Anyone else running a wood burner alongside solar in a small cabin? Curious how you're managing it

So I've finally got the cabin to a point where I'm reasonably happy with it — 400W of panels on the roof, a 200Ah LiFePO4 battery, and a Morso Squirrel 1410 as the main heat source. The solar handles lighting, a 12V compressor fridge, phone charging and a small inverter for the laptop. Works a treat from about March through to October. Winter is a different story entirely.

The problem I keep running into is condensation. When the burner's going hard and the outside temp drops below 5°C, I'm getting moisture on the single-glazed windows and on the walls near the floor. I've got a Webasto Thermo Top Evo on standby for when I'm away for a few days and don't want to leave the burner unattended, but that's pulling from a separate diesel tank rather than the main battery bank. Cabin itself is roughly 5x3m, tongue and groove pine, 50mm Celotex in the walls and 75mm in the roof.

Has anyone managed to crack the condensation issue without going full vapour barrier and ripping the walls apart? I've been looking at a small positive pressure ventilation unit but not sure if that's overkill for a space this size. Also wondering if a Ecowarm underfloor mat under a sheet of OSB would help with the cold floor which seems to be where most of the damp is sitting.

AndyWilliams | 847 posts

@JakeHall76 Nice setup! The Squirrel is a cracking little stove — I ran one in my Welsh cabin for three years.

One thing worth considering is using the wood burner's heat to your battery's advantage in winter. LiFePO4 cells really don't like charging below 0°C, so if your battery is inside the cabin near the stove, you're actually doing it a favour on cold nights. Mine sits in an insulated box in the corner and the ambient warmth from the fire keeps it happy.

Also worth looking at a small DC fan powered from your battery to circulate the warm air — pulls barely anything and makes a real difference to how evenly the heat spreads. Mine draws about 2W on low speed.

What orientation are your panels? Winter angles matter a lot once you're relying on the stove more heavily.

@JakeHall76 that's a decent little setup. The Squirrel is a solid choice — I've got a similar situation on the narrowboat, and the thing nobody tells you is how much the wood burner fights your humidity sensors and any electronics mounted nearby. Took me an embarrassing amount of time to work out why my Victron BMV readings were going haywire — turned out condensation cycling from the stove was getting into the shunt connections.

Worth boxing off your battery monitoring gear away from the heat zone if you haven't already. LiFePO4 cells don't love repeated thermal cycling either, even mild stuff.

Also — and I say this as someone who learned the hard way — 200Ah disappears faster than you'd think when solar production drops in winter and you're running a 12V fan to circulate warm air from the burner.

@JakeHall76 the Squirrel is a cracking little stove — had one in my cabin for three winters now. The thing nobody mentions until it's too late: the heat absolutely murders your battery readings if the bank is anywhere near the flue wall. Had my Victron SmartShunt throwing wildly optimistic SOC figures one February because the ambient temp around the sensor kept creeping up.

Moved the battery box to the opposite end of the cabin and everything settled down immediately.

Also worth thinking about the damp cycle — stove goes out overnight, condensation builds, stove fires up again. A small hygrometer near your panels' cable entry points will tell you a story you don't necessarily want to hear.

The solar and wood heat combo is genuinely brilliant though. Mine covers lighting, a 12V fridge, and the laptop without breaking a sweat through most of the year.

Paddy78 | 234 posts

@JakeHall76 Great combo — I run something similar up in Cumbria. One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet: keep an eye on your battery temps in winter. When the stove's roaring and the cabin gets properly warm, your LiFePO4 will perform noticeably better than it would sitting in a cold space. I've noticed a real difference in usable capacity on days when the stove's been going versus freezing overnight. Worth positioning the battery somewhere it benefits from the warmth without being too close to the heat source obviously. Also if you're not already doing it, a small 12V fan to circulate the warm air costs almost nothing to run and makes the whole setup feel much more efficient. What are you using for lighting — LED strips or individual fittings?

CumbrianExplorer | 412 posts

@JakeHall76 Fellow Cumbrian here so I know exactly the conditions you're dealing with! One thing worth mentioning — on those grey November days when the solar is barely producing, the stove's radiant heat can actually interfere with your battery temperature readings if the bank is nearby. Learned that the hard way when my BMS was reporting oddly warm temps and throttling charge acceptance. Worth keeping a bit of distance or at least monitoring it.

Also, if you're not already doing it, a decent flue thermometer is invaluable — running the Squirrel too cool to "save wood" just leads to creosote buildup, which is a real pain. Run it hot for the first 20 minutes then settle it down.

What's your main electrical load during winter? Lighting or something bigger?

SarahFrost | 312 posts

@JakeHall76 Great combination — I run almost exactly the same setup in my cabin in the Scottish Borders! One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet: be mindful of condensation management during the colder months. The wood burner dries the air out beautifully, but if you're cooking or doing anything that generates moisture whilst the stove isn't lit, it can cause havoc with any electronics or woodwork nearby. I've got a small 12V fan running off the battery to keep air circulating when the stove's out. Also worth checking your battery's low-temperature charging cutoff — LiFePO4 really doesn't like being charged below around 0°C, which can catch you out on frosty mornings before the cabin warms up. Does your BMS handle that automatically or are you managing it manually?

NickBennett | 87 posts

Running a Squirrel 1410 in my garden office too — turns out the best battery management system is just not freezing to death while the Victron sorts the rest out. 🪵