Can anyone ID this made in Taiwan stove or offer some feedback?

[kristenjas]

This is for sale on ebay: (broken link removed to http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281194037273&fromMakeTrack=true)

Anyone know what this may be, and any insight on positives & negatives?

I'm trying to find a woodstove for a schoolbus conversion (facebook.com/laLUNABUS) And no, we will definitely not be using the stove while driving. The bus is generally a stationary affair.

Here are some priorities:

1. Small size for our small space, like no more than 30" in length or width.
2. A cooktop that can fit at least 2 pots, so a wide, squat shape would be better than a tall skinny one. A stovepipe that can come out the back or side to leave more cook surface is a big plus.
3. Low price, so we are looking at used stoves.
4. Proximity for pickup (Lehigh Valley/ Philadelphia/ NYC)
5. Ideally accommodating sizable lengths of wood, necessitating less chopping & loading, so potbelly style is less desirable.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

 

[BrotherBart]

A Scandia stove. Copies of Jotul stoves made in Taiwan until they got their pants sued off. The quality of the cast iron in the stoves has always been questionable since Chinese castings were of low quality back then. The stoves were never tested to UL safety standards.

 

[kristenjas]

A Scandia stove. Copies of Jotul stoves made in Taiwan until they got their pants sued off. The quality of the cast iron in the stoves has always been questionable since Chinese castings were of low quality back then. The stoves were never tested to UL safety standards.

Thanks, BrotherBart. Any insight on whether this or, say, a Vozelgang Boxwood [ (broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wood-Stove-/281196433231?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41789d0f4f) ] would work for us? I realize that these are low/ questionable quality as far as modern woodstoves go, but we are heating a 260 sq foot space for a couple of years. Will either of these get the job done, or are they a disaster waiting to happen? If the latter, what kind of disaster are we talking?

 

[BrotherBart]

Any wood stove is gonna overheat you out of 260 sq. ft. no matter how small the stove or how you burn in it. Probably even in an un-insulated bus. That is an ideal candidate for oil filled radiator heater(s).

With stoves like the the Scandia and the Vogelzang box there is a major question of being able to control them along with the associated danger of the quality issue. And there is a reason that all wood stove manuals say not to use them in sleeping areas. (Yes I know people fall asleep on the living room couch with the stove burning.) Carbon monoxide and not having enough time to get out of the room by the time you wake up to it on fire are the top reasons. And stoves suck a bunch of oxygen out of the air in the room.

 

[begreen]

Looks like a repainted Jotul 602 knock off. You will have more peace of mind with the real McCoy. However, neither the original nor the knock off are designed to be screwed down to the floor nor will they take an outside air kit. These are two important safety issues I would seriously consider for any small mobile space.

 

[webbie]

That one is in fairly decent shape - but as BG says, it's against all codes to install such a thing in a mobile home unless the particular stove is approved for that.

Oh, a schoolbus? That's metal......we installed a lot of stoves in buses, trucks and even tents. Of course, regular building codes do not apply.

I think the smallest stove you can get in terms of space is the ideal. Back in the days (when we lived in trucks and buses), I'd have given my right arm for a stove like that Scandia!

 

[BrotherBart]

we installed a lot of stoves in buses, trucks and even tents. Of course, regular building codes do not apply.

And a tool shed. And we know how that worked out...

 

[fossil]

You've git a mighty high bar to clear in terms of space available and requirements for clearances to combustibles for wood burning appliances. There are some very nice little stoves designed specifically for installation in boats that might be worth a look-see. Anything that would normally go into a permanent dwelling is going to present some non-trivial challenges. Rick

 

[fossil]

Back in the days (when we lived in trucks and buses), I'd have given my right arm for a stove like that Scandia!

You mean when you were immortal.

 

[fossil]

Oh, a schoolbus? That's metal....

Right. Well...except for the cabinets, walls, furniture, carpeting, drapes, and whatnot that are undoubtedly going into this bus.

 

[kristenjas]

Yeah, I'm firm in the wood heat decision because I'd rather rely on the woods & human energy over fossil fuels & corporate supply chains.

Trying to balance a tiny unit with enough of surface area to serve as my main winter cookspace. I've been thinking about this kind of thing too: (broken link removed to http://allentown.craigslist.org/atq/4148250998.html) I just imagine that the chopping/ loading work with a potbelly would very quickly outweigh its benefits.

Maybe my metalworker friend could attach a big plate to the top of a tiny thing to expand cook surface?

Looked at a few marine stove companies, and they seem to make pretty great stuff, but the prices are many thousands of dollars. Simply too far out of our budget. Also those safety rails are going to get on my nerves when I'm trying to cook a big pot of beans AND some rice haha.

Clearances, yes, definitely looking for something as small as possible. Also trying to find before we install insulation/ subfloor/ paneling, so I can best plan the proximity to combustibles.

 

[kristenjas]

Building pretty much all the furniture custom. Already sourced some free slate for the hearth, fire rated drywall from ReStore. No drapes - thinking bubble-wrap window insulation for the immediate future http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrap.htm Fireproof throw rug sounds like a good idea.

 

[kristenjas]

I've been back and forth on the air intake thing. My initial thought was that the bus is so non-airtight as it stands (All those crappy windows, the front doors..) that it would provide ample air flow, albeit drafty. We've also heard a couple bus-living people say they often have to open a window with the woodstove blazing in that small space.

Putting an intake would cut down on wood consumption though, I imagine.

What do y'all make of this? http://woodheat.org/the-outdoor-air-myth-exposed.html

 

[BrotherBart]

How do you plan on venting (chimney) this thing? Not like this I hope.

 

[webbie]

You mean when you were immortal.

It was a quick trip out the bus window if anything happened....and nothing ever did. We had one tiny van (metro) with a stove in it which was about 3 inches from a homemade wood wall in there. We caught that one long before it lit up....

I'd say schoolbus conversions could be as safe or safer for stoves than, for example, sailboat (a lot of people put them in boats!). Of course, you don't want to be keeping spare gas cans inside....

These are actually real pics from some of our abodes...

 

[kristenjas]

Venting is undecided. My husband (I'm more of a builder than he is, FYI) thinks chimney should go out the window. Does seem to be the easiest labor wise, but I was unsure about horizontal stovepipe. My understanding was that they should be minimized, and at least put at an angle instead of horizontal. And if it is going out the window, make sure it extends above the roof line.

I assume the safest/ best is straight up through the roof, along with the chimney and all that.

That stove looks way too close to everything else around it!

Webbie, cool pics! Is that you? Looks like you have a funny venting system there yourself. No spare gas cans, but maybe some waste veggie oil settling solids!

 

[coaly]

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[webbie]

Webbie, cool pics! Is that you? Looks like you have a funny venting system there yourself. No spare gas cans, but maybe some waste veggie oil settling solids!

That's not me - mine went up through the roof. My first one was in a bread van - sheet metal hardware store stove ($17). After that it was an army tent with those rubber grommets that the pipe goes up through. Used that one for two years in the hippie commune....

If I had the $$ and was going to do a ship or bus stove, I'd buy one of the convection models made for ships.....but they are not cheap.

these are sorta nice
http://www.marinestove.com/index.htm