Heat source/ Pellet stove?

[adamhere]

Hello everyone,

We got our bus April 2015 and pulled the seats and framed for washroom and set up the bedroom. We are now looking to get it ready to move into and are looking at heating options. There is some talk about propane creating a lot of moisture. True? We are thinking a small pellet stove may be a good option. We will be full time in either Edmonton or Anchorage area. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Time and money are tight.

Thanks

[eagle19952]

Can you even get pellets in Anchorage ?

And yes condensation will definitely be a burden in the areas you mention.

[Lee Bradley]

Propane is not a condensation problem if the combustion exhausted outside.  How about a diesel boiler; single fuel, pre-heat engine.

[adamhere]

 Lowes carries pellets in Achorage $6.49 for 40lbs. I would love to go diesel and stick to the single fuel but it seems everytime I look into it even for gene it becomes cost prohibitive for me.

[Oonrahnjay]

Propane is not a condensation problem if the combustion exhausted outside.  How about a diesel boiler; single fuel, pre-heat engine.  

   May or not be a big issue, but "solid fuel" tends to draw a lot of air in to burn -- then you have a lot of cold air being drawn in to the passenger compartment.  It's also an issue with other kinds of heaters too so it's something that isn't a deal breaker, just something to be considered.  If you can find a heating unit that draws combustion air in from the outside and also passes exhaust outside, you'll probably be well off.
   On the other hand, solid fuel tends to heat up quickly (and Anchorage, etc. has plenty of cold weather) and puts out a lot of heat.  That's probably a good feature.
   There are so many factors to consider.    

[Darkspeed]

What about diesel and a few small radiators in the bus?

For example 82kbtu (they can be had for 300) > http://www.ebay.com/itm/ProHeat-M80-24V-Coolant-Heater-New-in-Box-NSN-2540200038601-/251873115364

[adamhere]

The Proheat looks possible I will research it. Maybe it could tie into the original system. Thanks

[adamhere]

The stove we are looking at, the Enviro mini, has an air intake and exhaust. Yes, so many options so much to think about.

[RJ]

How did you insulate the bus?  Did you pull the roof panels?  Interior sidewall panels?

Insulation has a HUGE effect on heating (and cooling) requirements.

Factory insulation is poor for wintering in Canadian climates.

How are you planning to power the heat distribution?  Plugged into a power pole?  Solar/inverter/battery bank?  Genset?

All have to be considered.

Anything North of Las Vegas needs heat, which explains snowbirds.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[eagle19952]

Spent a lifetime in Alaska... I don't care what you heat with, or what you heat, realisticly on the coldest days you will get frost on the inside of your windows... that may not be propane or fuel related moisture, but it is wet and it condenses on windows.

[Lostranger]

For the past two (severe) winters, we burned wood in a small, home-built steel stove. This year we're buying a Morso Squirrel cast iron stove with secondary combustion. Not sure how it would work with pellets, but it's a wonder with wood. Not too big for a bus. Reasonable price.

Jim H.

[luvrbus]

Diesel fired boilers are not cheap to run in severe cold weather then you need a additive to keep the fuel from jelling it is good heat but like any heat it has draw backs   

[Scott & Heather]

Jim, talk to us more about your wood heat. How toasty did it keep you? Where did you winter? What kind of temps did you experience? How much wood did you go through using a little stove in a bus?

I'm really curious because my wife really wants me to put a nice little wood stove with a viewing window in our new bus and I am curious as to how viable a source of heat it is when stationary?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Darkspeed]

Scott, if I was going with a mobile wood stove ( and I am ) I would recommend > http://www.marinestove.com/index.htm

It is what most of the Airstream people go with, with good results! You can order them with glass as well.

Notice the second photo is a counter level install.





Old geezer approved....

[Sharkbait]

Thought I'd chime in here. I lived in my bus in the mountains in California for 5 years near Yosemite. Temps down in the teens sometimes at night. First year I used propane, worked okay but got kinda expensive. I started looking for a wood stove small enough but they were hard to find. But, I found one at a church rummage sale. $35.00. It wasn't as small as I would have liked. Probably 24" long, 16" wide and 20" high. I ran the stack out a side window and up above the bus. Made a heat shield for the bottom and backside with 3/4" ply covered in 1/2" hardee board with slate tile on top. Trimmed in oak, it looked pretty good. I would load it up with wood at night, closed the air and dampner almost all the way until I had a real small burn and it would keep the bus toasty warm all night. I was burning about a 5 gal bucket of wood a night. Wood was free. No recirculating fan, just warm ambient heat. It wasn't enough heat to boil water but enough to get it pretty hot. Worked great. I would have ducted the stovepipe through the roof but I didn't want to cut a hole in the roof until I knew it worked and I liked it so bringing the pipe through the window was a good temporary fix and as we say in Naval Air, "There's never anything so permanent as a good temporary fix." I will run the stack through the roof eventually. Good thing I've noticed since the popularity of "Tiny Homes" there seems to be more choices in small wood stoves. Keep in mind, pellet stoves need power to run. Good luck with your decision, Regards, Phil