Small stove/fire advice

Blue407 · Post by **Blue407** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:21 am

Morning All

As part of our preps, we are considering getting a small cast iron fire. Unfortunately as we have a modern house there is nowhere inside to put it. We are thinking of instead locating it on our rear decking, under our lean-to on the back of the house, instead of a chimnea. This would give us heat for sitting outside in the winter plus of course the ability to cook food or heat water in a powercut or if SHTF. Firewood is always readily available around the area (edge of a small town)
We already have a couple of gas stoves used for camping (plus some spare gas) plus a gas BBQ, but these of course have limited fuel available. A fire can burn all sorts of spare wood.

Something like one of these:-

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/prod ... iron-stove

or

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/prod ... ils/thames

Has anyone else done something similar or can make any recommendations on a cast-iron fire? or comment on our ideas?

Briggs 2.0 · Post by **Briggs 2.0** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:21 am

We have a cast iron stove which we use in a location not too dissimilar to yourself. It has a front opening for wood fuel and two flat hot plates on the top as in the second link you posted. It's good at producing a comfortable heat to sit around but cooking is a bit of a task because it needs a lot of wood burning at a good rate to keep the hot plates at a constant high temperature especially when the ambient temperature is low. For example, boiling a kettle can take a good 20 minutes or so after you've got the burn going well.

The stove is great for warmth but perhaps for cooking you would be best to consider a smaller but more efficient wood cooker. Here's a photo I recently posted about water filtration but in the photo you can see the flat hotplates of our burner, with kettle, but on top of there is a wood gas rocket stove, so in my experience, what you need is both. There's also some other benefits - the big stove will burn much more wood and produce more smoke, a wood gas rocket stove burns twigs, with more heat and with much less smoke. Check out small wood gas stoves, Devonian posted up one he got on eBay for £25. The one in my photo works well and boils a litre of water in about 5 to 10 mins.

Heating and cooking with wood is bloody lovely, but in my humble opinion, I'd get the bigger stove for heat and a wood gas stove for when you want food and hot water quickly.

One thing to check out is a product called the Frontier Stove. It's not pretty but it does have the benefit of coming with a 3 litre hot water jacket that fits around its 2" stove pipe. I've got a 2" stove pipe (okay, it's an exhaust pipe) fitted to our stove ready to take the water jacket but I've not bought the jacket yet so I can't say how well it works. The reviews are pretty positive though.

Decaff · Post by **Decaff** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:35 am

I blinking well love those frontier stoves!! Its on my wish list, which sadly gets longer every week!!

Briggs 2.0 · Post by **Briggs 2.0** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 11:11 am

Decaff wrote:I blinking well love those frontier stoves!! Its on my wish list, which sadly gets longer every week!!

They are a good design but don't you think they look a bit flimsy. I think the water jacket is a great bit of kit but like you I've got a list of stuff I'd like/need first. Have you checked out the small woodgas stoves? I have a Solo Stove which I swear by but Devonian's eBay job looks good for £25.00. Twigs as fuel...you can't go wrong!

janso · Post by **janso** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:43 pm

They are pretty good for what they are! Some folks have issues with them but mainly due to overfilling them with fuel. Another aspect is maintenance, the flue is small so needs regular brushing out if used a lot.
I can't complain about mine though and would definitely recommend one. I think they are pricy though in comparison to what else is out there.

Sent from my hidey hole using Tapatalk... sssh!

janso · Post by **janso** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:44 pm

They are pretty good for what they are! Some folks have issues with them but mainly due to overfilling them with fuel. Another aspect is maintenance, the flue is small so needs regular brushing out if used a lot.
I can't complain about mine though and would definitely recommend one. I think they are pricy though in comparison to what else is out there.

Sent from my hidey hole using Tapatalk... sssh!

Blue407 · Post by **Blue407** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 12:01 pm

So you guys think a Frontier stove is a better option for both heating a space and boiling water/cooking on than a cast iron potbelly stove?

I'm looking to get something ordered in the next week or so.

Machinemart are currently offering VAT off this weekend, so this

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/prod ... iron-stove

Is only £130 in store...

Ok, would need to purchase flue pipes on top.

ForgeCorvus · Post by **ForgeCorvus** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 2:30 pm

If you're looking at a permanent site and you want it for constant heat then go with a cast iron stove or WHY*.

The Frontier is designed to be portable and packable, and thats what you'd be paying for.

As its a permanent outdoor site, have you thought about building an stove/oven ?

Thanks to Jamie Oliver et al they're quite in vogue, that way your off-grid cooking preps can be hidden in plain sight

* This is where I mention self-build gasbottle stoves

uk-preppers.co.uk