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Furnace for "tiny homes"

 
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has anyone done a small rocket mass furnace for a small home, particularly for a "tiny home" like those built on trailers, around 100-200 square feet?
I cant find any resources the way I'm searching.
thanks for any advice and direction.
 
Posts: 236
Location: Seattle, WA
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The problem with having a RMH in a tiny trailer home is the mass. You are usually confined by the weight limit of the trailer and the house and you posessions usually are maxing that out. Trying to add in an additional 1000-2000 pounds for a RMH will push you over the limit. There was some talk at one point of making a portable system that used water as the mass. This system could be stored in the trailer while moving, placed out side when at your location and filled with water. After the water was heated with the rocket stove, you would then pump the water through radiator system in the home to get the radiant heat effect. This system has not been built, so it is all theoretical.

In reality, I am not sure it would be worth the effort. When you are only trying to heat <200 sqft, using a small Sardine Stove, while not as efficient, would be much more simple. It wouldn't take much to heat up the place, and if it was well insulated, it would stay warm for quite a while.
 
Chris Magnus
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Not worth it?
If we all lived naturally, in tiny home type environments, wouldn't it still be better to save nature in any way possible?
When I get the opportunity to build my tiny house, you can bet that I'll have found a way to have an Eco friendly heater.
Water seems to be scientifically the best heat sink. It's also easily dumpable and refillable. I'll have to design my tiny house doors wide enough to store the barrels inside for transport. I just need a trailer now
 
Tom OHern
Posts: 236
Location: Seattle, WA
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Chris, when I said not worth it, I was specifically speaking about jumping through all the hoops to get a standard RMH working in a tiny trailer home. With the weight limitations, I just don't see it working out well without breaking your axles. I am not saying that eco friendly heating efforts are not worth it, just that RMH are not the answer. Now, if you want to build a tiny house on a foundation, then a RMH could work. But if you must build a home on a trailer, then I think considering a tiny conventional woodstove is still a good option. Yes, you are not getting as good of efficiency as a RMH, but you are making up for that by having a home that is 1/10th the size of a modest conventional home. I absolutely encourage you to experiment, but you asked why you haven't seen anyone else do a RHM in a tiny trailer home, and this is why.
 
pollinator
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Location: Kansas Zone 6a
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The efficiency gained from an rmh is lost after towing the house a few miles.

Water as the mass is an answer, but it still takes up space and building a freeze proof water system is not easy.
 
gardener
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio,Price Hill 45205
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A rocket with a barrel could be stacked with mass, mass that could be found onsite and discarded when it was time to move.
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