I am buying an old mobile home (MH) to live in while I move towards a self-build/renovation project. The MH is not pretty, but it's dry and cheap ... so it will do me fine if I can keep it warm.

I have plenty of firewood onsite, so a woodstove seems like the best route. However, deciding which woodstove has not been so easy. I reckon that many other green builders must have been down this route, so thought I would ask here for advice.

I have considered various types of range cooker, but rejected that idea on grounds of weight and cost. So I have decided to use the existing gas cooker for oven and grill, and extra occasional pot space ... but to get a small upright woodstove for heat, and for some sort of cooking. (At least enough heat to boil a leisurely kettle, preferably enough to cook my spuds, and ideal enough to do a bit of frying).

I have been looking online at all sorts of small stoves, and so far what I have concluded is that:

1. A pot-bellied stove would be cheap, but lots of them are dodgy quality Chinese and hence dangerous. Small fireboxes mean that they are unlikely to keep me warm overnight.
2. A multi-fuel stove will be less efficient for wood, so I want a pure wood-burner. Ideally with some provision for secondary burning
3. The stoves designed for houses are mostly pretty, and quite highly-specced. Cast iron frames for heat retention, glass doors, etc ... all very nice, but adds to the cost. This stove just needs to do me for 1 or 2 years, and can then be reused as a shed heater. It needs to be functional, not pretty.
4. Some house stoves are quite heavy. Mobile homes are flimsy, so a lighter stove is good.
5. I'd prefer a stove which is deep to one which is wide, so that I can fit longer logs. Less chopping.
6. Must have a flat top for cooking on, preferably with pan supports extending out beyond the edges of the box

All of that points me towards a stove made from heavy-duty mild steel: light, cheap, functional, and should be reasonably durable. I have looked at the stoves from http://www.windysmithy.co.uk/html/woodburners.htm and http://snailstoves.moonfruit.com/ , and both look OK in theory.

Has anybody an experience of these stoves? The blurb sounds good, but I would be interested to hear how anyone has found actually living with them.

Also, I'd be interested in any comments or critiques on my wider logic. One issue I haven't resolved is water heating. I had considered getting a stove with a backboiler to allow for water heating, but then I'd need a cylinder to store the hot water, and I'm not sure that the cost and hassle of setting that up is justifiable.

Have a look at narrowboat chandlers for small stoves, including cook-on-top ones. Too long since I had a boat, but Midland Chandlers was one, if they are still about, and one in Penkridge, Staffs

Sorry, I didn't look at the Windy Smithy link. I just suggested narrowboat chandlers as potential suppliers of lots of small stoves.

Posted By: TwoLeggedI currently have a 900Watt generator. I hope to soon get a 3KW mains supply

CHP maybe

a 3kW temporary supply could do everything you need cheaply I would think

Not sure where you are, but in Germany, I think that wood burners are not allowed in mobile homes, certainly not allowed in camper vans.

Jotul 602 any day of the week..
suits your spec, two on fleabay now...

Gas bottle wood burners can be great if designed and made correctly. My water heating gas bottle wood burner works really well!

Cough, cough, cough.