My Stove Story: BEST STOVE EVER, HAS HEATED MY HOMES FOR 7 YEARS and still going - Tips & Tricks and a little story made of Tony's worst nightmares...lol.
First, I have used this little stove to heat a 39' big rig trailer (like a shipping container but it has all the wheels etc. so it is road legal) tiny home that was not well insulated because we were in the midst of building it out. We vented it through the window. We've had it in a 26' bumper pull travel trailer (this installation I did go through the roof with the chimney because there was an existing hole for some pipe that wasn't there anymore. Used it in a house an used the window air-conditioning vent with some metal flashing. And now, I have it in a 34' 5th wheel. I've been using this stove for Full time living HEAT, for 7 seasons now.
You can cook FASTER on the top of the stove. It even has a little round piece of the stove top that pulls out so the bottom of the pan in exposed to the inside of stove/fire. Use this if you need to boil or just ant to cook faster.
If, Tony of AB Camping reads this next bit (unlikely), but if he does, I am in for lashings of "you idot" commentary and I likely deserve it, but that rather than freeze to death. Here is how I set up the stove.
I use a small cast iron skillet upside-down over the round panel that comes out. On top of that, I use a bigger cast iron skillet right side up. On top of that I have a fire grate. With that grate and the two wing grates, I stack my wet firewood.
I don't really have anywhere to store cords of wood and you never half enough kindling, so when I am always hunting for wood and usually it is wet, so I dry it on the top of the stove. I have had wood piled up 3' on top! I now have a a set of heavy duty wire shelves that run up the wall next to the stove and can stack & store wood there. As the wood dries little pieces fall off, but with my set up, they mostly fall into the iron skillet, so nothing lights on fire.
I also burn pinecones as firestarters, restarters (not new ones, dried out ones - millions everywhere where we are). I have the neighborhood toddlers come once a year and pick up pinecones - they are so close to the ground already and it saves my back. I pay them, but honestly they don't care about the money, they think it is fun - country kids!!!
The ONE and ONLY time I SET THE TRAILER ON FIRE, the stove wasn't even going. I as cleaning the trailer and bumped the stove and the back corner poked through the trailer wall, it was super hot from the fire the night before and it caused a fire inside the trailer wall. Luckily I am prepared for this.
There is no electrical going in the wall, so I can easily use water if needed, but I have multiple fire extinguishers. I then used my emergency crowbar to open the wall, deal with the damage and make the repairs. Totally not the stoves's fault. Now I have the cement board and corrugated panels, so no worry on an edge poking through the wall (plus that really radiates the heat!). I have a corrugated panel on the ceiling above the stove too.
After that little fiasco, I put the stove on a big slab of granite and use that cement board and a corrugated metal panels on the ouside of the walls and cabinet it sits right next to. Ah! One last thing, after burning my fingers constantly, I put a little key chain like thing hanging from the the knob to open and close the stove door.
I found that salad tongs work well for adjusting the fire, regular fireplace tools are too big. A metal cat littler scooper is great for the ashes and scraping out cremains.
As far as wear and tear, running it near 24x7 6+ monts of the year, I have cremated many a grate. I get them custom made now and they last the season, but other than that the stove just keeps going.
I've seen the smallest version of this stove used in a van. Wow!
This stove can heat an area like you would not believe and there is nothing to setting up for taking it down. Keep it low to the ground, heat rises! I have one of those heat powered fans that sits on top of the stove and circulates the hot air.
There will be smoke from the chimney depending on what you are burning, so if you are in an area where a little smoke is going to spark alarm, consider not using this stove.
This stove, The Winnerwell Nomad (it is the 16" deep one) was a lot cheaper when I bought it, so don't faint. It could save you from freezing to death. I've seen you can use pellets if you use a pellet tray. I have used this in the Spring and Fall to dry clothes! Saves on electricity for sure. Well, just a little something I do which I thought might help someone. Be safe and God Bless.
p.s. DON'T BE AN IDIOT if you do do this - have a smoke and carbon alarm, fire extinguishers (more than one, trust me), metal fire bucket for ashes and keep a couple gallons of water near buy just in case, too.
