Heat for Hut

[Fishnwire]

What are your folks' thoughts on the pros and cons of heating a permanent hut with a wood stove vs some kind of propane heater?

 

In the interest of context...The hut in question will be 12x8, and well insulated. It will be used as an over-nighter.

 

Propane certainly is convenient. You can turn it up or down with a twist of a dial. Most propane heaters take up less space than a woodstove, they don't require a stove pipe, and you can put it away when it's not in use. You can cook off some, or just get a separate unit (propane or camp fuel) and cook on that, which you can also put away when not in use. Firewood and ashes are dirty. Smoke can be objectionable. Wood stoves require stove pipes and a fire retardant base and backing.

 

Then again, you can't take a bucksaw or axe to the shoreline and hope to come back with an evening's worth of fuel for your propane heater. Also, wood fires are nice...maintaining and monitoring the fire gives you something to do. The sound, smell and sight of a wood fire is calming and hypnotizing. If your stove has a flat top, you can cook on that.

 

What about safety? Even with a window cracked open and a CO2 detector I'd be more worried about sleeping in a shack with fumes from propane consumption than one with a wood fire and stove pipe. Maybe I'm foolish for thinking that way...but gas just kind of scares me a bit. I'm sure fires originating from wood stoves burn down lots of structures and kill lots of people though, so I wonder which is better in that regard.

 

Hoping to hear others' thoughts on the matter.

[Sinker]

you already know my answer.

 

We tried to heat ours with a Mr. Buddy heater, the big one, but its just not the same. Sure, its warmer than out side, but not even close to the wood stove. You wanna open/close the door quick, unlike with the woodstove, where you HAVE to open the door if you let the fire get too hot!! Like you said, there is just something about having a fire that is good for the soul!

 

Dragging wood out can be a PITA sometimes though.....

 

S.

[Skipper D]

Theres some thing about a fire that go's with the outdoors , you might not want to miss out on that , the smoke coming out the chimney is like an invite that lets them know some bodys home , its an old Canadian tradition that should'nt get lost to modern ways . Your gona need log style siding and a stone fire place for the full effect ........ lol .

Edited November 29, 2011 by Skipper " D "

[Rod Caster]

As far as cleanliness goes... Wood will leave a terrible mess compared to Propane. It depends how clean u need it, though. I'd much rather a woodstove because the fuel is so much cheaper. We bring out 4 or 5 solid logs to the shack, split them on the ice and the heat lasts all day... Boots off, jacket off, whatever you want.

[bigugli]

How far north is the hut being set up. THe farther north, the greater the prospect of your propane bottle freezing up at night.

As for propane fumes. I see people inadvertently gassing themselves every year. Thankfully they have only gotten mildly ill.

[woodenboater]

wood stove (Kni Co) for me. use one in my canvas tent and although it's not an overnight burn, things get downright toasty and comfy

[Jds63]

I have been in huts with both Propane and wood stoves. The propane heated huts have been fine but some have had issues with the heaters being very tempramental and finicky.

 

The wood stove huts I really liked for the atmosphere and feeling like you are in a little cabin, but they got HOT quick though, even when trying to keep the wood pieces small ... hard to dial it down ... but still very nice.

 

If you are willing to put in the extra effort to deal with wood and weight .. I like the wood stove !

[ckrb2007]

I had a wood stove in my permanent hut when I had one and it was nice....but instead of wood, I used those Java Logs that you can pick up at any grocery store. I picked them up when they were on sale. They did the trick.

In my portable Clam type huts that I use now I use a Mr.Heater propane heater. They definately heat 'em up great but it's not a dry heat like the wood stove I found.

 

For your huge "palace" I'd say go with a woodstove. Much more versatile in your situation.

 

Cheers,

Colin

[Dara]

Propane adds a lot of dampness...I really don't like propane

[simonl]

As stated above, propane is damp. One of the by-products of propane combustion is H2O. You need lots of ventilation to overcome the moisture given off, especialy with a catalytic type of heater that is not vented. For a small portable, propane makes sense because it is quick , convenient and fuel is not cumbersome to transport or handle, but a shack the size of yours,wood is the more comfortable choice to me. It sounds like you will be driving out to it for the most part, so it is not like you will have to hand carry your wood. Just throw a few chunks in your truck on the way there.

[mike rousseau]

if your shack is insulated and you seal it up with snow... it wont take much to heat it...

 

my 5x8 insulated with a basic propane heater was toasty... jeans and hoody on the low setting...

 

and as you mentioned... propane has lots of advantages that make it easy...

 

 

all that being said... if your looking for more of an "outdoors" experience with atmosphere... go wood

 

i used propane cause im out for one thing and one thing only... catch fish... so i dont wanna be messing with wood when the bite starts....

[Fang]

Been in lots of different huts over the years - Simcoe, Temagami, portables, bungalows, ......

 

As stated the store bought fire logs are just too easy to use and make hauling wood a thing of the past. We used to break them in half to make them last longer and it throws just enough heat to keep the chill out

 

I'm not a fan of propane for a big enclosed hut for again reasons stated before. It throws too much moisture in the air and when I helped run the huts up north on temagami some mornings the inside walls would have a glaze of ice left on them from the evening before. Even had doors frozen shut.

 

Good insulation will keep the amount of heat you need in check. Mind you it is fun to fish in shorts and a t shirt!!!!

[Sharkbait22]

Wood for a permanent hut especially if out there all day. Nothing like the dry heat and propane doesn’t work well below 25-30 degrees C. Been there! Cook and dry clothes off wood stove no problem. Too hot open the door and have a fan. For a small portable and moving several times a day go propane. Never tried a vented propane but that might work. Avoid oil.

[walleyejigger]

wood stove all the way, for the cooking and dry of clothes/floor alone,

 

another thing i found is when its -30 out there and u open the door the heat escapes and the time to recover. reheat the hut with propane is too long, wood stove is instant

[Fishnwire]

Thanks, folks...Confirms what I was thinking.

 

I actually thought more people would suggest propane is more practical/cleaner/etc. I'm surprised how many people agree that a wood fire, despite some drawbacks, just makes one feel better.

 

I guess I'll be putting in a stove pipe.

[woodenboater]

Well it would be interesting to play around with the idea of slapping a Suburban rv furnace in the hut but you'd need to haul batteries and propane and that's not taking into account the noise these furnaces make

 

You gonna splurge and get a stove with a window for those romantic nights ? I like these http://www.marinesto...m/newspaper.htm

[Skipper D]

No heat on in here yet .......Brrrrrrrrrrrrr cold ...lol.

[ctdd2006]

Wood on a permanent for sure!

[Crazy Ivan]

I remember years ago when most huts on Lake Simcoe were heated with oil/drip stoves.

Horrible stinky dangerous things.

Many huts burned up using those.

[cheaptackle]

I remember years ago when most huts on Lake Simcoe were heated with oil/drip stoves.

Horrible stinky dangerous things.

Many huts burned up using those.

They're still around! If you know a bit about carburators, venting, leak proofing, fuel handling & gravity they're not so bad

 

Michael

[Sinker]

I have an old oil stove that works great! I used it in my garage. Works great with the fan on, and even has a thermostat.

 

S.

[Billy Bob]

My first job on the RR was cleaning and repairing caboose stoves...those oil stoves put off a LOT of heat when properly maintained. They were used until the railroads took the caboose off the trains....we even use to handle the CP and CN cabs from time to time...they were equipped with cooking pots and pans, etc....

 

Edited to add: I just started a fire in our living room wood stove....starting to get toasting in here....

Edited November 30, 2011 by Billy Bob