Eric Hammond

Saana Jalimauchi wrote:

Eric Hammond wrote:My days are nothing like that.  You have to burn a fire pretty much all day to warm the mass up and then you can get by with no fire at night, but you’ll need to burn all day again the next day.  With the temps getting here in the singe digits down to the negatives I expect to have to stay up extra late burning wood to keep the house warm

Oh, Eric, I have seen your thread about the build! Your rocket mass heater is beautiful!
What kind of temperatures are you trying to keep in the house?

I have also read about the cold that has arrived to USA, it was with us here in Finland about a week ago and wow.. It was cold! Our Masonry heater was used a lot, multible hours in the morning and in the evening. The temperatures in the house in the mornings were around 16C/60F.

Yesterday we got the house to around 76. The bench before bed was really hot 🥵 109-116 F. I measure 130 under a pillow. I think we stopped burning around 10 pm.  This morning it was about 63 by the bench and 60 at the other end of the room.

We lit a fire a little before 9 am and the house is now 66 2 hours later, the bench is about 82 F after burning 2 hours.  We will have a fire all day again today.  My house was built/designed for a rocket mass heater and has great insulation. I studied for years before I built mine.

I think our low last night was around 12 F, tonight is our coldest night, supposed to be -4

I love my rocket mass heater, but a lot of the claims around it seem pretty unrealistic to me.  I have no doubt that Paul’s are super awesome because he’s built tons of them, trialed and errored and has them down to a science.

Most people are just going to build one. So I wouldn’t expect the absolute best results.  I used one for my sole heat one winter and burned 1.3 cords of wood.  My buddy at work used a wood stove all winter and burned 1.5 cords

My days are nothing like that.  You have to burn a fire pretty much all day to warm the mass up and then you can get by with no fire at night, but you’ll need to burn all day again the next day.  With the temps getting here in the singe digits down to the negatives I expect to have to stay up extra late burning wood to keep the house warm

Roberto pokachinni wrote:

Eric Hammond wrote:I used my rocket mass heater solely one year, sw Missouri zone 6b. Heating started in October and ended in may. Well insulated house, built for a rocketmass heater. Used 1.2 to 1.3 cords that winter

I guess since you built the home with the RMH in mind, then you don't have any amount of cordwood burned in a conventional woodstove to compare?

What is the square footage of your home?  

You’re correct, I have no baseline to compare it to.

The footprint of the downstairs is 40x20, so roughly 800 square feet. Directly above the RMH is a big opening to the 2nd floor that I would say is 12x12 with a ceiling fan above it to help distribute warm air. The opening leads to a hallway on the second floor with all the bedrooms and then the stairs are on the opposite end of the house so basically cold air can fall down the stairs and get pulled back up at the other end where the RMH is. It actually seems to work really well. I’d say the upstairs is probably closer to 500 sq feet when I subtract the openings and I have a big unheated storage area on the upstairs, so roughly a house sized at 1300 sq ft heated walkable usable space.

The one thing I didn’t understand about heating with wood was I had in my mind that you burnt wood on snowy days.  I never really thought you would need a fire on a 60 degree day, but if your house is cold and you want it warmer, you gotta burn a fire to bring the temp up, so what I thought going in was 3 maybe 4 months of usage turned out to actually be 7 to 8

I used my rocket mass heater solely one year, sw Missouri zone 6b. Heating started in October and ended in may. Well insulated house, built for a rocketmass heater. Used 1.2 to 1.3 cords that winter

I’m just now getting close to finishing 5 years later 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I really think I will finish in the next two weeks. I just finished the lime plaster. I will seal it soon!

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:I came across a thoughtful piece, reaching far beyond Chattypants, that I think is worth reading:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/artificial-intelligence-jobs-careers-training-panle-the-national-1.6978515

I had a favorite book from when I was a teenager and I have never been able to find a writer quite like that one book.  I started using AI to create short stories similar to that book and it spits them out in seconds and it’s better than anything I’ve read it years.

I can seek how it will replace jobs easily.  Plots of movies etc can be spit out quickly

Flora Eerschay wrote:Also, AI hallucination is a thing...

To be fair, that article references getting Chatgpt to summarize an article that didn’t exist based on a fake url.

I know hundreds of humans that make up and assume things based on reading the title of an article, never reading the article and spouting it as fact 🤣


I also wonder since ai learns, if your inputting fictitious things and manipulating content to get the faults you would like to expose, are you teaching your ai experience that’s ok and to do that more, where as if you use the ai for valid thought processes if you wouldn’t get a better product in the end

Sebastian Köln wrote:It is good at all the things we are not proud of as humans...
- making stuff up (including citations)
- pretending to be someone else
- sounding very confident about it
- it steals text without attribution
- never gets to the point
- long answers that don't say much

I don't like it. Marketing loves it but they don't get the blame if it doesn't work as expected.

3 of these things can easily be taught out of it. If you don’t like long winded answers that don’t get to the point, you can teach it not to direct answers to you like that. It learns based on what you tell it.

Content creation and your top 3 complaints are only a small fraction of what it can do, it’s like having a leatherman with 21 tools and you hate it because the can opener isn’t perfect.

For crunching hard data and organizing it saves tremendous time.


All rules of the internet still apply. Not everything on the internet is real.

Who here is using ChatGPT?  I have been playing with it for a day and already have decided this is the greatest tool ever created.

I just was playing around and pretending I was going to interview Paul. Check it out.



ME ———List some talking points for an interview with Paul Wheaton

CHATGPT——-Certainly! If you're going to interview Paul Wheaton, here are some potential talking points that could lead to interesting and insightful discussions:

1. **Permaculture Principles:** Explore his views on permaculture design and its application in sustainable living.
2. **Food Forests:** Discuss the concept of food forests and their benefits in sustainable agriculture.
3. **Regenerative Agriculture:** Delve into his perspectives on regenerative farming practices and their positive impacts on the environment.
4. **Community Building:** Talk about his experiences in building and fostering intentional communities focused on sustainability.
5. **Natural Building Techniques:** Explore various natural building methods and their advantages in eco-friendly construction.
6. **Alternative Energy:** Discuss renewable energy sources and their role in creating more sustainable living environments.
7. **Homesteading and Self-Sufficiency:** Touch on the importance of self-reliance and how it ties into his philosophy of sustainable living.
8. **Innovative Techniques:** Inquire about any unique or unconventional approaches he advocates for sustainable living.
9. **Education and Outreach:** Discuss his efforts in educating and inspiring others to adopt sustainable practices.
10. **Challenges and Solutions:** Talk about common hurdles in sustainable living and permaculture, and the strategies he suggests for overcoming them.

Remember to approach the interview with curiosity and open-mindedness to allow for a dynamic and engaging conversation!


ME———-Focus the questions on rocket mass heaters


CHATGPT———Certainly! If you're specifically interested in discussing rocket mass heaters with Paul Wheaton, here are some tailored questions:

1. **Introduction to Rocket Mass Heaters:**
  - Can you provide a brief explanation of what a rocket mass heater is and how it differs from conventional heating methods?

2. **Efficiency and Environmental Impact:**
  - What makes rocket mass heaters more efficient and environmentally friendly compared to traditional heating systems?

3. **Design and Construction:**
  - What are some key design principles and considerations when building a rocket mass heater?

4. **Materials and Sourcing:**
  - What types of materials are commonly used in constructing rocket mass heaters, and are there sustainable sourcing options?

5. **Heat Distribution and Regulation:**
  - How does heat distribution work in a rocket mass heater, and are there methods for regulating temperature output?

6. **Adaptability and Application:**
  - Can rocket mass heaters be integrated into different types of homes and environments, or are they better suited for specific settings?

7. **Maintenance and Longevity:**
  - What kind of maintenance is required for a rocket mass heater, and how long can one expect it to last with proper care?

8. **Cost and Affordability:**
  - How does the cost of building and installing a rocket mass heater compare to conventional heating systems? Are there potential cost-saving benefits in the long run?

9. **Community and Education:**
  - How can individuals and communities learn more about rocket mass heaters, and are there resources available for DIY enthusiasts?

10. **Challenges and Considerations:**
  - What are some common challenges or misconceptions people might encounter when working with rocket mass heaters, and how can they be addressed?

These questions should provide a solid foundation for a detailed discussion on rocket mass heaters with Paul Wheaton. Remember to allow for his insights and expertise to guide the conversation!






I find this technology incredible.  Have you used it? What do you think?