Tiny cabin stove. Repair or replace?

[nir]

Hi,

We have a Vermont Castings Aspen 1920 in our super tiny cabin, it's about 10x10 feet so ~100 sq ft. with a loft.

That stove, is a real pain in the butt to use because it spits ashes all over the floor, the air control is on the back and just falls apart while you're trying to use it, and it tends to fill the room with flue gas.

But I am just noticing it also has a long crack in the top plate.

So I am wondering now. Is it worth fixing it or replacing the top plate or would it be better to just replace the stove with a better heater?

It's really hard to heat that cabin with the Aspen because the heat output is so high that it is really uncomfortable for such a small space. But I wonder if smaller stoves wouldn't present even more of a problem because they would burn for less long.

I've looked at jotul 602s and they seem to be similar spec to the Aspen, so possibly too big for this application? I wonder whether the original builder of the cabin didn't put too big of a stove in there.

On the whole, what would you recommend for such a small space?

Thanks

 

[begreen]

The Aspen never was a great stove. It should be replaced. The cabin is tiny and as you have noted it's easy to overheat. The Jotul F602 is a nice little heater, but it will still be hot in there. Look at some tiny house stove options. Dickinson makes a small wood fired Marine heater called the Newport that could work. There is also the Cubic Cub Mini stove and the Navigator Sardine.

 

[nir]

The Aspen never was a great stove. It should be replaced. The cabin is tiny and as you have noted it's easy to overheat. The Jotul F602 is a nice little heater, but it will still be hot in there. Look at some tiny house stove options. Dickinson makes a small wood fired Marine heater called the Newport that could work. There is also the Cubic Cub Mini stove and the Navigator Sardine.

Thx!

I should add, we are in a cold climate zone, so we would need it to heat sufficiently for occasional stretches of -30c nights.

 

[begreen]

That's part of the problem. You have a very wide range of heating needs for a tiny space. A propane or electric heater on a thermostat would work better.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Sounds like you need some kind of reliable wood stove to be sure you have heat at -22 Deg F. Propane is great until you run out and cant hardly gather more in the woods.

 

[begreen]

Then don't run out. It's no fun to be hunting out dry wood, cutting and splitting it at -20º in the middle of the night either.

 

[jetsam]

Propane is great until you run out and cant hardly gather more in the woods.

But you can gather methane in the bathroom! "It's cold tonight, kids, have some more beans."

I had to reply because I was laughing at the visual of someone out gathering propane in the woods at night.

Then don't run out. It's no fun to be hunting out dry wood, cutting and splitting it at -20º in the middle of the night either.

I love splitting wood at -20°. Hunting and cutting, not so much.

it tends to fill the room with flue gas.

...it also has a long crack in the top plate....

Replace it. It's currently really dangerous.

 

[Kevin Weis]

Thinking maybe a propane/gas stove is the better option. Steady heat all night at -20 is what you need. The Aspen can’t do that no way.

 

[Texas123]

I have seen a Jotul 602 in action and it throws out a lot of heat. If you install this you might be cracking some windows even in the teens.

 

[SpaceBus]

Unless you put in a small cat stove, I don't think you will ever get overnight burns. I have a stove a bit bigger than a 602 that can eek out 8 hrs in shoulder season, 4 hrs when it's at the coldest here. I think a combination of wood and propane/NG is a good option. You could get a stove the size of a 602 or even smaller for normal cold weather, and the propane unit can kick on when it's bitterly cold or just whenever you want.

 

[jetsam]

100sf is 10x10, put an unlisted heater with 36" clearances in the corner, and you will have an L-shaped strip 2' x 10' along two walls to put all the furniture in.

Finding a 24" sofa isn't a problem for a guy with a chainsaw, though!

For those of you who'd like to point out that the code inspector doesn't do a lot of cabin visits, I'd like to make the counterpoint that not wanting to jump out of a second story window into a snowstorm at 3 AM is also a valid reason to honor clearances.

 

[begreen]

100sf is 10x10, put an unlisted heater with 36" clearances in the corner, and you will have an L-shaped strip 2' x 10' along two walls to put all the furniture in.

Exactly

 

[electrathon]

In a cabin that small I would be looking at one of the RV/tiny house stoves.

 

[2fireplacesinSC]

In a cabin that small I would be looking at one of the RV/tiny house stoves.

In a cabin that small, I’d be looking for a bigger cabin

Propane. Or something made for tiny house or RV.

 

[Ashful]

100sf is 10x10, put an unlisted heater with 36" clearances in the corner, and you will have an L-shaped strip 2' x 10' along two walls to put all the furniture in.

You beat me to it, but we’re thinking the same thing. Seriously, how do you even fit a stove and a bed inside of a 10 x 10 space, while honoring clearances? Some of us have hearth pads or fireplaces that would take up half that space.

I’d think the body heat of two people could keep a space that small warm, after an initial warm-up with a propane stove, or simply cooking your meal (beans!).

 

[begreen]

It's the size of an RV, but at -30º it takes a 62º rise in temp just to reach freezing. Body heat in a super mummy bag maybe, but not in a modestly insulated 1000 cu ft box.

This is a Russian solution to -20 temps.

 

[2fireplacesinSC]

It's the size of an RV, but at -30º it takes a 62º rise in temp just to reach freezing. Body heat in a super mummy bag maybe, but not in a modestly insulated 1000 cu ft box.

This is a Russian solution to -20 temps.

View attachment 242706

It’s glowing red hot. What in the world is that? An infinity stone? lol

 

[begreen]

Stainless steel camp stove.

 

[Ashful]

It's the size of an RV, but at -30º it takes a 62º rise in temp just to reach freezing. Body heat in a super mummy bag maybe, but not in a modestly insulated 1000 cu ft box.

Of course I was exaggerating, but seriously, this house is the size of the average office cubicle. I just don’t see safely putting a stove in a space that size, if you have anything left to sleep on, no matter what the clearances.

 

[begreen]

Yes, several of us have suggested propane, but a tiny stove backup would work. It's done in boat cabins. They did have an Aspen in there, though we don't know how well clearances were honored.

 

[jetsam]

I've slept in similarly sized tents heated via dino juice stoves. Even a small stove is a bit of a hazard in those quarters, more so when it's hastily assembled using collapseable venting and the tent is packed full of people.