New Member with questions for the group

[captainkf]

Hello All!

I own and have travelled and lived short term in a converted 85 full size bluebird gmc bus. Now I am in the process of rebuilding the bus. Anyways...

The next step is to spend the winter gathering supplies for the build in the spring and I am looking for suggestions on wood stoves. I would like to find somthing used, small(ish), safe and under $200.

I am hoping to find somthing used here and am wondering what to look for. Please Help

I would like somthing that I can cook on in the colder months. Their will be a catalytic propane back up, however I do not want this as our main source of heat. Should I get bigger than I think we'll need or somthing small like a marine style unit?

We may be living in the bus next winter and I would like to stay married

So, I need your collective assistance.

PS. Does anyone have thoughts on the use of a domestic fridge as a primary fridge and building water tanks?

-Richard

[Sharkey]

Well, a few tips from me:

1) Cast Iron. Don't bother with barrels stoves, sheet metal stoves, etc. Worthless for thermal mass and not very safe.

2) Make sure whatever you get will easily accept standard, 16" long wood. My Vermont Castings "Intrepid" is a great little stove, but getting a long chunk of wood into it when it's hot and blazing is almost impossible. I normally cut my wood to 12 - 14" as a result. Makes it real difficult to use wood that other people have cut to "standard" length. I'll be facing that this winter, as I was given a big load of "standard" wood by a friend who was moving out of the area. A lot of it will need to be recut to be useful.

[captainkf]

Thanks for the suggestion. I had a simliar response on another bus conversion forum. I don't want to post their info in case it upsets a moderator here.

It's good to hear the practical side. It's been years (as a kid) since I frequently used a wood stove and had forgotten about "standard" wood size.

Another concern is glass doors. Should they be avoided for asthetic (soot) and saftey (hot wood falling on them) reasons if possible?

What should I be looking for when purchasing a wood stove other than general stability, rust, and seals?

Thanks in advance!

-Richard