I have found a retailer where I can buy the 3 Dog Stove and a 5 inch nesting pipe from another stove manufacturer (Cylinder Stoves) that increases in size to 6 inches at the end. This would close off that gap almost completely. I could also rig something to close the gap off with the smaller pipe but it might be kind of cheesy (pie pans fastened together one inside tent, one outside with holes cut out exactly for the 3 Dog pipe).
Am I better off going with the original pipe that comes with the stove and deal with the gap between the stove jack and pipe or take my chances using a different manufacturers pipe? In theory the other pipe should work considering the sizes but in reality things like this don't always match up. When I asked the retailer that sells all this stuff he suggested a reducer and 6 inch straight pipe or sewing in a different stove jack. It sure seems a lot simpler to just use the different nesting pipe. Am I missing something here?
I've also come across the Camp Chef barrel stove that retails around $200 with the pipe and damper, etc. but that stove has no baffle and no airtight door, seemingly much less efficient. Huge $$$ savings though. Coincidentally this stove comes with a pipe that works fine with my tent.
What would you do in my situation? Any suggestions or advice?
Is there any compelling reason besides being paranoid why I shouldn't try the 5-6 inch pipe? I mean 5 inches is 5 inches right? Worse case I return it for a refund if it doesn't fit right?
On the other hand get the cheaper stove and adjust/ fix it to your liking.
I have a ti goat stove for a tent. They changed their design from what i have to set it up faster. I can and might make that change myself and adjust and fix the stove I have vs buy a new one.
LOL, this might not be an answer but options.
GL
You may have to crimp the reducer a bit to get a tight fit, but it will work perfect for you. PM me if you have any questions.
I hear retail sales guys tell people all sorts of dangerous things because they don't want to tell people they don't know. There will be a label on your stove showing some type of listing, Underwriters Laboratory or equivalent. Should be a manufacturers name and serial #. Call the mfg, give them the model and serial # and explain the situation. They will gladly at no charge tell you exactly what to do!
Do not risk your life on what ANY well intentioned friend or person may say! Only what the MANUFACTURER says!!!! PLEASE!
TBM, that seems like an inexpensive easy fix, like I mentioned on my first post. Another version of that is to use some sheet metal and make a custom fit hole, then glue it down to the existing stove jack with some high temp gasket making silicone adhesive or stove cement.
Not sure whether you meant reduce the stove jack or reduce the stove pipe or both tradi-doerr. I am going to PM you.
This is starting to get good boys, keep em coming. Still haven't heard a compelling reason why a 5 inch increasing diameter to 6 inch nesting stove pipe will NOT work...?
it does affect the support since its not getting support from the tent so you will want to guy wire at the top to stabilize the stove pipe. Can you tell I've done this before? grin
Think I'm just going to go for it with the 3 Dog from Four Dog Stoves and a 5 piece (22" length) 5 Inch nesting stovepipe.
PM me if you want some help. Good luck!
Chances are you call the stove manuf some woman will answer and read the answer from a pre-prepared book. We hold State Mechanical Licenses.
Just for info, the parts guys at the wholesale call the size change piece an Increaser- they don't call it a reducer. Just parts house terminology.
They make reducers of all kinds. Look for a place that specializes in stove pipes and just buy the right size pipe to fill the hole and then reduce it. It will hurt nothing to have a bigger pipe.
If you want get the reducer and put it on the stove and use a larger pipe from the stove outward. If it were me I would use the larger pipe all the way out and just have a reducer on the stove itself.
Before all of you get your undies in a bunch and tell me I've done it this for so and so many years. I have equal stories of property damage and loss of life!!! Just had a father son close to home die from carbon monoxide in a tent due to poor drafting on a cook stove/heater!
You are all correct! This is too easy to not do it right! Go to a hearth professional and buy the components from a certified professional!
I would likely increase it from a 5" to a 6" double wall right where it comes off the stove and then after I got outside the tent you could reduce it back down to the factory spec if you wanted but it seems like a pain to reduce it. If you want to reduce it back to the specs after you get outside the tent that would be just fine but it may also be cheaper to just buy all 6" pipe and 1 increaser because you will only have a couple pipes anyway so keep it simple.
By the way buy the right part. I have seen some morons buy the wrong piece and when they put the pipes together it is backwards and the smoke leaks out at the joint because the joint is AZZ backward. Stove pipe slides inside each piece so the smoke does not leak. Make sure the crimped ends always face outward in the direction the smoke flows and not the opposite or your tent will fill with smoke. Your increaser will need to have the right end crimped. Look at the stove where the pipe hooks up. Better yet post some pics.
I had a buddy who did this same thing with some help. I would test the stove with the pipes too. Sometimes you can add an extra 3 or 4 feet of pipe upward and get a better draft so the stove works better. My wood burner has a long stack and when you open the door you can actually hear it sucking upward. It did not do that before I added 5 extra feet to it. Not sure why it does it or the science behind it but it does.
You can get 6" single wall or 5" fairly easy and double wall can be found as well. Check on craigslist and get it cheap this time a year. Double wall will hold up better and last 4 times longer. Also it keeps the inside pipe hot while the outside stays cool and because of that you do not get anywhere near as much creosote build up. You will be burning whatever wood you can find and if it is wet or green then creosote can build up on a single wall pipe rapidly. I have seen stack fires happen after just 4 days of burning green wood when the stacks were single wall and thin. Also check the specs and see if you can even use single wall where it goes thru the tent. The panel on the tent should be temperature rated. My guess is it does not call for double wall but I tend to error on the side of caution myself plus it just last way longer.
WORD TO THE WISE. DO NOT FORGET A SPARK ARRESTER FOR THE TOP OF THE STACK OR YOUR TENT MIGHT BURN DOWN OR AT A MINUMUM YOU WILL GET HOLES IN IT!
Funny how this thread turned out.
I have a canvas wall tent (Davis). It has an EXISTING 6 inch (circle) Stove Jack. I have now ordered a 3 Dog Stove from Four Dog Stoves. It has a 5 inch flue (opening at the stove). I want a pipe that I can use with my tent that also works with the stove. The issue at hand is the approximately 1.5 inch difference between the hole in the stove jack and the pipe going through it. As LX mentions the pipe that 4 Dog sells is 5-4 inch decreasing diameter stovepipe, which is why there would be an approximate 1.5 inch difference or gap (4.5 inch diameter at the tent opening/stove jack).
Here are the reasonable options in the order that makes the most sense to me, please correct me where I am going wrong:
1. Nesting Stove Pipe that is 5 inches at the stove opening and 6 inches at the opposite end. Install short straight pipe section with 5 inch damper into stove (damper sleeve). Stick the 5 inch stovepipe end into damper sleeve and out the 6 inch stove jack. Done, approximate 1/2 inch gap I am not worried about.
2. Buy 5-6 inch reducer or increaser or whatever its called and 6 inch straight stovepipe. Stick the 5 inch end of adapter into 5 inch damper sleeve. Put 6 inch pipe into the 6" hole in adapter(reducer) and out the stove jack. No gap between pipe and stove jack (maybe wind could pull pipes apart if not screwed together because of roof angle).
3. Use the decreasing diameter nesting pipe that 4 Dogs sells with the stoves that is 5 inches at the stove and 4 inches at the other end and either A) Not worry about the 1 and 1/2 inch gap between pipe and stove jack. B) Buy a new 4 1/2 inch oval stove jack for approximate 4.5 inch pipe.
I already have Tradi-doerr's opinion (Thanks Dennis) which matches mine. HAMMER, jingalls which do you recommend and why?
For what it's worth... Davis Tents usually come with 6 inch stove jack. The stovepipe you can buy from them in the 5-6 inch nesting version. The cylinder stoves they sell also come with the 5-6 inch nesting pipes.
FWIW, the 3 dog is a great stove. However, if you intend to keep the tent really warm, look around on craigslist or similar places and buy a 414A Warm Morning coal stove and burn coal. The three dog will not keep a fire all night. A 5 gallon of bucket of coal will keep that tent snug and cozy all night long easily. You'll get up to a warm tent. 5 gallon per day is all you will need in the coldest temps. Wood is nice but coal is king for heat. Less mess and work than wood too. God Bless
I have burned coal, duralogs, pellets in my stove, WV is right on about using coal, long lasting and a lower temp heat than wood for that all night fire, but just as messy.
If it is in the roof and the pic you posted is your stove then buy an increaser and do this simple and efficient and inexpensive. Your stove stack opening is 5"s. Buy an increaser from 5 to 6 inches and set it on the stove and then use 6" pipe up and out and the hole in the tent and your hole will fill be filled solving your problem. (screw pipes together)
That is simple and inexpensive and easy to do. Your problem is solved. Total cost is about 45 bucks depending on how high you want the stack. It looks like you could use 2 three foot sections of pipe or two 4' sections plus an increaser and you will have more than enough. That's 7 to 9' feet plus the stove height. You likely wont need that much even. Measure the height you want and buy accordingly. Each section of pipe is 10 bucks and the damper is a couple bucks. The increaser will cost about 8 to 10 bucks. (They also sell 2 foot sections of pipe but less joints Is always better IMO.)
You can install a damper for a couple bucks where ever you want it anywhere on the pipe. (SEE YOUTUBE.) Dampers are very easy to put in any pipe. You do not need to buy a pipe with a damper in it already. They only cost a couple bucks anyway so put the damper in yourself right where you want it and save a little cash..
IMO this would be the quickest and cheapest way to do it and it and the stove will have plenty of draft. If I was there I could put it together in 10 min. Do not overthink this and do what is simple and effective and safe and closet to the spec it calls for.
From what I am seeing it looks like most newer stoves for this application are 5". How old is the tent?
SIDE NOTE..... Do not listen to anyone who suggest NOT screwing the pipe sections together. IMO not screwing the sections together is EPICALLY crazy and totally unsafe. You are asking for a problem especially if the wind blows or some drunk camp mate knocks the pipe apart unto the tent. You screw them together and then remove the screws and break down the pipes into manageable sections before you go. You then can use just a hand screwdriver to fasten them together on each side whenever camping. It only takes seconds to do each section so why not? I like WV and his post are always good but stove pipe should be fasten together so it cannot fall apart so his post could be moot on that point depending on who is reading it. I can say I use three screws on all stove pipe and evenly space them around the pipe. I have never seen a 5 or 6" stove pipe in a tent bend or become dislodge or contort when it is screwed together even when the pipe fits snuggly. Also the opening is designed for a 6" pipe already and will have a little slack for movement! Get a 6" piece of pipe and stick it in the hole and see how tight it is for piece of mind.
Tradi-doeer,
You should screw them together. Why take the risk even if it is small? Going out the side does not eliminate the risk of a dislodge pipe. It may decrease it but it still can happen. If they are screwed together it wont happen or is very unlikely.
If you end up going with 5 inch all the way out so you have a little gap around the flange that will be OK too. It does not need to be air tight and would be better if it was not and had a small little gap around it. If it is tighter it should be OK as long as it is ALL screwed together though. Either way is A OK.
Curiosity if I may...How much is the cost to order option 1? If it cost the same as my suggestion then it is a no brainer. If it cost twice or 3 times as much...... well it is up to you of course.
Lets not quibble over 2 screws or 3. 3 screws works much better for potential stack shifting at the joints. Two screws across from each other will stop one way side to side movement but it will still allow side to side movement the other way. Most likely if the wind is that bad you would pack up and leave but I always use 3 screws so no movement is expected. IMO It is better to spend the extra 10 seconds on each of the 3 pieces of pipe and be safer. That ole saying of "better to be safe than sorry" applies to wood burning.
You use a screen on the end of your stack? Why? Do you have a spark arrester at the bottom or is the screen serving that function at the top or end of your stack?
Incorrect screens at the top of the stack can plug up very fast as it is the coolest part of the smoke that builds creosote 1st. I had one on my outside home wood burner and had to take it off because it plugged up after 1 week and the smoke could not get out properly and my stack caught fire. I was using seasoned wood too. I put the screen around the outside of the pipe and had a cap that almost came down too it. Now I just use a cap. Putting a screen over the end of the pipe IMO is a no-no for a tent application especially.
I think in your application you can get away with that because yours is vented out the side so you can check the screen from the ground but I think his will be out the roof and he will have no way to check if creosote is plugging the screen up. If it does plug up it will fill the tent with smoke and creosote will also build up faster in the pipe. That could cause a potential fire hazard.
I would do it right and get a Stack Robber like in both my pic above and put it right on his stove which his application calls for IMO. It will also help heat the tent much better because it acts as a heat exchanger. He can also pull the screen out and clean it real easy whenever he wants.
There are reasons these applications are now used this way especially for tents which can burn up in a hot second. Please please please do not take this the wrong way but you look to be using single wall galvanized pipe for your stack from what I see in that pic. That is a now a wood burning 101 no-no. It did not use to be that way but there is no way I would use single wall galvanized on anything to do with wood burning. I have an outside wood burner to heat my home and tried that once and the creosote built up 5 times faster and the pipe rots away very fast as well when it is touched by water. The creosolte drisels down the sides and can leak out the joints and then it rots really fast. You may be able to get away with it because maybe you do not use it much but others that may camp a lot may not be so lucky.
Our tent applications were converted to black double wall pipe and they lasted over 20 years. On double wall the outside pipe layer stays cool eliminating almost any fire hazard where it goes through the tent. It also eliminates a super hot pipe hitting the tent due to an accidental dislodge. While the inside pipe layer is hot as hell the outside layer is much cooler. That's just what we did. Others can do what works for them and what they feel is safe. These are just my opinions after camping and also burning wood for heat for years.
The spark arrestor/stack robber (heat exchanger) are bad azz and so easy to check for build up. Your supposed to check it daily believe it or not. I have seen the cheap spark arrestors on the end of the stack not work so great and guys get little holes in the roof of their tents.
Also many parks require a spark arrestor now.
I think those spark arrestors/ heat exchangers are only about 50 bucks.
Good luck with the application and I hope it works like a charm and is safe for years to come.
Hammer, no quibbling here, just gave my advise, yes 3 screws would be better, but not necessary, lets not turn this into a ego debate,OK.
I use the screened cap because I don't use the one you have pictured (stack robber), and I have never had any problems with the cap. It's all about personal preference. But the stack robber is a great product and as you stated it is a lot easier to get to to clean.
All the nesting pipes sold today are single wall Galv. and the one you see in the picture is a nesting pipe, I just use 22g els for my turns, the pipe on the out side is then ran up 5' to get it up for draft reasons. The double wall you describe is a great idea, was planning on switching out this summer, but most supplyers in the Denver area don't carry these types of vent pipe as it is not code to put solid fuel systems in homes in Denver/front range, and they want an arm and leg to order.
Best to ya Heat, and ejoy your new stove, the three dog is a great stove.
I hope you do not think that's what I was doing. I was just pointing out how I have seen one sided stack shift at joints with 2 screws. I have tried it all because I burn a lot of wood and was just giving an example on how it is just a little safer.
All nesting pipes are galvanized today? I am amazed at that. Now I have never purchased a new stove complete with pipe but if what you say is accurate then single wall galvanized being used for wood burning stoves is only seen in this application and no other IMO. Given the material around a burner of this nature I am surprised.
I guess the govt has not stepped in to regulate in this area so we see what we see with that. lol After the govt steps in they will no doubt require triple wall insulated stainless steel pipe that cost 100 bucks for 3 feet. lmao.
If you are happy and have no issues with yours set up the way it is and you have used it for years with no issues then that's great and I hope it continues to give you heat for years to come.
Yours goes out the side so your less apt to have an issue but do you have any tiny burn holes in your roof yet with the screen spark arrestor at the top? If not you are luckier than many people I know that use that application. Not saying it is wrong but I have seen many a small hole in a tent from a small ember that slips past that screen. When my hunting and camping buddies switched to the stack robber style that problem stopped completely.
On a side note when you do switch pipe check CL. I find pipe on there often because I blow through it pretty fast. My burner for my home is outside and I live in MI so it gets wet and also runs like 6 months out of the year. I was amazed at how much less creosote I had when I switched to double wall and the pipes last wayyyyy longer. I was going thru single wall black stove pipe each year before I changed over. My double wall sections are now over 5 years old and still in great shape. I would buy triple wall stainless like I put in 1 of my neighbors but I wont pay 1000 bucks for a stack.
Well, all three of my nesting stacks are Galvanized. I agree, give it time and the gov. will stick their greedy hands in as well.
No I have never gotten a burned hole from going out the side, with the 2 bends most or all amber's are caught in the pipe, I think with a rain cap w/screen the amber's can't get out any ways. When I pull the pipe out side apart I find all the ash right at the elbow, easy clean. And the cap screen has never plugged up. Strait pipes I have always had issues when not using a catch chamber near the stove.
Speaking of, I just got off the ph. getting prices on the solid fuel (double wall) rated vent pipe, $290.00 for 9' of 6" & 2 els, jeepers! this didn't include shipping and tax.
Home depot sells class A triple wall insulated stainless for 85 bucks and they are 30 or 36" sections. That should be a standard nationwide price for the most part so if you swap over and buy new you may as well buy the best if those prices are what they would make you pay. CL is good to find it here even cheaper but we have cold winters so maybe there is more of it. lol
This is why I have said in past threads like this that stove pipe specialist rip people off. I bet you could find 12' of stack in stainless triple wall cheaper than what they want to charge for double wall black pipe.
On a side note I had noticed that you were side venting and had elbows. The OP looks to be going out the roof of the tent so he could have issues with the arrestor catching everything like I have seen from others. Its good that you pointed to how in the past that issue was seen with straight up venting. Hopefully he can find a stack robber cheap and have the best of both worlds. Straight up venting with a stack robber/arrestor gives a better draft as well and on real cold days will provide more heat than a restrictive stack. It all depends on the temp and size of the tent but you catch my drift and I get yours. Obviously your set up is perfect for you and your application. I think you must not use it all that much and burn pretty dry wood because I have seen those stacks clog up with creosote inside of 1 week under continual hard use on lengthy trips.
Heat, Creosote is a result of burning green wood. Whatever the technical reasons are, remember, dry wood equals no creosote. Green wood equals massive amounts of creosote. It may very well require more taking down than every couple days if you burn an oak species not properly cured.
As far as the heat ex-changer, why? A damper in the pipe serves the same exact purpose and is more efficient. Besides, if your burning green wood, it is just more to get stopped up and you'll need all the draft you can get to maintain a fire, much less heat a tent. Just get the nesting pipe and install and use the pipe damper. Cheaper, better, less trouble, and easier to clean if need be.
Before you buy bud, seriously look into a coal stove option. You can always burn wood in it. But, if you get good lump coal, the mess is much less, the heat out put could be much more, and the fire tending time is all but eliminated.
I've spent a lot of time in wall tents heated by stoves in some nasty weather. Give yourself options. At the very least, up size the stove to the four dog model. One day of wet hunting will see it mandatory for drying you, the tent, and your gear out. God Bless
I appreciate your responses. To be perfectly honest I have no clue where to even find coal in my town. Not saying it doesn't exist but I don't know anyone that burns it around me. Colder areas in AZ still burn mostly wood AFAIK.
I respect you and like your postings so please do not think I was whacking you or that my stack screws message was about you. maybe I put it the wrong way and you thought I was blasting you personally. I am sorry if you thought that. It was not my intent.
"dry wood equals no creosote"
Not exactly accurate. To be accurate creosote is caused by unburned gasses. If the wood has lots of moisture it creates more smoke and translates into more creosote. The only way to eliminate it would to have no smoke at all and that is impossible even under ideal conditions with very dry wood in the stoves we have for this application.
On a camping trip that last a week or more I doubt anyone will bring lots of totally dry wood with them. They would need a separate truck or trailer to haul that much wood. They will find what is available on or near the camp site like most people I know.
They are inventing new burners that recirculate the smoke and send it through the bottom and into a burner so they are super efficient and build up very little creosote. They hardly smoke at all once they are hot. It is called "gasification." However these tent stoves are nothing like that and they smoke a lot and are inefficient. If it is not real cold and you have the stove damped down then you will create lots of smoke that will translate into creosote.. If the stove is running full song and very hot the smoke lessens significantly.
I burn over 30 face cord of wood a year at one house so I am kind of an expert on wood burning and cured woods. No amount of time will eliminate smoke and wood that is really dry is useless. It burns super hot and super fast and is hard to control the temp. You want some moisture content so it last a little while and is easy to control the heat. I have seen guys use real dry wood a few times and we had to get away from the damn stove it was so hot. This was even when it was damped down. 20% moisture is best.
" As far as the heat ex-changer, why? A damper in the pipe serves the same exact purpose and is more efficient"
No it is not and it does not serve the same purpose. That I know for a fact because I know many guys who have them and I have used them. The arrestor/stack robber I spoke of works awesome and gives him the option to clean the screen daily and he will run almost zero risk of any embers every touching his tent like can happen with a screen at the top of the pipe. He will not need to take the stack down on a camping trip either if he has one. Also he would still have a damper you know? The stack robbers I have seen have no damper in them though I am sure they probably make one.
"Besides, if your burning green wood, it is just more to get stopped up and you'll need all the draft you can get to maintain a fire, much less heat a tent"
How is the stack robber creating less draft? How is it more to get stopped up? He will need a screen (spark arrestor) at the top anyway so getting stopped up would be the same under each application. In fact I submit that the stack robber would create less creosote because the smoke is trapped in the stack robber for a short time heating it up and helping burn it off. Creosote is formed by unburned gasses. If the stack robber heats up it creates less smoke because it is helping burning it off. It works like a catalytic and it helps create more heat for the tent and you burn less wood.
I had to speak in front of my home town council on wood burning because they were trying outlaw wood burners. The heat exchanger aka stack robber/ catalytic was part of my presentation. It was instrumental in them understanding that before they outlaw burners due to smoke that they try to educate the public on burning properly cured wood with proper moister content. (4 to 12 month to cure depending on the wood) and the advantage to how a heat exchanger will cut down on smoke and is more efficient. We won by the way and I even got on TV as they broadcast my time.
" Cheaper, better, less trouble, and easier to clean if need be. "
Ok cheaper is correct because it cost about 50 bucks for the arrestor/exchanger/stack robber. However "better" is not accurate and easier is way off the mark. The screen is in the arrestor/exchanger/stack robber and like I said the smoke is trapped for a time therefore causing it to heat up and produce less gasses. It provides more heat and you burn less wood and it is way easier to clean that screen when all you do is slide it out of the arrestor/stack robber that is sitting 12 inches above the stove in his application. That is wayyyy easier than removing his upward stack and checking the screen.
I have a question for you. Have you ever used an upward stack and a stack robber/arrestor like I have described? I would guess you have not because I have seen them work and they rock and are better than not having one and they offer ease of use and piece of mind. My buddies have them and we have seen others with the same tent without one and our tent is warmer and we all used the same stove. To me and my opinion the stack robber is the best option because it gives off more heat and less heat escapes out the stack. It is easier to check the screen at the stack robber than the top of the stack etc.
Your idea to get a coal burner is a good one but I believe he already bought his stove and he cannot burn coal in it. It may melt it down because it is not rated for coal. Those who have coal burners love them but you need to make room for the coal in your truck and trailer whereas wood can be obtained on site. If I had access to coal I would go through the effort to obtain some for camping because it burns hotter and you use wayyyy less coal than wood. My home burner is a coal burner also but coal cost to much around here so I stick with wood :(
Heat,
On a side not.....Evergreens and pine is the worst for creosote. It is great to start a fire but it builds up in the stack fast. I have found personally ash to be the best for me. It has a little less BTU's than oak but it builds a nice bed of coals and creates less ashes. I have found Oak to burn faster and hotter and produces more ashes. I think it is because it burns faster IMO. I love Ash to heat with and creosote build up is about the same between the two. It is harder and harder to find here because of the Emerald Ash bore.
Good luck and I hope you get it working perfect, efficient and safe. Sorry for the book I just wrote too.
Like I said, I'm not sure of the technical jargin you speak of. I KNOW wet wood causes creosote and dry wood doesn't. Dry wood burns, not smokes and smolders. Not sure what to say about your camping trip or your experience with this other than to say you can try and explain it all you want but, I know what works for me. If your creating creosote, your burning a wet wood. Period. No scientific explanation needed. I KNOW what I'm speaking of here because I live it.
If your creating creosote, the box just stops up with creosote. Those heat exchangers aren't magic. They do not retain heat like a dampered pipe. Period. No need to try and correct me with science because I've tried them both. The pipe damper is simply better at retaining heat and your fire in my experiences. If you disagree, that is fine. Different stokes for different folks.
Your wrong about the 3 dog not burning coal. It does and will if you put a crate in it. I know because I've done that too. The grate will stop up quickly causing the fire to go out if not tended regularly. Here's some real science. Southern WV and Eastern Kentucky has the hottest coal in the world in certain seams. If it didn't warp my stove, nothing from any where will warp it.
Like I said though, it doesn't burn properly in this type stove, so I was never able to get it any hotter than wood. So no worries about burning down your stove Heat. I think Hammer is right, if it was designed like a coal stove it would melt. It isn't so you'll never get enough air under the fire to allow this in that stove.
Heat, I was unaware of your location. You gotta use what you got. If you have the ability to cut and split your wood while the sap is down, and stack it after doing so, by hunting season it should be dry. It is a little preparation but, by chopping and burning wood directly before you burn it, your mostly assured the moisture content will be high enough to cause creosote. Remember, wet wood smokes and smolders. Hot burning wood puts off little if any smoke.
Hammer, there is no problems here. I'm just telling him my experiences and making you aware that assuming I was suggesting that he not screw his stove pipes together was not correct. BTW, I paid no electric bill over $40 since November of last year to currently. I own a 2400 square foot house that I heat. Since switching to coal, my thermometer never dropped below 74 degrees this past winter with a month of below zero night temps. No heat exchanger needed, and no creosote either. God Bless
Dang,this thread is confusing...... I don't know how I ever got it done for 30 years.
I went back and read your original post- why not just buy the cylinder stove pipe and be done? I have that stove and pipe and it worked great for many years.
I suppose its possible for "a Drunk Campmate to knock it over"...but even swedged together no screws (the way I run mine)...it would be tough to seperate that Cylinder stove pipe.
I wont argue any of this with you real hard. You have your opinion and I have mine. I also burn wood and burning 30 to 35 face cord a year is a crap load compared to most people. I burn in 4 or 5 years what most burn in a lifetime. We also burned as a kid so I have been around it a lot. I hate it too by the way. lol.
As to burning coal in a burner not designed for it.....By all means if someone wants to give er a shot and risk what I have stated then they sure can. I have a burner that can handle coal because it is rated for it. The stove Heat has and others like it are not designed to handle coal. If they were they would be made differently. I have seen people warp and melt down burners not rated for coal all because they used coal. If you think it is safe to go against the manufacture recommendations then have at it but I wouldn't risk it myself.
Creosote builds up regardless of cured wood. Period! Any time you see smoke you have the beginnings of creosote. That is a scientific fact. 20% moisture in the wood is optimal so it last and also burns hot. Wood that is to dry will not build a bed of coals real well. It will burn fast and a fast burn gives a lot of heat and minimal build up but not a long heat cycle and you have to throw wood in the little stove all the time. I have tried it all and found that 20% moisture is ideal and the wood will last longer and not clog the stack over the course of a 7 to 10 day trip. When I used these kinds of stoves I tried to keep in comfortable in the tent and not have the wood super dry. If you damp the stove down and choke the air off you get smoke. If you don't damp it down it will burn full song and is harder to control big swings in temp IMO.
As to my home I burn 30 to 35 face cord and must clean my double wall stack 3 times a winter. My wood has real close to 20% moisture too. I damp my stove down too or it will roast you out of the house. Even though my wood is dry it still builds up creosote because I am choking the air off and that makes smoke. My wood is cut and split and stacked 6 to 9 months before winter depending on the type of wood. In fact I just split 5 face cord today. Only another 10 to go this week and I will have 35 face and be set for winter. I wish I had a huge pile of coal instead. LOL.
The stack robbers work if the set up is right. If it is set up wrong they will impede the stoves function. A person who uses one needs to set things up right. I think they work and they are nothing like a damper at all. Screen build up is pretty much the same IMO after trying them but ease to clean was so much nicer with the screen in the box.
I guess heat can report back how it all turns out either way. I do not necessary disagree with you on what you have experienced but I have experienced it just a little different that's all
Fingernail advice.... You see that baffle in your pic? I have a similar one in mine but mine has a rod so I can shift it back and forth. I pull it forward when loading the fire to cut down on smoke coming out the door but I don't always do it because mine is outside. My old tent stove had one that shifted as well. Anyway 2 years ago I shoved a piece of wood in their and it caught the piece below it and the wood moved up toward the top of the stove along with my finger and I slammed them into the leading front edge of that baffle. I lost my damn finger nail on that goof.
Beware because wood burning is hazardous to your fingers. Somehow between cutting, splitting, stacking and loading I manage to smash at least one finger a year and it hurts like hell.
LMAO.
Same applies for both applications and I have done both for over 20 years. Tangent? Maybe. Ok probably but it is all true and solid advice.
Maybe some guys just wing it and don't care? Those are the ones who have their tent burn down.
Have a good one Dennis!
