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I've mentioned before, I speak with 4 years experience fulltime on the road in a van with a Woodburner, ...once your burner is all fired up and going, just before bed put on 8 to 10 of the smokeless coals from b&q and you'll still be getting heat 1300hrs the following day, they burn red hot not white and last a long time

I put in a multi fuel burner to overcome the problem of not burning all night,smokeless coal lasts till morning,then just throw on a bit more wood and coal when I get up and that will last the day. The only issue really is the amount of ash that it creates but I put them in an airtight tin and bin them the next day so I can refill with the morning ashes....got a bit of a system going,other than that,burners are messy,smelly and dirty and they are still my first choice for heating.

Mel I like your personality

I find chopping kindling one of the most satisfying tasks, glad your keeping the stove happy travels

Mel. KEEP IT !! Great vid Robbie U K

What a lovely wood stove!

Hi Mel why don't you use some stove nuggets the ones we use are called tay bright. In our multifuel fire at home they will stay in all night 😀👍

I gather small twigs from dead branches for kindling, and many plants for tinder- any oil or wax melted into it will help. The rest of the branch can usually be smashed or cut into logs. A bigger burner with more vent control will help you bank it to last through the night, and have embers in the morning. Sometimes I chuck in a single bit of coal in the winter, but it does burn really hot.

Hi Mel if you ever get chance to get hold of black thorn that burns for a long time.

If you could get your hands on seasoned hardwood Mel. It would keep in a lot longer.!!

Your current set up sound perfect to me, lovely fire in the evening and diesel heater for the morning. Wood burner nice and cold (+safe) for when you drive off to for the next adventure 👍

If you can get hold of some of the bricks from storage heaters then you'll keep getting heat for a few hours after your fuel runs out. A wood burning stove makes a home 😀

It was that fire that brought me and a lot of other people to your channel you made such a good job of putting it in and it looks so nice compared to some people that convert a gas bottle into a fire. If you left something on top of the fire like a waffle and then went for a walk would it go on fire also when the fire is absolutely roaring can you drive around. Also insurances don't like fires the small print on my insurance one year said no cooking equipment allowed in van so I ignored that.

I love my cubic mini cub, yes for all the reasons you state. But thinking of upgrading to the grizzly. Temps here are single digit Farenhight in the mornings, low teens at night

Yea ! Good for keeping it ,I loved my wood burner!.In fact the next van I get has to have room for a burner otherwise I wouldn't buy it.

try a small wood gasifier burner inside it using wood pellets very cheep for medium heat

Try them logs mate from sawdust mate they last longer or add little smokeless fuel too

Great video Mel We have a wood burner at home and has saved us a fortune in gas bills I use birch plywood off cuts from the surfboard table tops I make We also and a good grade smokeless coal which is still warm in the morning It’s been my best install I’ve ever fitted I want to fit a diesel heaters under our van but love some other way of filling it up with a separate tank

I can fully recommend the Hobbit wood stove. Installed one in my van. The stove, being a bit bigger and cast iron, it stays warm for hours, long after the fire has gone out.

Think u will update burner. . Free heating 4 winter. . Tho insurance bit more. . Go 4it Mel. Love to all

Mel, I fit stoves daily. Looks great BUT just got to be careful storing wood like that. Distance to combustibles on that stove is 20 inches to the sides. You're looking as if yours is 6 inches max from the stove so you need to move it. They do catch fire honestly and we want to see you make more vids in the future.

My wife and I love your channel.

I am familiar with the problem. Mine is a grizzly in a 7X14 camper with a 7 foot ceiling. Loaded up it will go 4 hours, then be easy to reload and continue burning. The trick to longevity is to pick the biggest chunk of hardwood that will fit thru the door. The coals will keep it burning, but it will burn a good 3-4 hours. Smaller pieces, even stuffed in to the brink, will not last as long.

Love the waffle with the waffle on. Stay warm stay safe Mel 👍

It's comforting and romantic but what about airborne particulates in a small ,not very ventilated space?

Who needs a shower when a couple of detol wipes under each arm pit, another couple round the knackers and a final one over the clacker leaves you as fresh as a daisy.

Another great informative video Mel, always look forward to watching them! The time and effort you put is to making these videos is very much appreciated, Cheers fella👍

I’m glad you revisited this mate, I suppose a lot of van dwellers are focused on heating at the moment and choosing the best combination has defiantly been on my mind, another great vlog So keep on waffle-ing 😋👍

The good thing about a woodburner over a diesel heater is that woodburners don't malfunction and go wrong and have error codes 1-10 to sort out. If I did another van conversion I would definitely consider a woodburner I mean you can boil a kettle and apparently cook a waffle, what more could anyone want?

Thanks for answering my question Mel. I’m in the designing stages of my van and was planning on putting in a cubic wood stove. I think I’ll go for the grizzly based on your comments. Looking forward to the waffles 🧇.

HI MEL BUY A PIIPSQUEEK WOODBURNER. WILL DO A BETTER JOB CHEERS DAVE

Swap the comfort of a woodburner stove for a shower? Not a chance!

Wafflin while making waffles while talking about shovin hard wood 🤔best waffle on a wednesday ever.... Need some icecream on those waffles 🤣

I had a burner in my van, the overall cost of it for me to install it wasn’t really worth it, everyone I go away with had the Chinese diesel heaters and at the flick of a button a nice warm van, wood burners are Definatly more of a show piece in a van as there just hard to regulate, I practiced different stacking methods and found the burn from top to bottom lasted the longest. So bottom layer was thick blocks of wood, second layer was the same but turned the other way, then several layers of kindling like a jenga stack, then lit from the top. That outlasted any burns I done from the bottom up. In the end I fitted a diesel heater to go with it as I completely agree. The burners fantastic while watching a movie in the evening and to get off to sleep but in the morning when the vans cold the diesel heater wins!. Take care 👍

I'm using coal in a pipsquike mini but its cast iron it just about stays warm from 10pm to 6am with out touching it as long as its fully loaded with coal about 20 bits

I make environmentally friendly briquettes for a living Mel. They are rectangle in shape and give off a great heat. They should burn for four hours as long as they aren’t poked. You can pick a bag up from certain supermarkets or a local firm. It might be worth a try. Stay safe 👍

Good vid thanks Mel. Advice..a larger burner will still go out if left. So getting a bigger wood burner won't solve the problem. Better to experiment with different fuels to see which last longest. Ash is the best wood for wood burners (Beech a close 2nd).

Do enjoy your channel bud :) your amazing guy :) massive inspiration :) I totally agree that’s better than a shower. It’s soo beautiful the one you have. And I still hopefully soon would like to buy one and install into my van, this year not been great tho and hopefully late this year or next spring I could try and save up for one :) always good to have a waffle cooked on a wood burner, that’s interesting about a oven for the grizzly wood burner, least you can cook your pie in there bud :) must of Amit that diesel heater does heat up well, think mine is too much tho being that 8 kw 😂 but it’s nice having that in there now :) 🤗😊 🍺

Personally i think the big mistake is having a width wise bed and separate seating. I lived 2 years in a caravan and just used the bench seat as a bed. In fact now in my flat, i can't sleep in a bed, i find it's uncomfortable, i need back support to stop neck twists. I sleep on my 3 seater settee. Bench seat bed down one side would have left room at the back for a shower unit. But do you really need shower, i manage a full wash down in my Berlingo. Does have lift roof though.

Is there anything you need to do whilst driving (when the fire is out? ) thank you!

I wonder if you could rig some sort of thermostat on the flue/chimney. When the fire starts dying down the temperature will drop and a buzzer goes off. Yes you might have to wake up once during the night to catch it before it goes out.

Omg look 👀 at that Wood 🪵 Burner, imagine sliding of to sleep watching that fire in bed. 😍

far out Mel why would 4 people dislike this ,, What they dont like waffles ,,,Sad people ,,,,,

Hi Mel,can you try a couple of days/nights with a hard wood instead of softwood

Lovely little burner, I don’t know much about them but I’d imagine the next size up would kick out much more heat, wouldn’t they be more suited to burning coal for a longer and more steady heat? And if you’re getting up at 3am for a lag you might want to get your blood sugars checked, sounds like they might be creeping up.

Hi Mel. Coal/coke last longer through the night. You can get advise from narrowboat owners as they seem to keep them goi g for weeks . Thats if your burner does multifuel

Hi mel this video couldn't come at a better time for me. I have a mini cyclops from glastonbury burners that I am waiting to install in a mwb crafter. Does it get too hot in the van? I have seen people getting temps of up to 30deg which seems excessive... thanks pal!

Can you turn the pipe to go out the side instead of top? How hard would that be?

Most people that purchased a Cub would have preferred the Grizzly or end up upgrading to one. It's a shame the flues on these are only 3" as I think 4" is preferable but hey, they're still nice 👍

The beanie is back 😜🇦🇺

Heat through the night?? Bloody luxury, lol.

When I wake up, I light a half of a fire log in my wood stove (the ones where you light a corner) n go back to bed for a bit ☺️ I am tempted tho to add a diesel heater, good to know you have both. Did you tap into the van tank? Thanks for all your vids, you crack me up ✌️😂

Nice vid Mel. Looks a lovely addition to your van but agree with your thoughts on its longevity to continue heating throughout the night during this cold winter we are having. What was the fan like thing that was just to the left of the flu pipe? Couldn’t make out if it was a fan or not Keep warm and safe with best wishes from Mal and Dave in Stoke

Pleased that your stove is staying 🤗💜

I bet the fire would last twice as long with some properly seasoned hardwood 🤔

The main problem with a stove is the space it takes up in the van and then you only use it for maybe 4 months of the year 🔥🔥🔥🔥👍👌

you need a multifuel stove and burn smokeless compressed anthracite eggs/ovals,pity you couldnt modify the one you have with a grate and lower air intake?

Check around with other RV Vans and the success they have with their size and type of wood burner. You want the right size so you don't have to get out of bed at nights, right? People who sawmill their own wood should have lots of free scrap lumber to harvest.

Can you make a video on location to get red diesel?

Hi Mel, do you have to inform your insurance company that you have a woodburner?

Hello Mel when are you fitting out another van ? You mentioned in a previous vid 👍👍👏👏

Hard wood is always preferable Mel....😂😳😇

I dont get why you want it on overnight....3.5 years I've been fulltime in my van all heating goes off before I go to bed and a skylight is cracked for fresh air . A good duvet or sleeping bag through the night and then a bit of heat in the morning. Sod leaving heating on all night.

Can you fit a thermostat on your diesel heater so when really cold during night will give burst of heat then don't need to change wood burner. 😎

Would Coal last longer ?

try smokeless coal Mel . I get 12 hours minimum with the stove turned down

Hi Mel , loving the vids, I have a quick question , Does the insurance get bumped up because you have a wood burner? I just wondered as you are more at risk, I love your little burner , it makes the van look homely, keep the vids coming x

Yay!!! 🧇🚐💚

Just mix a bit of smokeless coal in it has well it will stay in a lot longer

unless you live in the van simply get a diesal heater small space add a shower with toilet. home from home. I would get rid of the wood burner as you may get asked to move etc.

Love the waffle bit Mel and on a Wednesday 😂

Hi Mel how do you get on regarding naked flames in van and insurance

💙

Can someone tell me where I can get a stove this size? Having trouble finding one in uk Great vid / info thanks.

So you living in the van full time mel ?

Enjoy your waffle mate thanks

can you not source some pine cones for burning, i hear they are good.

A bigger fire will only give you more heat that you probably dont need it will not last longer

I like the idea of a burner but having it permenantly fitted seems a waste in the summer so I am going to build in a temporary location with heat shield and flue hole with a plug. For fitting this with the oven in winter. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HyNCZUK5GpI.html Steve

Really sorry my oven didn't work Mel. Bum!

Maybe a pellet stove would be better. They auto fill the burn chamber :-)

Mel for top of stove ovens try this one which i use www.canvastentshop.co.uk/fastfold-oven.html

Just curious, you don't mention your cats anymore. Are you full time in your van now.

What about smokeless ovals coals

Why dont you try smokeless coal, that should last a lot longer than would and it should last longer through the night

hi mel.i know this might sound totally random,could you settle an argument,in your video you mentioned you get up in the middle of the night for a wiz.my girlfreind says its because your in your 50's my argument is that your far to good looking to be in your 50's id say 47,48 tops.care to share?.thx. love the channel btw.

Have you tried coal?

Hi Mel, if you see this I sent you a private message on Instagram. ps another great video

Do you drive with the flu cap on?

So what you are trying to say is that your equipment is too small ?

Mel, why was Rebecca's apple pie oven deemed unsuitable for van installation??

Wood pellets and add a pellets hopper to your woodburner to 'feed' it over night when the need arises...... Slim Potatohead again Mel..... 🍁

real campers don't shower just drop your bits in a sink and wash & go😁

lubberly waffle