Here's a situation you've probably never run into before

[GypsyGirl]

Hi stove experts!

My husband and I do reenacting, and we are planning to build a Gypsy Ledge wagon (Vardo). It will be about 5x10, so 50 square feet or 325 or so cubic feet. VERY occasionally, it gets pretty cold when we're camping out--down to the 30s or 40s, which, in a tent, is not a lot of fun. A Vardo might be warmer, but once in a while, it might be nice to have a chance for heat. We're just about newbies--we've got a wood burning tin stove that doesn't look right for this purpose, and is pretty big.

So...I found this cute little potbelly stove on eBay (Attached). It's 22" tall & 11" around. Most likely it isn't really an antique, but I don't care; the look is more important. That said, we have lots of questions!
-- Is anyone familiar with this stove? If so, any idea why it is wearing a hat? ;-)
-- Can this stove really be used for heat? Safely? (We have battery operated smoke & carbon monoxide detectors)
-- Photos of Vardos (Attached) seem to show very little clearance with MUCH larger stoves than this one. If this stove can be more than just a "period correct" decoration, how much clearance would you recommend?
-- Given weight restrictions on our car, what would we need to put under it to protect the floor, which will probably be wood? Would tile around the stove (as in the Vardo photos) be enough to protect the walls?
-- Where might we find installation and use instructions?

All input is welcome!

 

[GypsyGirl]

Oops, it only pulled in one photo. Here's the stove:

 

[GypsyGirl]

And here are the other two Vardo interior shots. (I'm figuring out how these forums work).

 

[begreen]

Greetings Dori. With a wood stove in such close quarters you want to be very careful and safe. I would start by looking at woodstoves designed for a boat. They are tiny and are secured so as not to shift while in motion. http://www.marinestove.com/

 

[fossil]

That cute little potbelly would require 36" all the way around clearance from combustible materials (unless you did some serious shielding) and floor protection beneath with substantial insulative quality extending out 18" all around. And it would have to be firmly anchored. A wood stove in a small trailer or RV is a dicey proposition...regardless of what the real Gypsies did (do). If you're going for period correctness, you might install a non-functional decorative piece. If you really want to be able to use it for heat, then the little boat stoves BG pointed you toward are probably the safest modern alternative to investigate. Maybe a piece for the look, and a little generator and electric space heater for comfort? Lots of possibilities, but above all, be safe! Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your project. Keep in touch. Rick

 

[GypsyGirl]

Thanks, y'all! I never thought of a boat stove (quite probably because I never heard of one. I'll look into it--thanks so much for the link. Since I do know that real Gypsies & showmen used stoves with much less than 36" clearance, what's the best way to do shielding to reduce that distance?

We can't use an electric space heater because we don't camp in modern campgrounds and there are no electrical hookups. We do have a marine battery, but I doubt it would power a space heater for long.

 

[fossil]

...Since I do know that real Gypsies & showmen used stoves with much less than 36" clearance, what's the best way to do shielding to reduce that distance?

We can't use an electric space heater because we don't camp in modern campgrounds and there are no electrical hookups. We do have a marine battery, but I doubt it would power a space heater for long.

I'd bet they never heard of NFPA211, or the Underwriters Laboratory, or building and safety codes, either...or they didn't care about them. Shielding can be done in a number of ways, mostly involving multiple layers of materials and ventilated air spaces to reduce the required clearance from combustibles for the specific appliance. You kind of really have to approach the process from both directions...looking for an appliance that suits your fancy, and finding out what that particular appliance would require as far as clearances, and what you could do to reduce them safely. It ain't a simple problem, especially in tight quarters. I'd say it warrants a good deal of thought, though, lest you go to sleep one night in your Gypsy trailer and not wake up the next morning. In concert with my suggestion of an electric space heater was a small generator (gas powered engine-driven). There are small units on the market now that are very efficient and very quiet. Just a thought. Please be careful, whatever you decide to do. Rick

 

[GypsyGirl]

Thanks, Pyro. I'm checking out the boat site, and have already learned some interesting and valuable things about things like shielding with layers of mineral board and stainless steel (where's asbestos when you need it? ;-)). Unfortunately, their cute little stove is $700, which just isn't worth it given how rarely we would need to use it. That's a good 20% of the budget for the whole project.

I'm quite a life-long safety freak, so if there is any chance that we can't use this stove safely, it will be purely for decorative purposes. My brother is a mechanical engineer--he's going to help us with the plans (and possibly building), so he may be able to look into the shielding thing for us, too.

Does this stove appear to be a real, working model? Why the hat? Are there good instructions available anywhere for how to install a stove of this type--and any source for pipe?

 

[fossil]

My brother is a mechanical engineer--

So am I. It's a very broad discipline. I'm still learning a ton about fire protection that was never a part of my education or previous experience. Rick

 

[GypsyGirl]

I doubt he knows anything at all about it now, but not incinerating his only sister might be motivation to learn. ;-)

Seriously, though, we really are safety freaks--and my husband's best friend's whole family died in a house fire, so we're especially careful around things like stoves and heaters.

Any answers to the other questions would be much appreciated. :-D

 

[Hogwildz]

Oops, it only pulled in one photo. Here's the stove:

Um, that stove does not look real or functional to me. Looks like a cast nic-nac as the doors are not functional.
The hat on top....... I'll put $100.00 down that it is an ash tray.

 

[fossil]

Makes sense, hog. Hadn't even paid much attention to the photo. Might still be an antique...Spark was a real stove company in Oakland California in the 1920's. This cute little guy could even be a salesman's sample model dressed up as an ash tray. Might look good in my workshop. Rick

 

[GypsyGirl]

If it really is just a glorified ashtray, it will become available for your workshop! :-D It WAS billed as a salesman's sample. Would that mean it definitely isn't operational?

 

[fossil]

In all probability it's a scale model, an historical curio, and not an operational stove by any stretch of the imagination. Rick

 

[GypsyGirl]

Shows what happens when you assume... ;-) I'll let y'all know if there's a door that opens when it shows up. If not, it'll be up for sale and would make a nice ashtray!