Nu-Way propane stove experience?

[AK Troutbum]

September of 2020 I used a custom-built propane stove to heat my 12-man tipi (with liner). It was a double burner propane stove (20,000 BTU each burner) and we never used the second burner. We were on an exposed ridge top and in several decades of hunting moose in Alaska every year it was about as cold as any September I can remember save one or two.

The stove I used was designed with dual baffles and heat exchanger tubes with a forced-air fan. I have no experience with the NuWay stove personally, but the design utilizes only a single baffle so more of the heat generated at the burner will be wasted up the stove pipe and vented outside.

We were on the ridge top for 14 days, three of which were nasty weather stuck-in-the-tipi days with the stove going all day. We used two 17# fiberglass bottles of propane and another 5-6# of propane from a third. On non-weather days we'd run the stove for about 45 minutes to an hour in the morning and about 1 1/2 hours during toddy time and dinner time in the evening. With a less efficient stove and similar usage patterns the amount of propane used might be more.

Wood stoves are great and the beauty of using good dry wood if readily available reduces the amount of bulk and weight you have to transport to your hunting location. I own a wood stove and believe in them. But if wood is hard to come by propane is a very nice alternative.

We went to the expense of flying in via Super Cub the propane system because we're above tree line and hauling dead trees up hill as much as half of a mile gets old really fast. If your weight budget and cubic inch budget can accommodate a propane system it's the cadillac way to go. Instant heat, no screwing around with cutting, splitting, and lighting wood, infinite heat level adjustability, etc.

Very cool setup indeed! How was the fan run on the stove, looks like a cord going to ? Also, would you say that the fan was a big contributor to the heat distribution?


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[AK Troutbum]

I've used one for years. They are basically a vented propane BBQ grill in a box. Super simple. Nothing really to report. Expensive, but much safer, drier, and more fuel efficient than a Buddy Heater or wood stove.

For an AO tent, I never have to use more than one burner. The second one will cook you out down to well below freezing. A 20 lb propane bottle gets a crew through a week long moose camp easy enough.

I’d be using it in an AO 12, and probably wouldn’t experience temps much less than upper teens, at the coldest. I know it’s probably hard to say, but under those conditions, do you think a 20# bottle would last, say 4-5 hours a day, over the course of 2 weeks?


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[Mi_fiveo]

I tried the nuway 4000 in my 14x16 Davis wall tent. It’s sucked. Most of the heat goes right up the chimney. I tried heat exchangers and different dampers but the end result is that is a poor performer for heating a larger tent. There is no replacement for real woodstove heat, especially when it’s damp out or below freezing.

 

[John Havard]

Ak Troutbum, two things maximized the heat from the stove:

1) intentionally designing the stove to be a propane stove and not a wood stove with a propane burner installed. A wood stove has to have a steady draw to burn efficiently. That means that unavoidably a fair amount of the heat is exhausted out the stove pipe. By utilizing a heat exchanger design (two opposing baffles with heat exchanger tubes in between) we maximized the amount of heat that is trapped inside the body of the propane stove before exiting up the stove pipe.

2) by blowing air through the heat exchanger tubes the heat transfer from the stove to the inside of the tent was increased. Radiant heat distribution is good, but utilizing the heat exchanger tubes to heat and expel warm air into the tipi increased the amount of heat captured and kept inside vs going up the vent pipe and outside where it does no one any good. A propane burner that's rated to 20,000 BTU's is the same in any propane stove. How you capture and use and distribute that heat to keep as much of it inside the tent/tipi as possible is a process engineering design problem.

The fan was powered by one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Technology-High-Capacity-Compatible/dp/B07S829LBX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2932X33FMH56G&dchild=1&keywords=anker+charger+portable&qid=1617717588&sprefix=anker+charger,aps,426&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQlVGNVhXNjU5TUkzJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTc4NDg2SUpRNTFKMUcyTlpVJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5OTUwMTkzMktaQUVHM0hFQ1hXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Because this was a prototype first-run situation I had a CO monitor on the table right beside the stove all the time with nary a peep. It takes very little heat differential inside the vent pipe to safely vent the CO and CO2 and water vapor up and out the stove pipe.

 

[Yellowknife]

I’d be using it in an AO 12, and probably wouldn’t experience temps much less than upper teens, at the coldest. I know it’s probably hard to say, but under those conditions, do you think a 20# bottle would last, say 4-5 hours a day, over the course of 2 weeks?


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4-5 hrs a day on low would probably be ok, although two weeks is a stretch. You would be intentionally conserving fuel to make it work. I have typically run them all night on the lowest setting in an AO 10 or 12, but I don't think I've gone more than about 6 nights.

For the guys complaining about the heat output... these are NOT ideal for big wall tents. They will waste a ton of heat at high settings and aren't going to put out enough BTU's to fight the drafts and space in a big canvas tent or tipi. They will do just fine in an Arctic Oven, which is the primary use in Alaska. AO's have an insulated liner, and run on low those stoves do a great job of producing steady heat in that application, compared to a wood stove that will almost always cook you out.

I also used one to heat a 20' guard shack for a month off the road system. That worked out pretty well too.

 

[AK Troutbum]

4-5 hrs a day on low would probably be ok, although two weeks is a stretch. You would be intentionally conserving fuel to make it work. I have typically run them all night on the lowest setting in an AO 10 or 12, but I don't think I've gone more than about 6 nights.

For the guys complaining about the heat output... these are NOT ideal for big wall tents. They will waste a ton of heat at high settings and aren't going to put out enough BTU's to fight the drafts and space in a big canvas tent or tipi. They will do just fine in an Arctic Oven, which is the primary use in Alaska. AO's have an insulated liner, and run on low those stoves do a great job of producing steady heat in that application, compared to a wood stove that will almost always cook you out.

I also used one to heat a 20' guard shack for a month off the road system. That worked out pretty well too.

So, based on your experiences YK, I went ahead and bought the 4000. I ordered it online (cheapest deal I could find), and it came with the 5' hose and regulator. So now I need to buy the 3" pipe, spark arrester/rain cap, damper, etc. I also think I'll need a 10' hose as well because I just don't see the 5' being long enough. Did you get all your stuff through AK Tent and Tarp, or did you shop around? Asking because I'm wondering if the nesting pipe can be found for cheaper elsewhere or if it's even that big of a convenience, or should I just buy some 3" stuff from Lowe's or somewhere else? I'll be using it in an AO 12.

 

[Yellowknife]

I ended up buying it from AK Tent and Tarp. They were very pricy on the stove, but it came with the entire correct kit to fit one of their tents. Calling those guys up will be the easy button to kitting yours out.

The nesting pipe will fit between the legs and let the whole show slide down into an action packer. I believe I also use one regular stick of 3" at the bottom, and it will also need a male to male adapter to fit it to the top of the stove.

You will want the 10' (or longer) hose unless you want to cut a hole in the tent.. I run it up and out one of the vent snorkels. I've never found much use for the damper, but sometimes an elbow can help line things up with the exit. You will also want a metal tray to protect the floor if you don't have one.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I ended up buying it from AK Tent and Tarp. They were very pricy on the stove, but it came with the entire correct kit to fit one of their tents. Calling those guys up will be the easy button to kitting yours out.

The nesting pipe will fit between the legs and let the whole show slide down into an action packer. I believe I also use one regular stick of 3" at the bottom, and it will also need a male to male adapter to fit it to the top of the stove.

You will want the 10' (or longer) hose unless you want to cut a hole in the tent.. I run it up and out one of the vent snorkels. I've never found much use for the damper, but sometimes an elbow can help line things up with the exit. You will also want a metal tray to protect the floor if you don't have one.

Great, thanks for the info. At some point they started sewing in a spot for the LP hose to go through the tent, right above where the floor material meets the Vapex, so that's kind of nice. I'll probably just run by Tent and Tarp tomorrow and get what I need to finish it off. Thanks again.

 

[Voyageur]

@AK Troutbum
Have you had a chance to use your Nu-Way stove yet? I'm considering one for those times I camp in NF lands that don't allow any sort of fire (including wood stoves) outside of campground fire pits.
Thanks.

 

[Voyageur]

Based on what I've read here the smallest Nu-Way (2000 Model) should work in an 8 man tipi in moderately cold temps down into the teens at night???

 

[AK Troutbum]

@AK Troutbum
Have you had a chance to use your Nu-Way stove yet? I'm considering one for those times I camp in NF lands that don't allow any sort of fire (including wood stoves) outside of campground fire pits.
Thanks.

I've only done the initial burn in the garage, just to bake the paint and see how much heat it gives off. You definitely want to do the first burn in an open setting or someplace that you can vent well, because that thing smokes big time for about the first 20 minutes or so.

 

[Voyageur]

I've only done the initial burn in the garage, just to bake the paint and see how much heat it gives off. You definitely want to do the first burn in an open setting or someplace that you can vent well, because that thing smokes big time for about the first 20 minutes or so.

Thanks for the tip. Please give us an update after you have put your stove to use in the field.

 

[Hoopleheader]

My brother and I both used a the higher BTU models this fall/ winter. Myself in an AO Igloo, and my brother in a 10x10 Cabelas Instinct Outfitter tent. Never had an issue heating either into the teens F, usually with just one burner, and that one burner often being turned down.

The AO 12 is definitely larger in volume than my igloo, but I can’t imagine it would struggle for heat. The cabelas 10x10 has a smaller footprint but likely similar volume and we didn’t have issues.

Running two burners would run you out of the tent.

Based on reviews here, I don’t think they have the BTUs to heat a single walled (synthetic or canvas) structure, but the double walled (tent and fly) construction of our tents trap a dead air space and are easier to heat. I honestly don’t think running a wood stove would be all that fun in my igloo unless it was below zero, and even then would likely be uncomfortably hot much of the time.

 

[Needcoffee]

Ak Troutbum, two things maximized the heat from the stove:

1) intentionally designing the stove to be a propane stove and not a wood stove with a propane burner installed. A wood stove has to have a steady draw to burn efficiently. That means that unavoidably a fair amount of the heat is exhausted out the stove pipe. By utilizing a heat exchanger design (two opposing baffles with heat exchanger tubes in between) we maximized the amount of heat that is trapped inside the body of the propane stove before exiting up the stove pipe.

2) by blowing air through the heat exchanger tubes the heat transfer from the stove to the inside of the tent was increased. Radiant heat distribution is good, but utilizing the heat exchanger tubes to heat and expel warm air into the tipi increased the amount of heat captured and kept inside vs going up the vent pipe and outside where it does no one any good. A propane burner that's rated to 20,000 BTU's is the same in any propane stove. How you capture and use and distribute that heat to keep as much of it inside the tent/tipi as possible is a process engineering design problem.

The fan was powered by one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Technology-High-Capacity-Compatible/dp/B07S829LBX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2932X33FMH56G&dchild=1&keywords=anker+charger+portable&qid=1617717588&sprefix=anker+charger,aps,426&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQlVGNVhXNjU5TUkzJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTc4NDg2SUpRNTFKMUcyTlpVJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5OTUwMTkzMktaQUVHM0hFQ1hXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Because this was a prototype first-run situation I had a CO monitor on the table right beside the stove all the time with nary a peep. It takes very little heat differential inside the vent pipe to safely vent the CO and CO2 and water vapor up and out the stove pipe.

Are the tubes straight pass through or bent in an S curve on your stove?

I know this is an older thread and I would PMd you but apparently don't have enough posts.

 

[John Havard]

tubes are straight

 

[AK Troutbum]

Thanks for the tip. Please give us an update after you have put your stove to use in the field.

Sorry about just now getting back to this. I’ve found that I rarely need to use both burners and really, the only time I do is when I want to quickly take the chill off. I haven’t used it in any extreme cold (I never really had plans to), but I have used it on extended hunts where it’s gotten cold enough to snow, and stick for a few days. The way I’ve mostly used it, I can usually get about 10 days, give or take, out of a 20 lb. cylinder, and this is including a few nights of running it with one burner on low.


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[GoatPackr]

tubes are straight

How many tubes? Are they about 1" from the looks of it? I'd love to know more details about it if Mike would allow you to share. Would he want to biuld another to sell? If not maybe just some info for a DIY guy like myself.
I think I could modify a Nu-way to work with a fan and exchanger system to heat my 25' enclosed trailer. I use a buddy heater now but moisture is bad and I'm planning to do something else.

Kris

 

[Needcoffee]

Looks like 3 tubes from the pics. If your buddy wouldn't mind sharing burner tube and valve part numbers. It would be much appreciated. I like the fan idea a lot and think using a Peltier thermoelectric generator to drive it might work well.

 

[Nick Muche]

Last week we used a Nu-Way in our AO10, went through one 20# tank in two nights, but it was very cold (well below 0), nights are long, and we did not use a damper. My buddy went through 5.5 tanks in 7 nights in an AO12. Gonna bring the damper this week and 5 tanks of propane just in case! I really like this stove, so easy to use and plenty warm!

 

[skipper907]

used a nu-way stove last year on Kodiak. It was great not sure the model but think it was the one with doula 8inch burners, smaller than the one airframes sell. we really only ran one burner kept the AO tipi old model nice in Nov. In six day we probably burn just over half a tank of propane with running for about 6hrs the first 3 days morning and evening then 12hrs over night the last 3 days on low.
If you are able to get propane out on the hunt it is diffidently the way to go over a wood stove. I would only ever use wood again if I couldn't get propane to the hunt location.