayer1]

Hi look at this great guy http://jonsonglobetrotter.de/ he is living on the road since 30 years, he lived in many let me say rv or trailer. Now he is heating his trailer ( no AS ) with a marine wood stove. (Uk) He is doing great, and for me If I would live in a Airstream or so It would be the first work what I would do. To have the choice heat both way is be wounderful. All the best

[Liesl]

I'm installing a navigator sardine in my 26' 1976 Argosy as we speak. Lucky for me, I had a deceased propane fridge right next to the door, which leaves me a space for my stove to sit on a 2 cubic foot wood box, with the chimney going literally directly up into the existing vent from the fridge. Even better than that, there's a low hatch that used to be for accessing the pilot light and such on the fridge, and I'm able to Jimmy a small pipe to add a fresh air return (this has been the biggest controversial issue surrounding CO emissions in an enclosed space) this also stops the stove from suckling air in from other parts of the trailer.

I've heard tonnes of nay-sayers chirp about it getting way too hot, or having to stoke the stove every couple hours, but the reviews I've heard of this particular little guy (The Navigator sardine) is that you can get 6-7 hours of burn time out of a proper load when you use good quality wood/hardwood lump charcoal. I don't think alot of these people understand quite how tiny these little units actually are, the issue of cooking me out of my trailer has yet to be proven. I'll gladly be the guinea pig.

Perhaps I spoke too soon, but it's looking like a seamless installation so far. I'll let you know how well it worked in a week or 2 when I've broken her in.

P.S. Ive been living full time in this vintage beauty on the West Coast of Canada for 2 years now (with my 9 year old daughter). Electric heaters just don't cut it when the cold snaps hit, and propane heat causes WAY too much condensation=mold.

[andreasduess]

Really interested in this, as a wood stove is on the list of things to do - after this year's composting toilet and next year's solar upgrade.

I've seen some wonderful installs and have lived with wood stove heat (with no fresh air return) on a boat in the UK, where one well placed stove kept a 42' narrowboat (also known as canalboats) toasty all winter long.

Would love to see some pictures of people's solutions.

[andreasduess]

Originally Posted by nmayer1

Hi look at this great guy jonsonglobetrotter.de he is living on the road since 30 years, he lived in many let me say rv or trailer. Now he is heating his trailer ( no AS ) with a marine wood stove. (Uk) He is doing great, and for me If I would live in a Airstream or so It would be the first work what I would do. To have the choice heat both way is be wounderful. All the best

Oh my lord.

This guy is insane. I love how far and wide he travelled and the vehicles he used. Tractors. Trailers. Circus wagons.

The site is in German, but well worth visiting. A free spirit indeed.

[JimGolden]

Anything heavy, mount it ahead of the axles. probably best location is just slightly ahead of the front axle so that it's in the proper place, but not so far forward as to really bump up your tongue weight.

I'd cut the hole in the side of the shell, not the roof. Run your exhaust out the side and then turn it up. I'd also make a little visor or "eyebrow" from aluminum and rivet to the skin above where the pipe hole is...kind of like the one above the entrance door.

Be careful not to set anything on fire. Other than that, have at it

Best of luck,

[PaulnGina]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

Be careful not to set anything on fire. Other than that, have at it

Best of luck,

I like that...

Here's a picture of a 1989 34XB that had a wood stove in it.... vented through the roof. I like the suggestion of venting through the side wall. As for too much heat for a trailer..... that's what the windows are for....



I love wood heat.

[Ray Eklund]

[QUOTE=Jim Foster;1578361]If wood stoves were great in a trailer, most of us would already have one.

We heat with wood at home, but would never consider it for a trailer. Too many good other options.
*******

There is a place for a Wood Stove, or an Oil burner or another fuel source that is capable of heating the interior of any Trailer. We used wood burning stoves in northwestern Montana to heat the home and cook upon.

Yes... someone, myself as the oldest kid, would get up early and clean out the previous evenings charcoal into a bucket, stuff some newsprint and kindling into the stove, take a match from those mounted in a container on the wall... and presto... the process began again, and again. There still are many homes heated by wood or oil today. Even a pellet stove could work well...

The vast majority of trailers and RV's are manufactured for the casual traveler who stops where you have Full Hookups. Their lives changed by only the location where they have parked.

Some... a small minority have to improvise to adapt a City Designed Airstream to be useful during the three to five months of Lower 48 Winter uses.

There is nothing wrong being comfortable at a full service camp site. You can have Grandma's furniture and chandelier over an oak table in your RV. I am speaking for those who would like to extend their trailer use beyond the 40 to 90 degree comfort ranges possible in a current trailer.

The discussion should come to WHERE to install a wood burner and WHAT has to be removed to find the space. Obviously some have already worked on that. I applaud those who are considered "different" and experiment with their time and money. These people should be celebrated.

Those who criticize the work of these pioneers utilizing a trailer for other than a living room transported to another location... are currently designing most RV's today.

Airstream has the resources to create something for the outdoorsman. Not a stripped out motel room of a trailer, but a well thought out... Sheepherder's Wagon brought into the 21st Century. Some manufacturer will eventually capture a market that exists today for a trailer that can handle the colder climate trailer owners. Someday the hot climate trailer owner will have an option, but less likely.

When I see this trailer... and it is to my liking... Airstream For Sale.

Great old posts and thank you.

[mandolindave]

All of the ( hot ) air that goes up the chimney HAS to get replaced by cold air. Cracking a window brings cold air into the living space and works against the heating process.The best way would be to install an air supply to the wood stove.

Woodstoves aren't that healthy when it comes air quality. They are cheap to run, especially if you can harvest fuel from a wooded area, and they are good for long boon docking trips. Granted, having a woodsove in a camper would be nice, handy, and cheap sometimes if you can get free wood. Another thing is that you would need to be splitting wood so it would fit into one of those tiny marine stoves. Just something to think about

Some report that you have to get up several times during the night to feed the stove, and some say a good stove will stay lit for seven hours. The thing is, if you have had the stove running all day, and fill it before you go to sleep, the trailer will stay warm for a while and be warm enough to sleep in all night.
I experienced that in my van camping days. Going to bed was miserably cold but body heat warmed things up. You need a good sleeping bag.

One guy, who wintered in Vermont, made a shed around the trailer door. He heated the shed with a bigger wood stove and circulated the warm air into the trailer with a fan. He was on the forum here for a brief time, and we never heard from him again. We get a lot of people come on to the forum with the cool idea of saving money, while living stationary in a cool Airstream. RVs are NOT 4 season homes.

I don't know what health issues prevents you from using a propane furnace but they are vented well. I have never smelled mine. Electric would be best. Since generators HAVE to be running outside, I don't see your problem with them either.

Perhaps living in a trailer is not the best plan for you. with up front cost, park fees, maintenance, heating cost etc….You might not be saving that much money anyhow.

[andreasduess]

Wood stoves have a romance that can't be matched by any other heat source.

Most of the narrowboats cruising the British canals have diesel powered central heating systems with radiators throughout the boat - yet still, the vast majority of liveaboards, myself included, went through the effort required to have a live fire on board.

When we owned a cabin in the middle of Mennonite country we rarely used the gas heater, again opting to heat with a wood burner.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Pams72

check these out

Unforgettable Fire, LLC | Kimberlyâ„¢ & Katydidâ„¢ Wood Stoves

If I were stationary in a trailer, a small woodstove would be the way to go. Carrying one on the road just seems implausible to me.

This little Unforgettable Fire guy is pretty cute, and very space efficient....tho with many good qualities, rather modern looking for my taste.

I like the cast iron, the visual appeal of the black...with flame winking at you thru the glass door.


Maggie

[Gearheart]

At $4.5k plus labor, installed, I can buy a lot of propane for my furnace.

[Liesl]

Darned if I could figure out how to post a photo from my smart phone, but I fired up my sardine last night for the first time. She works great.

$1400 stove
$250 other parts
$50 CO detector
Installation - was just me, a jigsaw, tin snips, a drill, and a whole lot of consultation with all my gass-fitter friends.

I didn't go with the fresh air intake, becaus my trailer has some sizeable gaps to provide draft as it is.

I was sick of blowing breakers with the electric heaters. This guy will make it so easy to relax in here. I highly recommend.