# More tiny home stoves



## begreen (Apr 20, 2018)

Green Heat has a nice article and pictures of installations on this increasingly common question of what small stoves work in a tiny home.
https://forgreenheat.blogspot.com/2018/04/tiny-homes-tiny-wood-stoves-photos.html


----------



## beardley (Apr 20, 2018)

A couple of friends of mine are building a tiny home. They purchased the dwarf from tinywoodstove.com  It seems like a decent product, but I have some reservations on their installation information, specifically clearances. They talk about the reduction with a wall shield, but neglect the 12" minimum in NFPA 211, which implies you can get closer to the wall. I'm trying to convince my friend to keep it 12" away, but we'll see if I get through. . . It's probably safe, but can't say I'd risk it in my house. . . Seems like a lot of these places have similar information. They don't have the sales to go through the testing. 

https://www.tinywoodstove.com/product/small-stove-the-dwarf-4kw/


----------



## Rearscreen (Apr 20, 2018)

I'm going to stick my neck out here, but if you have 2 or even 3 layers of metal with 1/2 inch spacers attached to the wall couldn't you conceivably get it closer to that wall? I say this because the Progress had multiple layers of sheet metal attached to the bottom of the stove and my cat sleeps under it. And that's in a horizontal non convective situation.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Apr 20, 2018)

begreen said:


> Green Heat has a nice article and pictures of installations on this increasingly common question of what small stoves work in a tiny home.
> https://forgreenheat.blogspot.com/2018/04/tiny-homes-tiny-wood-stoves-photos.html


That’s a cool little photo gallery.


----------



## beardley (Apr 21, 2018)

Rearscreen said:


> I'm going to stick my neck out here, but if you have 2 or even 3 layers of metal with 1/2 inch spacers attached to the wall couldn't you conceivably get it closer to that wall? I say this because the Progress had multiple layers of sheet metal attached to the bottom of the stove and my cat sleeps under it. And that's in a horizontal non convective situation.




I'm sure more heat sheild = less clearance, but if it hasn't been tested, what is that safe distance?  That's why NFPA 211 stops at 12", unless the owners manual states a smaller clearance. In these cases, the manufacturer as done actual testing to make sure its safe. Can't say I'd personally trust a website that says, "eh, just cut the clearance in 1/2 if you use a heat shield"

I love my woodstove, but if I were building a tiny home, I don't think its the heat source I would choose. The stoves are so small, that the burn time is a couple hours max. Hard to keep a place warm in the dead of winter, while you're off at work, so you'll need a 2nd heat source anyway. It seems romantic, off grid and all, but unless you plan on being home all winter, I don't see how it works well.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Apr 21, 2018)

beardley said:


> I'm sure more heat sheild = less clearance, but if it hasn't been tested, what is that safe distance?  That's why NFPA 211 stops at 12", unless the owners manual states a smaller clearance. In these cases, the manufacturer as done actual testing to make sure its safe. Can't say I'd personally trust a website that says, "eh, just cut the clearance in 1/2 if you use a heat shield"
> 
> I love my woodstove, but if I were building a tiny home, I don't think its the heat source I would choose. The stoves are so small, that the burn time is a couple hours max. Hard to keep a place warm in the dead of winter, while you're off at work, so you'll need a 2nd heat source anyway. It seems romantic, off grid and all, but unless you plan on being home all winter, I don't see how it works well.


They just need to start making tiny cat stoves.


----------



## begreen (Apr 21, 2018)

RandyBoBandy said:


> They just need to start making tiny cat stoves.


Small cats don't necessarily mean low bottom end output. The Woodstock Survival puts out more heat at the low end than the BK Chinook or Ashford. The VC Intrepid II 1990 has been on the market for a long time now and could be a nice fit with a lower output, but min. shielded clearance is 12".


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Apr 21, 2018)

begreen said:


> Small cats don't necessarily mean low bottom end output. The Woodstock Survival puts out more heat at the low end than the BK Chinook or Ashford. The VC Intrepid II 1990 has been on the market for a long time now and could be a nice fit with a lower output, but min. shielded clearance is 12".


Are any of these stoves really considered tiny stoves?  In Theory wouldn’t a tiny cat stove achieve longer burn times at low air than a normal tiny stove?


----------



## sprawlnstall (Apr 21, 2018)

Tiny house? They are called ice houses here in northern Minnesota.


----------



## begreen (Apr 21, 2018)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Are any of these stoves really considered tiny stoves?  In Theory wouldn’t a tiny cat stove achieve longer burn times at low air than a normal tiny stove?


They are both small,  below 1.3 cu ft. You need a certain mass of fuel to sustain heat. A smaller cat stove wouldn't contain enough fuel for an extended burn.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Apr 22, 2018)

begreen said:


> They are both small,  below 1.3 cu ft. You need a certain mass of fuel to sustain heat. A smaller cat stove wouldn't contain enough fuel for an extended burn.


Anyhow they are still cool stoves and I want one. Don’t know what I would use one for but it would still be cool to have one.


----------



## Happy Stacker (Apr 22, 2018)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Anyhow they are still cool stoves and I want one. Don’t know what I would use one for but it would still be cool to have one.


Would make a great ornament on a nightstand on the wife's side of the bed...


----------



## Cast Iron (Apr 23, 2018)

Company out West makes beautiful cast wood stoves for boats.
BUT: who wants to live in a these "tiny houses" anyhow ?


----------



## sportbikerider78 (Apr 23, 2018)

I think its awesome people are finding affordable ways to live.  Low in tax.  Low utilities..ect  Time to update building codes to reflect this new living standard.

I keep telling my wife.  Tiny house, big garage!


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 23, 2018)

Cast Iron said:


> Company out West makes beautiful cast wood stoves for boats.
> BUT: who wants to live in a these "tiny houses" anyhow ?


Plenty of people. Myself for example, I have no kids (not an accident) therefore don’t need much room. It’s BS that I can be forced into either more house than I need or forced to settle for an apartment simply because I don’t require the arbitrary minimum sq.ft for a house. Obviously some localities are more accommodating that others but there are plenty of cases where people simply don’t need that much room, retirement comes to mind as well.


----------



## Ashful (Apr 23, 2018)

Mojappa said:


> It’s BS that I can be forced into either more house than I need or forced to settle for an apartment simply because I don’t require the arbitrary minimum sq.ft for a house. Obviously some localities are more accommodating that others but there are plenty of cases where people simply don’t need that much room, retirement comes to mind as well.



There is such a thing as a minimum sq.ft. requirement for building a house?!?


----------



## Happy Stacker (Apr 23, 2018)

Ashful said:


> There is such a thing as a minimum sq.ft. requirement for building a house?!?



In Ontario it is 800 sq ft. It's illegal to live in an RV as well..even if it's on your own property. RV living only allowed in trailer parks in this Province.


----------



## Alpine1 (Apr 23, 2018)

Ashful said:


> There is such a thing as a minimum sq.ft. requirement for building a house?!?


Yup! 65 sq meters here or 700 sq ft if you prefer


----------



## Ashful (Apr 23, 2018)

Happy Stacker said:


> In Ontario it is 800 sq ft. It's illegal to live in an RV as well..even if it's on your own property. RV living only allowed in trailer parks in this Province.



Interesting.  I’ve had a few friends live in an RV on their own property, sometimes for years, while building their own house.  I’d be surprised if we had any minimum sq.ft. requirement, James Madison would be spinning in his grave.


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 23, 2018)

Ashful said:


> Interesting.  I’ve had a few friends live in an RV on their own property, sometimes for years, while building their own house.  I’d be surprised if we had any minimum sq.ft. requirement, James Madison would be spinning in his grave.



The RV comment was from a Canadian. Always helps to know where the people you’re talking to are living.


----------



## Ashful (Apr 23, 2018)

Mojappa said:


> The RV comment was from a Canadian. Always helps to know where the people you’re talking to are living.



Yeah, I realize that.  His first two words were, “In Ontario”.  [emoji12]


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 23, 2018)

Lol, overlooked that. The word “province” tipped me off.


----------



## Manly (Apr 23, 2018)

sprawlnstall said:


> Tiny house? They are called ice houses here in northern Minnesota.



We live in a tiny house, about 1000 sq.ft. Have a tiny stove, Jotul 3CB. The firebox is just under 1 sq. foot. That's pretty tiny. We raised two children in this tiny house; son was big, daughter tiny. Wife is tiny with one big dog and two tiny cats. I wouldn't suggest anyone buy, build or live in a house any smaller that this. Nor would I suggest a stove any smaller that a Jotul 3CB. If you can't afford a bigger house you can always move here to CT. The state will set you up with large living quarters and pay for all your fuel, food and needs, no charge, ie, it's free! Beats tiny, I guess.


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 23, 2018)

Manly said:


> We live in a tiny house, about 1000 sq.ft. Have a tiny stove, Jotul 3CB. The firebox is just under 1 sq. foot. That's pretty tiny. We raised two children in this tiny house; son was big, daughter tiny. Wife is tiny with one big dog and two tiny cats. I wouldn't suggest anyone buy, build or live in a house any smaller that this. Nor would I suggest a stove any smaller that a Jotul 3CB. If you can't afford a bigger house you can always move here to CT. The state will set you up with large living quarters and pay for all your fuel, food and needs, no charge, ie, it's free! Beats tiny, I guess.


My house was listed at ~980sqft but again, we have no kids and the house facilitates that. Probably helped us get it since most people shop for homes planning to grow into them and ours wouldn’t be ideal for raising kids. There is an unfinished basement too. It was funny how many people kept insisting “this isn’t your forever home, you’ll make more money and want more house later”......no, regardless of how much I make I still don’t need any extra space to furnish, heat/cool or pay taxes for. Maybe the national adage of bigger is better just didn’t work on me?


----------



## Cast Iron (Apr 24, 2018)

"Tiny" must be around 400 sq ft by my rule....or less. Anything over that is considered a "real" home.
Think about it: 400 sq ft is a space 20' x 20' . The Jotul 602 will heat that.
But who really wants to live in a 20x20 space for life ? Maybe live alone, no partner, no kids, no dog.


----------



## bholler (Apr 24, 2018)

Cast Iron said:


> "Tiny" must be around 400 sq ft by my rule....or less. Anything over that is considered a "real" home.
> Think about it: 400 sq ft is a space 20' x 20' . The Jotul 602 will heat that.
> But who really wants to live in a 20x20 space for life ? Maybe live alone, no partner, no kids, no dog.


It all depends on what you want and need out of your house.  I have a friend who lives in an upgraded rv.  He works as a hiking climbing and rafting guide all over the country.  For almost 10 years he just lived out of his truck.  So his tiny home is huge compared to what he was used to.  But he also spends the vast majority of his time outside.  We just downsized our house by about half.  And honestly it is more enjoyable.


----------



## begreen (Apr 24, 2018)

Tiny homes don't need to be for life, unless you like it a lot. They can be starter home, low income home, remote cabins, etc.. the design can also be modular so that it can be added on to later.


----------



## firefighterjake (Apr 26, 2018)

I think I may have been living in a tiny home before it was cool to do so . . . after I graduated from college I lived in what I affectionately called "The Camp" -- approximately 12 x 16. No running water. No indoor toilet. I eventually expanded it with a 12 x 12 addition to make a bedroom and bathroom with a working shower and toilet.


----------



## armanidog (Apr 26, 2018)

A lot of cities have minimum square feet requirements for free standing homes.
In Athens, Georgia:


> After building her tiny home in 2016, Paula Loniak found out zoning ordinances prevent her from keeping it in Athens.
> 
> “I moved here in 1992 to go the Vet School at UGA and decided I wanted to stay in Athens after I graduated,” Loniak said. “I built my tiny house and they said, “Oh no, you can’t stay here because of the zoning, and we don’t know what to call this.’”
> 
> ...



Hopefully that will change:


> In 2016, ADP Solutions Consulting was hired by ACC Unified Government to complete a workforce housing study in Athens.
> 
> The study found three main conclusions: households without children are growing, there is a lack of desirable new housing developments and there is an increasing gap between income and housing costs.


----------



## sportbikerider78 (Apr 26, 2018)

firefighterjake said:


> . No running water. No indoor toilet. I eventually expanded it with a 12 x 12 addition to make a bedroom and bathroom with a working shower and toilet.



So basically, like everyone else in Maine?  
If you want to poop,,,take the river downstream.


----------



## sportbikerider78 (Apr 26, 2018)

armanidog said:


> A lot of cities have minimum square feet requirements for free standing homes.
> In Athens, Georgia:
> 
> 
> ...


Don't they really have those codes to squeeze trailers out and raise tax revenue?

Towns can easily zone an area for tiny homes.  That's not hard.


----------



## Manly (Apr 26, 2018)

firefighterjake said:


> I think I may have been living in a tiny home before it was cool to do so . . . after I graduated from college I lived in what I affectionately called "The Camp" -- approximately 12 x 16. No running water. No indoor toilet. I eventually expanded it with a 12 x 12 addition to make a bedroom and bathroom with a working shower and toilet.



So what your saying is you turned your home into a Palace. Nice


----------



## Ashful (Apr 26, 2018)

sportbikerider78 said:


> Don't they really have those codes to squeeze trailers out and raise tax revenue?
> 
> Towns can easily zone an area for tiny homes.  That's not hard.



Tax revenue may be a thought, but NIMBY is likely the dominant factor, in such decisions.  I wouldn’t want that mess moving in next door to me.


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 26, 2018)

Ashful said:


> Tax revenue may be a thought, but NIMBY is likely the dominant factor, in such decisions.  I wouldn’t want that mess moving in next door to me.


What mess? Tiny home doesn’t equal shantytown.


----------



## Manly (Apr 26, 2018)

Mojappa said:


> What mess? Tiny home doesn’t equal shantytown.



You are likely correct. However, does not the picture above show a trailer surrounded by trash? I have a "small" house, but nothing like that mess. That would not be allowed in our town. Some towns do have zoned trailer parks, but that rig doesn't look like it would pass D.O.T. muster.


----------



## sportbikerider78 (Apr 26, 2018)

I'd rather have some tiny and once in a while "trashy" homes near my house than an over-reaching town telling everyone what to do all the time.  I can't stand nosey towns always looking for permits and codes to enforce.  Get a life! 
The end all be all is not to die with a home that is worth 1% more than you paid 20 years ago.  Everyone is so obsessed with home value that they want to tell all their neighbors what to do all the time.  That's what HOA's are for.


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 26, 2018)

I’ve seen more than plenty of regular sized homes surrounded by trash, what does House size have to do with cleanliness? Trashy people live in all sorts of places.


----------



## Manly (Apr 26, 2018)

Mojappa said:


> I’ve seen more than plenty of regular sized homes surrounded by trash, what does House size have to do with cleanliness? Trashy people live in all sorts of places.



Not in my back yard they don't!


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 26, 2018)

Manly said:


> Not in my back yard they don't!


But their backyard isn’t your backyard so unless you have squatters setting up tiny homes on your property it’s still nothing to do with tiny homes.


----------



## Manly (Apr 26, 2018)

Mojappa said:


> But their backyard isn’t your backyard so unless you have squatters setting up tiny homes on your property it’s still nothing to do with tiny homes.



You are 100% correct, and I did misspeak. Tiny homes are perfectly fine as long as I can't see them from my back yard, side yard or from across the street. I think that is a very reasonable request.


----------



## blades (Apr 26, 2018)

Just sold a home to get away from the long noses of neighbors and the selective enforcement practiced by the city. Least expensive way to regain my sanity and avoid playing in the courts.Even if you win you lose.  ( If fact my new neighbors (at the home I just sold) next door got clipped in the same fashion)


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 26, 2018)

Still not sure why the size of your neighbors home matters in any way. They’re not all janky little trailers, most of them look rather nice, they’re just not unnecessarily oversized for their needs. If the amount of trash around their house (regardless of size) is the issue then this has nothing to do with tiny homes


----------



## begreen (Apr 26, 2018)

@armanidog what heats that little house?


----------



## Ashful (Apr 27, 2018)

Mojappa said:


> What mess? Tiny home doesn’t equal shantytown.



Did you look at the photo?  Tiny house doesn’t necessarily equal shanty town, especially with the new yuppie/hipster interest in them, but I see a lot more dead refrigerators and vehicles rotting in the front yard of small ranch houses than I see in front of the typical two story colonial.  Maybe just a local issue, as I still see lots of nicely kept small houses when I travel to less-affluent areas of our state.

“Poor but proud” is something that seems to have gone almost extinct in our local area, with my grandparents’ generation.


----------



## bholler (Apr 27, 2018)

Ashful said:


> Did you look at the photo?  Tiny house doesn’t necessarily equal shanty town, especially with the new yuppie/hipster interest in them, but I see a lot more dead refrigerators and vehicles rotting in the front yard of small ranch houses than I see in front of the typical two story colonial.  Maybe just a local issue, as I still see lots of nicely kept small houses when I travel to less-affluent areas of our state.
> 
> “Poor but proud” is something that seems to have gone almost extinct in our local area, with my grandparents’ generation.


And in this area we see that around big old farm houses allot more than anything else.  It has absolutly nothing to do with the size of the house.  Or even money in many cases.


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 27, 2018)

bholler said:


> And in this area we see that around big old farm houses allot more than anything else.  It has absolutly nothing to do with the size of the house.  Or even money in many cases.


Same here, not there there aren’t smaller houses that are also kinda dumpy looking. But at the end of the day they’re not doing anything that affects me so I could give two sh!+$ about how they keep up with their stuff


----------



## begreen (Apr 27, 2018)

Thread was about tiny stoves, It's gone off track and into the weeds.


----------



## Mojappa (Apr 27, 2018)

When we were struggling to heat our house from the basement woodstove I considered a tiny home stove to put up in the loft/bedroom so at least some form of heat made it to the room we needed it in most. Hopefully the new wood furnace will deter me from following through but I still think they’re pretty cute little stoves.


----------



## EatenByLimestone (Apr 29, 2018)

When originally built in 1946, my post war come was around 800sq ft.  In the 50s, a garage and room was added onto the side of the house.  It became just over 900 sq ft.  

My parents moved into this in 1974.  I inherited it in 2009 and finally finished off the attic.   

There are thousands of tiny homes up here.  I'm thinking a big concern was heating in winter.  I found my father's heating records for 1980 and 81.  He used 1000 gallons of heating oil to heat a 900 sq ft cape!  The trend towards more insulation and better windows and doors is a positive one!


----------



## fishki (May 1, 2018)

Seems were talking about tiny homes and tiny stoves now, so I will throw this in here.
Not sure if anyone is familiar with Narrow Boats or Canal Boats in the UK, but most are heated with small wood stoves.


----------



## begreen (May 1, 2018)

Boat stoves are often good fits for tiny homes


----------



## Seasoned Oak (May 2, 2018)

I would think some kind of cat stove would be a good fit.Low and slow in
a very small space or its a sauna.


----------



## Ashful (May 2, 2018)

Re: the canal boat photos, I think I’d be uncomfortable sleeping in a berth with the stove aside the only exit.


----------



## begreen (May 2, 2018)

Looks like all the boats also have central heating. There is a stern exit as well as very large side windows one could escape out of in an emergency. Could be a very nice way to see the country.
http://www.canalholidays.com/about-narrowboats/


----------

