thomas rubino

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Yes, that is what I remember.
I also remember that replacing the fan must have been a big deal, as on quite a few the fan no longer worked.

Long ago when I lived in New England, it was a common feature for fireplaces (most on an outside wall) to have what I think was called a heatilater.
A steel insert with air chambers (baby bells) and an electric fan to move extra heat into the room, and they did a good job.
Your inlaws fireplace sounds like a handmade version that does not require electricity.
It sounds very cool, a picture would have been nice.

Almost all those old farmhouses eventually ended up with a steel chimney insert and a large cast iron box stove replacing the fireplace.

Yesterday, I listed Paloma as a nonworking fixer upper on eBay, I also listed it on numerous local groups and Facebook marketplace.
I expected her to sell "locally" someplace that's within 100 miles or so.
This morning She sold on eBay!!!
Paloma is moving to Colorado!

I'm so glad she is going to continue working!
Hooray for a free marketplace!

Meanwhile, Mary has made herself right at home, a fine replacement for Paloma!    

Hi Kathleen;
Shorty started on a cement board put down over the original floorboards.
There is no access under the cabin at all.
I debated cutting through the floor to add shoring and decided to risk not doing it.
There is over 2500# in Shorty (A big girl) but it is spread over a 4x4' area, and the original floor is double-layer sitting on cedar logs.
I gambled that it would be fine and it seems, that so far I was correct.
Although that is a lot of weight, it is dispersed quite well.

I always have the option if, in ten years, the floor starts tilting.
I can cut an access hole at that time, and add extra support...
OR better yet the boys who will inherit this property could do so while I sit back and watch...
Yeah, I like that option best!

A stratification chamber is more commonly known as a bell.
A bell for an RMH is nothing more than a box of a specified size with walls and a roof.
It can be any shape that fits best in the space you have.
The hottest air rises to the top and slowly sinks lower as it is replaced by hotter air (Stratifying)
At floor level, the gases locate the exit chimney and leave the bell. Ideally, exit temperatures are over 140F and below 200F  having shared the majority of heat to be stored in the bell.
Tall and skinny, low as a bench, a large cube, it can have a flat top or an arched top, and it can even go under a set of stairs as long as there is easy gas (hot air) flow.
Similar to a European masonry stove, bells can also be built as a "double skin" with a brick box inside a brick box, creating twice the mass, holding the heat twice as long, and almost zero chance of exhaust gasses entering the living area.
Unlike a European design with its serpentine channels, the stratifying bell is simple to construct.
It can be made from any nonflammable material available, sheet metal, brick, stone, or even cement board or block.
They can be designed to shed heat quickly (metal) or built with mass outside or inside the enclosure to hold the heat for 24 hours or more.
They can be built as a work of art or as utilitarian as needed to keep warm.
Depending on what design RMH you build, firebricks or insulation are used for the roof of the bell, particularly over the riser.

The most important part of bell construction is to remain at or under the specified maximum ISA (internal surface area)
Peter has determined the maximum size of a bell for each size of the first generation Batchbox design.
5" BB can have an ISA of 39.8 sq ft
6" BB can have 57 sq ft
7" BB can have 77.5 sq ft
8" BB can have 101 sq ft of internal surface area
If you build the bell to match the BB size and have a proper chimney then you should have no problems with a poor draft.
Note) those numbers are for the original first generation of Batcbboxes, Shorty core uses a reduced ISA and I do not know the numbers for the DRS shoebox variants.
Surface area is simply width x height, each wall is measured, and if uninsulated the roof is measured, the floor does not count, nor does the BB core if inside the bell.
Those numbers are converted to sq ft and added together to determine the total bell ISA.

BYPASS)
A bypass is a shortcut to vent hot air from the top of the bell into the chimney, creating a strong draft.
Commonly a 4"  pipe with a blast gate is used to control flow.
A proper size bell mated to the matching  BB core size, with a proper chimney should not need a bypass.
A bypass will allow you to use a larger ISA than the published numbers. (But is not recommended by Peter)
A bypass can be a wonderful tool, to ease cold startups even with a proper size bell.
A bypass can be confusing to a novice stove operator, often, by leaving them open for an entire burn.

Integrating a BB core to a bell)
The most time-consuming and confusing part of a bell build is mating the core into the face of the bell.
Each build is different.
A core can be at floor level but is more commonly raised on a metal stand or sitting on a brick plinth.
Offset angle brackets and all-thread rods (tension frame) can be used to secure the core to the door backing plate or the door airframe.
Superwool insulation is used around your core to protect the metal tension frame pieces from warping.
Tapcon bolts can also be used to further secure the backing plate.
A door is hinged off of the backing plate or the airframe.

The majority of this information comes from Peter Berg's website https://batchrocket.eu/en/building














 

Use a sand blaster, it will come out shiny metal.
Depending on how big a bottle you have it might fit in a blast cabinet.
If it is too large, then you have to do it with a hand wand.

Well, Mary arrived on Tuesday.
Well packaged and in good condition.

Yesterday afternoon after several trips to the hardware store, I got to try her out for the first time.
I was suitably impressed!
I did have water leaks(drips) at my lines but after working all day I opted to place a catch pan underneath and take a shower.
After my shower, I turned off the water to the heater so it did not drip all night.


Today, I went in to see about stopping the drips.
Good grief!  What a pain in the butt!
I decided to make my cold water flex connection much shorter to match the 12" flex on the hot side.
A trip to the hardware store and I was all set... until I needed to return some of what I bought and purchase other different parts...
Then I assembled all the pieces using proper pipe dope (thread compound) I thought everything was tight... but think again...
It only leaked on the cold water side, the hot side was fine, but it leaked at every new piece I had installed!!!
I should mention that we have gravity water, when measured outside at the freeze-less hydrant in the yard water pressure is 125 psi...
A bit higher than the average home which is 40-50 psi.
Mary however works from 8psi up to 145psi so all good.
As a side note, Mary is not recommended for use at more than 2000' elevation.
I'm at 2600', but when I chatted with Steve he said I was still OK..
So, I went online and asked Google, and I learned something new!
There are two common ways to seal iron pipe.  
You can use Teflon tape or you can use pipe dope.
Both are highly recommended and both failed me!  Dam I hate when this happens!
I ended up at a plumbing website, where I learned that for pesky high-pressure leaks, it is ok to use Teflon tape and pipe dope at the same time!  
Who Knew? I took off all that I had done, I carefully taped and doped each piece.
I brought as many as I could to the shop and used the vice to make sure every fitting was as tight as could be.
I used large pipe wrenches on the fittings that had to be installed in place.
That did the trick! when I turned on the water I had no drips!

Mary is quite the machine! She ignites instantly when you turn on the water.
If you slow down the flow at the tap, she is capable of producing scalding hot water.
There is a neat LCD meter that shows the outgoing water temperature, it was showing 158F at the kitchen tap with the water slowed down.
Opening the sink all the way lowered it to 120F.  

We will need to try different adjustments, to fine-tune for the correct temps.

I am sorry to see Paloma retire but I am very pleased with Mary taking her place.
The owner's manual sucks, but the installation is straightforward enough that you really do not need it.
They claim to have great customer service and encourage you to call.

At just over $400, a good buy for what appears to be a quality built heater.








 

I wrote a detailed book on batchbox assembly, and another on building a heavy-duty door for them.
I had Peter Berg proof read it over to confirm its accuracy.
I suggest where and how to find things like firebricks in that book.
Big box store bricks are poor quality and intended for box stoves, not batchboxes.
Not everyone lives close to a full-size city, I travel 125 miles each way to buy supplies.
Some who live far away might need to travel much farther (think Alaska) where folks think nothing of traveling half a day or more to reach any city.

Is a book necessary?   No, it is not.
Every bit of construction info is available, from Peter directly on his website  (https://batchrocket.eu/en/building) here on Permies  https://permies.com/f/260/rocket-mass-heaters
from me at https://dragontechrmh.com/  or from Matt at  https://walkerstoves.com/   On Donkey Pro boards you can get very technical into building if you are interested in details https://donkey32.proboards.com/  All of this information is freely shared with the world.

I wrote these books to help folks avoid massive confusion with the overload of information on batchboxes.
As stated, building practices are constantly changing over the last decade.
As changes are proven they become the new standard for building.
Books written 5 - 10 years ago about J-Tube construction do not apply to Batchbox construction in 2024.
An auto repair manual for your 1968 Chevy would not help you fix your 2024 Chevy.
My books will be outdated soon, as Peter's new designs gain in popularity.
No one book can offer every detail that is changing.
Peter is a master builder and is still developing new Batchbox designs that are completely different from his first designs.

The bottom line
Anyone, any age, any gender can build an RMH if they desire it enough.
Some folks like myself in 2013, hear about these amazing wood burners and simply must have one.
I had all the same issues that others have, where do I get this? how do I do this?  There was one book available at that time (Ianto Evans) other than that there was Permies.
I bought the book, I read all the posts, I asked questions at Permies, I Purple Moosaged Matt Walker asking detailed questions.
I located all the parts and pieces and I just built one!    
Did I build it well??? Not really, but it worked and made me even more determined to build it better.

There can not reasonably be any mailorder all-inclusive RMH "kit".
Sure, I could load pallets of firebricks and clay bricks and all the other pieces and parts.
Not sure how many pallets that would take, half a dozen I would guess...
So truck freight to your house, the cost of all those pieces and parts, OH and you will need a forklift to unload that truck...
I would guess that might cost $5-10,00.
Now you have a yard full of pallets And you will still need to assemble those parts...

I hear that calling a stove-certified mason and having a European-designed masonry stove built easily costs $30,000 or more.
But...  there are no worries about supplies or building practices.



 

Hi Matt;
No refractory is used here at all anymore.
I tried it, did not like it, spent hours chipping and grinding it off, and lost numerous firebricks that broke during cleaning...
Clay mortar is pleasing to work with, pops right off, rehydrates, and can be used again.

Yes, one scoop of fireclay to 3 scoops of medium-graded sand makes a fine mortar.
In the case of that roof, very little of the firebrick is exposed to high heat.  The 1" of superwool around all the T-bars stops most of it.
So far, the tiles are running around 200F.
When I finish that project, I'll also use a clay mortar.