Heating for a 120sq ft Cabin?

[NoahJohn]

I live in Northwestern Ohio and I have a 120sq ft cabin. I'm hoping for some suggestions regarding my heating options. I have no electricity. Do I go with a wood stove? Would I need a real small one so the cabin doesn't get too hot? What about using a kerosene heater? Other options? Thanks.

[wy_white_wolf]

I'd look into how they heat the fishing shanties they use on the Great Lakes.

[Gary in ohio]

How much time do you spend at the cabin? What time of the year? How insulated is the cabin? cabin can mean many a things from a construction stand point. but 10x12 foot room should be that hard to heat.

[Bear]

You would need a small wood stove or you'll roast yourself out, maybe something like an old jack stove. They used to use these small stoves to heat the cabooses on the old time trains. You could also get a wall mounted propane heater and a tank. I had a cabin with such a non-vented heater with 100 lb. tank and it did a good job except on the coldest of days when the temperature was in the single digits. Being so small the tank should last you awhile.

[Morning Owl]

I would go with a propane heater. A wood stove would have a couple draw backs. To get one that wouldn't heat you out it would have to be small. A small stove means small logs/pieces of wood. Small wood burns up real quick and requires constant stoking, like every hour or so. Do you want to be getting up in the middle of the night several times to stoke the fire? I made this mistake with my cabin/wood stove, it is a real pain to keep the fire going and if I get busy, forget or go to sleep the fire goes out and it gets cold in a hurry. Then I have to get the paper and kindling and start again. I go thru alot of kindling.

[ninny]

Just keep in mine to provide combustion air for whatever you decide to use. A place that small will have the oxygen used up in it pretty quickly if it is tight construction.

.

[highlands]

Personally I like wood - we have a virtually unlimited supply and I've heated with it all my life so I'm familiar with it. We have a 252 sq-ft house here in the mountains of northern Vermont. It keeps itself reasonable without any heat due the high thermal mass soaking up the solar gain. We have a very small wood stove which brings the house up to a very comfortable temperature even on the coldest winter nights. The wood stove is a Vogelzang. See:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2006/12...ve-in-box.html

and

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2008/01/fire.html

It operates very well. I put thermal mass around the wood stove so that it won't overheat the cottage.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

[Windy in Kansas]

I agree with Morning Owl's suggestion for propane, IF it wouldn't be too difficult to get a tank filled every year.

While wood is free and would work what if you want to be gone for longer than a day during winter. Personally I wouldn't want every item containing a liquid to freeze. Canned goods, paint, aerosols that lose their propellant, etc.

If the cabin has traditional stud walls a wall furnace that doesn't require a blower is nice. Takes up little space, direct vents through the wall so no inside air is use for combustion, is thermostat controlled for even temperatures, etc.

If you have the cabin super insulated you might even get by with some home built solar panels providing the heat with propane or ?? as a back up.

[fantasymaker]

Id think of useing a waterheater or a pipe to get a long thin stove . You could lay the fire to burn from one end to the other and thus increase your burn time. put the stack at the opposite end as the door with a smokeshelf almost the leagth of the stove put the openiing to it above the door so that the burn wouldnt be pulled thruogh the wood.

[HermitJohn]

You want a small AIRTIGHT wood stove so you can regulate it. If you go old fashion non-airtight then you have to babysit the thing and regulate heat output by how much fuel you add to the fire. Its doable but annoying to sit there adding one small stick at a time.

[RonM]

My buddy has a 16x32 cabin in W.Va and he heats it with a wall mounted propane heater and cracks a window slightly, doesnt use that much propane and the old set it and forget it routine, easy to manage.....keeps us warm during hunting season in the fall....

[roadless]

We heat our small off grid cabin with a propane heater, its clean and economical.

[fantasymaker]

I hate the airtight stoves they just make and then waste smoke while fouling the air,they seem like a lasy way to do things to me.
How much Do you plan on living here? A few hours to warm up? weekends full time? Is money a big question?
I once had a propane heating stove that was regulated by a magnetic thermastat. It was very handy off grid.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

A small cheapie cast iron pot belly stove would be more than enuff.

RF

[Danaus29]

Mother Earth News had plans for a DIY passive solar heater in the Dec/Jan 2007 issue. We're planning on trying a few on ds's house.

[PyroDon]

Hmm a ten by 12 cabin
ok you'll think Im nuts
consider a propane water heater .
it has a non electric thermostat already .
you have two options one is you can make a heat exchanger and allow it to thermo syphon or you could simply remove the outer cover and insulation.
plumb the pop off valve out doors and bring in fresh air from outside for the combustion chamber .
The water will provide thermal mass and should save quite a but of propane .
if you cant hook up to running water you'll need an expansion tank over head that can also have the overflow vented outside .

[NoahJohn]

Thanks a lot for all of your replies. It looks as though going with a propane heater would make the most sense. Guess the wood stoves and furnace can wait for the real log cabin. I really appreciate everyone's replies.

[cc-rider]

Where are you? I'm in Findlay. Building my own home right now and thinking about the heating issue. I think I'm going with a corn-burner, but I have electric. Otherwise, I like the #100 propane tank ideas. I also have a small woodstove for backup. And electric for BACKUP backup.

CC

[Jeff54321]

I had a friend who lived in a 10x12 cabin and the smallest wood stove was too big.

Fresh air can be a real problem. Make absolutely certain that you have a fresh air supply and that whatever your heat source is, it is working perfectly as ANY fumes would be very bad for your health. Humidity and condensation can also be a problem. 120sf is a small space and ensuring fresh air is essential.

[Forerunner]

Insulate well and a small propane light would give you plenty of heat.
A large candle would work as well, on the milder days.
With ventilation being a major concern, a bit more heat with a window lightly cracked would be good.
Little woodstoves are great, especially if designed to give the user complete control over air intake, including the capacity to shut air off completely.
If bone dry wood is used, a slow smolder would be sustainable for long periods, with an occasional hot burn on the colder days to clean things out a bit.
Keep a small pot of water on top at all times for humidifying and the occasional cup of tea.