Anyone else running a small wood burner alongside solar in a cabin? Struggling to manage condensation

Just finished insulating my 6x4m timber cabin in the Peak District and I've got a 400W solar setup (2x 200W panels, a Victron 100/30 MPPT and a 200Ah lithium battery) running lights, a small 12V fridge and a laptop. It handles most things fine from spring through to autumn, but I'm now trying to figure out heating for the colder months without going full electric.

I've just fitted a Hobbit stove from Salamander — the 4kW model — and it's brilliant for warmth, but I'm getting a fair bit of condensation on the single-glazed windows and on the cold wall at the north end of the cabin. I've got a small 12V extract fan on a humidistat set to kick in at around 70% RH, but it still feels like a losing battle some days, especially after cooking or drying wet gear inside.

Has anyone managed to crack this properly in a small cabin setup? I'm wondering whether it's worth adding a second vent, upgrading to double glazing on the worst window, or whether I'm just fighting against the nature of a small well-sealed space with a heat source inside. Would love to hear what others are running and what's actually worked in practice.

Hey @MaxYoung80, great setup! Condensation in timber cabins with wood burners is a classic headache. A couple of things worth considering - firstly, have a look at your air bricks and any passive ventilation; a wood burner pulls air and the moisture has to go somewhere.

On the solar side, you could wire in a small 12V extraction fan on a humidistat - draws minimal power from your Victron setup and kicks in automatically when humidity spikes. Something like a 12V Manrose or similar runs almost nothing off a 200Ah bank.

Also worth checking where your cold bridges are in that timber frame - often condensation forms on fixings and frame members rather than the insulation itself.

What insulation did you go with? Some materials handle moisture far better than others in this kind of application. Might help narrow things down. 👍

Not a cabin setup myself — doing a van conversion — but I had a nightmare with condensation before I sorted my ventilation properly. One thing that made a massive difference was adding a small 12V extractor fan wired directly into my leisure battery, running it on a humidity sensor so it only kicks in when moisture levels rise. Wondered if something similar would work for a cabin?

Also @MaxYoung80 — is your wood burner flue drawing properly? A poorly drawing flue can push damp air back into the space rather than venting it outside. Might be worth checking before assuming it's purely an insulation/ventilation issue.

Curious what your dew point looks like on the cold wall surfaces — have you got a cheap thermal camera? They're brilliant for spotting cold bridging on timber frames.

Great thread @MaxYoung80 — the Peak District climate will definitely keep you on your toes with this one!

One thing worth mentioning that nobody's touched on yet: have a look at your cold bridges, particularly where any metal fixings or window frames meet the timber frame. Even with good insulation, those spots will attract condensation first and you might be chasing the wrong culprit.

Also, with a wood burner you're getting big temperature swings — roaring hot then cooling overnight. A small hygrometer/thermometer combo (a few quid on Amazon) placed near the cold wall will help you understand when the condensation is actually forming, which makes solving it much easier. Sometimes it's not the burner itself but the cool-down phase catching you out.

What's your current ventilation setup like? Trickle vents, any extraction?

Running a static in Wales for three years taught me plenty about this exact battle. The wood burner is brilliant for warmth but it's basically a moisture pump — every breath of air it draws in and heats carries humidity straight into your timber frame.

The thing that genuinely transformed my situation was fitting a small hygrometer with a data logger (picked up a cheap one off Amazon). Watching the humidity spike in real time showed me exactly when to crack a vent versus stoke the fire harder. Dry heat after the initial burn-off is your friend.

Also worth checking: is your burner pulling air from inside the cabin or have you run an external air feed? That single change made a noticeable difference to my condensation problem because the burner stops competing with ventilation. @MaxYoung80 what's your current setup on that front?

Great setup @MaxYoung80 — the Victron kit will serve you well up there.

On the condensation front, one thing nobody's mentioned yet: a small DC exhaust fan tied into your solar system can make a real difference. I've got a 12V bathroom-style extractor running on a timer in my cabin, kicks in for 20 minutes morning and evening regardless of weather. Barely touches the battery but keeps air moving when the burner's not lit.

Also worth checking where your cold bridges are in that timber frame — corners and window reveals are usually the culprits in a 6x4. No amount of ventilation fully compensates if moisture is condensing on cold surfaces before it can be extracted.

What's your insulation setup — rigid foam, mineral wool, or something else? That might help narrow down where you're losing the battle.

Ran into the exact same battle in my van conversion — turns out a £12 hygrometer from Amazon is the most useful bit of kit I own that didn't come from Victron. 🌡️

Stick one near the burner and one on an exterior wall; the difference tells you whether you're fighting infiltration moisture (cold air sneaking in) or internal generation (breathing, cooking, that suspicious kettle habit). Peak District winters will make both feel personal. A small 12V USB fan pointed at any cold corners works wonders for circulation without touching your battery much — barely registers on the Cerbo if you've got one logging consumption.

Really interesting thread — I deal with condensation constantly on the boat so I know the pain, though the causes are slightly different.

One thing that's helped me massively is positioning a small 12V fan to keep air circulating near the cold hull/walls rather than letting it sit stagnant. Same principle would apply to your cabin corners and window reveals where condensation tends to pool first.

Also worth checking whether your wood burner has an external air intake option — burning indoor air creates negative pressure and can actually pull damp air in from gaps you didn't know existed.

Really feel your pain on this one @MaxYoung80 — Peak District winters are brutal for moisture. One thing worth trying is a small 12V computer fan running off your Victron system to keep air circulating, particularly in corners and around cold bridges in the timber frame. The wood burner itself can actually help dry the cabin out if you're running it hot enough, but the problem comes when it cools down overnight and temperatures drop sharply. A thermal mass like a few stone tiles near the stove can help maintain a steadier temperature through the night and reduce those condensation-causing fluctuations.

Great thread @MaxYoung80. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — check where your flue pipe passes through the wall or roof. That cold section creates a thermal bridge and you'll get condensation running back down into the cabin. Proper insulated twin-wall flue makes a real difference. Also worth thinking about your wood burner's air supply; if it's stealing warm moist cabin air to combust rather than drawing from outside, you're fighting a losing battle. A dedicated external air kit sorted mine completely. Combined with your solar running a small 12V extract fan intermittently, you should see a noticeable improvement.

Great thread @MaxYoung80 — one thing nobody's mentioned yet is the importance of a trickle vent or small gap between your wood burner and outside air supply. If the stove is pulling warm cabin air for combustion, you're creating negative pressure which drags cold damp air through every tiny gap in the structure. A dedicated air brick near the stove solves this and genuinely transformed moisture levels in my place. Also worth checking your flue pipe for cold spots where condensation tracks back down — a decent flue liner and keeping the stove burning hot rather than smouldering makes a big difference.

Had the exact same battle in my shepherd's hut last winter — turns out a moisture-absorbing paint (Dulux Damp Seal style) on the cold spots plus a cheap 12V bathroom extractor fan wired straight off the Victron system sorted it a treat. Run it on a basic timer so it kicks in morning and evening without draining the 200Ah. The wood burner basically acts as a dehumidifier when it's going anyway, your real enemy is when it cools down overnight and the moisture comes back with a vengeance.

Good point from @Chalky on the paint side. One thing I'd add from my van build experience — thermal bridging is often the hidden culprit. Even with decent insulation, any metal fixings or timber noggins running cold-to-warm will create localised cold spots and you'll get condensation exactly there regardless of ventilation.

Check with an infrared thermometer if you've got one (cheap ones off Amazon do the job fine). Seal those bridges with acoustic/thermal foam tape before anything else. Sorted a persistent damp patch behind my Webasto using this approach — same principle applies to a cabin setup.

Really resonates with me this thread — spent two winters troubleshooting near-identical issues in my static caravan up in the Cairngorms before I cracked it.

The thing that finally made the difference was a 12V heat recovery ventilator (HRV). Pulls moisture-laden air out while recovering around 70-80% of the heat — brilliant pairing with a wood burner setup since you're generating loads of warm, damp air. Mine runs happily off the same Victron system without noticeable battery drain overnight.

Worth checking out MVHR units on 12V — a few van conversion suppliers stock them. @CamperWayne might recognise the concept from motorhome builds.