What You Should Know About Tiny Home Wood Stoves

Not every single tiny homeowner lives in a tropical warm-around-the-year climate. The majority of tiny homes will need some source of heat to keep them comfortable and keep their tiny home livable within the colder seasons. Heating a tiny home with a wood stove is a good option to keep your home warm and cozy as the weather becomes chilly.

There are some micro and mini wood stoves that have a minimal footprint and can put out enough heat to easily heat up to a 400 ft.² space. Read on to learn about small wood-burning stoves and the pros and cons of having one in your tiny home.

What are mini, micro, and small wood stoves?

Some people probably didn’t even realize there was such a thing as a micro or mini wood stove, but they were originally developed for boats and RVs to make a recreational housing option into a perfect tiny home for those who prefer to live recreationally full-time. Some can be mounted on a wall or even a shelf which makes them very practical for a small amount of space.

Just as their name implies, these wood stoves are much smaller than a traditional wood stove and is not meant to put out a large amount of heat. It should be known that they do need frequent cleaning and fuel when they are in use. A micro wood stove fits much smaller pieces of wood and cannot hold the same size of fire as a traditional wood stove, but are very economical to purchase and run as a source of heat in a tiny home that is less than 500 ft.².

A small woodstove is a different class of woodstoves that is free-standing on the floor and can heat up to 1200 ft.² They most often look like an appliance with a smaller size, but are also a great option in a tiny home.

Mini and small size wood stoves can take cordwood which is a giant bundle of wood, wood pellets, or sometimes hardwood shavings to keep the fire going.

Should you use a wood stove as a primary or secondary source of heat?

Wood heat can be a very good and cost-effective way to primarily heat your home and is a great option for those hoping to stay in an off-grid lifestyle. It is good to keep in mind that wood heat works best if you are able to stay in your home throughout the day and make sure you are supervising the fire.

If you are unable to stay in the home all day and would like some sort of heat source to run while you are not there, then using a wood stove as a secondary heating source is a better option. Some tiny homes can be outfitted with something like a propane backup system activated by a thermostat when the temperature drops to a certain concerning level.

Related: 9 Tips for a Safe Fireplace Season

Pros and cons of wood heating

Pros

• Wood heat creates a very warm dry heat that is comfortable
• The atmosphere that a fire creates is cozy and can be comforting and relaxing
• It allows the user to live off-grid
• Wood is a renewable and sustainable fuel source
• Wood is a cheaper fuel choice as compared to propane or electric heating systems and sometimes it can be free
• It is a good work out to chop wood

Cons

• Burning wood omits oxides including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide
• Safety measures do need to be taken such as a fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide detector
• They need constant fuel which means that you will need to store wood somewhere around your tiny home
• Fuel needs to constantly be fed into the fire so in the middle of the night the fire will need to be tended to or you will wake up to a very cold room early in the morning and need to get up to rebuild the fire
• Every wood stove will take up space and need plenty of clearance from combustible materials to make sure everything is safe
• For some, the thought of constantly chopping wood is a nuisance

For more information on tiny homes in North Snohomish County and wood stoves, please contact us anytime or come by and see us near Arlington and Marysville in the Smokey Point area.

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