Barrel Stove

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I have a small (around 1000 sq ft) hunting cabin. I have used a propane stove and space heaters to heat it since building it around 10 years ago. The propane heater has been acting up lately, and also someone recently stole the 20 gallon propane cylinder that sits outside, so I decided to build a barrel wood stove to replace the propane stove.

The barrel stove was fairly simple to build, lots of you tube videos on the subject. You just buy a kit for around $50.00-60.00, cut holes in the barrel (I used a jigsaw) and install with the hardware provided. The kit has a door, legs, and stove pipe insert with a built in damper. You do have to provide your own barrel.

I haven't installed the stove at the cabin yet. I'll report how it performs once it is in.

 

[Gunny]

I think you'll like it, I've been using them for years. I currently heat my woodworking shop and my garage with barrel stoves, they warm up quickly and do a pretty good burn, if you get all the air gaps sealed up. I have found that the cheaper the kit is, the more problems you'll have in operation. I would recommend that you put some sand at in the bottom, fire brick works even better to help keep the bottom from rusting out.

Edited to add: I just looked a little close at your pics and it looks to me like that kit came from United States Stove, if so, make sure you put some flat gasket material between the stove and door and between the stove and the flue outlet, that will help make it a little more airtight. There isn't much you can do about the air damper under the door (they don't seal very good), but you will like the amount of heat it puts out, plus with a barrel, you can cut your firewood in longer lengths to get a better fill on those real cold nights.

 

[pmsmechanic]

As per above and make sure you light a good fire in it outside first so that the paint all burns off outside the cabin. Red or orange automotive silicone works great for sealing off air leaks. It's rated to 750 F which should be lots fro what you want to do.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

As per above and make sure you light a good fire in it outside first so that the paint all burns off outside the cabin. Red or orange automotive silicone works great for sealing off air leaks. It's rated to 750 F which should be lots fro what you want to do.

Yes I plan on doing an outside burn prior to using inside. I will paint it with high temp paint after the initial burn has removed the original paint.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Edited to add: I just looked a little close at your pics and it looks to me like that kit came from United States Stove, if so, make sure you put some flat gasket material between the stove and door and between the stove and the flue outlet, that will help make it a little more airtight. There isn't much you can do about the air damper under the door (they don't seal very good), but you will like the amount of heat it puts out, plus with a barrel, you can cut your firewood in longer lengths to get a better fill on those real cold nights.

It is a US Stove brand. That is the only one I could find. All the retailers around here were sold out except for this one I found at TSC. It was their last one and all the other TSC stores in the area were sold out. Is the Vogelzang brand better than US Stove?

 

[Gunny]

It is a US Stove brand. That is the only one I could find. All the retailers around here were sold out except for this one I found at TSC. It was their last one and all the other TSC stores in the area were sold out. Is the Vogelzang brand better than US Stove?

I do like the Vogelzang a lot better than the US Stove model, even though it's about twice the money, it's just made better and much easier to keep airtight. I have one Vogelzang and one that I ordered from our RECC magazine several years ago, it doesn't have a name stamped on it and I haven't seen them advertised for a long time.

I wound up using the Meeco high temp silicone, it's been on one of the stoves for 8 years now, no problems.

You might also want to look around for a short section of large width "c" channel (or weld up something) for a heating plate on top of the stove. Great in case you'd like to do some cooking on the stove while you're out hunting. I've made some killer bean soup on mine lotsa times.

 

[Thomas]

We had same setup as you in our camp work great...wonder how more heat if it was double barrel.
We place fan behind the stove so area didn't become over heated,also raise bottom of barrel foot an half so wooden floor wouldn't over heat.

 

[rswyan]

I have a double-barrel Vogelzang unit in my (28' x 32' masonry block) shop ... works great ...

The shop's walls are not insulated - but the ceiling is dry-walled and there is some fiberglass insulation above that.

Loaded it up the other day before I came down to the house for dinner ... when I went back back after dinner it was 79F in the shop

I lined the bottom and sides with fire brick and built a grate out of 1/2" rebar that sits up just above the ash door. After 10 years the grate is pretty much gone near the rear of the stove from sitting in the coals. Will rebuild it with 3/4" solid round.

I have a cheap 3 speed Walmart box fan hanging on chains, centered between the barrels that blows air onto the stove/thru opening between the barrels.

 

[Panik]

Congrats on the stove! I'm in the process of installing a single barrel Vogelzang in my shop right now. Like Gunny said I would highly recommend lining the inside with sand or furnace brick. I can tell you from personal experience though that new furnace brick is expensive.

I'll try and post pics later on today, but I went through the trouble and expense of using refractory cement and furnace brick to line the bottom half, and back wall of my stove. The plus side is I won't have to worry about burn through or radiant pyrolysis of the nearest shop wall. I can actually put my hand on the lined portions with a full fire going without scorching my hand. The down side was the cost , probably could've just bought a catalytic stove for the time and money invested.

Instead of high temp silicone I used furnace cement on the mating surfaces of the chimney collar and door frame. I also used fiberglass stove gasket in the joint where the barrel lid meets the barrel. Idea being that I can remove the lid if necessary for maintenance and still have a relatively airtight seal. We'll see how it all holds together with use. I've also thought about installing a glass window in the door, and installing a smoke plate for a more complete burn, but those are down the road.

Have you started looking at what chimney system you're going to use? DVL chimney pipe is EXPENSIVE! Best deal I received was through my local Ace hardware. They beat the best online price I found for a Selkirk fittings kit by about 100.00. :dance1:

 

[Scrambler82]

Built one many years back and used used parts for my barrel unit, no name available.

The barrel was vertices but long pieces of wood can be fed upward, at least as long as I wanted to use.

All I can say is it was a great stove, heat output was great, fired up fast.

Supported grating with fire bricks and the grate system was heavy gauged steel and worked well no sand.

Also, I could only find a barrel with a removable lid at the time but it worked out great when it needed cleaning.