Cubic Mini Grizzly- Final thoughts a winter later

what worked best for me in regards to getting the most heat, the longest burn I could With the resources I had access to.
Late last fall I had a hard time staying warm all night in this cabin using the local soft woods up here.
I had a few suggestions in the comments section on the previous video that recommended in Evirologs.. So I thought I would give those a try along with hauling up a bunch of hardwood that I was lucky enough to come across. Rather than cut up into mini logs I decided to try cutting into @2" disc & stack them in a mini pyramid so the air could circulate in and around them.. This combination seemed to work the best for me..
Hope this does the trick for you as well.

[@randystrand908]

Here I am 3 yrs after your post saying, Great Tips. Love the disk tip! My "hobbie job" after retiring is tree removal so access to hard wood, at this point, is continuous 😁 Enjoyed both vids on this stove!

[@bearlylivable]

Getting hard woods requires a lot of energy output. So you’re winning on a few fronts. Keeping long hot fires going to keep you warm and getting in the kind of shape people who lives long “blue zone” lives do by gathering and cutting it all. Good stuff!

[@peterkennedy7455]

Love the videos Chris please keep them coming, this one it great!!!

[@robclougherty3948]

Glad to see you safe and away from all the craziness. Krystal and I have to come see the cabin and the NP.

[@bearlylivable]

That would be awesome. We should find a way to drag Joey and David and as well

[@artistaloca4]

?? Thanks for showing me how to make fire! ❣️👍👍 Keep on rockin'🤘

[@tortugalisa4748]

First video of yours I've watched. Great videography💛 I'm interested in alternate heat for my traditional house trailer for me and my teens for now. Test things out too for my future off grid homestead☺👍

[@bearlylivable]

that's great AND thank you for the compliment..My little stove is pretty good because I have a very small place.Only 200 sq ft. We do get some fiercely cold weather up by W. Yellowstone, so sealing all window jambs, good insulated floors/walls/ ceiling and double paned windows are big factors for sure. I love the stove but if my place were bigger I'd get a conventional sized on for more heat, longer fires and cooking options.. Keeping your place warm will depend on these factors as they relate to your climate, angle of house facing the sun for radiant heat and size of the homestead. Good luck and let me know how you attacked the problem.

[@tortugalisa4748]

@@bearlylivable 👍👍

[@1SeanBond]

A excellent stove! Appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us! I have the cub set up in my mini cabin its 100 square feet. I have a few short videos on it Cheers!🙂✌🏼🍻

[@bearlylivable]

Thank you. I’ll have to check out your video/cabin

[@brianbenson3669]

When I lived just north of you ( in British Columbia ), the hottest burning local woods available to us were very dry Douglas fir, larch / tamarack and local birch (top 3 BTUs/lb). I once loaded our stove full with very dry larch and damn near burned the cabin down ... the stove pipe was glowing hot. Also, any local fruit tree wood you can salvage is very high in BTUs... apple, cherry, etc. Essential to season the wood for a full 2 yrs... bone dry = less creosote/most efficient burn. Love the cabin & the great little stove!

[@bearlylivable]

could not agree more Brian and thank you...I'm always looking for some good fruit trees that have been cut down or trimmed to put away for those really cold nights..

[@spencerwilton5831]

Brian Benson According to the bioenergy knowledge centre there is actually little variation across species in terms of energy per unit of mass. Output is much more influenced by moisture content. Burn whatever you have available locally, just make sure it's as dry as it possibly can be.

[@bearlylivable]

@@spencerwilton5831 I have stumbled on some old growth, thick Douglas fir bark which I find that it seems to burn hotter and longer than the wood itself...I will need to keep an eye on the creosote build up...but so far so good..we had minus 15F a few nights ago..

[@psyamok3735]

I think with the right kind of hardwood and a little trial and error, this stove can get you warm and cozy through cold winter nights. I have seen stoves that were modified to burn pellets while you sleep and it burns through the nights and the whole tiny house was in the mid 20s F. It all depends on how you use it. Like your video. Thumbs up.

[@bearlylivable]

You are absolutely right. It's all about the type of fuel ( wood) I've noticed a huge difference between when I can wrangle some oak or even almond tree and slice it into pucks, they burn long and hot..but up in Eastern Idaho there is mostly aspen as the main wood to burn..its OK, but nothing like stuff I'd haul in from the coast

[@commonman7776]

thumbs up

[@aidanmathews2912]

I burn aged locust, gets very hot! The disk Meath is looks great, thanks for the tip! I was watching to see if you had a primary air intake vs. second or both insight. What keeps it running hottest and longest for you?

[@bearlylivable]

I just rely on the dampers to keep it going..I did not buy the secondary air input..I just draw the air from the cabin and have not had any issues so far.. as for the aged locust, you are lucky and must be somewhere out east as we don't get anything like that in Idaho at this altitude..

[@aidanmathews2912]

@@bearlylivable Yea I’m in New York, had some family generations in the past plant them, I guess they were considered stylish. Anyways they top off though because this leaf disease that starved them, sad. The black locust never rots it seems, downed branches chill in the same spots for 20 years easy!

[@markforsythe7122]

Use a hacksaw. Fine blade to cut the enviro log. My go to wood for the big woodstove. Birch, Maple. Vine maple, Good hot wood.

[@bearlylivable]

great idea..thanks..

[@micahmye]

Neat little setup! Any idea how much insulation you have in the cabin?

[@bearlylivable]

When building I had room for R20 in the floor..I decided to go with 2x4s everywhere else, so I used R13.. I was trying to save every inch of living space as it's pretty small. Not sure if I'd had it if I had to do over; possibly in the trusses, but we do just fine up here in the winter.. Just cut lots of wood..🙂

[@victoriajohnson3034]

How often do you reload stove with environ log in snowy winter? Thinking at night?

[@bearlylivable]

I have yet to only use the enviro logs exclusively, Victoria..I still use wood, but use the enviro logs to start the fire. It gets the fire up to speed faster and helps warm the place up quicker as well.. They do burn slowly though..I guess as a complete substitute for wood, but I have plenty and love the intermittent crackling sounds

[@umameer8943]

جو بارد وراىع

[@ismannyb8148]

Does it have a fresh air intake on the bottom? To attached a air pipe

[@bearlylivable]

no it does not..it has an self contained intake below that circulates air up the side and back down onto the fire which works well..and another air intake in front at the bottom which is easy to blow through eliminating any hot ash blowing back if the door is open as you stoke the fire..

[@backyardbraaapn1017]

I believe they do have that as an option now

[@leehilborn8118]

Imo they're a scam, can fit a full length which gets prohibitively tedious very quickly and short burn time makes them essentially useless

[@mr.timjohnston546]

HARDWOOD IS ALWAYS THE OPTION FOR CHRIST SAKE

[@bearlylivable]

not when many dont have access to it, FOR CHRIST SAKE, esp in this area

[@Vancouver_Island_Guy]

Lol couldn't agree more. Doug fir and larch out here on the west coast.

[@Vancouver_Island_Guy]

@@bearlylivable great comment 🤙

[@bearlylivable]

@@Vancouver_Island_Guy thank God for Larch..🙂...and thanks..not a fan of using Jesus's name to make a point, but hoping He doesn’t mind in that instance...

[@dewuknowHIM]

Sorry...your camera is constantly focusing...very dizzying ...☹

[@bearlylivable]

will try to do better next time..thanks