More tiny home stoves

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/

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.

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

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That’s a cool little photo gallery.

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.

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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.

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.

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They just need to start making tiny cat stoves.

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".

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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?

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

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.

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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.

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.

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

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

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!

Cast Iron said:

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

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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.

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.

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

Ashful said:

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

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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.

Ashful said:

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

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

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.

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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.

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.

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

Mojappa said:

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

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

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

sprawlnstall said:

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

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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.

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.

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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?

"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.