RMH uses EIGHT TIMES less wood to heat a house than a wood stove

[rhoda_bruce]

Cool. I will ask DH if he can get it on his Kindle. Not as UTD on some of this new stuff like him. I bought the old fashion kinda book. About to read it. I want to make an outdoor camp thingy to have fun with the family and put a RMH as an experiment then do one for my home when I'm a pro.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Paul......got a problem. Its called my life. Well, my husband is, as I type this, hooked up to an external defribulator, due to a heart attack he suffered in August. My father is, as I type this, waiting for orthopedic surgery, on a fractured pelvis, he sustained yesterday, and my brother is considered one of the healthy ones in the family, which was opposite a year ago. Fortunately I do have a son, who is grown, who can help me, although he is in school.
Okay....one more thing....I live in a very wet climate, prone to hurricanes and floods. So the area I would put the RMH in, can't take just any type of mud, cob....I'm not familiar with some types. There are no adobe type structures in my area, at all. We just can't have that. So I know nothing about cob.
Is it possible to make a RMH out of brick and mortar only?
I'm very limited on the help I will get to make it. My son and I barely have enough firelogs together for our potbelly. Basically everything is falling behind fast. Can cob be used in wet climates?

 

[paul wheaton]

Check out this portable rocket mass heater. It is a wooden box filled with rocks:

http://www.permies.com/t/2558/stoves/portable-rocket-mass-heater

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Thanx....I will and call DH also, who is for the first time, checking out the book. Thinking about closing in downstairs with tarps, just for the winter and putting a RMH there, if we can. (Heat rises, etc....) Basically, we are prepared for nature's fury, which to us, isn't the cold....its the wind and water. We bloom where we planted, but for just a few months we do need some heat. Thanks again.

 

[Steveca]

Does anybody know if a waste/used oil drip can be added to this to burn old motor oil or fryer oil as a supplement to the wood once the chamber gets good and hot? Or has anyone built one to specifically burn oil? This is a video of my modified babington burner that doesn't drip excessive oil while burning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUTwNWMRhQ0

 

[Marianne]

I'm sure that Paul will join in here shortly, but I'm sure he's going to say no on adding oil to this design. The rocket mass heater uses such a small amount of wood, everything is 'rockety burned' so there is only steam and a small amount of CO2 from the chimney. The oil would create some real issues.

I watched your video, pretty interesting stuff you do there, Steve!

 

[paul wheaton]

I'm pretty sure I recorded a podcast with Ernie and Erica talking about burning all sorts of things. Ernie seems especially interested in coming up with a design that will burn almost any kind of garbage - especially plastics.

We made something a week ago that had a fire so hot that we put a thick iron rod in it and it was bright orange in about 30 seconds. And this was from a handful of twigs. A blacksmith was there and commissioned E&E to design a new forge for him that does not need coal or bellows.

The point is: yes, I think it is possible; yes, I think a lot more is also possible.

 

[k15n1]

(Curses! Youbtube is blocked at work!)

Everything that's old is new again. The old "russian" stoves were very similar in design, but "fireplace" doesn't roll off the tongue like "rocket mass heater".

I'd like to see a study where someone does a controlled comparison. I think you'll find that the sort of person who is interested in RMHs is also likely to make sensible efficient choices in other areas of their life. I think RMHs are as much of a state of mind as they are a set of best practices for wood-burner design.

Good ideas need a champion, though. Thanks, Paul.

 

[Steveca]

I'm sure that Paul will join in here shortly, but I'm sure he's going to say no on adding oil to this design. The rocket mass heater uses such a small amount of wood, everything is 'rockety burned' so there is only steam and a small amount of CO2 from the chimney. The oil would create some real issues.

I watched your video, pretty interesting stuff you do there, Steve!

Hehe, yeah, I am pretty much all over the place. I love to tinker and do new things, come up with new ideas etc.

 

[Steveca]

I'm pretty sure I recorded a podcast with Ernie and Erica talking about burning all sorts of things. Ernie seems especially interested in coming up with a design that will burn almost any kind of garbage - especially plastics.

We made something a week ago that had a fire so hot that we put a thick iron rod in it and it was bright orange in about 30 seconds. And this was from a handful of twigs. A blacksmith was there and commissioned E&E to design a new forge for him that does not need coal or bellows.

The point is: yes, I think it is possible; yes, I think a lot more is also possible.

Being able to burn plastics would be great. We literally have an unending supply and we take literally a ton, at least, to the dump every month. I know the concept is there but being able to do it cleanly enough to not have annoying exhaust and excessive crud buildup would be the major issues that would need to be overcome. From burning used engine oil in my 2300 F forge, I know there is some material that doesn't get burned and gets left behind as scale type buildup, I don't want to think of what may be left behind burning plastic.