newbie questions / cook stove / small log cabin

[Mt Bob]

When it is cold, and especially when wind is blowing, your major heat loss will be your walls. Your inside wall is the outside, no air gap, no spacing.
Soapstone? Never had one,never would, I'm now all pellet, no wood stove. Soapstone, while yes, you gain a little "reserve" as it is cooling down, it also takes more heat and longer to heat it up. Net gain=0.
My place is partial log, smallest one is probably 14", swedish cope, with 2 layers of permachink in all the joints. I live in the mountains. Built my upstairs with 2x6 rough cut, vapor barrier,drywall, 1/2" sheeting on the outside,covered by 3/4" german lap siding,tar paper between them. My upstairs windows are doubled. A window on the outside, the gap because walls are so thick, then window on the inside. The upstairs makes up for the downstairs, in heat retention. Used to heat it from the basement up, with a wood stove, then a pellet. But older now, so put a pellet on the 1st floor,living,kitchen,pantry and mud room, and use about 1/2 the pellets. Basement is dirt, and about 1/2 underground. LP for backup, pilot light, because of power outages. So ya,I know a bit about logs and cold weather. It sucks to see frost on the inside.

 

[YooperMike]

When it is cold, and especially when wind is blowing, your major heat loss will be your walls. Your inside wall is the outside, no air gap, no spacing.
Soapstone? Never had one,never would, I'm now all pellet, no wood stove. Soapstone, while yes, you gain a little "reserve" as it is cooling down, it also takes more heat and longer to heat it up. Net gain=0.
My place is partial log, smallest one is probably 14", swedish cope, with 2 layers of permachink in all the joints. I live in the mountains. Built my upstairs with 2x6 rough cut, vapor barrier,drywall, 1/2" sheeting on the outside,covered by 3/4" german lap siding,tar paper between them. My upstairs windows are doubled. A window on the outside, the gap because walls are so thick, then window on the inside. The upstairs makes up for the downstairs, in heat retention. Used to heat it from the basement up, with a wood stove, then a pellet. But older now, so put a pellet on the 1st floor,living,kitchen,pantry and mud room, and use about 1/2 the pellets. Basement is dirt, and about 1/2 underground. LP for backup, pilot light, because of power outages. So ya,I know a bit about logs and cold weather. It sucks to see frost on the inside.

Don't care about "net gain" being 0. Care about maxmizing heat dispersement over time and an even heat minimizing swings. A normal stove in 200sq ft would make it unbearably hot early then cold a handful of hours later, no?

Yes, main heat loss will be the walls. But how much? It's 200sq ft and if a slower radiant heat like a soapstone stove with 1.3 or 1.5cuft box can put out heat for 6 to 8 hours, it shouldn't be frosty on the walls in the a.m. I have no frost on tent walls.

 

[Mt Bob]

I think a 5 gallon bucket of water on the top of a wood stove would work better. But have fun.

 

[sesmith]

I know you mentioned no propane, but a wood cookstove will make that place unbearable in the summer. FWIW, we have about a 400 sq ft log cabin on wheels that we spend 3 seasons in. I put in an apartment sized gas stove in it, and run it off a 20 lb propane tank. A 20 lb tank goes a long way. With the cooking situation handled, all you have to do is worry about heating the place. In ours, a Jotul 602 cb works fine. We don't spend winter in the place, though I'm pretty sure the 602 would be fine.

 

[YooperMike]

I think a 5 gallon bucket of water on the top of a wood stove would work better. But have fun.

What about a 5gal bucket on top of a soapstone cookstove? My 5gal stock pot is mostly evaporated by morning in current setup.

 

[YooperMike]

I know you mentioned no propane, but a wood cookstove will make that place unbearable in the summer. FWIW, we have about a 400 sq ft log cabin on wheels that we spend 3 seasons in. I put in an apartment sized gas stove in it, and run it off a 20 lb propane tank. A 20 lb tank goes a long way. With the cooking situation handled, all you have to do is worry about heating the place. In ours, a Jotul 602 cb works fine. We don't spend winter in the place, though I'm pretty sure the 602 would be fine.

It's 200 sq ft. No room for a woodstove and then a propane stove I will use 3 months. I also said I cook outdoors in summer.

 

[begreen]

What about a 5gal bucket on top of a soapstone cookstove

What stove is this?

 

[YooperMike]

What stove is this?

Theoretical stove. Since most of the "help" I got here was: build bigger; supply natgas; dont heat with wood etc etc. Only a handful of people even bothered to read my detailed posts before replying with advice contrary to what I can do.

 

[begreen]

Problem is, everything envisioned appears to be theoretical, including performance. That said there is the Magnum stove with soapstone panels that might fit some requirements. That's why I asked.

 

[YooperMike]

Problem is, everything envisioned appears to be theoretical, including performance. That said there is the Magnum stove with soapstone panels that might fit some requirements. That's why I asked.

That stove was my first consideration. But yes, everything is theoretical at this junction. About to start building as soon as snow melts a little so I want to get a handle on stove, although I could just use a cheap $400 stove from tractor supply the first year just to test heat loss etc. But a year from this summer stoves will be 30% more if not double in price. Obadiah's already raised the price on soapstone la noridca fron 3200 to 4500 in about 16 months. If guy says I can get half my heat from southern window solar gain and a dog and 2 candles, a normal stove doesnt even seem appropriate.

 

[YooperMike]

Problem is, everything envisioned appears to be theoretical, including performance. That said there is the Magnum stove with soapstone panels that might fit some requirements. That's why I asked.

Found a better option for similar price, with better quality according to what I read from Woody. La Nordica Rosetta BII. 0.84 cuft cast iron firebox, 372 lbs, soapstone sides, 34"x33"x22". Same size firebox to morso b2 and jotul 602. Weighing over 2x those other stoves with all that cast and soapstone it should provide longer, slower, more steady heat with same burn time. Once it's warm I could build smaller fires, or crack a window at night, or get up once to reload (I rarely sleep more than 4 or 5 hours straight anyway, no matter the temp), or some combo thereof. You think this might work? Only issue is cast iron box can't be heated quickly lest it crack, and that mass will eat up the heat, so mornings might be a little cold for a couple hours.

 

[BillBurns]

I hate to say it, but my USSCO camp stove works for me, my whole house, and it has 2 cook spot on it. Its not ideal but for a cabin its an option. I got mine for299 bucks, out of season, and my wifes discount. I know its ot ideal, but it works for me. I got mine at Rural King.