Anyone have a woodstove in their bus?

[divinerightstrip]

I want to talk about it. Woodstoves, that is.

I have always dreamed of having one in my bus. (remember, just me in my bus! No pets, no children, no one JUST ME! So, space is not a concern for me.
Aside from that, I am looking for pros and cons, and if someone has done it before!

Feel free to toss in some really obvious pros and cons just for fun and for discussion's sake. I am currently debating this or a diesel heater to run off of wvo

[JackConrad]

Since WVO has to be heated to get it to the right viscosity for a diesel fired boiler (ProHeat, Webasto, etc.), I think preheating it to heat your coach would be very ineffecient.  Jack

[bevans6]

I am going to follow this one!  i think there is a long tradition of having wood stoves in "house-trucks", which is where converted buses started from.  I saw an early bus conversion just a few days ago on-line that had a very nicely installed wood stove.  BTW I think you are way too young to be certifying that the bus is a one person gig, keep those options open!  A nice young man willing to help with the fire wood, or a nice young lady willing to help with the stuff  you don't want to do may be just around the corner, depending on if...

brian

[Jerry W Campbell]

We have a wood stove in the bus. If fact I just walked in the house from putting some wood in it. It works great but it's really hard to keep the area clean. And it must be air tight and the draft must come from outside. I will set up a dripper to burn WVO soon.
We don't use it when we travel, we have a propane heater we use. It gets packed away when we are not on the road.
Jerry
http://www.crowncoach.bravehost.com/111708-2.jpg

[Iceni John]

I think there is a long tradition of having wood stoves in "house-trucks", which is where converted buses started from.

Take a look at Sharkey's site for housetrucks, and at the Skoolie forum.   Some folk there have got wood stoves in their vehicles  -  lots of good info posted there.   Definitely worth serious consideration, but they have to be done right or not at all.   Another idea:  Dickinson marine stoves.   

John

[desi arnaz]

I WOULD GO WITH A PELLET STOVE  esp if you ever go to canada as no wood is allowed into canada, also some states prohibit  the moving of wood through them.

[Busted Knuckle]

I WOULD GO WITH A PELLET STOVE  esp if you ever go to canada as no wood is allowed into canada, also some states prohibit  the moving of wood through them.

Well that does it! I won't be going to Canada anytime soon if they won't let me bring my wood with me!
(Oh wait a minute I'm not allowed in Canada anymore anyway because I'm "undesirable" according to them as I made some unwise choices in my younger days while after the "lure of easy $" )

But seriously what if you had some special cherry, or walnut or maple wood you wanted to burn?

  BK 

[Stormcloud]

"But seriously what if you had some special cherry, or walnut or maple wood you wanted to burn?

  BK  "

You have Cody make that nice wood into some beautiful cabinet doors or something.

Next, drive to Canada, and our Customs officers will ask you some easy questions about alcohol, drugs, and maybe how long you want to stay in Gods country.

Then, once you get parked in the nearest Walmart, you rip the wood that you so cleverly smuggled into Canada off your cabinets, and stuff it in the firebox.


(In retrospect, its likely easier to install a pellet stove  )

[WEC4104]

I am a big fan of woodstoves, and I installed the second one in my home three years ago. Between the two of them, I have dramatically cut the cost of heating my home. Last night I was sitting in my living room enjoying the fire and thinking about the fact that the warmer weather is arriving and this may be one of the last times I will enjoy it the woodstove this season. 

Even so, I have a hard time picturing a woodstove inside the small confines of a bus. Unlike a propane furnace or diesel fired unit, woodstoves aren't really made to be tucked away in a small convenient spot. When you consider the surrounding area that has to be free and clear of combustibles, the stove takes up a pretty decent size footprint.  In a bus, space is at a premium, and I think I would want to dedicate that space to other purposes (especially in the summer when I would not need heat at all).

The other consideration is the regulation of the heat.  Most woodstoves rely on a manual damper and the control of airflow to control the BTU output. When I use the woodstove in my home, adjusting the heat output is part of the "charm" of owning the manual stove. But the stove is in a very large room with lots of "temperature inertia". I can boost the heat output or cut it back, and still keep the room in a tight comfort zone of a few degrees. I would expect that achieving even heating in the small volume of a bus would require carefull attention and frequent adjustments.

I love the atmosphere created by a nice woodstove fire, and I encourage each busnut to follow his own dream, but if you are looking for opinions here, I personally would lean toward other heating sources.

[kyle4501]

I use a woodstove in my house for supplemental heat. I like our stove & the warmth it provides. I wouldn't mind doing without the mess tho. 
One of the things that comes to mind is the volume of wood it is possible to go thru. 

The biggest consideration for me is the thermal mass of the combustibles inside the stove - good for night time heat, not so good when you want to go some where in a hurry.

As you persue this, research as best you can all types & brands of stove to ensure you are getting the best stove for your needs. (I bought a Vermont Casting based ob efficiency & cosmetics - I like it, but there are other stoves better suited for my needs that would have worked out better. I should have done more research.)

Also, since most (if not all) wood stoves are made for stationary applications, you're going to devise a way to secure it to the vehicle.

Use will need to be planed - you wouldn't want a hot stove in the bus while driving - the potential problems resulting from harsh movement (pot holes, sudden braking, collisions, etc).

Also, insurance issues need to be addressed - some may not like the stove at all.

Then there is the stove pipe thru the roof . . . .

[Lin]

I bet your coach insurance company could give you a pretty interesting opinion on installing a wood stove.  Give them a call.

[Jriddle]

Use will need to be planed - you wouldn't want a hot stove in the bus while driving - the potential problems resulting from harsh movement (pot holes, sudden braking, collisions, etc).



This will be true if you don't want to start fires along your travel route.

John

[philiptompkjns]

Since WVO has to be heated to get it to the right viscosity for a diesel fired boiler (ProHeat, Webasto, etc.), I think preheating it to heat your coach would be very ineffecient.  Jack

How about useing the wood stove to preheat the WVO

[MattC]

Riddle me this?  How did they heat rail passenger cars in the 1800s? 

[zubzub]

I travelled in a bus with a wood stove, it worked well was not for heating DTR.  If you had WVO on board I would get a diesl stoove and use that.  I used to work on a fishing troller, and we had what looked like a small wood stove in the main cabin.  It burned diesel, was quiet and gave off the same dry heat I associate with a wood stove, really took the chill out on cold wet days.  It probably smelt of diesel, but as the boat smelled of diesel and fish, I didn't notice.  I'm guessing WVO would smell better.