Community Forums

amdg · 05-20-2017, 07:29 PM

If anyone here has installed a wood burning stove, I would like to know what effect that heat source has on the areas of the MH that are usually kept from freezing by the propane furnace. Did you have to wrap your hoses, pipes and tanks with heat-tape and run the generator frequently to protect them? Your views on the merits and demerits of using a wood stove are most welcome.

BFlinn181 · 05-20-2017, 08:09 PM

A very small wood stove might be possible, but you'd have to have heat shields around it to protect the RV walls. If you have 120 v electricity, you can use electricity to heat wet bay and distribute heat from the wood stove with fans. If not planning on shore power, I don't think I'd want to try it.

Be sure you have the best insulated RV you can buy, moisture is as big a problem as cold. One or two adults produce a lot of moisture, which will condense or even freeze on any surface. Since a wood stove requires outside air, some of the moisture will be reduced, but burning wood produces moisture, so it might be a wash.

amdg · 05-20-2017, 08:32 PM

I was thinking of installing the Kimberly Wood Stove, which requires only 6" of clearance at the side, and would arrange the air supply to come from outside of the coach to the bottom of the stove, thus, the inside air wouldn't be used for combustion. A number of accessories are available, including a thermo-electric 12v generator, which I think is so neat! I need to find out what part of the MH might suffer, while the stove is busy keeping me cozy since the warm air wouldn't be going into the ductwork. Perhaps there's a way to send some of that heat into the ducts....I just really hate the idea of freezing to death after I run out of propane.

Unplanned Tourist · 05-20-2017, 08:52 PM

I'm thinking that you will have big problems keeping the basement from freezing up. Unless you run a fan in your ducted heating system, no warm air will be going to the tanks and whatever you have down there. Heat rises, and in the cold it rises even faster!

I can only suggest lots of insulation around the lower area of your rig and using a fan to blow some of the warm air under to keep a light frost away (like maybe down to 25 for a short while)
Good Luck!

amdg · 05-20-2017, 09:06 PM

I think all your points are right. It would be better to just head 'way south when the thermometer starts dropping. I didn't intend to become a nomad at the tender age of 74. Oh, well. But I still love the stove, even if it costs a lot.

nothermark · 05-20-2017, 09:21 PM

We burn wood in the S&B on a part time basis. At 72 I would not want to do it full time. Too much hassle. OTOH part time gets the chill off, saves propane, and is a backup in case of other failures. It's also a good way to dispose of a lot of stuff.

If you want to do it part time then you need to run the furnace blower to circulate the warm air into the places that the furnace vents to. That is a major power draw if you are boondocking. If you are on shore power then it it a lot less of an issue. You will want that air circulation anyway to keep the heat distributed.

If I was going that route I would also invest a few dollars in a remote reading thermometer or two with a freeze alarm to stick sensors in the basement where the tanks are. I would also run off the internal water supply so I did not have to mess with a heated hose and worry about water freezing in the supply fitting. That does make migrating with the seasons look more attractive. No need to hurry to do it. Many places have the occasional freeze but are not continuously below freezing so manageable. It depends on how much you want to deal with.

buxtonworks · 05-22-2017, 10:58 PM

I was looking at a cubic wood stove very small used for boats burns wood / coal / and presto logs thing you can buy anywhere its made in Canada they know how to build a woodstove priced right to you can get it with a hanging unit that mounts it off floor pretty cool unit only real hang up is cutting a hole in your roof for the vent as far as I remember wood heat is really dry heat It should suck up moister fast. theres also a diesel heater made for boats that has an exposed flame like a fire place but a little more money keep up on this I'm interested in doing it myself

buxtonworks 2002 Monaco Knight 30 pbd Allison 3000 no toad yet

UncleBilly · 05-22-2017, 11:52 PM

Check out YouTube channel Justin credible who's done the Kimberley wood stove. Dickinson Marine also make propane and diesel stoves. I'd love a diesel one on my wall 😁

okmunky · 05-23-2017, 12:05 AM

amdg, come join us in Quartzsite, AZ next winter. RVs just aren't made to deal with cold weather and I'm pretty sure my tolerance for it declines every year. I'm sure you'll spend less on fuel driving south than you would for that high tech wood stove, propane and other tricks that will allow you to survive the cold. At our age we need to plan on thriving, not just surviving.

Crasher · 05-23-2017, 07:18 AM

Going south at the tender age of 74 could be a great experience. You would meet more people that are on the same boat you are. We are both 74 and spend our winters in AZ. We have met others our same age that still enjoy rock crawling with our modified Jeeps. One of our members is 84. Start with a place like Quartzite for dirt cheap boondocking. It's not for us, but thousands of snowbirds go there every year. You will be amazed how many new friends you will find. We have more close friends at our AZ home than we have where we have lived a lifetime. Try it for a season. You might just open a new exciting chapter of your life.