Went back a few pages of threads

[Motrukdriver]

and didn't see anything discussing wood stoves so I'll post this here for everyone to comment on.   Experiences?  How cool is it?  Does it really work like advertised?  How much room does it take from your living space?  You know the drill... lets dissect it and see where it takes us.  Personally, if I had the space and it works like described then it might be a cool alternative for a propane heater or something to use when you just want that wood burning ambiance for a few nights I'd probably consider it.  

https://cubicminiwoodstoves.com/

Note:  This link is to a manufacturer of small wood burning stoves you can put in an RV, boat, tent.. etc.

 

[John61CT]

Past threads

https://www.google.com/search?&q=site:cheaprvliving.com+wood+stove

As long as you're not fire-restricted where you're camping.

Fuel sources in dry country sites really get picked pretty clean, and for environmental reasons should not be touched. Very expensive if you need to buy, pain to carry.

Moist forests, no problem.

Except for carcinogenic health effect if that concerns you.

Major heat overkill for a tiny van especially well insulated.

Safety issues, no pets or little kiddies.

But very nice cozy atmosphere.

 

[user 423]

My uncle had a pellet-burning stove that sat in an outbuilding 30ft. from his house. It had a water jacket and a pump that circulated coolant to a couple of radiators in the house.

So if you could adapt one of these small wood burners to do that and mounted it to the tongue of a trailer, that would be kinda nice. Or on a cargo carrier at the rear of a MH or van.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

My uncle had a pellet-burning stove that sat in an outbuilding 30ft. from his house. It had a water jacket and a pump that  circulated coolant to a couple of radiators in the house.

So if you could adapt one of these small wood burners to do that and mounted it to the tongue of a trailer, that would be kinda nice. Or on a cargo carrier at the rear of a MH or van.

As long as you made the piping in a coil (like a boiler) good and thick, you would not even need fluid of any kind. (If it was only a little ways from the van, with the chimney angled away from it.)
On the "hot" side, make it flex-pipe and make it dump 24 inches higher than the inlet. Convection would do all the work.

Shelf on the receiver hitch or even right on the ground. You could make one from a 20lb propane tank using 3" exhaust pipe for the chimney pretty easy.


There are always broken/damaged pallets behind stores that are tossed in the dumpster.
With a hammer or your boot, you could have a full nights supply of wood in about 10 minutes easily.
A battery sawzall would make even shorter work of it.
Of course, once lit, you could not leave instantly unless you doused it, which would make a big mess.
For certain situations, this could work.
Of course, unless you had a 10 foot chimney, if the breeze was against you, it could be nasty...maybe even having a two-piece deal that clipped on to your spare tire carrier. Like an antenna pole stand-off for the side of a house.

 

[highdesertranger]

I am planning on putting a wood stove in my trailer build. I am seriously looking at the cubic mini that Mo linked to.

a word of caution about pallets, most pallet wood is treated, a lot of them come from Asia so who knows what they are treated with. when burning these pallets toxic fumes are given off, yes more then just burning regular wood. also even the possession of pallets in the California Desert Protection Area will get you a ticket. they don't want pallets used for bon fires which used to be quite common. one last point many pallets nowadays have a deposit on them. taking or cutting them up for fire wood is considered theft. highdesertranger

 

[Motrukdriver]

I am planning on putting a wood stove in my trailer build.  I am seriously looking at the cubic mini that Mo linked to.

The specs did say that little wood burner stove also used charcoal so that is a pretty cool option.  Every Walmart carries charcoal.  You could use charcoal when you just want heat and wood when you want heat and ambiance.

 

[user 423]

I am planning on putting a wood stove in my trailer build.

What size trailer will you build out?

 

[JD GUMBEE]

I am planning on putting a wood stove in my trailer build.  I am seriously looking at the cubic mini that Mo linked to.

a word of caution about pallets,  most pallet wood is treated,  a lot of them come from Asia so who knows what they are treated with.  when burning these pallets toxic fumes are given off,  yes more then just burning regular wood.  also even the possession of pallets in the California Desert Protection Area will get you a ticket.  they don't want pallets used for bon fires which used to be quite common.  one last point many pallets nowadays have a deposit on them.  taking or cutting them up for fire wood is considered theft.  highdesertranger

You are correct, but the treated units are pretty easy to spot. (If they are not dyed, they are the really well-built units usually with a company name on them.)
The "throw-away" damaged pallets are what I meant. In the dumpsters.
They are light and made for one trip. Often part of a box base that comes with a machine like a lawnmower or leaf/snow blower.
I should have mentioned this.

What are you planning to burn in your stove?

 

[highdesertranger]

my plan is about a 24ft trailer. combo cargo and living quarters.

I plan on burning wood. wood in the high desert is pretty easy to find or buy for a reasonable price. the only problem is you can't transport it out of the area. after RTR this year I went through a CA AG station in Vidal Jct. they asked, "do you have any fruits, vegetables, or firewood." highdesertranger

 

[Motrukdriver]

Look for the HT stamp burned into the wood.  Those are the heat treated pallets and safe to burn.  Anything else is probably soaked in some sort of toxic mix.

 

[ZoNiE]

HT will also likely not have any bugs or eggs from the time of heat treat. This is for vector control on international shipments.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I plan on doing a wood stove in my trailer build. Shopping trailers now, getting ready to finally pull the trigger this spring and start building. Thinking an 18 or 20 ft cargo conversion.

I don't plan on needing heat all that much and I don't think you'd need much wood to heat the trailer right up. Home depot and lowes sells cut off's and warped/twisted stuff in the back of the lumber isles in most stores for cheap and you can bargain them down even further on it. Then it's all kiln dried and legal to transport anywhere. Zip it down to the length i need with my cordless circular saw and split it a few times with a hatchet and i'm good to go.

Bag of charcoal for a reserve stash and burn hardwoods when im in an area it's legal and available.

 

[highdesertranger]

I guess I need to repeat this, DO NOT get caught with a pallet(any pallet) in your possession in the California desert. highdesertranger

 

[user 423]

The FAQs for that stove says that hardwood is best,pressed logs OK and even coal but they don't recommend using pellets (not pallets,LOL) but they don't say why.

Pellets would seem like the most convenient to carry in an RV.

I wonder how the costs would compare to using LP?

 

[Motrukdriver]

I guess I need to repeat this,  DO NOT get caught with a pallet(any pallet) in your possession in the California desert.  highdesertranger

I wonder if you already have the wood busted up into small burnable sticks they'd give you issues.  I can see whole pallets being a red flag but if you took them apart, removed all the nails and stacked the wood up nicely in bundles, possibly wrapped, if CA would poke you with their sharp stick.

 

[John61CT]

They are banned as fuel for very good reason, the stuff is hazmat, toxic waste.

Violating that ban should be avoided even where it is technically legal.

Not just for the sake of the environment, but your own health and that of those downwind of your rig.

Much more compelling issue than say dumping your blackwater down a stormwater drain, is that something you'd feel OK doing?

 

[seak]

I understand that we're all concerned about health and safety, but treating all pallets as toxic strikes me as an over reaction. The liability a company would assume by improperly disposing of chemically treated pallets would make them not want them in their supply chain. Then there is the liability that comes from their workers being exposed to toxic chemicals while handling pallets. That's not to say it's impossible to run into a chemically treated pallet, just that it doesn't seem that likely to me. Here's a link to everything you could want to know about pallet safety. https://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/

 

[John61CT]

> That's not to say it's impossible to run into a chemically treated pallet, just that it doesn't seem that likely to me.

Why not?

Just like any pressure-treated lumber (copper, arsenic, chromium, etc) the pallets aren't hazardous in their normal intended use.

But can be very toxic **to burn**.

Which is what we're discussing here.

 

[seak]

Why not?

Just like any pressure-treated lumber (copper, arsenic, chromium, etc) the pallets aren't hazardous in their normal intended use.

But can be very toxic **to burn**.

Which is what we're discussing here.

Pressure treated lumber is treated to resist micro organisms that attack the wood. The lifecycle of most pallets is such that pressure treated lumber doesn't make economic sense. Dry rot isn't much of a problem with pallets. The problem is bugs.

Chemically treated pallets are treated with the pesticide, methyl bromide, to kill insects that might be transported across international boundaries. It's basically a forest protection measure. Methyl bromide is hazardous to anyone that even handles the pallets. Pallets treated with methyl bromide are supposed to be marked MB.

I am certain that the big international companies that buy and sell most of the goods moving on pallets don't want toxic chemicals in their supply chain. The 
U.S., Canada, E.U., and China require heat treatment to control for pests in international shipments. Freight moving within the U.S. doesn't require treated pallets. For these reasons, it seems unlikely that one might encounter an MB pallet.

But, maybe you will! If you read the link I provided above, you'll see that it's not that hard to figure out what you've got by looking at the markings. For my part, I think burning pallets for heat is a PITA, but I would not be over concerned about toxicity, particularly if you avoid MB or painted pallets.

 

[Motrukdriver]

I'm sure there are plenty of places you can get perfectly good wood to burn that isn't treated or pallet wood. I really like the charcoal option of that little stove. I'd probably burn that most of the time. Seems easier to clean out between fires.