rocket stove mass heater - more efficient than a chimney
 

PLEASE GO TO THE SITES LISTED BELOW!

We have been asked to remove some (but not all - very gracious of them) of the author's work and we are complying. He/She does excellent work and I recommend clicking through to their site.

Below is just a taste!

http://www.ernieanderica.info/rocketstoves

http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp


rocket mass heaters in a nutshell:
heat your home with 80% to 90% less wood
exhaust is nearly pure steam and CO2 (a little smoke at the beginning)
the heat from one fire can last for days
you can build one in a day and half
folks have built them spending less than $20


the verbose details on rocket mass heaters:

This could be the cleanest and most sustainable way to heat a conventional home. Some people have reported that they heat their home with nothing more than the dead branches that fall off the trees in their yard. And they burn so clean, that a lot of sneaky people are using them illegally, in cities, without detection. When somebody first told me about rocket mass heaters, none of it made sense. The fire burns sideways? No smoke? If a conventional wood stove is 75% efficient, doesn't that mean the most wood you could possibly save is something like 25%? How do you have a big hole right over the fire and not have the house fill with smoke? I was skeptical. And then I saw one in action. The fire really does burn sideways. The exhaust is near room temperature - and very clean. The smoke doesn't come back up because a huge amount of air is getting sucked into the wood hole. Neat! I sat on one that had not had a fire in it for 24 hours - it was still hot!

how it works:

http://538357.cache1.evolutionhostin...er-diagram.png

Unfortunately I can only include 10 vid/pic links per post! The whackness, you say!








Discussion thread where you can read more! http://www.permies.com/t/1078/altern...ve-butt-warmer

Thanks TNE.

I guess the next question is how many of these chad will build.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

just for the record, when i saw the thread title, it was like a tractor beam for me.

To me it was a bulls eye that I had to hit.........keeping this in my favorites for next summer......to cold now to do anything.

HAHAHA, mission successful in that case. This thread is my "good deed for the day" since sharing is caring!

I'm thinking how one of these would perform inside of a yurt. Apparently there are portable models, the "Greenhouse" version looks like it would take about an hour to construct with just some bricks!

Yurts are yummy . . .

I've experimented with those, and bought a book about them and their construction. Built several small versions to test the theory. It works... REALLY well. It's kind of disconcerting to see a fire burning sideways, though! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

What about the ashes?

Slide out metal drawer.

This is the book I bought, it's THE authoritative text on these things:

http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Mass-He.../dp/0966373839


I highly recommend it.

What about creosote?

Heat I believe. All is burned.

Still working on the design until I like it enough to build a "permanent" version for long-term use, but I don't imagine creosote will end up being much of a problem... these things burn SUPER efficient, they produce almost ZERO smoke, and the intensity of the flame needs to be seen to be believed! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/shocked.gif

Thanks Gaillo, they want $18.00 for a paper back.......I think that with all the drawings, photos and animations on line that I can build one.......already have five new favorites on this subjet.

Wow, Why Haven't I heard of this before. I know what My next project is going to be.

I see two categories of efficiency;
1) Efficiency at extracting maximum BTU's in the combustion chamber(s).
2) Efficiency at extracting heat from the smoke/exaust beyond the combustion chamber.

#1 is responsible for minimizing creosote, #2 traps creosote because of it's efficiency. Creosote builds up in cold pipes, not hot ones. Woodstoves have hotter pipes because they allow more heat to escape unused.

Some Indians had a tunnel system in the ground to carry smoke out of their teepees. I like the idea, but one problem is you would not be able to insure the structure you heat. Also, it seems you smoke up the house when you start the fire. How long do they burn?

I'm curious as to the life expectancy of the Heat riser and combustion chamber. You Know, what with all that intense heat how long before it starts warping and cracking or other wise compromising the combustion chamber?

I was thinking the same thing. You could get 2 pieces of 12 or 14 guage stainless steel rolled and another cut for the top and weld it together.