denise ra

Rebecca Norman, All very important points. What did you heat with in Ladakh?
Glenn, Wood stoves and vented heaters are in short supply this winter, both new and used.

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M.A. Carey - Now that is practical experience I can use. I was thinking about stacking my stuff around the edges inside the container. Also using a tent. I figured it is doable as a biography I once read told of living in a log cabin in Canada and waking up to 50 below temps on the worst days. But they had a wood stove to warm it up. I can also stack large hay bales around the outside which will help with the wind and perhaps on top. Thanks for the encouragement!

William Bronson, I had the same thought about a propane heater today. I went to Tractor Supply, Ace, etc today and I only found 1 smaller stove in town. Wood stoves seem in short supply because of the pandemic. I don't have any wood cut either. There are none that are decent on craigslist.

There are Mr. Buddy heaters in town though. The fact that they are ventless concerns me a bit in part because of the moisture I hear they put out, and the container is probably really airtight though I will have a French door in one side. Is the Mr. Buddy something I need to turn off at night? I have a 20# and 70# propane tank also. Does the tank need to be outside of the container? I really like the idea of something simpler than a woodstove especially since I will need to move the container in a few months.

Michael Cox, I looked for smaller, lighter RMH plans today, do you have a link? I would consider an RMH if/when I add another 20' container to the first one. My 'living room' in this container will be about 8' x 6' at best.

Tereza Okava wrote, " The people get more and more isolated and ideas that previously might have been a bit odd suddenly seem totally normal."

I think I may have fallen into this midset at least somewhat. I just moved to Oklahoma from another state and with the covid, I'm almost totally isolated and know only a few people a little bit to ask for help. My whole life is different here than it was before and now I want to move out to the farm because I hate apartment living with thoughtless people and noises because I think I may have an anxiety disorder. But moving to the farm requires getting my shipping container moved, buying and installing a wood stove and flue pipe, sealing the floor, and tying the damn thing down because on top of everything the wind blows 12-20 mph here at least half the time, no exaggeration. I won't have electricity or water for a while.

I'm grateful to permies because I can ask questions about how things work but I still have to do the hands-on myself or pay someone. This thread is great because it mentions so many things that go on with me sometimes. Recently I've begun attending online and phone meetings of ACA - Adult Children of Alcoholic and Dysfunctional Families. It explains a lot about why I might have anxiety, fear, self-doubt, and lack of motivation. ACA also helps one to overcome these issues and have a community to do so with. ACA

This is a good thread and is now especially relevant with the pandemic. Thanks for starting it Jake Milner.

I ought to have mentioned that this is a temporary set-up to get me out of the hated apartment. In spring I will move the container to its forever location but don't want to do this now as it requires concrete piers, engineer, final insulation decision, details, blah blah blah. Here is the topic for my temp container set-up. Temporary Container Living Set-up Suggestions?

A berm may be a good idea once it's in its permanent place. I am thinking of setting a storage container on the windward side of the house container. Tarps I'm sure would be a nightmare because of the noise they will cause in the wind. Unless you've lived on the plains or are a sailor you might not know how obnoxious a constant 15-22mph wind is.

I looked up barrel stove kits and parts on amazon and it looks like it would cost $190 for barrel, shipping, kit, not including a grate or stovepipe. Then there is the whole cutting a barrel in an upstairs apartment...

If anyone has time to look at the stoves in the original post here and comment on or suggest one I'd be grateful. I will keep the stove even after I have electricity (because we just had an ice storm and some in Oklahoma had no electricity for two weeks!!) but it will be taking up valuable real estate inside the 160sf container.

William Bronson, can you direct me to a picture of two tees with caps in case this will work with a regular wood stove? I'm not understanding what you mean.

Douglas Alpenstock, thanks for the advice about tiny stoves and short wood. I don't have a woodpile at all so it's probably easier to buy regular size wood.

I'm grateful to you all for your suggestions.

Continuing to break this project into manageable parts, here is my forum ask about wood stoves.
Tiny Wood Burning Stoves

The link below has a collection of smaller wood stoves for tiny houses. Some are reasonably priced but say they are not rated for residential use - I don't know what this means. In two weeks or so I will move into and will need to heat an UNinsulated 160sf shipping container in Western Oklahoma where the wind comes blasing down the plains. The average daily minimum temp in F according to NOAA is in the low 20s December - February. Will the smaller stoves work to keep this container in the 50s or 60s?

I am concerned about the everpresent windiness and extended gustiness (it's not uncommon to blow 20+ and gust in the 30mph range for a full day) as it concerns the flue - will the wind cause problems with the fire and if so is there a safe way to manage this? Also, I'm not thrilled about putting a hole in the roof, can I put the flue through the wall near the ceiling? It's an 8-1/2' tall container.
Tiny Life Supply Wood Stoves

elle, Central Colorado has ticks and people with Lyme now so they can be anywhere. Maybe google Lyme symptoms in dogs and see if it fits. Best of luck.