Pellet stove for small cabin

[Cabingirl]

Maybe a visit to where they sell the Wiseway would be the most beneficial. The need to get to temp has to do with draft needs much like a fireplace, without proper draft the fire just smokes and won't draw up the flue. The needs of fire as explained to firefighters, is like a triangle. Needs enough heat to sustain fire, about 600 or so for wood, air- breath of the dragon and of course fuel. I understand fire in many forms and can't get into that here.

Yes, definitely. Establishing a relationship with a seller and even the designer himself who lives locally would be aces. I get what you're saying about heat temperature and fire. The manual clumsily states that in the startup instructions, that you have to heat the burn area in stages with the propane torch to certain degrees. Which is why I wonder if there's a temperature gauge or some sort of internal thermostat inside that indicates when you've done the job and it's ready or you have to measure it somehow yourself. That part isn't explained.

 

[Bioburner]

Welcome to the world of manuals. I like when manufactures provide online video media as it often can clear the air on many things. When I serviced stoves I often found the manual still sealed in the plastic sleeves.

 

[Cabingirl]

I have a cabin that is off-grid in southern Colorado I have a four burner propane stove and a propane heat stove I use 40lbs propane tanks on each. The heat stove uses no power it is thermostatic control, I set it for about 65 degrees because the loft gets warmer hot air rises. Do you plan to use solar hot water like the one on my roof.View attachment 175860View attachment 175859

Do you have any sort of fan or solar vents in the loft to help with air circulation? I'll have windows, of course, but I'm considering a solar fan and vents.

The cabin is small and I will be the only permanent resident so I'm keeping things simple because my needs will be. My solar hot water will simply consist of a small black tank (about 30 gallons) to heat water during the day since my hot water usage comes in the evening for dishes and showering. It's not going to be plumbed in.

Here's the thing: I'm not keen on fossil fuels. With my location prime for solar (and potentially wind), I'd rather start basic and thrifty on my electric usage until I see how it goes, how efficient my batteries and panels do, and how the technology continues to evolve. I can add solar panels and batteries over time to increase my power generation and storage to the point where I can run electric appliances for many days without solar input and very little or no need for the generator to charge. To me, that's good value. The new lithium batteries last a decade, have a deep discharge capability and are very efficient. I expect that will get even better and they will get less expensive. Other technologies for battery storage are being studied, too.

So, I'd rather not put that money into installing a fossil fuel heat source now when I will have my own alternative energy, micro-power plant over time and won't have to have to be as watt-conscious. (If the Wiseway works for me in the longterm, even better!) Pellets are plentiful and use wood scrap from other wood industries. That's awesome. Yeah, I'm kind of a hippy, lol.

 

[Cabingirl]

Welcome to the world of manuals. I like when manufactures provide online video media as it often can clear the air on many things. When I serviced stoves I often found the manual still sealed in the plastic sleeves.

LOL! I'm such a nerd. I read the manuals online before I buy products to help me decide and then I read the manual after my purchase, too.

Especially with this offgrid adventure, I pore over the literature. It's prevented me from making some pretty big mistakes before shelling out cash. I've found that energy usage information on small things can be difficult to find, though. And, geez, the small appliances can really use a lot!

 

[Spupilup]

Cabingirl, youtube is your friend. Try doing a search there and you will see MANY videos about the Wiseway ranging from setting it up to using it, to using the water jacket to just about any other question you may have. Add that to the fact that the largest dealer is in Grants Pass. Probably not all that far from you. A visit to Smokey's Stoves in Grants Pass should provide a wealth of information about owning and operating these stoves. Before I purchased mine I read and viewed everything I could about Wiseway. It gets pretty cold in the Litchfield Hills of CT and my only alternative for heat is electric. It was a big leap for me to go from burning cord wood where, in an emergency I could cut down an Ash tree use it that night, to becoming reliant on a pellet stove.

It seems like an awful lot of the people burning pellet stoves on this bulletin board use their stoves to augment oil, gas or some other form of heat. I don't have that choice. Coming to the close of my first season with this stove I feel that I couldn't have made a better choice. For someone looking to live "off the grid," frankly, I can't even imagine the idea of the electric pellet stoves even entering into the equation.

 

[Cabingirl]

Cabingirl, youtube is your friend. Try doing a search there and you will see MANY videos about the Wiseway ranging from setting it up to using it, to using the water jacket to just about any other question you may have. Add that to the fact that the largest dealer is in Grants Pass. Probably not all that far from you. A visit to Smokey's Stoves in Grants Pass should provide a wealth of information about owning and operating these stoves. Before I purchased mine I read and viewed everything I could about Wiseway. It gets pretty cold in the Litchfield Hills of CT and my only alternative for heat is electric. It was a big leap for me to go from burning cord wood where, in an emergency I could cut down an Ash tree use it that night, to becoming reliant on a pellet stove.

It seems like an awful lot of the people burning pellet stoves on this bulletin board use their stoves to augment oil, gas or some other form of heat. I don't have that choice. Coming to the close of my first season with this stove I feel that I couldn't have made a better choice. For someone looking to live "off the grid," frankly, I can't even imagine the idea of the electric pellet stoves even entering into the equation.

Thanks! I'll check out YouTube!

Smokey's Stoves has a number of locations in southern Oregon and I'm very close to one of them. (But not Grant's Pass.) I believe another stove dealership in town also carries the Wiseway. Makes sense, it being a local product and all. I hope the US Stove takeover doesn't cheapen the build and move production out of southern Oregon. All the more important to buy it as soon as possible, along with the accessories and some replacement parts, too.

I'm having the cabin built in late Spring and would like to have the contractor factor the venting and outside air kit holes into construction AND install the stove for me. I think you have a better result and better fit that way than cutting and retrofitting after the fact.

 

[Cabingirl]

Just took a look at the Wiseway at the Home Depot site and US Stove DID redo the manual and instructions, to include better diagrams, a parts list, etc. It is SO much more clear now and full of helpful info! Some good questions/answers and reviews, too.

 

[SKOAL MAN]

I can't for the life of me figure out why you wouldn't use propane? Fill a couple 100lb tanks a couple times a year, done!

 

[3650]

Plenty of gravity feed pellet stoves being built on You tube. If you have some skills (even minor) you could fab up something that works as good as Wiseway and save a few thousand $.

 

[byQ]

Cabingirl meet Cabin Stove. It happens to originate in Eugene, Oregon. I grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon but now live in Idaho. The cabin stove is using masonry heater/rocket heater technology. It provides radiant heat (like the sun) so it is less likely to overheat a small space. And no electricity is involved. I don't know about code issues. I'm building a masonry heater and the building department has approved it. I wouldn't mind having the cabin stove, though - you can cook on it. But that is a lot of heat the metal top has to deal with.

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[Simpleacres]

Empire Masonry heaters has an Ultimate Survival model heater that will not only heat the home but has an oven and a large cast iron cooktop. I have installed one in a kitchen showroom and it sees lots of abuse without warping or leaking.