Currently, the house I'm in (renting) has oil heat. The furnace is great, does the job, but has pretty steep drawbacks. Namely being I don't know what the availability of heating oil will be this winter, and it doesn't run when the power is out.  

Long story short, in the event of liquid fuel shortages, I need a backup plan.  

I'm operating under worst case scenario, where if I can only heat one room then that's better than nothing.  

I'm trying to find something effective, capable of cooking on it, but is portable. It needs to be light enough to be packed away in the attic or basement, but ready to be set up when needed (space issues).  

My original plan was a barrel stove kit. These seem extremely cost effective, but require extensive modification to add a cooking surface. If I had access to a welder, absolutely.  

I'm also looking at some of these hot tent stoves. I figure if they'll keep a cabin tent cozy, they'll keep a few people in an insulated room alive. Plus they all tend to have a flat top.  

Obviously, a chimney kit will be obtained and ready to install through a window. Kaowool insulation and plywood ought to do the job.  

Was talking to someone who suggested the safety of making a burn barrel outside, with a liquid filled coil system to transfer heat indoors. Seems slow, inefficient, and require being outdoors regularly to keep the fire going.

Short term, I've got propane heaters and a kerosene heater, and fuel for both. But long term, the ability to gather fuel from the local woods seems like a smart bet.  


Any ideas? Suggestions? Anything I'm failing to consider?

Heater buddy thing  and carbon monoxide detector just in case

Our sole source of home heating is this wood stove...



...and there's an unlimited supply of free firewood outside our front door. I've been using wood stoves for home heating since 1971. I highly recommend getting an airtight stove, as they don't have carbon monoxide issues when used properly. It is a highly useful tool I am never without.

I second what tooter said.  

Never do a cobbled together wood stove. Do it right or not at all. Done right they are safe. Done wrong and it’ll burn your house down.

I don’t see a landlord allowing a tenant installed wood stove. I know I would not if I owned a rental.

Your backups appear to be good (kerosene and propane). Buy some more propane bottles and store some more and you should be in good shape.

Another option, although it requires 12v power and diesel, is one of those portable diesel heaters. You could leave it outside and pipe the inside air to the heater and then back into the house via a window. You might need to build a window adapter. There are videos all over YouTube about them.

https://m.vevor.com/diesel-heater-c_10321/diesel-air-heater-all-in-one-12v-8kw-lcd-monitor-for-cars-trucks-boats-bus-rvs-p_010528393004

@tooter

What brand is that?

We keep a wood stove in our basement in case of power outages.  We also have a 2 kerosene heaters with 10 gallons of kerosene on hand.  This is for short term power outages, but the wood stove can be a lifesaver when no other heat source is around.

I'm not at all familiar with the tent stove, but does that solution include a flu pipe that creates a proper draft?  Unless you have a really ideal setup, I would think installing any kind of stove and the flu pipe necessary to get a proper draft might be a little bigger project than what you think.  Not that it can't be done, obviously a bunch of folks on this forum heat with wood, it just doesn't seem like a great option for SHTF/pull it out of the attic and fire it up type scenario.

If you can get some kind of stove installed, figuring out how to cook on it should be the easy part.

One other thing to consider, if you are only heating one or two rooms, can you valve off and purge the water from the portions of your house that will be unheated?

Thanks for the suggestions.  To answer some questions:

Propane and kerosene are stocked and added to every so often.  They're great short term fixes, but in the event of long term fuel shortages I cannot harvest propane cylinders from the local forest. So a wood burning option is definitely a necessity.  

Landlord is cool. And is aware that if the wood stove is being lit, things are desperate.  

This is the stove I'm looking at:
Guide Gear Outdoor Wood Burning Stove, Portable with Chimney Pipe for Cooking, Camping, Tent, Hiking, Fishing, Backpacking https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0155324VO/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_FCWT1JY26YEP031YSE3R

Or something similar. Designed to safely be used inside a cabin tent. May need to alter the chimney, but that's not difficult. At least this is a solid, sealed stove who's only drawback is small size not made to heat a large space. I've accepted that.    

Simply put, there is no space for a permanent fixture that isn't needed on the day-to-day. If things get bad, space will be made. We're not there, yet, but God help us if it comes to that I don't want to be caught with my pants down.

It appears to me you are setting up what should be a temporary solution but you appear to be planning to use a temporary solution as a long term solution if it comes to it.  In my opinion, that’s a bad idea. A improperly installed wood stove is very risky. So things get bad, you use it, and it burns your house down. Now your SHTF just became a disaster….if you survive it.

If you insist on installing a wood stove, do it right. If you can only do a temp solution, don’t do it with a wood stove.

I9

I wouldn't do that if I were you. That stove is meant to be used outdoors. You run a major risk of gassing yourself to death. As was mentioned before, spend the money and do it right. What you have in mind is front page news waiting to happen.

I personally went with a EU2000 generator and a electric heater will scale up at some point. I don't have to vent anything and no moister problems. You could get a Diesel generator if needed.

OP, if a fire damages the rental home, and your landlord did not report the installation of a wood stove to his insurance company, they may deny the landlord's fire damage claim. Putting a tent stove in a house is not a good idea. The proper stove, stove pipe and installation is a requirement and some insurers will want to inspect or require a certified installer. Sounds like a wood stove is what you need. Just do it right.

look at ones that are made for boats/marine environment, they are a bit more refined than the tent ones though a bit more expensive

this thread was interesting and got me thinking along similar lines

a well-built small unit like the marine environment ones would be a great little addition should things ever come to that

that and they make ones for tiny homes

just google mini wood stove

lots of options out there

good luck

Those barrel stoves get incredibly hot and I would consider them way too dangerous to use in anything other than a big open shop with nothing anywhere near it.

As others have suggested I think at a minimum you need to install a proper double or triple wall stove pipe. You could go out through a wall or up through the ceiling.

Consider one of these dudes. Cubic Mini Stove

With the heat shield you could mount it on a wall so it would be somewhat out of the way. It wont heat a whole house but It would do a medium large room i'd imagine.

@tooter
What model is that?