# Hello, and cords of wood for 100 sq ft.



## Pitroff (Oct 3, 2013)

Hello everyone.  New to the site, but I've read many helpful things and interesting tidbits here and there.  I was just looking for some advice.  I recently I built a 100 square foot, 10 x 10 shack, which I am going to live out of for the winter.  It isn't finished yet, but it will be well insulated and pretty airtight, with only one window.  I was looking to get an opinion on how many cord of wood you think I should get for the winter.  I will be sleeping in it every night and spending part of my days there as well.  I was thinking around two cord, but wanted to know what you all thought would be best.  I have to buy the wood the first year (a friend of the family sells seasoned hardwood) as I haven't been able to get as much split and stacked as I would have liked, but i don't want to waste the wood or money right now.  Any thoughts or questions or input would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Should be quite the adventure.  Last year I stayed in my uncles shed for the winter, which is more like 800 square feet and it was fun, albeit cold.  His pellet stove didn't heat as well as I had hoped and the insulation hadn't been finished.  It was uncomfortable many nights, but I made it through.  Learned a lot though, and am adapting this year to a smaller space and with a woodstove as opposed to a pellet.  I always wanted to have a wood stove and this will be my first year using one.  Totally looking forward to it and should be fun, but just not sure how  much wood to get.

I am living in the North Western corner of Massachusetts, just a ways from the Southern Vermont tip, so the winters can be harsh.


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## begreen (Oct 3, 2013)

Why put a wood stove in a small sealed room? This seems better for an electric space heater. Is there no electricity?


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## Pitroff (Oct 3, 2013)

begreen said:


> Why put a wood stove in a sealed small room? This seems better for an electric space heater. Is there no electricity?


I won't have electric this year.


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## Ashful (Oct 3, 2013)

Well, you'll definitely need an outside air kit, if you do this!  I can't imagine maintaining the necessary clearances in that sort of space, with room for a bed, clothing storage, bathroom, and kitchen.  Fill us in on what we're missing.  Got a sketch of a floor plan?

For the sake of scale, the opening of the fireplace in my avatar is bigger than 1/4 of your entire living quarters.  Is this sleeping space only?


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## begreen (Oct 3, 2013)

I think this plan needs rethinking. Instead consider a small, vented propane heater. This area is too small for anything but the smallest stove. And it would need an outside air supply which usually are not on small (boat) heaters. These tiny boat stoves have a short burn time too.


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## mellow (Oct 3, 2013)

Sounds like the wood stove is an afterthought.


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## EatenByLimestone (Oct 3, 2013)

I think your temperature swings would be pretty uncomfortable with even a small stove.  The frequency of reloadings would also be tough for when you want to sleep. 

I'd go with propane.  A hundred gallon tank would last a long time in a well insulated 100 sq ft room and would be easy to refill and move around.  

Matt


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 3, 2013)

I like his idea and enthusiasm on heating with wood but as many have already said, there are many obstacles. Even the smallest stove to heat that small space will have difficulty with long burn times, nevermind overnights. And where he is living is tough in the winters, he will have to hurry to get his priorities for heat in order


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## peakbagger (Oct 3, 2013)

In order to install a stove to the required clearance's it will take up most of the space. You possibly could consider a wood boat heater like this http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/heater-newport-solid-fuel-4000-6500-btu-108944/4,3112.html?gclid=CMnin5vF-7kCFZKk4Aod5FUA8A. The trade off is your wood will have to be cut very small and unless there is some thermal mass in the building you will be running it often. Then again I expect your plan is to use a warm sleeping bag and only heat when you need it. There are folks who live year round on boats and they get away with similar setups.


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## rideau (Oct 3, 2013)

Have you already purchased a stove?  What is your budget?  A small soapstone stove, with a small shoulder season fire burned in it once or twice a day might not heat you out of house and home.  But it would require a hearth pad about 4 feet deep and five feet wide  - 20 feet of your 100.  You could cook on it.  (and in  it).  And you need a stovepipe/chimney, which has to be tall enough to give you a decent draft.  Starts to get into real money, and it sounds like you are trying to avoid that.  Woodstock does make a small soapstone gas stove that is designed to heat one room, and will run on propane. It is tiny, can sit on a shelf, would take little room out of your living area.   It could be vented through the wall.  You might look into that...it might be perfect for you.


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## weatherguy (Oct 3, 2013)

I think if you put a blaze king in there you could load it up in Nov and run it on one load til March


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## akbear (Oct 3, 2013)

I still think the sardine stoves are much nicer looking than a newport  http://www.marinestove.com/sardineinfo.htm even if they do take up a bit more space on a counter.


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## dafattkidd (Oct 3, 2013)

Pitroff, I have to say I am very interested in why you are living in sheds in the winter. I love the idea of minimal subsistence living. In 100sf I don't think it's safe to have a wood stove. Can you build a larger shed? I am in full agreement with everyone suggesting a different heat source. Maybe this isn't the right thread for it, but I'd love to hear more about your plan for winter, and what you did last year.


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## Heatsource (Oct 3, 2013)

http://www.salamanderstoves.com/docs/64/the_hobbit_stove/
how about the cute lil Hobbit stove?

we just installed one in a small tuff shed for a customer (not to code if it is used as a sleeping space!)


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## Seasoned Oak (Oct 3, 2013)

A 10 x10 shack with no electric to live in over the winter in vermont. Talk about "low" overhead. Webbie may have some suggestions ,i think he used to do this kind of thing in a tent. Id at least run an extension cord out to it.


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## dafattkidd (Oct 3, 2013)

A1Stoves.com said:


> http://www.salamanderstoves.com/docs/64/the_hobbit_stove/
> how about the cute lil Hobbit stove?
> 
> we just installed one in a small tuff shed for a customer (not to code if it is used as a sleeping space!)


 
Do you sell Hobbit stoves? They seem awesome.


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## Heatsource (Oct 3, 2013)

dafattkidd said:


> Do you sell Hobbit stoves? They seem awesome.



they are awesome!
No not dealers, my customer ordered it. We just installed it.


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## Craig S. (Oct 3, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> A 10 x10 shack with no electric to live in over the winter in vermont. Talk about "low" overhead. Webbie may have some suggestions ,i think he used to do this kind of thing in a tent. Id at least run an extension cord out to it.



Yeah, seems rough.  Stay safe & warm.


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## akbear (Oct 3, 2013)

Craig S. said:


> Seasoned Oak said: ↑ A 10 x10 shack with no electric to live in over the winter in vermont. Talk about "low" overhead. Webbie may have some suggestions ,i think he used to do this kind of thing in a tent. Id at least run an extension cord out to it. Yeah, seems rough. Stay safe & warm.



People wouldn't even blink over doing something like this in Alaska (except maybe those in Seattle's northern suburb Anchorage).  There's a lot to be said for tiny and small home living and not being saddled for life with mortgage payments, not to mention the savings on heating.  I myself live in a place that is just barely over 2 1/3 times that size and truthfully, a lot of the space goes underutilised.  As of this week, I've had this place for 10 years (you can take off a few months for the time that I was finishing off the interior and moving) but since the summer of 2000 I have not lived in anything over 16 x 24 (this one being 12 x 22 after I enclosed the porch that sat under a small sleeping loft)


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## ridemgis (Oct 3, 2013)

You are crazy, but if you must do this Thoreau thing, then I vote for the Morso Squirrel. And even there you are talking about a 30,000 max BTU heater.  If you really want a wood stove in a ten by ten space, maybe you should skip the insulation altogether!

And I wish you all the best.  A winter in a tiny cabin in the Berkshires?  Where do I sign up?


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## akbear (Oct 3, 2013)

ah, yes, Thoreau, who cut himself off from society by doing odd jobs on the farm belonging to friends so that they'd let him live next to the pond barely a mile from downtown and took his laundry to his mother's.  A true pioneer.


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## EatenByLimestone (Oct 3, 2013)

Ok, so according to the Hearth.com BTU calculator the shed, if well insulated, would need a max of 2400 btu to heat it.  Lets say 6K btu would be needed in short spurts as the OP will probably be walking into this place when it is cold and would want it to warm up in a reasonably fast period of time... a couple of hours.  Most of the wood stoves that could put out this level of heat, say the small Century I run in my cabin, put out around 10K/hr on low.  You can play with this a little by using different sized loads and different types of wood.  You could probably slow the heat transfer a bit by encasing the stove in bricks or some other type of thermal mass.  A couple hundred lbs of masonry would even the heat out nicely.  

I wonder what the requirements for one of the rocket stoves are.  I've seen people using them as couches.  Maybe they would work here?  I have no idea of the safety of these things though.  

Matt


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## rideau (Oct 3, 2013)

Really think you should look at the Woodstock mini-Franklin gas stove.  It is designed to heat one room, from 100 to 400 square feet in size.  Puts out a maximum of 8000 BTU.  Thermostatically controlled.  Direct vent.  Weighs 72 pounds, is 17 inches tall, can sit on a wall shelf, has 2 inch clearance to wall


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## BrotherBart (Oct 3, 2013)

A very small stove and chimney with a can of Sterno burning in it.


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## dafattkidd (Oct 4, 2013)

The problem with having one of these"off the grid" guys on the forum is they're off the grid. The past 20 posts are us talking to each other while he's out purifying a coffee can of water for tomorrows squirrel and pine needle stew.


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## EatenByLimestone (Oct 4, 2013)

Squirrel isn't bad. I've never had pine needle tea or stew.  Pine needles are supposed to be high in vitamin C.


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## infinitymike (Oct 4, 2013)

Wow,

I want to get off the grid and live in the middle of nowhere, but wow this is totally wild.

I can see that for a hunting shack, but full time living?! Not to sure..
I think it would be a hard sell on the wife!

As far as heating it. Get one of those small heaters that screw on the top of a small propane bottle. The little tiny bottles, not the BBQ ones.

Or just fart a lot


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## akbear (Oct 4, 2013)

Those buddy heaters are nice for emergencies (a bit more elaborate than the simple bottle top types), I used to always take one along on trips to fairbanks in the winter in case something happened, and I also used it when I was installing the toyo heater in my place and during a cold snap I'd bring it in to be at the ready just in case, but they're far from practical for more than well ventilated special need use as they still do give off a lot of fumes even once the ceramic brick is heated up, and especially in a small place, a good share of moisture.


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## Seasoned Oak (Oct 4, 2013)

akbear said:


> People wouldn't even blink over doing something like this in Alaska (except maybe those in Seattle's northern suburb Anchorage).  There's a lot to be said for tiny and small home living and not being saddled for life with mortgage payments, not to mention the savings on heating.  I myself live in a place that is just barely over 2 1/3 times that size and truthfully, a lot of the space goes underutilised.  As of this week, I've had this place for 10 years (you can take off a few months for the time that I was finishing off the interior and moving) but since the summer of 2000 I have not lived in anything over 16 x 24 (this one being 12 x 22 after I enclosed the porch that sat under a small sleeping loft)


Im all for one of those MIni -houses. I will be building one myself top replace a rotting cabin in the woods. But 10 x 10 is too small to be useful for any length of time. Your space even though not that much bigger is about the minimum practical size for a home. IMHO


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 4, 2013)

I already chimed in once about the stove, and like others have said, he has not even commented on this thread that he started. This subject of him living like he is doing has had more interest that I hope he comes back to fill us in.


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## wayneg (Oct 4, 2013)

I put a Morso 1410 Squirrel in a 12x12 non-insulated cabin I built in Erie, PA and when running on a cold day it heated very well.  In a 10x10 insulated space I think it would have been way too much heat.


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## EatenByLimestone (Oct 4, 2013)

It's too bad you don't have any electricity.  Here's a window mounted pellet stove:

http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/2...sq-ft-window-pellet-stove-reviews/reviews.htm


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## akbear (Oct 4, 2013)

10x10 is almost unimaginable, but the laneway houses in Vancouver are really spurring a flurry of small home ideas and this one in particular caught my attention at how a simple shed design in a 10x10 could work (although I'd be inclined to go 12x12 do a few changes such as swapping the door and the largest window as well as something a little more substantial for the stairway to the loft) http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/nomad/


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## Ashful (Oct 4, 2013)

Sorry to state the blatantly obvious, but for anyone slow in math... 12 x 12 = 1.44x the space of 10 x 10.


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## akbear (Oct 4, 2013)

Joful said:


> Sorry to state the blatantly obvious, but for anyone slow in math... 12 x 12 = 1.44x the space of 10 x 10.



Yeah, I'm thinking big, 2 more glorious feet each way and I wouldn't have to give up my countertop dishwasher.


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## Waulie (Oct 4, 2013)

Not a single person answered his question, that's why he's not responding.  

I'd say 1 cord should be plenty.

See above for concerns about burning that cord.


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## akbear (Oct 4, 2013)

But, you have to admit, 700 views in 24 hours, that sail caught quite a bit of wind no matter where we were wandering.

I do hope he does come back since I do know of a small house/cabin method of getting a fresh air intake.


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## Sprinter (Oct 4, 2013)

Pitroff said:


> it will be well insulated and pretty airtight, with only one window.


Just in case he's listening, I'd be most concerned about the "pretty airtight" part. I hope he designs in some adequate ventilation, especially if burning fossil fuels.  

While I greatly admire the spirit of the project, it really needs a bit more thought.


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## Dix (Oct 4, 2013)

I smell a rat, me thinx.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Oct 4, 2013)

He gone.......


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## Seasoned Oak (Oct 5, 2013)

When your only dealing with ONE room how much trouble is it to go from 10x10 up a little to 12x12  or larger.
Very minimal cost in lumber and materials. 10x10 is more of a prison cell than a home. IMO


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## Augie (Oct 5, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> When your only dealing with ONE room how much trouble is it to go from 10x10 up a little to 12x12 or larger. Very minimal cost in lumber and materials. 10x10 is more of a prison cell than a home. IMO



This is all perspective, I live in 1100 sq ft, Im considering downsizing to 600 or less...My guess is that you think 600 is too small as well. Even in the winter I dont spend much time indoors, why do I need a large house I dont use?


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## Seasoned Oak (Oct 5, 2013)

Augie said:


> This is all perspective, I live in 1100 sq ft, Im considering downsizing to 600 or less...


600Sf is an adequate living space. With room for a commercially available wood stove. Im in the planning stages to replace my cabin in the woods 16x25 with a new one 20x30.  Thats just about 600Sf.


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## northwinds (Oct 5, 2013)

I would put that wood stove money towards a really good sleeping bag.  I think he might need it.


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## akbear (Oct 5, 2013)

Augie said:


> This is all perspective, I live in 1100 sq ft, Im considering downsizing to 600 or less...My guess is that you think 600 is too small as well. Even in the winter I dont spend much time indoors, why do I need a large house I dont use?



That's not too far off on how I downsized the second time.  I was in the process of looking for property when I came across a deal on a cabin at the state fair for a pre-sell on a guest/hunting cabin they were going to use for the next two months as a temporary office while they moved their operations from the sawmill to their town location.  In my mind it gave the perfect opportunity to make the transition much quicker as I'd have a place to winter over in while I settled in and had something larger built.  As it turned out the property I finally decided upon had a 12x28 cabin on it already that I could have skipped the building stage (but still would have required needing something else to live in while the rehab was being done), except that after having the new cabin moved to the property and spending some time in it while moving stuff down and outfitting the interior I came to the realisation that I liked the new space, but even more importantly, it occurred to me that in the past year it had been all the space that I actually had been using where I currently lived and the rest was simply space that became storage (most of which could live in a shed rather than a heated space) and if I wanted room for guests, then the old cabin would be better suited for that (so would a motel for that matter, why is it that we always think that we have to provide extra bedrooms for the possibility that they might get used a few times a year?).  Anyhow, the point is, downsizing can be something that's planned, happened unexpectedly, or even forced on one at times, but when it comes right down to it, you can only be in one place at any given time and the idea that we need special rooms for every purpose and activity comes at a cost, but whatever space you are in or are going to be in, make it work for you and not simply what others expect it should be.


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## dafattkidd (Oct 6, 2013)

Ok. New game: Who do you think the o.p. REALLY is?

Webbie
Old Spark
Quads
A punky pellet pig
Other random rambunctious forum member
Member of U.S. Congress posting on the forum during meetings to bring the federal government back online.
Actual shed dwelling squirrel eater


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## Ashful (Oct 6, 2013)

Pellet pig... hoping to get the answer a pellet stove is the better solution.


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## ChadD (Oct 6, 2013)

I would say his break in fire didn't go so well.


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## CenterTree (Oct 6, 2013)

Next *summer *I am building a 3' x 3'  shed to live in.   Anyone know of a good air conditioning unit that would be sufficient?

How many kilowatts do you think I may use for one summer?


PS:   I sleep standing up.


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## Pitroff (Oct 7, 2013)

Well, thanks all for the interest in my living project.  It is funny, only one person did answer my question though, ahah.  Thinking I'm nuts aside and although another heat source might be my best option, does 1 chord of wood sound like enough?  I have my mind made up on a wood stove, even though it might be too hot like a lot of you said.  I am willing to deal with the heat rather than being too cold like I was last year with a pellet stove.  I am also trying to move away from using gas and oil, so heating with wood is important to me.  To my ideals and to my wallet it makes a lot more sense, and also because I love the work of cutting and splitting wood.  I know it sounds like a pretty crazy idea, but it is part of a bigger plan for me where I am trying to learn skills and live a certain way.  Thanks for the responses.

I was actually living last winter in a space probably even smaller than this for the winter.  So, the space part doesn't bother me.

Someone mentioned an idea for good air ventilation/fresh air intake and I'd like to hear more about that if possible.


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## begreen (Oct 7, 2013)

Welcome back.In such a small space you don't want the stove competing for air with you. An outside air connection for the stove will deal with this.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 7, 2013)

He did come back, glad he is sticking with the wood stove idea. Agree with outside air kit if the 10x10 is going to be that tight. 
And if he's willing, I'd be curious to hear more about his living arrangements project, it's interesting.


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## Sprinter (Oct 7, 2013)

begreen said:


> Welcome back.In such a small space you don't want the stove competing for air with you. An outside air connection for the stove will deal with this.


I'd even say it's mandatory in such a small and tight space.  Even a very small stove will gobble up the O2 very quickly unless well ventilated. 

Will you be also cooking on the stove?

Oh, and to address your question, sorry,  I have no idea.


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## rideau (Oct 7, 2013)

What stove are you using, and how are you venting it? How are your floors and wall protected?  Just want to be certain you have a safe install.  You don't have mush room to dissipate heat.


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## akbear (Oct 7, 2013)

Pitroff said:


> Someone mentioned an idea for good air ventilation/fresh air intake and I'd like to hear more about that if possible.



Well, as I have said, living in a small space means you need things to do double or triple duty as much as possible.  Now if one is going to be living full time in a space, it's pretty much a given that one is going to install a sink (and my suggestion is not to get caught up in that idea that a small lavatory basin is going to do the trick.  Sure, it may be cute and saves lots of space, but it's worthless when it comes to washing something bigger than a cup and saucer).  Regardless if one is hooked up to a water source (in my case I have an RV tank, pump and small water heater under the sink) or just using out of a tote or gravity tank, you do have to do something with the water after (and it's a real hassle to deal with a bucket under the sink and takes up valuable  space that could be used otherwise), so the next option, beyond sinking a couple of barrels underground as a dry well is to simply run the drain out the side of the building (yes at that point you could do the bucket thing, or better yet use a very large diameter removable way to get the water away from the house (large to eliminate most of the issues of freezing up, removable in case it does, a galvanised heating duct works well for this and mind you, in freezing weather it's letting too little water down the drain, not too much that can cause a problem, but even if the drain itself does freeze up where it exits the house, one can simply take a long drill bit and reopen it since you can unhook what comes after) directed as something like a flower garden (and let's not raise a ruckus here, it's grey water, and even if someone was to do dishes in a dish pan, it would get taken out and flung over the lawn anyhow).  But here is the double duty that can do, it also works as a fresh air intake (obviously you would not include a trap as there is no sewer gas to be dealing with) that in itself, due to the sink, forms a an air trap that isn't constantly spilling out cold air onto the floor and in times that the fresh air is not needed or desired, simply can be closed off by inserting the strainer/plug into the drain.


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## ddddddden (Oct 7, 2013)

Pitroff said:


> Someone mentioned an idea for good air ventilation/fresh air intake and I'd like to hear more about that if possible.


https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/outside-air-kit-yes-or-no/


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## Sprinter (Oct 7, 2013)

ddddddden said:


> https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/outside-air-kit-yes-or-no/


Good link.  The other issue for the OP would be draft problems in a tight space.  If the space is not well ventilated, the stove may have trouble breathing without OAK.


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## Seasoned Oak (Oct 7, 2013)

How about one of those mini stoves you can cook on and charge your iphone. That should heat a 10 x10 insulated space. Along with body heat.
http://www.biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/
YOU can also charge LED lights . He did say theres no electric supply. After all it IS a wood stove.


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## Ashful (Oct 7, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> How about one of those mini stoves you can cook on and charge you iphone. That should heat a 10 x10 insulated space. Along with body heat.
> http://www.biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/


 That is so friggin' cool!  Thanks for posting.  Bookmarked.


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## dafattkidd (Oct 7, 2013)

Great find! That is such a cool product.


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## Pitroff (Nov 6, 2014)

Well, I made it through last winter. It as hot, but an adventure.  Onto this next year.  One more year in the shack with the woodstove far too big for the square footage.  I ended up going through more than a chord of wood, probably a chord and a half.  This year I was ready, I cut all my own wood and have more than two chord ready and about two more chord that just has to be bucked to the correct size, split and stacked.  It will be another hot winter, but it is better than a cold one.  I ended up putting in an outside air kit this fall.  Seems to be giving the stove a little bit more air. It's quite the balance of keeping it warm enough in the shack but not too warm, and have the fire going enough to keep it going while I'm sleeping.  I started almost two fires every day this last winter.  That is a lot of kindling.  Will make things so much easier when I have a stove the correct size and I can just load the stove for a six hour burn time and leave it.  Until then, it still works for me.  After next year, I should have enough saved to build a small cabin that the stove can fit in.  Thanks for the help!


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## begreen (Nov 6, 2014)

Welcome back. Tell us a bit more about how it went last season. 

Also, can you add your stove make/model to your signature line and your location to your advatar? That makes it easier for the next person that may have similar needs and location as your stove and house.


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## Fsappo (Nov 6, 2014)

begreen said:


> Welcome back. Tell us a bit more about how it went last season.
> 
> Also, can you add your stove make/model to your signature line and your location to your advatar? That makes it easier for the next person that may have similar needs and location as your stove and house.



Right, the next person who wants to live in a 10x10 shack a stones throw from Canada...


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## begreen (Nov 6, 2014)

We are getting a few tiny home stove requests a year now.


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## Fsappo (Nov 6, 2014)

I guess so, but I couldn't help the jab.  Actually something like that, but not as extreme, would be paradise for my son and I. We always talk about selling our ranch in our little residential neighborhood, and having a little cabin on some land.  I've sketched out 20x25' designs.  We're guys, all we need would be a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.  So much less to clean.  Now, the attached garage...that would be a different matter.


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## Ashful (Nov 6, 2014)

Not sure if it counts, but I dream of downsizing to 2500 sq.ft.


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## Fsappo (Nov 6, 2014)

Joful said:


> Not sure if it counts, but I dream of downsizing to 2500 sq.ft.



You have been disqualified.


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## Seasoned Oak (Nov 6, 2014)

A pellet stove would seem ideal for a small space like that. Should be able to throttle them down and heat the place on idle most of the time. Most have OAK hookups as well.


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## Fod01 (Nov 6, 2014)

Pics or it didn't happen...


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## Charles1981 (Nov 6, 2014)

So you lived in a smaller space last year with electricity but a pellet stove didn't work very well? I'd be curious to know what pellet stove you were using.

1 Cord sounds dangerously low especially if you run out.
2 Cord might do you through the whole winter
3 Cord would be a safe bet.

Regardless a wood stove in a 10x10 space isn't a superb idea.


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## Pitroff (Nov 6, 2014)

My stove is a Century Heating stove bought from Northern Tool. They are out of Canada.  It's made for 250-1000 square feet, which is where it will be used once it's put into its permanent location.  Right now it's in the shack just for now, until I build bigger.  I realize this isn't the smartest idea, but the ends justify the means at this point. 

The pellet stove I don't know the brand and I don't care to look.  It is in an uninsulated tool shed we use in the backyard that I stayed in one winter, and it didn't work properly.  Oh well, I'm still alive.  Many extremely cold nights out there taught me a good lesson and has made me know what it feels like to deal with the cold.  Hence the woodstove.  A pellet won't work in this shack, as I don't have electric and don't want or need it right now. Plus I'm not into all the buying of pellets.  My wood is already done and ready for this year.  I just like a woodstove so much more.  Simple.  Minimal parts. No electrical. Throws real, solid heat.  Love it.

The winter was fun.  Lot of nights waking up to open the door because it was way too hot, and many mornings waking up freezing because the fire had gone out over night.  I got pretty good at getting a fire going from the smallest amount of coals and was good enough at it by the end of the winter to do it while still half asleep.  Not too shabby.  All this work will make it so worth it when I can load that sucker up to full capacity, sit back, damper it down, and enjoy the heat for a 6+ hour burn time.  The one thing that was rough was having to cut so much kindling.  It was okay though.  I'd have fire going inside during the winter, step outside into the snow, and cut kindling for the week.  Better than paying the gas or oil company.


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## Fsappo (Nov 7, 2014)

Pitroff said:


> My stove is a Century Heating stove bought from Northern Tool. They are out of Canada.  It's made for 250-1000 square feet, which is where it will be used once it's put into its permanent location.  Right now it's in the shack just for now, until I build bigger.  I realize this isn't the smartest idea, but the ends justify the means at this point.
> 
> The pellet stove I don't know the brand and I don't care to look.  It is in an uninsulated tool shed we use in the backyard that I stayed in one winter, and it didn't work properly.  Oh well, I'm still alive.  Many extremely cold nights out there taught me a good lesson and has made me know what it feels like to deal with the cold.  Hence the woodstove.  A pellet won't work in this shack, as I don't have electric and don't want or need it right now. Plus I'm not into all the buying of pellets.  My wood is already done and ready for this year.  I just like a woodstove so much more.  Simple.  Minimal parts. No electrical. Throws real, solid heat.  Love it.
> 
> The winter was fun.  Lot of nights waking up to open the door because it was way too hot, and many mornings waking up freezing because the fire had gone out over night.  I got pretty good at getting a fire going from the smallest amount of coals and was good enough at it by the end of the winter to do it while still half asleep.  Not too shabby.  All this work will make it so worth it when I can load that sucker up to full capacity, sit back, damper it down, and enjoy the heat for a 6+ hour burn time.  The one thing that was rough was having to cut so much kindling.  It was okay though.  I'd have fire going inside during the winter, step outside into the snow, and cut kindling for the week.  Better than paying the gas or oil company.



I don't think I could argue a single point made here.


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## Simonkenton (Nov 7, 2014)

You sound like Henry David Thoreau, living in a small shack way out in the woods.


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## Seasoned Oak (Nov 7, 2014)

Fod01 said:


> Pics or it didn't happen...


This thread is begging for Pics


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## begreen (Nov 7, 2014)

I did this one year in New England when I was young, stayed in a small ~200 sq ft cabin in the woods with no plumbing or electricity. My heat was an Ashley Columbian stove. Serious overkill for 200 sq ft, but the place was a summer cabin, not tightly sealed and with no insulation. On cold winter days the sides would be glowing on the Ashley and yet the bedroom temp was not too warm.


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## Bigg_Redd (Nov 7, 2014)

10x10 with good insulation?  I'd have put in a propane fired bulkhead mounted heater like they have on boats.


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## Seasoned Oak (Nov 7, 2014)

You can really insulate up the wazoo in a small space like that and can heat it with a candle and cool it with an ice cube.


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## Seasoned Oak (Nov 7, 2014)

Bigg_Redd said:


> 10x10 with good insulation?  I'd have put in a propane fired bulkhead mounted heater like they have on boats.


And in RVs ,Campers.


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## Bigg_Redd (Nov 7, 2014)

Seasoned Oak said:


> And in RVs ,Campers.



Yes.  I bet it'd use less than 5 pounds per month.


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## ddahlgren (Nov 7, 2014)

If no electric the internet is very unlikely. So once in a blue moon conversation. I vote propane so short little on off burns to keep from overheating.


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## Simonkenton (Nov 7, 2014)

There is a business on I 10 east of San Antonio that makes these tiny houses.








They use all-recycled wood, so they have some real pretty barn wood paneling, and heart pine floors. Very well built little houses. This little jewel is 210 square feet, and goes for $51,000.

http://tinytexashouses.com/


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## Seasoned Oak (Nov 7, 2014)

Why keep trying to reinvent the wheel . Good used and well insulated campers are everywhere. And NO property taxes to boot.


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## DougA (Nov 7, 2014)

I have to agree with his concept. If he wants to live off the land, it's obvious that pellets, propane and electricity are all suggestions made from people who don't really understand what long term surviving in the wilderness and living off the land are all about.  If you run short on supplies, you are expected to find them yourself on the land, not your local store. Kudos to him. If it weren't for meeting my wife 43 years ago, I might be in the far north living and looking like a grizzly. Ahh, love seems to have a way of changing things.

Wondering if you have looked at a rocket heater and the new variation which is a rocket mass heater.  I'm assuming there should be lots of rocks in the area you are in, so it may be an option.  Some of the rocket heaters from my research a few years back are great for using fallen brush, etc. which is more readily available than seasoned cord wood. Lots of fast heat.

BTW, I sent the link about the portable fire/USB charger to my son who is very knowledgeable about this stuff and he has looked at it and the unit is not very efficient at either charging or heating.  Great idea but needs refinement.

This is a great thread but I think the answers are probably better if it were posted on a survivalist forum - assuming there are some.


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## lml999 (Nov 7, 2014)

Seasoned Oak said:


> You can really insulate up the wazoo in a small space like that and can heat it with a candle and cool it with an ice cube.



+1

Passivhaus design doesn't require *any* furnace...or air conditioning...


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## lml999 (Nov 7, 2014)

begreen said:


> Why put a wood stove in a small sealed room? This seems better for an electric space heater. Is there no electricity?



Forget the stove. Mattress, down comforter and two friends of the opposite persuasion will keep everything warm!


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## CenterTree (Nov 7, 2014)

lml999 said:


> Forget the stove. Mattress, down comforter and two friends of the opposite persuasion will keep everything warm!


Just two?


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## BrotherBart (Nov 7, 2014)

I have never done this and have no plans to. I still think Sterno is the answer. After all this time.


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## Simonkenton (Nov 8, 2014)

To get warm with Sterno, do you light it or do you drink it?


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## DougA (Nov 8, 2014)

Simonkenton said:


> To get warm with Sterno, do you light it or do you drink it?


Eat it.


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## Ashful (Nov 8, 2014)

Simonkenton said:


> To get warm with Sterno, do you light it or do you drink it?



Smear it on your crotch.


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## northwinds (Nov 8, 2014)

Joful said:


> Smear it on your crotch.



I think I need to go back and read this thread to figure out the last three posts.


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## DougA (Nov 8, 2014)

northwinds said:


> I think I need to go back and read this thread to figure out the last three posts.


Not worth the effort. Just buy a can of Sterno and try it yourself.  Warning - may be intoxicating.


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## begreen (Nov 8, 2014)

This one has clearly reached the toilet. Time to flush.


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