wood burning stove?

[mackerelbus]

Hi everyone,

We will be moving into our AS ('69 Globetrotter) full time from the end of February and will be installing a small woodburning stove for heating.
We had to pretty much gut the inside of our AS when we discovered rotten floors and bulkheads. So we have re-furbished the interior for fulltiming with 3 big dogs.The furnace that was in there was broken and took up a lot of room, so we are opting for the 'free' fuel option. Just picturing going for walks picking up the weeks fuel and fallen branches and scrap bits of unwanted wood and no heating bills.
There is a company in the UK where we are based, called 'Snail Stoves' who specialise in light weight stoves for motorhomes, trailers, yurts etc. They are made from steel instead of cast iron and can be made to your specifications.
Does anyone one else here have experience of woodstoves in an Airstream? or is this an unknown phenomenon?
We are still saving up at the moment, but will post with pictures and progress.
Look forward to your opinions.

cheers

Jules

[Protagonist]

Don't know about wood-burning stoves in Airstreams, but I've seen several in sailboats. Your biggest issue will be venting it to outside. You'll probably want a double-skin flue coming up through the roof, flashing around the hole, and distinctive conical cap on the "charley noble" (what boaters call the woodstove flue) to keep the rain out.

The double-skin flue is basically a tube inside a tube; one lets in combustion air, the other lets out exhaust. Just the thing to keep carbon monoxide on the outside of the trailer where it belongs.

You can get wood stoves that include "back boilers" to provide hot water, too, if you don't mind some mods to your plumbing system.

There are numerous resources online to help you determine the size of stove, size of flue, etc. that you will need. Also preventive measures to avoid flue fires, which can be pretty spectacular.

[star kitty]

When I purchased my '67 Globetrotter two years ago, it had a sheepherders stove in it. They piped it out the curb side window next to the door as shown in the picture.

I can't attest to the safety and use of it because I removed it immediately but they stated they used it for heat.

Also, the inside of the cabin and the soft goods smelled like a campfire!

[ventport]

Heating a small area with a wood stove is not easy. I heat my farm house and a small cabin with wood. The house is easy as the area is big and it is easy to keep the heat even. The cabin is small and it is very hard to keep it comfortable. It is either way too hot or too cold. Keeping the stove going all night without over heating the cabin or having to get up 3 times a night to fire the stove is not possible. I do not think a wood stove has a place in an Airstream. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by mackerelbus

Hi everyone,

Just picturing going for walks picking up the weeks fuel and fallen branches and scrap bits of unwanted wood and no heating bills.

Jules

While it may sound very cozy and frugal, your wood stove idea may be less practical than you think. I have heated two different homes with cast-iron wood stoves. I also had a steel, cylinder stove for my outfitter tent for back-country camping where you can't haul an Airstream.
As has been mentioned, wood stoves in confined spaces are impractical because they throw off so much heat. It is a challenge to maintain a comfortable temperature.
I would add that "wood" stoves don't want "fallen branches and bits of wood." They want real firewood.
Feeding a wood stove brings all sorts of bark inside dirt inside, and tending the stove spills ashes.
Finally, a wood stove requires a lot of space, not just its own footprint, but the "stand-off" distance from walls and cabinets as well.

[Melody Ranch]

Two adults and three large dogs living full time in a Globetrotter will be their own heat source.

If your hard over on the wood burning stove...research the wood burning stoves available for boats. They are made for the small areas to be heated, have long history in sailing ships, and actually look great while taking up small space.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Alumaholic

Feeding a wood stove brings all sorts of bark inside dirt inside.

Not to mention bugs.

Finally, a wood stove requires a lot of space, not just its own footprint, but the "stand-off" distance from walls and cabinets as well.

But that stand-off distance can be minimized by lining the adjacent surfaces with ceramic or terra-cotta tile.

You would definitely want one of the stoves designed for marine use; that is more tolerant of being moved around while lit. This one is only one of many offerings on the market: SARDINE STOVE INFO & SPECS.

You may also want to check out the AirForums thread "Woodstoves in Airstreams?" The last post to that thread was in 02/11.

[mackerelbus]

thanks everyone for your input.

The woodstoves we are looking at are tiny and extremely light ( not made of cast iron)- made specially for trailers and boats. Welcome - Snail Stoves
It was only a bit of girly waffling about the branches and bits of wood, of course it would need to be chopped and dried out.
The size of stove we are looking it will only take tiny dry logs and kindling sized wood.
We will be cladding the area around where the stove with aluminium with an air gap (ceramic tiles would be nice but may be too much of a weight issue) and it will be set away from any bulkheads or cabinets. The flue will be a double flue with a really cool aluminium airstreamy 'hat' on to stop the rain getting in.
I have lived with a wood burning stove in a boat for 7 years so I know about the smoky aromas and ash situation - not too bothered about that and as we will be off grid most of the time it's just something that we will put up with. There is no reason why the area cannot be kept clean and tidy with a bit of care and effort.
Wouldn't need to keep it burning all night as we would be in bed and warm enough. In the morning, just pop a couple of bits of kindling in there and a small log and it would be going again. We don't get incredibly cold Winters in Cornwall, in fact I have nasturtiums outside that are still in flower at the moment! so as long as it was alight for a few hours in the evening to make things cosy that would be fine.
I will certainly try to find the thread that you mention about woodstoves.
Very interesting hearing your views.

cheers

Jules

[Lily&Me]

Go for it, I say!

We have a small woodstove in our small stick house, and love it.

You can't beat the heat, nor the entertainment value of just looking at it.


Maggie

[StreamlineAK]

I HAVE and current USE a wood/ coal burning stove in my 29' Streamline Empress (vintage kin to airstream). It work just fine. Yes, woodstoves are dirty, but just clean up! Honestly wood heat is the way to go for comfort and cost effectiveness. As long as you've burned wood in a house before, it's exactly the same in a trailer, only the thin insulation means you got to keep the fire going strong. Here is my thread: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f462...ml#post1209926

[RickDavis]

We have heated homes with wood for years. As others have stated, in that small an area you will have two conditions. Too hot or the fire is out unless you feed it miniscule amounts of fuel at frequent intervals. I am a big fan of wood heat but don't think it would be the way to go in such a small area.
Also you will need to keep a window or vent partially open unless you have some kind of stove that draws combustion air from the outside

[DKB_SATX]

Funny... I was poking around for info on sailboat wood stoves because the dual-purpose chimney mentioned above (combustion air + exhaust air) was interesting. I came across this page, and while there's no mention of travel trailers or Airstream, if that's not the interior of a modified Airstream in the last photo on the page I'm a ballerina.

[TinLoaf]

And if you look at the photos page from the same company, number seven is an Airstream.

I'd love to install one in my trailer but my concern is with insurance coverage. Would you be able to carry insurance if you installed a wood stove?

[Phoenix]

Dickinson (marine) stoves have been mentioned in similar threads. Not sure how practical they would be in an Airstream. However, if anyone has already installed one, I'd sure like to look at it close up.

Propane stove: DickinsonMarine.com - Propane Fireplaces

Propane stove (specs): http://www.dickinsonmarine.com/Specs...9-P12-2008.pdf

Solid fuel (wood, charcoal, etc.): http://www.dickinsonmarine.com/Specs...dFuel-2008.pdf

[r carl]

I think a wood stove will help get rid of condensation in your trailer.

[Lily&Me]

Someone put a marine stove in their airstream. It was adorable.

You might find it on the forums, somewhere. I would find it for you, but I can't find things for myself.

I'm sure a little woodstove would bake any moisture out of a trailer. We have to use a humidifier on the woodstove at home, to add moisture to the air.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by r carl

I think a wood stove will help get rid of condensation in your trailer.

Anything that raises the air temperature lowers the relative humidity. Unless water vapor is a combustion byproduct, anyway. Doesn't matter if it's an electric heater, propane, diesel, or wood.

[mackerelbus]

thanks, had a look at pic 7 and that is pretty much how we are going to install the woodstove, in the same spot too. That woodstove is probably a bit bigger and wider than the one we will put in. But the cladding looks like the sort we will have, with the air space between.
We have still got to save some more pennies to buy it yet, it'll probably be Summer by the time we do! So will probably have to find a 'stop gap' heat source that doesn't cost too much in the meantime.

cheers

Jules

[mackerelbus]

When heating our old motorhome with a calor gas heater the condensation was horrendous, so I am hoping that there will be less with a woodstove.
All this info that you guys are giving is fantastic, keep it coming.
there is a UK forum for Airstreams but not too many people on it as you can imagine and you have to wait for days to get responses. Nobody around with a towable AS either,theyr'e all stuck on sites for holiday makers or in peoples gardens for 'man dens' or playhouses or offices which is a shame.
Ideally would opt for a diesel heater perhaps but they are really really expensive and we have spent pretty much everything we have on restoring the AS so far.

cheers

Jules

[TinLoaf]

Originally Posted by mackerelbus

When heating our old motorhome with a calor gas heater the condensation was horrendous, so I am hoping that there will be less with a woodstove.

When you burn gas one of the byproducts of the combustion is water vapor, so non-vented gas heaters are bad with condensation.

With the wood stove you'll be sucking the warm, moist air into the stove for combustion and sending it up the chimney. As the stove burns, a constant supply of dry air from outside will be coming into the trailer through a cracked window or roof vent.

You'll definitely see a major improvement, and it's not just because the temperature rose as suggested earlier. That's only true in a closed environment where your combustion air is drawn from, and exhausted to, the outdoors, as with our furnaces.

Good luck.