Pellet stove/wood burning stove

[viking1]

I was wondering, has anyone installed a small wood burning or pellet stove in their bus? And if so, any recommendations, how did it work, how was it vented, through the roof or out the side. And what do you do with the stove piping while going down the road?

[Lin]

I have not used either in a bus. I have had a wood stove at home though.  I would think that a wood stove would be best vented through the roof to get the best draft.  A pellet stove though, can use a flu similar to one used for a gas heater and could easily go out the side.

[Scott & Heather]

If you search around here on the forum, there's been a decent amount of discussion on wood stoves in coaches. Some here have even installed one. It can be done. You can exhaust it through the roof. You would need to form a cap that was sheltered at the front of the bus and opened towards the rear if you're using it when driving. But I think the consensus is that having an actual wood fire in a moving bus is a little scary, not so much while it's moving but if you crash or roll, you have hot embers flying everywhere and if that doesn't do you in, the guaranteed ensuing fire sure will. Best used when parked and use coach heat when in motion.


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[PRZNBUS]

Yacht stoves are the way to go.

http://www.shipmatestove.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=32&category=6

Bruce

[sledhead]

if we used our coach in the cold for long periods of time I would put 1 in , just make sure it's safe , do not use it when driving .
we heat with wood at home and it is amazing !

https://www.google.ca/search?q=small+boat+wood+burning+stove&client=opera&hs=Wrb&tbm=isch&imgil=EeCi__83d6E6iM%253A%253BZkG-CUrZo2sw-M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fforum.woodenboat.com%25252Fshowthread.php%25253F125184-New-wood-stove-burning-stove-for-boats&source=iu&pf=m&fir=EeCi__83d6E6iM%253A%252CZkG-CUrZo2sw-M%252C_&biw=1600&bih=790&usg=__Jw20CdJRmvN7riQfmAuagC5sEWU%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjF1fu-3NbKAhVD3yYKHZjdAv8QyjcIUw&ei=imSvVsXoEMO-mwGYu4v4Dw#imgrc=EeCi__83d6E6iM%3A&usg=__Jw20CdJRmvN7riQfmAuagC5sEWU%3D 

something like this . mounted up high with a heat shield , a cap to close it off the chimney  on the inside 

dave

[scanzel]

If you have a positive pressure while driving in the bus it would feed to much air into the stove and burn to much fuel wood/pellets. A negative pressure in the bus could cause smoke or even heat from the combustion chamber to come into the living area. As stated only burn it while parked. I don't think any manufacturer offers wood stoves in motor homes for safety reasons and it may possiblly be against code. If your bus burns up because of a wood/pellet stove is you insurance going to cover it ??

[lostagain]

I have been using wood stoves to heat all my life. I would not use one in the bus unless I was desperate with nothing else to heat with. A stove in a bus will be small, so you'll have to cut the wood really small to fit: more work, and constantly feeding the stove. Also the fire is not going to last all night. You will have to be up a couple of times a night to keep it going. Your supply of fire wood would be easy to manage if you are sitting stationary for a while. But while travelling, you'd have to carry some wood in the bus, and find some more on the road, which won't be easy. Also think of the mess where you store the wood, and around the stove, you're constantly cleaning up. And the ashes... Then there is the space you need for clearances around the stove. A bus isn't big to start with.

The best wood stove is the outdoor wood furnace we have at the house in BC. I feed it once every 24 hours with 3 foot long logs. I don't have to split them either, unless they are too heavy to handle. It sits 100 feet from the house, it heats water which is circulated to a heat exchanger in the basement for the infloor hydronic heat. You could have a system like that on a trailer you pulled with the bus...

JC

[Geoff]

I had a small "top of the line" wood stove in  my house for 20 years, and it worked great, but it was a hassle to clean and the dust from the ashes spread everywhere when you cleaned it out.  I have a Scholastic Webasto 45k diesel fired heater in my bus and it is much better for a bus application than a wood stove could ever be.

--Geoff

[Jeremy]

Traditional solid wood-burning stoves - even modern fan-assisted ones, are dinosaur technology compared to the sort of self-feeding pellet stoves that are around now - compact, clean, high-output and actually quite suitable for bus use in many ways. Cheap to run too, but very expensive to buy.

Solid wood stoves really aren't practical as has been said, and my gut says that unless you're using one constantly, a Webasto (or even, God forbid, propane) makes more sense in a bus than a pellet stove

Jeremy

[chessie4905]

   You better check with your vehicle insurance company first. I doubt they would approve it's use.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

You can't beat a Kimberly Stove.  You can heat with wood, pellets, and charcoal. Roger Lehet designed and sells them at RV and Tiny House shows around the country.  He sold about a dozen in 10 days at the Quartzsite rally.  

With his stove you can also buy options to heat hot water, generate electricity, add a Dutch oven, and a cook top.  

Also when you have a wood stove you get warmed up five ways.  When you cut the wood, when you split the wood, when you carry the wood into the bus, when you stoke the fire, and when you clean out the ashes. No need for a gym membership when you have a wood stove.  Oh, and by the way, they also keep you VERY cozy.

We ran three articles about them in the following BCM issues. January and March 2013 and again in the July 2015 issues.

Check them out at www.unforgettablefirellc.com.  Tell him Gary sent you.

You can also watch one being installed in a floating RV here.... www.unforgettablefirellc.com/videos/rv

Here is one of his stoves that we had in our booth in Quartzsite to keep us warm.  

[viking1]

Definitely thinking about buying a Kimberly wood burning stove for the bus. Looks awesome

[TomC]

I wouldn't ever have fire producing furnace in the bus. Propane or Diesel furnaces (boilers) are sealed affairs. The wood burning is an exposed fire that can be dangerous. In a boat that has much more beam (width) and boats typically don't thrash around like a bus can. Good Luck, TomC

[sledhead]

the problem with propane RV furnaces ( I have a small one for back up ) is they are really bad for efficiency ( 40-60% ) even the crappiest home gas fire place is about 70 % and it is crap. it's to bad they can't make a good RV furnaces

has any one tried a propane home on demand water heater , used as a in floor or forced air rad heater on a closed loop  . as they are about 80-95 % efficient
they have a high btu rating but in a small system I think the propane use would be small
the size of the unit is smallish at about 12" d x 20"h  x 16"w with zero combustible tolerance

   http://www.zoro.com/rheem-water-heater-tankless-lp-11k-180k-btu-rtg-84dvlp/i/G4581096/

I have this system at home with a rinnai tankless   to heat my shop and it works great

dave 
   

[Scott & Heather]

Dave, honestly this is why I'm really
Struggling with propane furnaces. Lots of waste heat. I'm thinking about a hydronic system based on Instant hot water systems. But it's a bit complex to build. I've been reading articles on mr money mustache about it


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