I want to build a little "cabin" on some property my family has, and I want a wood burning stove in it. What considerations do I need to make so that I don't burn it down or die from CO?

Metal tube out of roof

Have a design that allows you to not only have a flue/chimney for the smoke to escape, but one that can be set up to draw cold air from outside the property via a dedicated pipe.

That way it'll not be consuming the oxygen in the room where it's located
It also means that it will be pushing out & expelling heat, rather than drawing in cold air through gaps in doorways/windows, etc.

A new or fairly new stove/vent installed properly, with proper sized hearth pad should never kill you.   Unless you leave the door open with a fire going and go to bed, then the odds go up. .

There won't be any electricity, hopefully I can find ones that are fully battery powered.

Any of the big box carry the battery operated co2 / smoke combo detectors.  If you catch it on sale it can be as little as $25

dry wood burns better and safer with no creosote. By dry wood, for oak that means 2-3 years.

For around $40 you can get smoke and CO combination alarms that have a 10 year battery in them.

I got a new house with a wood stove a month ago.  Smoke alarms in every bedroom, combination units in the hall on each floor.  All have sealed 10 year battery.   Cost more but I won't change a battery for the life of the sensor.  The expensive detector was the combustible gas and CO alarm with battery backup.  Placed in basement down low  encase gas stove or backup gas furnace leaks.

Make sure your flue pipe goes horizontal and up all the time.  Looking at houses lately, I saw alot of furnaces and wood stoves with flues that angled down.  And get a chimney cap.  Rusted out pipes leak fumes.

Your stove will have mandated installation specs like clearance to combustibles on all sides and the top, along with hearth requirements (some require only non-combustible ember protection while other require an insulated hearth), and minimum flue height. You NEED to follow these, there is no safe compromising; there may be alternative ways of meeting those specs, but you need to consult the manufacturer and UL listing.

Furthermore, you flue needs to extend 3 feet above the roof penetration and 2 feet above any object within 10 feet. IE, if you have a flat roof you need 3 feet above the roof, but if it's a pitched roof you'll likely need to do the geometry to figure out how high you need to go, in order to ensure the flue is 2 feet above the highest point of the roof within a 10' radius. Once again, this is no optional (for a safe install). The problem with a low flue height is the turbulent air flow in/around your home can cause severe back-drafts pushing smoke and CO into the living space. The above specs I gave you are the UL requirement for all flues that are not otherwise specified in the stove's listing.

Burn dry wood. Despite traditional wisdom that says pine, etc, etc causes creosote, the #1 cause of creosote formation is burning wet wood. The easiest way to know your wood is dry is to get a moisture meter. They're <$10 at Harbor Freight; to use one you split upon a piece and on the fresh split you stab the prongs in, with the prong oriented with the grain (IE, try to stab each of the prongs into the same line in the grain).

The other leading cause of creosote is choking the fire down too low (usually to try to get it to burn longer). Creosote is a flammable, volatile compound that will burn with heat and oxygen. Starve the fire of heat or oxygen and you'll form creosote in your flue. Creosote equals chimney fires.

For a small cabin you need a very small stove. Your options will be limited. If you go for high efficiency (which may be the only options now), I suggest a catalytic stove. The secondary burner style are less maintenance intensive but they run all out for short periods of time then die down. CAT stoves can be choked way back and still offer full combustion.

Triple insulated stove/flu pipe
Non combustible wall & floor protection

While you can cut cost on the actual stove, never cut costs on the chimney. I recommend either double or preferably triple wall stainless chimney pipe. I have triple wall stove pipe in my house. When it's going full blast your can put your hand against the chimney pipe and it's just warm. Very low risk of house fire with that kind of pipe.

Check out Englander stoves. Best value for the money out there. For a small cabin you probably want the NC13

This discussion has been highly informative and I am learning a bunch of what I need to because I'm building a house and want a wood stove as back up heat.

Question [and it might help the OP as well].

Is it better to situate the stove near an outer wall and run the chimney through the wall and outside the house?  I can see that it'd allow for easier cleaning of the chimney for instance.

What considerations should be made If going out and up?

If there is a choice, which is optimal: in and up or out and up?

Thanks

THIS^^^, basically, you want a INTAKE for your stove that comes in sideways(or even at a slight UP angle) then the exaust that goes OUT, open door of fireplace, light fire, let in take go NUTS.

You also want a smoke alarm/CO detector that is runs off of batteries AND a battery tester so you visit you can test the batteries before you put them into the machine, then depend on them, take out and leave infront of door inside house for next visit.

The best chimney is a straight shot from the stove to the outside.

Every turn of the pipe reduces the effectiveness of the chimney. Chimneys with turns can work but never will work as well a a straight chimney.

If you can, it's better to have the chimney go up through the house. That helps keep the chimney warm and a warm chimney draws better than a cold one.

I'm no expert, i didn't even stay at a holiday inn last night... BUT wouldn't a IN and OUT chimney(IE chimney stays in house until 2nd floor and then exits straight up), be superior to  OUT and UP ( 2-3  feet up then sideways at upward angle to exit through a wall) simply based on the pipe radiating heat while it is inside the house (in and out version) , vs the other version taking the same heat and heating the outsides?

Also those little thermo pile fans for on top of awood stove are neat toys and work pretty well for moving heat around,
https://www.amazon.com/YUEMI-4-Blade-Powered-Fireplace-Increases/dp/B07KFVPM4Y/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1542568067&sr=8-26&keywords=wood+stove+fan

is one example

@2apatriot

If you're going straight up to the roof, I recommend running single wall flue pipe until you get with 2' of the ceiling, then connect to the double/triple wall pipe go through the roof with that, and ensure you go a foot over the peak of the roof so it will draft. The single wall pipe inside will shed a lot of extra heat that wiuld be going up and out the flue if you used double/triple wall from the stove. Thru box/brackets as needed, and I recommend using sheet metal/corrugated tin behind the stove to reduce the clearance needed to combustible walls. If you really want to go nuts, put concrete board behind the metal to be double sure

On the battery powered only CO detectors, I have had false alerts go off due to below freezing conditions. Powered by 2 AA batteries.

OP, also search out the wood drying time thread that is going in the Outdoor forum, you cant just cut down a tree and burn it. Oak takes a solid 9 months to a year to dry out.

You have to think 2 years ahead, 1 year at a minimum.

And if you need some cabin building ideas, this Canadian has a nice How-to on his YouTube channel:

My self-Reliance

FYI, if you don't plan on living there, get ready for wildlife to take it over. European Wasps made massive nests in mine. I battle them during my summer/fall visits with wasp spray and peremethin and then rip all the nests out in the winter after the first hard frost. So ensure your soffits and gaps are sealed REALLY well. Shawn Woods of Mousetrap Monday fame has shown that mice can squeeze thru a 5/8" opening.

And if you plan on running electrical outlets in the walls with a generator hook-up, for the love of God use metal conduit/flexible conduit and metal boxes 100% of the way. I found a couple shorts between wires in a couple outlets last visit to mine, so now I get to trace that down. Yes, I used plain Romex in the walls (like an idiot)

Don't leave Decon or other mouse bait inside the cabin, they'll find ways to get inside to eat it (The aftermath is horror movie stuff, they bleed to death from diarrhea of sorts. Not fun to see after 1 year since last visit on linoleum.) Instead put the poison around the outside of the cabin in 2" PVC sections with a cap on one end. In the cabin, use glue boards and bucket traps with anti-freeze in the bottom.

Lots of great info and food for thought guys. Thanks!

Single wall pipe will help heat the house too BUT if you use a newer higher efficiency stove that could be a problem. The issue is, the more efficient stove you have, the less heat goes up the chimney. Wood stoves REQUIRE a certain amount of waste heat to go up the chimney to ensure that the chimney draws properly. If you lose too much heat via the chimney pipe, your entire chimney won't work properly.

On my stove in the basement, the pipe rises about 5ft before connecting to the triple wall pipe. Since I had a clearance issue, (wooden mantle) I installed double wall stainless black pipe. It gets pretty warm when running but even at full blast you can still touch it without burning yourself.

Also, some stoves specify a certain minimum chimney height so take that into consideration when building, selecting a location for the chimney, and picking a stove.

@falfrenzy

Please expand upon your explanation...

Was the Romex within the walls?

What caused the shorts, mice chewing?

Thanks

Yes, within the walls behind wood paneling.  I have yet to get back there to troubleshoot the wiring  issue, but presume its mice related.

If you run outside the dwelling going sideways through a wall, having a cleanout right there at the 90 degree where it comes out the wall and goes back to vertical makes cleaning that section easy peasy.  This was on someone's "hunting" cabin that was kinda pieced together.

Lot of good discussion and I agree you might spend as much, or more, on the pipe as you did on the stove.

Insurance is a pain with wood stoves, so even if you don't want insurance pay attention to what they require for code and what not because that stuff is there for a reason.

I am not saying you have to do it to code, but you might want to know what the lowest level of safety is for someone to risk their money on your wood heat.+

I am actively shopping for small stoves.  The two im most interested in are the cubic grizzly and TWS dwarf.

https://www.tinywoodstove.com/product/small-stove-the-dwarf-3kw/

https://www.tinywoodstove.com/product/dwarf-cookstove/

https://cubicminiwoodstoves.com/collections/grizzly-cb-1210

Depending on the size and model, they use 3” chimneys like pellet stoves.  That can be a cost savings.

Straight through the roof chimneys are a lot less expensive than through the wall, if done right.

In fact, the chimney may well exceed the cost of the stove.

1.  If you want to install a wood stove mid-Dec. 2018, then you better have started putting firewood back in early Dec.  That's Dec. 2016.  Depending on species, it can take a couple years to get dry well seasoned firewood.  Some species take over 3 years.  This cannot be said enough.

2.  Hearth.com; look for advice from Beholler and Highbeam; take it.

3.  RTFM for your stove.

4. Unless the stove pipe is in the middle of the room, it will be next to a wall (cabin = small, it usually is), then double-wall all stovepipe (outside the living space is required anyways).  Far better Clearance To Combustibles (CTC).  And speaking of CTCs, get to learn on them, very important.

5. EPA-rated wood stove.  Don't even bother thinking of something else unless you're an idiot and love lots of extra unneeded hard work (i.e. 30-40% more wood, more wood processing and more wood storage) and more pollution and less heat.

6.  If the stove pipe didn't cost more than the wood stove, then you probably got ripped off on the wood stove.  In other words, Class A double walled.  This is one of those "fuck it up and you'll burn your house down and kill your wife and kids" type decision.  This not the place to skimp.

7.  What's your plan for dry, well seasoned firewood?  The rule of thumb is to always have 3 years of firewood on hand.  That way you'll always be burning dried, well seasoned wood, regardless of species and/or how it was stored.  How many cords do you think you'll need per year?  You'll then need x3 for storage room; i.e. 1 cord/year = 3 cords in storage; 3 cords/year = 9 cords in storage.  What facilities and tools do you have to process that much firewood?  If you have nothing but a back yard, don't panic.  Just start buying firewood at or near the end of this season (March-May, depending on where you live) and start putting it up.  The stuff you buy won't be seasoned, regardless of what the seller says; you'll have to season it yourself.  That means time.  That means starting sooner rather than later.

8.  The No. 1 problem with wood stoves on Hearth.com isn't with the wood stoves.  It's the lack of dried well seasoned firewood.  It.  Affects.  Everything.

9.  Mentioned before:  OAK, Outdoor Air Kit.  Most wood stoves will have provisions for one since it's mandated nationwide for all mobile home installations and mandated in some states for all new installations (WA for example).  Wood stoves are nothing more than a large air pump.  That air has to come from outside regardless how it gets there.  Better it come direct from outside rather than from inside (the middle man), which gets replaced with  -  wait for it  -  cold outside air.

Probably enough reading for now.

Good luck!

Where will it be colder, inside the living envelope or outside?  Where does condensation form better, a glass of iced tea or a cup of hot coffee?

For wood stoves, condensation = burning wet wood + cold chimney = creosote.  Creosote = chimney fires.  Chimney fires = burn your house down and kill your wife and kids.

Don't burn your house down and kill your wife and kids.

I hope that helps.  

I hadn't really thought about a plan for dry wood. This is will be more like a crash pad for a night or two at at time on a rural property. It will be far from used frequently.

Get a metal bin for the ashes.  They can stay hot for a LONG time.  Almost burnt the house down not knowing this.

This X 100.    it's all all about the wood with indoor burners.  And the less elbows the  chimney the better, triple or at least double wall stainless!

Maybe a pellet stove would be better?

IMO, a bunch of disadvantages to a pellet stove:

- You're just trading one utility for another: propane, gas, electricity; all have to be supplied by someone else, usually a large company
- No power = no heat; usually the time when you need the most
- No pellets = no heat.  Don't laugh, this has happened several times when weather either got colder than expected or lasted longer than expected, or both.  Suppliers estimate how much they are gong to sell that heating season and come up short.  What are you going to burn now?

The choices that I went through for heating my home was:

- Inside wood stove (which is what I have)
- Outdoor boiler
- Pellet stove a distant (a very distant) third

Installing an outdoor boiler is a little more expensive and involved, and still requires power, but at least you can source the fuel locally and not be dependent on some company.

for occasional use, just get a pellet stove.  you can bring a 40lb bag of pellets with you and stay warm the entire weekend.

I'd normally agree with this but he said he has no electricity. He can run it from a small generator but probably doesn't want to hear the generator running full time.

I'd go with a vented propane wall heater. Their efficiency isn't great but for short weekend stints there....who cares?  Add a second radiant vent free unit for those times when the temps really dip down and you need some extra heat. Vent free sucks as a primary heat source but it is good for backup/supplemental purposes. Get two 100 lb tanks. When one empties, take it home and have it filled. If you can't wrestle 100 lb tanks, get some 40lb tanks.

Heck, if its a small enough cabin, just buy a Big Buddy propane heater and feed it with a 20-40 propane tank. It'll easily get you by for awhile till you can do something better.

Also, I had a pellet stove. It would take two bags to go through as weekend....meaning Fri night through Sun....even on the lowest setting. My step daughter heats her house with a pellet stove and she goes through about a ton every month and a half or so. So around 1 bag per 24hrs.