Burner help

[robincaz]

Hi all,

I'm going to have a wood burner made out of a gas bottle for my bus conversion. I have some questions please. I appreciate there are other models and types, but this is what I want so please try not to deviate from this.
The kind of burner I'm having made by a friend can be found here...
Ludlow Survivors Group

It wont be exactly the same, and my first question is....the air intake pipe, do I pressume that this would have more pipe attached and go out of the side of my bus?

2nd Q...my bus is fibreglass, tips on insulation from heat and sealing of pipes through it please.

3rd Q....Is it better to have the flu going up through the roof, or out the side with possibly a detachable flu pipe so the height isn't an issue? Discuss.

4th Q....If I have a bracket welded to the back of the burner, would that be sufficient to fix it to the side of the bus?

5th Q...the top valve would be removed so I can have a stove top plate. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Caroline.

 

[Geo]

I assume its called the Ludlow Survivors Group because one or two have actually survived this conversion
Geo
other than that, absolutly no commentoh:

 

[scotjimland]

Hi

I looked at fitting a wood burner in my RV and contacted this chap for advice ..

Windy Smithy

He was very helpful, if a bit pricey .. I also visited a few wood burner suppliers for more help and came to the conclusion I couldn't afford it just now..

Insulated flue pipe is expensive as are the flanges and fittings reg.

so your questions ..

1. Air intake doesn't need to go outside

2. Insulating. The chimney hole will need to be at least two to three inches bigger than the flu and insulated with fibreglass, suitable flanges will have to be made or bought from any wood burning stove supplier

3. I would have the pipe through the roof, height isn't an issue .. but there is some concern about sparks falling on the roof ... mine being made of rubber put me off ..

4. The stove will need a heat deflector between it and any adjoining walls .. with at least a two inch air gap between the deflector and wall to allow heat to escape..

5. Cutting the top off the cylinder and having a flat plate welded shouldn't be difficult

Other considerations.

The stove should be mounted on a concrete slab or plinth ..

here is a copy of the reply I had from windy smithy

You will need to mount it on a stone/ concrete plinth, and secure both to the floor.

Behind, and to the sides if necessary, you will need a metal or asbestolux sheet, with an air gap (1/2") behind, to allow cooling of the sheet, and to prevent undue heat transfer. Make sure all fixings are away from the firebox, as they will transmit heat through to whatever they are touching behind.
Lose all polystyrene and other highly flammable insulation from the vicinity of the stove.
Dont allow curtains , bedclothes, washing, etc to have even the remotest possibility of falling onto or touching the stove. This is essential for the safety of you and your loved ones.
To install the flashing, cut a 300mm dia. hole in the roof, then use the silicone to seal the flashing against the roof, having cleaned and dried the area thoroughly.
Then fix it down, using the Tek screws supplied in the fixing kit.
The flue sectons fit together, with the female end uppermost, and the male end going into the top of the stove. Seal the joints with fire cement or fire tape in mobile applications.

 

[Wildman]

Hi all,

I'm going to have a wood burner made out of a gas bottle for my bus conversion. I have some questions please. I appreciate there are other models and types, but this is what I want so please try not to deviate from this.
The kind of burner I'm having made by a friend can be found here...
Ludlow Survivors Group

It wont be exactly the same, and my first question is....the air intake pipe, do I pressume that this would have more pipe attached and go out of the side of my bus?

2nd Q...my bus is fibreglass, tips on insulation from heat and sealing of pipes through it please.

3rd Q....Is it better to have the flu going up through the roof, or out the side with possibly a detachable flu pipe so the height isn't an issue? Discuss.

4th Q....If I have a bracket welded to the back of the burner, would that be sufficient to fix it to the side of the bus?

5th Q...the top valve would be removed so I can have a stove top plate. Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Caroline.

try this
Link Removed

 

[pappajohn]

re : jims reply from Windy Smithy.

it sounds a hell of a lot of work to get the pleasure of having to rake/clean it out every morning and start it all over again.
as you appear to do a lot of wild camping it could be a problem if you get moved on by plod or the landowner.:Angry:
i certainly wouldnt want to drive with a 'live' fire burning away behind me.

but, everyone to their own.

john.

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[Wildman]

have had a closer look at the design you intend having built I would suggest it is not safe for use in a motorhome the door is not sealed in any way and the van will fill with smoke and noxious gasses that design works fine for sheds and outdoor areas but in the confines of a van something better is needed, without a doubt, but it is your life and your choice.

 

[Terry]

re : jims reply from Windy Smithy.

it sounds a hell of a lot of work to get the pleasure of having to rake/clean it out every morning and start it all over again.
as you appear to do a lot of wild camping it could be a problem if you get moved on by plod or the landowner.:Angry:
i certainly wouldnt want to drive with a 'live' fire burning away behind me.

but, everyone to their own.

john.

Hi I agree with John on this ,why would anyone want to fit such a dirty labour intensive thing in there pride and joy --- It takes less than 2 mins to stow away the kettle and screens to be on our way --never mind either waiting or putting out a fire it will not take long for the ceiling to get black
terry

 

[pudseykeith]

Hi and welcome to the fun. :thumb:

A point to bear in mind is that a stove like this described would likely glow red from top to the bottom after a short period of time. Also the flue pipe will end up glowing. Also the design would need a damper so as to control the burn. I would sugest that the gas bottle stove is only of use as an outside stove and is not at all suitable for the interior of a motor home.

pudseykeith

 

[scotjimland]

Hi I agree with John on this ,why would anyone want to fit such a dirty labour intensive thing in there pride and joy ---

Lots of reasons.. it really all depends on your perspective, as I said earlier the cost put me off .. not the functionality, as a fulltimer it would save me a lot money on LPG which is going up all the time, as are ehu pitches.. living in a van is a whole lot different to spending holidays in it.
Of course it would make no sense to fit in a small euro van just for week end or holiday use .

Jim

 

[Sundowners]

I don't think that you told us the size of your bus?
We had a small cast Victorian range in a 30ft coach. If your completed stove is like a pot belly you will need a lot of space around it, they glow red at times.
The flue on ours went through a top sliding window, not ideal, but cheap. The sparks should not damage the roof of a bus (but check what it's made of)
Inside the wall of the bus there are vertical ribs, try to pick up one of these to fix to, I don't remember what (if anything) I fixed ours to, we used to drive to Portugal every winter with a Kenwood Chef sitting on the worktop, (it did fall off once).
Nigel & Pamala

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[JJ]

Hi there and welcome to the site...

I have never had a woodburner in my van but have lived around many vans with wood burners similar to your planned one. Also I had a (pricey) woodburner in the cottage I lived in in a previous life.

They are brilliant and I wish I had one in my self build.

The heat output can be controlled simply by the amount of wood you put into it as well as restricting the air intake. In a van it takes very little fuel before it is almost too hot.

I feel that the one you showed is a bit big for a van. I would consider using the same design but on a smaller bottle.

PS. I think I know why you would want to go to the trouble of raking out the ashes etc. Economy, easy access to fuel, great smell and I'm sure I don't have to tell you this (but I will anyway)...the moment you put a chimney through the roof (or wall) of your van you move into a different social group in the eyes of many people.

Good luck with your venture.

 

[thepadster]

Wood burner

Hi robincaz , hope all is well with you , ok then where to start , i have just sold a luton vw lt 35 that i had for 5 years and i spent 2 years living in it working the festivals , loved it to bits , it had a woodburner in it made from a gas bottle , it did the job in warming the van up , then there was problem 1 you cant control the amount of heat from it so end up opening doors and windows because it gets to hot , kind of defeating the purpose , then number 2 , space to store your wood and believe me it takes up a lot of space , number 3 everything smells of smoke in the van you , your clothes everything ,number 3 ,many a time myself the better half and the dog have had to get out cause the van filled up with smoke cause of the wind blowing it back into the van ,now dont get me wrong they are lovely and even romantic but they are a lot of hasstle and a pain if you need to move off quickly , just bought an 1991 camper with a gas fired heater love it , you can control it easy to turn on and off , but we are all different , try it , see if it works for you , if not try something different , we never know if something will work unless we try it .
Anyway take care and good luck with it all and i hope it all works out for you

 

[staging lady]

I assume its called the Ludlow Survivors Group because one or two have actually survived this conversion
Geo
other than that, absolutly no commentoh:

Lucille

 

[sinbad1]

I have fitted a wood burning stove into a boat , they are without a doubt great for keeping warm, recent models are good at controlling the heat output. I used to stoke the fire up with Homefire smokeless coal which would last 24hrs, keeping us warm on the coldest of spells.

They do get very hot so adjacent areas to the fire need protecting.

There is the ashes to remove ;but not as much as you think( used to empy ours every 2-3 days.

I personally don't think the gas bottle conversion for a motorhome will work efficiently enough you need to be able to reduce the air intake to a bare minimum once the fire is running.also would be concerned about sparks leaving the chimney too.

As others have said should you go ahead protect the imediate surroundings and ensure there is sufficient insulation at the exit point through the roof.

Site on a paving slab and secure your stove to this using a couple of angle cleats, the last thing you want is for your stove to move.

As with any wood/coal burner the secret of sucess is to be able to control the air flow and looking at the design i'm not sure its going to acheive this;but good luck with your project.

Regards