I live in a 956 square foot double wide mobile. it has 2x6 walls and is insulated well, it also has a fireplace that is used for supplemental heat . well the fireplace has seen better days and the wife and I would like to replace it with a stove or ?. the fireplace kinda looks like it was added as an after thought as it sticks out into the living room 2' and has a 2'x3' cubby? on each end. one has a shelf stuffed in it and the other has the tv in front of it. any thoughts, or Q's
Welcome to the forum pigpen60. One of the most difficult things about adding a wood stove to a home like that is chimney height. Most folks around here end up just putting up the chimney so it is a straight shot through the roof and then it sticks out only 3-4' over the roof line. That is very marginal for chimney height as most stoves want 13-15' as a minimum. And that height is measured from the top of the stove, not from the ground or floor level. In addition, if you have any bends, usually you can subtract 2-3' from what you think you have for height. In other words, someone puts in two 90 degree elbows with a 13' chimney has, in effect, a 10-11' chimney. For that size home, it should be rather easy to pick out a stove but one word of warning. The stoves that are advertised as large enough to heat that size of home will have a small fire box. What this means to you is that it won't give you an overnight burn. To have that usually takes at least a 2 cu ft firebox or larger. In addition, if you want to burn wood, be advised that if you buy wood, you will have a tough time burning it because it will not be dry. The way to burn wood is to give it time to dry outdoors. Get it cut to length, split and then stacked off the ground. As a general rule, folks should aim for having a 3 year wood supply on hand. This is the idea but you can get by with some types of wood drying for a year. It is just that if you are 3 years ahead, all your wood will give you the heat you require without fighting the fire and the stove. Also, beware that oak is one of the best firewoods but around here we will not consider burning it until it has been in the stack for 3 full years. It is good but gives up its moisture very slow. Good luck.
thanks for reply, I never give any thought to the firebox size vs. burn time. I can find suitable wood till I get a supply dried. and your right on the money with the chimney height I have.
I would also recommend that you get a professional to come look at your current setup. Since your in a mobile home there are some additional requirements for wood stoves in mobile homes as far as clearances to combustibles and and floor protection. There are a lot of wood stoves that are suitable for mobile home installation but your going to have to do some homework. Youve come to the right place though lots of good people here with lots of information and a willingness to help you get set up and going in the right direction to safely burn wood and stay warm Oh also welcome to the forum pigpen glad to have you aboard.
Pellet stove is an option unless you are intent on gathering your own wood. If you have to buy wood, pellets just might be a good option. Many safe pellet stoves for your style home. Load once a day. Draw back is the needed electricity so when the power goes out, you will need a generator.
Despite some of the issues other members have brought up, one good thing you have going for you is low square footage to be heated. When you do get on your way to getting a wood or pellet heater installed it won't have to be a monster and burn times should work in your favor as well
the chimney itself will have to be completely replaced. a mobile home fireplace is going to be a zero clearance with an "air cooled" UL 103 1700 F rated flue system this is not suitable for a modern woodstove , you will need to replace with a UL103HT 2100 F rated flue system. its insulated to trap heat which is needed for a stronger draft with higher efficiency units. the air cooled is designed to dissipate heat rather than trap it since the ZC units wasted so much more heat up the flue.
I never got why a mobile home has different stove rules than a house. I've been in plenty of houses that made even a cheap mobile home look nice.
its the differences in the build and set up stick built houses are built from the ground up and are "planted" in the ground. a mobile or modular is factory built and literally "parked" on the site or dropped onto a foundation. the differences require a different set of rules so to speak
Having spent 7 years in a mobile home ( about 1980 vintage) and about the same sq.ft. heating it with a stove of secondary combustion style ( still pre EPA) . The stove was mfg rated at 1100 sq. ft. For the most part I could keep the place above 65 degs on one load over apx a 12 hr period unless it went subzero outside. Moving the heat to the bedroom areas was very difficult stove was in the apx middle of unit. As I do not know your apx location I will offer that all your water lines need to heat tape. In my unit water input was at one end and ran under the unit to the other end this was an exposed pipe ( dang poor system) my other lines were routed next to the furnace ducting which I never used. One year my water lines froze in Jan. I was able to defrost my self but the damage was some small pin hole leaks in the copper lines spraying on the particle board flooring. Course the two do not play well together and subsequently spent a fair amount of time replacing sections of floor as well as the lines. Flue- I ran about 12 ft of flue length, double wall inside standard ceiling transition and triple wall the rest of the way. Code requires and OAK (outside air intake) For the most part it worked out ok.
Some of the code is really back-dated. Especially that one about having to bolt the stove to the floor. No need unless the thing is going to be moved on the road which is a rare thing today. Once they are placed, they stay. But, code is code.... You are correct Nate in that there are many that are very nice. It is the few that are trash that make a bad name.
