# Can anyone suggest a woodstove suitable for an RV?



## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

I just can't find anything locally except stoves to go in outfitter tents (I'm told they are dangerous indoors...)
The local woodstove store can't help me either.

I need something that'll efficiently heat a 30' RV.

Any help appreciated! Thanks!


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## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

BTW Cabela's has some good looking ones -cylindar stoves (potbellies??) included- but sounds like they'd either burn me down or suffocate me, built for big tents. I don't want any more risks than a standard stove'd be...


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

RV's and wood heaters are NOT compatable.
You cant get the needed clearances


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## Dave (May 10, 2002)

Bearfootfarm said:


> RV's and wood heaters are NOT compatable.
> You cant get the needed clearances


I don't see why. It wouldn't seem hard to get a woodstove and pipe to fit in an RV with plenty of clearance to work around...


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## cowkeeper (Feb 17, 2007)

Dirtlslinger, You're in Canada, right? Try a Pacific Energy Vista; small, well-contructed, close clearance. You would need outside (dedicated) air supply. Here is a comparison chart, www.chimneysweeponline.com/wscompha.htm


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

Look for a boat stove; marine wood burning cook stove (or heater, but I think most of them are made to cook on). They are spendy, but if they are safe in the close confines of a boat, they ought to be safe enough for an RV. If the world doesn't fall totally apart before then, I may have some money coming next year from the sale of my late father's house, and plan to get a travel trailer with it (for us to live in after my Grandmother is gone) -- I'll be putting a marine stove in it. 

The marine stoves most often burn oil/kerosene, so you may have to do some looking to find a wood-burning one nowadays. But they do make them.

Kathleen


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I used a small tent stove in a travel trailer. I lined the walls near it with alum foil, shiny side out. Before I put the foil up the walls were getting hot, but after it was up I could slide my hand behind it and the wall was cool.


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## cowkeeper (Feb 17, 2007)

This guy's in Canada. He's gonna need some real heat, and a stove that can sustain a fire for a few hours. I think a stove as small as the Pacific Vista may not even hold a fire long enough. But the Pacific stoves are close clearance for mobile homes. They have a jacket around the firebox for air circulation, so the sides aren't too hot. Also, provision to bring in outside combustion air (so you don't suffocate). You can get them with a circulating fan, well worth the extra $$.


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## commonsense (Jun 1, 2008)

http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=209

This is a smaller stove that can be set up in a mobile home/trailer. It is rated to heat 1,000 sq ft.


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## neolady (Dec 30, 2005)

Is this RV permanently parked? I surely hope it is if you are serious about installing any type of stove.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I used a 12 v fan to push the air from the stove into the rest of the travel trailer. It made a HUGE difference.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

I spent some time earlier looking at home-built RV's and bus conversions (tending toward the funky, but some were really nice), and quite a few of them had small wood stoves in them. In fact, one bus conversion had a full-sized wood cook stove AND a small heating stove! (I don't know why they'd need both, as you can cook on any flat-topped stove, and bake with it if you get a camp oven; while the wood cook stove would be plenty to heat a small space like that). We put a wood stove in a trailer house (park model, 8' X 40'), using sheet steel spaced one inch from the wall for a heat shield, and had no problem with it. I don't remember what kind of stove that one was, but it may have just been a small barrel stove (home-built).

So it looks like I won't have to scour the earth looking for a used wood-burning marine stove; any good small stove will do, if properly installed, maintained, and operated. Strong emphasis on those last three things!

Kathleen


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

neolady said:


> Is this RV permanently parked? I surely hope it is if you are serious about installing any type of stove.


Doesn't have to be permanently parked, though I'm not too sure I'd want a fire in the stove while the rig was moving. You'd be surprised at how many home-built or modified rigs have wood stoves in them. And, boats used to -- most of them now have diesel or propane stoves, but I would NEVER have propane anything on board a boat. Nor gasoline, either, but that's a whole other thread. 

The stoves are securely anchored so they don't shift around while the rig is in motion; it would be a good idea to make sure the stove you purchase has a door that won't fall open accidentally. And make sure the stove pipe is all securely fastened together so it can't come apart. AND keep a BIG fire extinguisher handy. Mount a CO2 detector in the RV, also.

Kathleen


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## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

Thank you for the ideas everyone. Yes this is a longterm/temporary dwelling for me (3 years now- this is the 4th winter). And yes winters are real here. My poor dogs bowl HAS frozen at night, with the heat on...
I do plan to build but building what I wanted is expensive, researching all options now. Either way it'll take time.
Propane has been incredibly expensive, electricity is also very expensive. Wood would be the perfect fit for me, with electric for backup.
The Pacific Energy (GREAT brand) is more expensive than I'd like as after the RV living it won't fit well into the house. They are so specific for square footage. The Vermont Castings I will get priced out- they are supposed to be high quality so let's hope the price doesn't reflect this.
Yes I was hoping no more than about $500. Ideally it'll pay itself off in the first year, as the goal is to be in the RV just this one more winter.


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## commonsense (Jun 1, 2008)

Here's a pic of our woodstove (in our RV):










we found the stove on sale and paid $250, I think. The stovepipe and chimney parts were fairly expensive, and cost another $300 or so. Slate, river rock and cement board were the other associated expenses, but the return does come quickly with the high prices of propane.


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## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

That is beautiful. I don't think I've leave home if I had that here! Thanks for posting this.


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

Jotul 602. 

I have one in an 8' X 12' cabin. It will hold a fire for more than 8 hours. New ones are pricey, but I've seen them (and other makes of the same design) for very reasonable prices on Craig's List.


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## cowkeeper (Feb 17, 2007)

Dirtslinger, for cheaper, look at the ones at Canadian Tire. I dont' know that they are 'close clearance' though. Good value for money, that's what I would use if I didnt have my Pacific stove, and friendlier on the budget.


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## neolady (Dec 30, 2005)

BlueJuniperFarm said:


> Doesn't have to be permanently parked, though I'm not too sure I'd want a fire in the stove while the rig was moving. You'd be surprised at how many home-built or modified rigs have wood stoves in them. And, boats used to -- most of them now have diesel or propane stoves, but I would NEVER have propane anything on board a boat. Nor gasoline, either, but that's a whole other thread.
> 
> The stoves are securely anchored so they don't shift around while the rig is in motion; it would be a good idea to make sure the stove you purchase has a door that won't fall open accidentally. And make sure the stove pipe is all securely fastened together so it can't come apart. AND keep a BIG fire extinguisher handy. Mount a CO2 detector in the RV, also.
> 
> Kathleen



If this unit is one that is still mobile, I seriously doubt that any wood burning appliance can be sufficiently secured - should there be an accident with this rig, one needs to be aware that hundreds of pounds of steel become an interior missile, likely killing anyone in its way. I have had to move several in a truck or van when purchasing them, and I have been seriously paranoid about them becoming projectiles should I have been involved in an accident.

Add to that four feet minimum of selkirk chimney outside the RV, and I am not sure how you would not avoid ripping that off at some underpass, bridge or barrier.

Unfortunately, I am well aware how many RVs etc have non compliant heating units of various types in them - and the fatalies involved. Many also only have a single exit from them which makes for a nasty exit - or no exit - in an emergency. The same old point also comes up - you add any heating unit to an RV that is not designed for it, and there is no insurance coverage.


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