Ask me about food.
How Permies.com Works (lots of useful links)
Eric Hammond wrote:Ok I understand the channel. What do you mean by a trip wire?
Julia Winter wrote:
Did you insulate your heat riser? What did you use? (It's possible the original metal is gone but your "insulation" has hard-fired to the point it has structural strength on its own, if you used something like perlite in clay for the insulation.)
Eric Hammond wrote:
Mark Tudor wrote:One tip I recently read was to make sure the surface is actually comfortable to sit on, which is rarely a flat surface that meets the wall at 90 degrees. Instead they suggest that there be a slight slope down as you go back, about 5 degrees, so your butt is a little lower, and then have the angle from seat to back rest be greater than 90 degrees, more around 100-110 degrees. If you aim for 17" high, test that with a chair to be sure your feet can sit flat on the floor and your legs don't have a gap under them. You also want the bottom of the bench to be several inches further in (closer to the wall) than at the top, so you can scoot your heels in to aid in standing up.
I've really enjoyed watching your progress, mentally building my own vicariously through you!
This is a good idea. I'll sit in as many chairs as possible and figure out the best slope. The width of the bench I got from measuring half a queen size bed, because I fully intend to take as many naps as possible on it.....a little slope might keep me from rolling off as well![]()
Staci Kopcha wrote:
Eric Hammond wrote:
Mark Tudor wrote:One tip I recently read was to make sure the surface is actually comfortable to sit on, which is rarely a flat surface that meets the wall at 90 degrees. Instead they suggest that there be a slight slope down as you go back, about 5 degrees, so your butt is a little lower, and then have the angle from seat to back rest be greater than 90 degrees, more around 100-110 degrees. If you aim for 17" high, test that with a chair to be sure your feet can sit flat on the floor and your legs don't have a gap under them. You also want the bottom of the bench to be several inches further in (closer to the wall) than at the top, so you can scoot your heels in to aid in standing up.
I've really enjoyed watching your progress, mentally building my own vicariously through you!
This is a good idea. I'll sit in as many chairs as possible and figure out the best slope. The width of the bench I got from measuring half a queen size bed, because I fully intend to take as many naps as possible on it.....a little slope might keep me from rolling off as well![]()
Hi- this was great information. I am having to re-think my own bench which is in progress.
Eric, how are you backing your benches? Are you going with cob all of the way up?
I would like to widen mine...though they are nearly at complete height (15"). Do you think that adding 3-4 inches to the outside face would compromise integrity?
Thank you!
Laura Kelly wrote:I thought I read every post in this thread, but didn't see info on what you used for the vertical heat riser in the barrel. Was it firebrick? I have read somewhere on permies that brick is better than steel, even heavy steel, as it will degrade over time. I read that a few years AFTER I built my rmh with a steel riser. I've done my best to align mirror and lights to see what is happening inside my sealed barrel, and it all looks okay. I have fired it up again for this season and it runs well. The only issue I have had is the corrosion that happened in my pipe as it exits the cob wall of my house. I had a gentle downward slope, as I had been directed, but neglected to add a tiny drain hole. Moisture that collected at this low point as the pipe takes the vertical turn eventually rusted through and affected draw. There just wasn't enough heat in the pipe by this point to keep it dry, and I suppose moisture made it in even in summer. Anyway, I was able to just replace one section of pipe and all is well again this year. a tiny drainage hole doesn't seem to affect draw. I'm guessing that the insulated stainless pipe you chose for the exit pipe will hold up better. I have 4 clean-outs and use them at least twice a year. I get quite a bit of ash in the horizontal bench areas and some creosote, especially in the cooler exterior pipe. Luckily I have a clean-out at the bottom of the exterior vertical, so I can clean it from the ground.
Laura
Nicole Alderman wrote:Some days I'm really glad I have infinite apples. Today is one of those days! Thank you so much, Eric, for this awesome, detailed, helpful and informative thread!
For all your Rocket Mass heater parts.
Visit me at
https://dragontechrmh.com/
Well, may be because i race the J tubes, and i have never used bigger than 6. My batch burns for more than one hour. But it's big. Firebox is approximately 74 liters. IIRC, i can feed it 16 kilos of logs at once. But this may be more.Eric Hammond wrote:
"Why did Satamax say these things required constant attention?" I basically filled mine up and walked away. I wonder if its a difference between 6" and 8"?
The amount of rocks I'm putting in is borderline rediculous now. As much as I can fit in a single row without overlap
God of procrastination https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1EoT9sedqY
For all your Rocket Mass heater parts.
Visit me at
https://dragontechrmh.com/
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
David Huang wrote:Thanks for the updates Eric. I'm well into the build of my RMH now and noticed a detail in your photos that didn't come to my attention before. Am I seeing correctly that you used a pipe to initially angle your duct work DOWN after exiting the manifold? My understanding was that it should have a slight upward rise until going straight up and out the chimney? I'm asking because it sure would be convenient for me to be able to do such a shift down before starting a slight upward rise in order to better fit into my mass bench. (I'm doing a pebble style.) I suppose since the hot gasses have been dropping down into the manifold there's no real reason why they can't drop a bit further just outside it too.
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
Eric Hammond wrote:The one other thing I wanted to mention....reading through this topic and through Staci's build, both Satamax and Staci have mentioned that they find feeding the beast finicky/requires a lot of attention.
I have not found this to be the case with me at all. In fact right before it was mentioned in Staci's post I had loaded the stove up and went to take a hot bath, while thinking in the tub I was wondering "Why did Satamax say these things required constant attention?" I basically filled mine up and walked away. I wonder if its a difference between 6" and 8"?
Here is how it's going for me.
Staci Kopcha wrote:
"finicky" for me:
I am constantly moving, poking, rearranging. If I fill too full, it will smoke. If something burns down and the load shifts, it will smoke. If the pieces I use are too long (I have many), it smokes. If the pieces are not round and more angle, it smokes. I generally am checking on it, eyeing on it from across the way (for smoke) every five minutes or so. I have taken to NOT filling up the box, and maintaining space between the wood (not recommended, I know) to prevent the smoke.
I do think 6 vs 8" has something to do with it. And wet cob.
Silence is Golden
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
Hans Albert Quistorff, LMT Hans Massage Qberry Farm
magnet therapy
gmail hquistorff
David Huang wrote:Awesome score, Eric! That sounds like it will be an ongoing resource for you too! It reminds me of the free scrap I used to see at a place that made moldings back when I used to do some woodworking. I may need to look into that myself as it does seem like a fabulous source for easy kindling if nothing else.
I did my inaugural test burn in my rocket mass heater this evening. It was fantastic! It lit up beautifully and easily, with a solid draft pulling all the smoke into the burn chamber. I am amazed at how much heat the little amount of wood I burned put out! For a cold start in my old wood stove it would have just been barely warming things up. I decided not to do a long burn thinking it might be easier on the wet cob/mortar sections to more slowly evaporate out the moisture. I did get some cracking in the cob laid down yesterday to seal my barrel down. I'm not surprised as I had a hard time envisioning that not cracking as the barrel heated up. I can't wait to see how this goes once I add the pea gravel mass to the system!
Hans Quistorff wrote:Also check such places for plainsong shavings and sawdust These hard woof materials are most excellent for worm composting in my experience.
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
David Huang wrote:Here's one final image I took by putting my camera down into the burn chamber so I could see what was happening. This is as far in as I could reach on my 6 inch system to clean out ash. Next it would seem that I need to figure out some sort of clean out tool to make so I can get all the way back. Is there something readily available most other people use that I don't know about? Fortunately for me I'm a metalsmith by trade so designing and making something shouldn't be too difficult, but I'm wondering how others deal with this issue?
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
For all your Rocket Mass heater parts.
Visit me at
https://dragontechrmh.com/
I'm not quite a lumberjack, but that's OK, I sleep all night and I dream all day; I'll coppice trees, I'll grow my food, and compost poo and pee! With a well and off-grid solar, it's a permies life for me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FshU58nI0Ts
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
My latest blog post is Recent Studies Reveal Awesomely Effective Treatment for Rampaging Disease.
James 1:19-20
Not all those who wander are lost - J. R. R. Tolkien
For all your Rocket Mass heater parts.
Visit me at
https://dragontechrmh.com/
God of procrastination https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1EoT9sedqY