So we finally got up there from Feb 9th to the 11th and got our first chance to really fire the thing up for a real test. We had so much snow, it came up to your chest. Temps were in the 20's F.
I started the stove Saturday morning about 8am and it took a couple hours to heat that small yurt up to 65 degrees, mostly because the yurt was stone cold, as were the contents. By noon, all of the snow had melted off the yurt and it was nearly 80 degrees in there. At that point I turned it to below halfway and the temp stayed between the upper 60's and lower 70's depending on wind/sun.
I had some trouble with the initial set up and emailed my contact at the manufacturer a few times until we got it right. One thing I would recommend is that they put out a video and include it (DVD) with the product, make available for download on their site and also publish on Youtube. There are some things that are just better illustrated with video and would have save me and the manufacturer time. Diesel stoves are not common and people who have never used them before (like me) do not understand many of the concepts that someone who uses them every day (like the manufacturer) take for granted.
One thing I do plan on changing this Spring is that I will be mounting the tank outside somehow. When dealing with the tank, you inevitably spill a couple drops of diesel here and there. Not a big deal outside, but in a 10' yurt, it can stink it up quick. I can also get the tank higher outside, making for a better flow to the unit. In a larger yurt, with the larger stoves, I think this would be a requirement as you will want a larger tank anyway. Think 50 gallon tank or more, depending on usage. My test was with their smallest, more portable stove where a 5 gallon tank is more than enough.
One of the unsung features of this stove is that it is light, very light. One person can easily assemble, move and install this unit. After installing my 700lbs soapstone wood stove in my 30' yurt, this was a piece of cake.
It burns extremely clean, much cleaner than a wood stove. You might get a little smoke initially when you first fire it up, for maybe a couple minutes, but after that, the exhaust gasses are virtually clear.
In my opinion, these stoves are really ideal for the traditional Mongolian yurts such as the ones
and
make. Why? Those yurts are designed to be extremely portable and light. So are these stoves. What good is a light, portable yurt when you also have to haul around a wood/coal stove that weighs 200+ pounds? I think all together, stovepipe, cap and all, this weighs about 20 pounds or less. Ideal for the nomadic type.
It is also a good fit for the smaller yurts where space is at a premium. The clearances are tight and you do not need to take up space inside for the fuel like you do with wood or coal.
Overall I give this the thumbs up with the only area of improvement needed being that it could use better directions.
Installation of Trekker Diesel Stove into Surely Yurts Yurt
Linear Mode
