ABC acres: Heating Efficiently: Rocket Mass Heater - episode

Join ABC acres, a Permaculture Farmstead in Hamilton, MT as we show our rocket mass heater that keeps the workshop nice and warm through the cold months of the year, while using far less wood and creating next to NO SMOKE!

[@jd2379]

Brilliant work! Living in mediterranean climate I don't really need such installations but one can only imagine how cosy the feeling is in the middle of the winter, just amazing workshop place to keep everyone productive.

[@abcacres6413]

Yes, we in the cold temperate climate must have strategies for keeping warm, while we dream of a vacation to a warm destination:)

[@ByDesign333]

Super! some kind of visual for whats built inside the drum and the cob body would complete the show. 👍 Thank You much sir!

[@TheFarmacySeedsNetwork]

Beautiful! I have had a few rocket stoves and love them! Nice explanation! and man... what a nice shop!

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching, and glad you enjoyed it!

[@mrbrianf]

That is super awesome...now to find info in your videos about the bench!

[@1943L]

Well made and presented too. No flannel, just clear facts. Loved it.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks JS... time is money, and we don't want to add fluff as you have vids to watch and tasks to execute. good luck!

[@daleval2182]

Love this unit and good quality video. Thanks bud. Well done great job !

[@oby-1607]

Looked at some Rocket Mass Heaters and some looked real sketchy in their build. Yours looks first rate. Very inspiring. Would love to see the build process.

[@wolfyaway424242]

Great explanation, detailed and informative. Also, well done on the build. Looks great. Keep up the good work and great vids.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks!

[@iguanaamphibioustruck7352]

I stacked up four barrels in my shop and piped into the bottom one on the floor. I cut an 8 inch hole between barrels which created a baffle. I took the upper pipe out of the side to prevent water from dripping down into the barrels. The paper labels on the top barrel never browned. It only took a couple of cardboard boxes to take the chill off in the morning.

[@lissee212]

Love your design and the bench. :)

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@ferriotjosette1908]

TRES BON TIRAGE GOOD JOB (french) THANK YOU

[@abcacres6413]

In that case, merci beaucoup!

[@blairschirmerx1711]

Did you ever measure the temperature of the cob bench as hours pass? That would be interesting. Make for a nice base for a bed in winter, too! Cheers.

[@788margie]

NIIIIIICE...love your seating area, very unique..love it alll

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching Margie, and I am glad you liked it!

[@hasdrubal121]

Liked, subscribed and shared on FB. This is the way people should be going, taking small steps to improve the world rather than having Govt riding rough shod over peoples way of life, with punitive regulations and banning fires altogether.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for subscribing and sharing! Clean fire heat technologies like this, and others, paired with regenerative fuelwood agroforestry, is a much more viable option for many in the cool-to- cold temperate environments, so let's keep keeping on!

[@kathyfann]

Yours is very good looking. And it looks like it works wonderful

[@abcacres6413]

Thank you Kathy!

[@tomthorn2887]

This is really interesting. I am going to research this more.

[@abcacres6413]

Welcome to the world of rocket mass heaters, there's a lot of good info at www.richsoil.com

[@181corby]

A ceiling fan would help with your high ceiling unused heat problem...

[@karentysver7599]

Is that a fan in the corner?

[@jimmaddox5958]

Nice job! If "tuned" correctly the burn efficiency is so high that cleaning is not necessary, yours looks great! Aesthetic screen can be added around the barrel to dress it up too if it is in living spaces.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks Jim! It is simple and quick to clean, with us only having to remove the clean-out caps and clear a small amount of ash about once a year.

[@mynextketchfrontier6351]

Wow ...that's awesome ..no smoke at the exhaust pipe..Nice!!!.

[@michael98277]

Very nice vid! I was appreciating how nice the bench looks and wondered whereabouts you were located. Turns out you're 9 miles away! Hello neighbor! We will definitely be pouring over your vids and website, as this year we purchased 10 mostly wooded acres in Hamilton with the intention of homesteading.

[@abcacres6413]

Michael, that is great! Small world:) Hope we get a chance to meet...maybe you can stop by some time and take the RMH bench for a test drive on a cold winter's day!

[@bdc211]

wow!!! thats a big ass woodburner!!! bad ass my friend!!! thumbs up from this guy!!! i make novelty miniture wood burners as a hobby... totally the other end of the spectrum.... lol..

[@abcacres6413]

B.C., We all have our hobbies, so kudos to you for your pursuits. Do share a pic or link to see some of your work.

[@attilioacquario4391]

Really good your rocket stove! Thank you!

[@abcacres6413]

Attilio, You're welcome!

[@tHEREALYTRUTH]

i love it how you can see the fire

[@royalspin]

Me too

[@62shalaka]

Beavis said "fire is cool! heh, heh, heh."

[@stephaniedownes6547]

Great intro. Thanks!

[@traviswolf]

Inspired! Very well done, folks - great introduction. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to fully educate myself on the building techniques.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks Travis... good luck!

[@paulwheaton]

Very pretty! That is also some very clean exhaust you have there.

[@abcacres6413]

Yep, Paul! Sneaky heat!

[@willmo454]

If the firebox is over-gassed, meaning there is a smoldering event dumping smoke into the heat riser, how does heat alone take away the smoke?

[@6969smurfy]

Think of it as a heat pump. Rising heat drawls the exhaust through the system. Heat from barrel dissipates and starts the heat rise flow.

[@yonkromis7883]

Can heat pipes be add to the pipes with Clean smoke little creosote

[@gacha24]

Clean as in no visible smoke is coming out of chimney, in reality you don't know what gases are produced. Composition of wood is not as simple as propane's that breaks down to water and carbon dioxide

[@ScottHaneyHello]

Looks great! And I can only assume Facebook is secretly sharing info with Google because I mentioned wanting to build a workshop heated by a rocket mass heater earlier today on FB, and your video just popped up in my recommendations here on YT. Good thing they were spying this time. Hah

[@abcacres6413]

Scott, yes, it is a little creepy just how quickly their software programs respond! Haha! Glad it pointed you in our direction, though! Thanks for watching!

[@יונתןלוי-כ8מ]

Are they following us?

[@TheTallhillbilly]

Great practical use of ingenuity and cheap materials...

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks, hopefully you can do the same.

[@dezertXer]

Clean looking install.

[@abcacres6413]

She's a beauty

[@AGearHead4Life]

Great video! That looks like a beast of a heat you've built there. Keep up the good work!

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@donaldfaulkner1435]

I built a masonry fireplace in my house in '83. Fantastic heat from nothing but kindling wood.

[@abcacres6413]

Nice work, that is great!

[@tinbender998]

awsome job that looks really good.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@neocadwising8872]

ABC acres can u please give the plans in every detail? Thank you..

[@abcacres6413]

Neo Cadwising Tim is checking to see what we have in terms of plans. We'll let you know if we find anything...Thanks for watching!

[@CRHall-ud9mq]

Thank YOU ABC Acres! The best rocket mass heater and video I've seen so far, so much explained! I'm sure these may also incorporate water heaters also, for maximum efficiency! :-)

[@kc-rb3xp]

Great explanation. Thx for doing this

[@abcacres6413]

You are welcome, and thanks for watching!

[@branimirmarold7343]

great upload, respect!

[@abcacres6413]

We appreciate the encouragement, and thanks for watching, Branimir!

[@lehnhardtdevonek.8479]

Branimir Marold Cool. sun glasses!

[@branimirmarold7343]

.. they are from old movie called "They live"! ;)

[@abcacres6413]

Great movie!

[@mikesmith6476]

I was totally expecting snow outside when you walked. Great work sir in any case.

[@abcacres6413]

Yes, this was filmed awhile ago, and the snow was dragging its feet in arriving this winter. Shortly after this video was filmed, however, we started getting snow and it did not stop for quite some time! Thanks for watching!

[@neilpetersen5287]

I give you all thumbs up. Can't believe somebody would give this a thumbs down. Must be oil or energy execs!!

[@neeneec5394]

neil petersen I've heard some thumbs down so they know they've watched it already. pretty rude but they save likes for other reasons I guess.

[@unnerbuxetruckler]

Super video ... nice bench ..and the oven, class

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@unnerbuxetruckler]

Bitte gerne ... hat mir sehr gefallen .

[@walkingjudy3067]

Well done video!

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@fernandocarpenter1992]

great video. thank you.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@ilsevanpanhuis]

Very informative! Thank you very much :)

[@abcacres6413]

You're welcome, and thanks for watching!

[@johneverett6242]

thanks. I'm heating a very small area and I love what you are doing but I'm old school. maybe some day.

[@nickthomas6206]

see the above comments. Rocket mass heaters, or the variation known as Masonry heaters, have been used for thousands of years in Europe. So I think these would be considered "old school," no? Time to relearn, implement and refine ancient technology, and bring it into the mainstream.

[@azdeh1894]

This is awesome! love it!

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@douglasjones1455]

nice set up thank you.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for watching!

[@gaetanproductions]

Nice job !

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks!

[@keyboard_g]

How does the suction get started when you start the fire? what stops smoke from billowing back out?

[@abcacres6413]

There's a flu/damper that functions similar to any other wood stove out there, when we ignite a burn we have it all the way open so the smoke goes straight up the chimney. As the fire reaches optimal burn temps, we slowly close the flu and adjust the damper as needed, so the "smoke" actually heated gasses vent through the exhaust in the bench then out the chimney. I hope that makes sense.

[@pollyjetix2027]

Thank you! This makes perfect sense! You're creating a warmed chimney, which starts a vacuum pull by rising hot air. Once the chimney is warm, you can redirect the hot air through the thermal mass, and back out to the warmed chimney. Again, thank you. This was something I had not been able to figure out. But that flu/damper makes sense.

[@JayJay-pu2gx]

Incredible.

[@johnrad14]

The grass was still green! Can't be to cold out! Thanks for the info!

[@abcacres6413]

Johnny, Funny, we are experiencing melt off now, and there is bright green grass underneath. I think our early snows acted as a protective insulator once the -19 to -25+ settled in for a spell. Regardless, nice to be warm knowing spring is not far off. Take care!

[@johnrad14]

ABC acres Yeah we have had some really nice days here in Manitoba too this winter, we enjoy it when we can!

[@MrBlackbamboo]

so cool stove great video

[@abcacres6413]

thanks, deputy dog!

[@christianlibertarian5488]

Can you use something besides an old oil drum? For instance, could you make the secondary chamber out of fire brick with tile? As long as I'm asking, could you use an automotive style oxygen sensor in the chimney to control a secondary air source for the burn barrel (ducted through the fire box)?

[@baldyetichronicles]

Very nice.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks!

[@bryceslazyporchgarden2521]

the batch box style ,is at the top of my list and I use something simular

[@abcacres6413]

They are very nice to use, and we are enjoying our's!

[@DaveLattner]

ABC Acres I like this design! Would you do a follow up video of the start up?

[@abcacres6413]

NJ, check out our video this week, we did just that! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqTClqSEd5uXZrs

[@ferstuck37]

great idea

[@jewell278]

Nice video. Hoping to buy a house in Scotland soon and if I get a garage I'll be putting something like this in it. (Smaller)

[@abcacres6413]

Nice. Got married in Fort William, and we now raise scottish highland cattle. good luck!

[@MsSomeonenew]

Another thing to add for spaces you want warm is an air intake duct that leads straight outside, because the stove needs air and if it draws it from the room cold air will get pulled in from outside through the doors and windows.

[@abcacres6413]

Yes, that is a good idea, and thanks for sharing it!

[@jeremiahshine]

MsSomeonenew There are many who say it's not wise, as well. Many of them rocket innovators and researchers.

[@jhendricks203]

The secondary burn needs fresh air, I use a 2" pipe from the basement that feeds air into the "turbo" burn area.

[@brucea550]

The stove’s efficiency is decreased by using cold air. The occupied space needs fresh air for you to breathe, so it’s actually maybe counterintuitive to some people but using the older stale warm room air for combustion is better in every way.

[@rastlach]

Looks great as well :) you should put a hose from outside leading into the air intake of the system as well. That way you are not creating a negative pressure inside your workshop which draws the cold air negating a lot of the heating that your doing. :)

[@abcacres6413]

Sounds like an interesting idea, thanks for sharing. :)

[@6969smurfy]

RayBs, Iv tried drawling in fresh air many different ways. for some reason (I have yet to find) Is dose not seem to work very well. And can even start running rocket in the wrong Direction. Even ran a u pipe heater system from out side to inside. Not good. Power drafting was needed.....?

[@6969smurfy]

Well I actually have theorized it, but not proven. Issues stem from the Drawling pressures from the velocity of expanding gasses'.

[@abcacres6413]

Dan, thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@nickthomas6206]

from all the talk i've heard on this issue, the tremendous heat from the barrel and thermal mass cancels out or overpowers any loss of heat from drawing cold air in through leaks in the house structure, therefore running a seperate feed from outside is an unnecessary step?

[@justinmickelson772]

Its a large scale Vortex tube, so cool!

[@abcacres6413]

Glad you like it, and thanks for watching!

[@vanderhoof5701]

Nice! I've built quite a few standard wood stoves in my day. Going to look into how to build one of these. 👍 from....... Montana lol

[@abcacres6413]

You will have a lot of fun building one, and thanks for watching! I hope you have a good heat source, it looks like winter is coming to Montana now!

[@jerrychaney7232]

Love Montana, from bitterroot valley.

[@NickFrom1228]

This is an excellent introductory video. I'm so glad to see someone talk about efficiencies and not treat RMH like some kind of free energy device. The idea is to have the most efficient burn possible to extract every btu out of the fuel and to also have a heat storage unit in the form of a stone thermal mass. What you have to be careful to avoid are the people out there saying you can heat your house with almost no wood. Well you can't get around the laws of physics. If your house takes X amount of btu to heat then you have to produce that amount of heat somehow. The RMH should be much more efficient than the typical wood stove but the fuel only holds so much heat. So when you hear someone saying they now heat their house for 1/4 the amount of wood it means they likely had some really inefficient wood stove that they are comparing to. If you already have an efficient wood stove the difference will not be that much. Its also important to note that an RMH is not a forced air heat system so you need to get that heat to where it needs to be. You will need to have air movement to do so, especially if you have rooms at any distance from the heater and if mold is an issue in your area. Dead air is bad air so you not only want fresh air in your home, you want it moving for at least some periods of the day.

[@abcacres6413]

Nick, great observations, and you do need some way to move heat through the house.

[@paulwheaton]

People switching from a conventional wood stove to a rocket mass heater typically experience heating the same space with one tenth the wood. Most of this comes from people running a "75% efficient" wood stove at 10% efficiency (or less!) combined with sending a LOT of heat out the chimney (350 to 600 degrees F). Most rocket mass heaters operate at 93% efficiency and their exhaust temps are typically just a little over room temperature.

[@NickFrom1228]

Agreed. I have stood on a roof and put my hand out to feel the heat coming out of a classic wood stove chimney. I nearly burned myself it was so hot. I became interested in better designs when I discovered masonry heaters and other designs like those from Garn. My boys and I are looking at an entirely new take on RMH designs that if we can work out the kinks should be pretty cool. The main thing I have to get people to understand is heating their home is pretty simple math. It takes a certain amount of heat to maintain the temperature of the home based on the degree of heat loss, the delta between their desired temperature and the outdoor temperature, etc. Fuel wise, all you need is a fuel that contains enough btus to meet that need then extract that heat as efficiently as possible, get that heat to where it needs to be and keep it there. Its pretty simple. But some people take their massively inefficient wood stove, replace it with an efficient RMH then become some sort of snake oil salesman talking about how little fuel they use when the math says that much fuel, even when burned super efficiently does not contain the btus to heat their home. I'm all for being excited and all but people shouldn't lose their minds in the process:-)

[@paulwheaton]

Most designs include a bench. If you actually sit on the bench, then you are using conductive heat, and it is possible to feel like it is 75 degrees when the air temp is actually 50 degrees. This, alone, throws off all the "BTUs required" stuff. But most people sit on the bench all day - and yet, there is a rich buffet of other ways - in the end, the "BTUs required" is sent out the window. I suggest building one and spending a month with it and going from there.

[@Birchbarkjohnny]

Thats pretty slick!

[@abcacres6413]

We agree, thanks of checking us out

[@JanColdwater]

Is it necessary to have such a tall riser? I have seen videos where they cut them down dramatically & they say the draw was better and the riser drum was an accessible height used to put on a pot of water for tea, cooking and to provide moisture in the air. I love that you can see the fire. 👍

[@cintie45]

I think this is wonderful! I can imagine a mud bench in substitute of yours great though! 👍👍👍

[@abcacres6413]

Cool idea... send us pics when you get that far!

[@davidflaherty653]

Stayed overnight in Vietnamese farmhouse when we got lost on patrol. He had a bench chimney in the general living area of his house. First I ever saw something like that.

[@garrettf4435]

Do you ever have to clean out the exhaust pipes inside the cob bench or is there risk of exhaust pipe catching on fire due to inability to clean it inside the bench?

[@abcacres6413]

We clean them out when needed, there's cleanup ports at each corner of the bench.

[@Thomas-wn7cl]

How does the rocket stove fit into the IRC and NFPA code, coupled with no UL listing? Can it achieve legitimate building code compliance and home insurance coverage?

[@abcacres6413]

each municipality is different. Portland, OR has already made some headway to bring these to code. Here is Montana, not so much, and hence it is in our work shop.

[@wendyknoxleet]

Beautiful!

[@tifosansan]

Nice video Thanks

[@constantout]

awesome sauce! u got a new subscriber!

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks!

[@lunatik9696]

Most local codes do not allow a rocket stove for primary heating of a residence. Some outright make them illegal. However, for a storage or garage area, I have not heard of any significant legal or code restriction. Something to keep in mind when discussing rocket stoves. One loop hole is if you place appropriate space heaters, baseboard heaters or other heater system in each room, then you could theoretically put a rocket stove in a living area and just not use the other heaters unless needed or one feels too lazy to start a fire.

[@MrHarpette]

@Jose Can you tell us the reasons for such legal restrictions ?

[@jasonbroom7147]

Is there any reason you couldn't feed this stove from the outside, meaning the opening to the stove is not exposed to the shop where combustible materials (paint or gas) might be in use?

[@abcacres6413]

I suppose you could, but I would question efficiency of loading, as well as front being exposed to unconditioned space which would lead to accelerated heat loss.

[@zerolabs]

Excellent presentation. Do you have any details on the construction of your batch box?

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks, and Tim is looking in his office to see what we have that may be of use.

[@brucekiefer2209]

Excellent ! you've just won a new subscriber

[@jaylast1958]

Yes ABC, a design source would be much appreciated. These things are trial and error, design is important. This is the first I'm seeing batchbox design, and a closer look would be great too.

[@jaylast1958]

Scratch my request, You guys did another vid yesterday lol. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqTClqSEd5uXZrs Thanks!!

[@abcacres6413]

You're welcome!

[@royalspin]

Scandinavian people's and Russians have been doing this for a while now but the design is a little different than this one . Instead of cob and pipes to heat the mass they use channels through lots of bricks and a massive chimney. Both are considered mass heaters but this one is a little different and more efficient for sure,plus can be made quickly . I've made a few prototypes using the rocket design and also gasifiers . Both have their plus side .The good thing about gassification is you can use the left over mass which is essentially almost inert charcoal to be used for other things such as water purification or it can be ground up and put into compost or to rejuvenate soils or used for BBQ coals . By accident I made something that's a combination of both and the ash content was almost nothing but fine powder .I was absolutely amazed at how little there was left . Essentially what I did was put metal screening in place that was meant to be exposed to high temps and put it where the hottest point would be . It acted as a catalytic screen which burned off anything else the primary heat source didn't which further reduced the mass left over . It acted much the same as an incinerator .I hadn't set out to do this . I was playing around with the idea of getting more heat or utilizing the heat better and this happened . With a gasifier the volatile organic compounds are used to provide fuel for the flames and only the mass is left over because the fuel is drawn out of the mass. With this design the flame is at the bottom and top with the mass in between. I start by burning the bottom using a torch but also have a container within another one and have holes drilled at the bottom and top of the cylinder within the first one . As the fire is trying to burn up air is drawn in from the top but then the VOC's are venting out the sides and trying to rise up within the second cylinder which is then lit and looks very similar to a propane gas flame which is the secondary burn . Once most the VOC's burn off or die down the mass continues burning at the bottom like how a rocket stove works but with a second burn and then the mass is reduced to almost nothing .Its hard to explain but all I know is that it works and the end result was a fine powder similar to baby powder . I'm sure this has already been invented and that I haven't discovered anything new but it was fun playing with the design and seeing how I could use up all the potential heat and reduce the mass to almost nothing. The key issue being it has to have a steady constant air supply and must be put inside another container . I put this design in a small free standing baby bear wood stove I have and it got the steel relatively hot . I lined the inside with bricks and put more bricks on top of the flat surface on the stove which got fairly warm and lasted awhile . The pipe went directly from the stove to the outside of the building . I also had a flap inline to equalize temps before opening it up fully . Initial temps were fairly warm but the emissions after start up were almost nill with mainly a very small amount water vapor and slightly warm air coming out of the chimney . The twin cylinder was glowing red hot at the bottom which was kinda cool to see . Essentially I think what I did was use almost all the potential energy and matter that was available which really surprised me that it did that . It was a little tricky to get going but if I refine it more,it might be a good reliable heat source . In the meantime I'll stick to a rocket stove design and perhaps refine that idea a little bit . Heating up a 80X40 foot shop with 10 foot ceilings and a concrete slab using propane heat gets expensive especially at over $2 a gallon . I'm going through 4 gallons of LP in less than a week . So it's definitely time for utilizing what's all around me ..lots of dead fall wood everywhere . I see my neighbors using piles of wood and it kills me that there's such waste .Also they're using alder which stinks but it's cheap and easy to get. Not to mention my son has asthma and every morning and evening there's lots of wood smoke filling the air from all the wood being burnt and especially on days when we have no real wind movement . Yes fire places are cool to watch and very relaxing but it is possible to have both as this video demonstrates . I really hope that rocket stoves catch on everywhere so we can reduce air pollution and use less wood . If all the potential energy is used not only can you heat your home but also heat water or do passive floor heating , cooking, or turn that heat into direct energy again for power usage . There's energy potential literally all around us but we don't use it properly or know how to tap into correctly . With the current geopolitical situation happening with oil being center stage in current and future conflicts it's extremely important now more than ever to learn to reduce our dependency for oil and be more self reliant . There's great potential for energy production using incinerator technologies that use garbage as fuel . There's an energy plant on the east coast that uses garbage as an energy source for all their operations from the machines that sort through the garbage to pick out precious metals ,to the conveyor belt machines etc and all their electricity needs . Their emissions are mainly water vapor which can be reclaimed and used for other things, and very little co2 . Considering the fact that we have a huge pollution problem all over the world we need to get busy making these types of innovative ideas a reality to change our world and make our children's future a better place . And so ends my coffee fueled rant !! 😰 😸

[@abcacres6413]

Royal, I love the rant and the info you provide. It takes passionate people to change the world for the better, and you are doing your part!

[@daleval2182]

royalspin I took the time to read. Your a good man that cares for his son , keep experimenting and be the man that makes rocket mass heaters popular in your area. Your right ! God bless

[@koiroy8030]

royalspin: It seems that you have quite the take on the whole situation, but I'm having a hard time envisioning it. I would love to see a diagram or get further explanation, if you please... [e-mail]

[@homelessjoe]

Super sweet!

[@abcacres6413]

Glad you liked it, and thanks for watching!

[@douglascarroll5455]

too bad you didnt explain or diagram the internal pipe. does the outlet pie stop at the top and then the gases have to flow downward to escape out the chimney , like a car muffler. Or does the can have no piping in it? looks like a good idea and easy to build.

[@abcacres6413]

Douglas, thanks for seeking clarity. Best I can explain is that as the fire burns in the batch box, the gasses and fire exit the rear of the box into the vertical burn chamber. Most carbon is burned up at this stage, where at the top of the vertical chamber, the gasses run over and back down the outer wall of the drum, then horizontally along the bench in hidden pipe, then back along the bench in more pipe, and up the chimney to the outside. Thanks for taking interest!

[@mikeskelly2356]

Simplest way to increase heat retention is to punch a hole in the wall to the outside and channel it to the air intake of the stove. No more sucking warm room air to feed the fire! I did this with my Surdiac coal stove and it got so hot I needed a fan to distribute the hot air to the rest of the house...

[@mikeskelly2356]

If your barrel gets too hot, strap on some 'fins' to radiate the heat...

[@carlbole2142]

I would put a 2x2 foot box on top, and start selling wood-fired pizza's outta my place! Your new business!

[@sylviapap3]

Very useful info. Had a hard time understanding the whole concept with other videos but this one is a real eye opener. Would it be possible to build a smaller version of the Rocket Mass Stove? For a 400 sq ft space? Thanks again, Good job

[@abcacres6413]

Glad you found this helpful and yes you can scale down, if need be.

[@paulwheaton]

like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2jOoqhnjdumjrs

[@kerrymcinnis9858]

Smoke from fireplaces traditionally would be injected into the atmosphere, which provides micro particles for moisture to create new weather patterns. Think of during a field battle where there might be a good amount of smoke that's expanding upward, and during that battle it rains.

[@lisaball2760]

maybe a dumb question as this is the first I have seen this, but, could you build the stone up around the big barrel for a nicer aesthetic? Could it stand the heat?

[@abcacres6413]

Lisa, by and large we don't believe in dumb questions. I don't see why you couldn't, it would depend on the stone obviously as to wether or not it could handle the heat, but most of the heat ends up in the cob, and I've seen them where the cob covers the burn chambers

[@walkingjudy3067]

Have you thought of adding ceiling fans in your shop to bring the warm air back down to mix in with the cold? It would interesting to see what difference there is in the temperature readings near the floor and the ceiling when your mass heater is fully fired. Maybe you can do a video on that sometime.

[@abcacres6413]

The ceiling fans would work well, but if we make the place too comfy and cozy, then we'll never want to leave and get all the work we have done:) Good suggestion on the temperature readings for a video. I will keep that one in mind!

[@theweaselplays]

I only notice people using relatively small timber in rocket heaters. Does thick lumber work well once the fire is roaring?

[@jaredpendry9679]

i didnt understand what was goin on under the bench from your description.but this is very cool.im gonna look up cob bench? thnx for the cool video

[@RobbieHilton97]

The 'chimney' from the fire goes sideways through the inside of the bench letting off heat before it goes up and out of the house

[@jamiecumbridge4645]

If you cob the big tank ( not sure of the name, chamber maybe) , would it 1) make it safer to be closer to? 2) not loose as much heat?

[@steved3907]

Love the design but would like to how you built this particular

[@safehousedelta9766]

I just subscribed. Put out more of these videos please especially about stoves and efficiency and Cobb storage batteries

[@LPJ2]

What a fantastic stove, I would build one like this.

[@caz6152]

one of the best land living advice sources I have ever seen! love the channel. I'm curious if you could use direct heat for a house and the pipes used to heat a passive solar green house that's attached to the house. an underfloor heating system or a heat charger to aid or replace water butts. would love to hear your thoughts. Callum from England.

[@gateway8833]

Yes you could do that. There are many issues to consider when heating a greenhouse. You may find that having a small Rocket Mass Heater may be needed to reach your desired temperature.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks, Callum! Abby is right, but with proper planning and implementation, you could make that work.

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for joining in the conversation, Abby:)

[@kiwiaus]

Callum Baker I have seen video of someone doing just that in the UK .. BUT don't ask me where

[@abcacres6413]

Thanks for sharing, and hope you can track down that UK example, Callum!

[@homevalueglass3809]

Awesome bro

[@abcacres6413]

HomeValue Glass, we think so too

[@samihsamih9004]

it is very important video and discussion can I use intake air manifold which feeds the stove with oxygen from outside to conserve the amount of oxygen inside the room?

[@abcacres6413]

It is important. You most likely could, although I'm not sure that's necessary unless you're in a very tiny air tight house, although you should check with the rocket experts at www.richsoils.com

[@brendan8363]

Any info on the (GASP) permitting or code compliance for these here in Western Montana? Nice set up, clear information...thanks for sharing!

[@abcacres6413]

Brendan, Tim might be able to speak to this better, but it's my understanding that you can use them if you want, but the problem is most insurance companies won't insure your house with one... -Matt

[@frankburns8871]

Holy mother of Jayzuzz on a pogo stick, that thing would heat the entire western hemisphere.

[@abcacres6413]

Haha! It does a good job of keeping our shop warm!

[@MrDavePed]

How do you clean out your bench pipes? They must collect a lot of residue as your exhaust is cooling? Nice work that looks like a great way to heat your home ! ** Oh I see your answer to this question already: ABC acres ABC acres 2 years ago The pipes stay clean, as the wood gases, etc are burned up inside the heat riser/burn chamber in the barrel before going through the manifold and into the exhaust pipe run. We only need to clean a bit of ash out of our pipes via our clean out caps once a year, which is only about 5 minutes of work! ..

[@usmanshahzad8686]

I want to know that is this burning chamber open from the top and front. It looks like fire is burning inside the stove that seems open from top and front???

[@reachforthesky1576]

I notice all the relatively clean wood behind you.....What if I put a piece of that "dirty" pine wood straight into the burner, with bark and perhaps a little bitty moss and a little bit of natural dampness? Would I expect a lot of smoke?

[@abcacres6413]

Chris, we do use mostly scrap wood from construction projects, you could definitely use "dirty" pine many people use windfall branches, as with any fire based heater seasoning the wood is preferred, as wet or mossy wood will create more smoke which will build up in your ducting faster...

[@123dagar]

Can you point me in the right direction on "sizing" the heater ? My shop is like yours with 10ft ceiling. I have been learning about these but yours is the first one I've seen with the BTU Capacity to do the job. I'm in Michigan and we have similar winter temps.

[@abcacres6413]

David, our RMH is an 8" system. Most all RMHs are either 6" or 8". The 8" diameter pipe will allow for a longer "horizontal" run of pipe going through more mass, which will make for a more effective heat source for your shop. Hope that helps. If you need more specific questions answered, you can check out permies.com/f/260/rocket-mass-heaters. Thanks for watching!

[@AndyOpreshyn]

how could one make a smaller version of this? And could the barrel be disguised somehow....perhaps with a removable top portion only for access?

[@shaun2049]

Well done great video dude

[@mehodzinic2179]

nice stove,y stove is good but this is better.i have big space and i struggle to heat that. can i get the plan for that stove.

[@reachforthesky1576]

Could I extend the chimney as a form of underfloor heating or right around the walls or for heating water for radiators or other uses?

[@abcacres6413]

Chris, that's a possibility, although the mass does absorb the majority of the heat. That said I'm aware of people who use h2o as their mass, so you should be able to do the radiator thing for sure.

[@pollyjetix2027]

Chris, that's an excellent idea to try as an experiment! Maybe a "warm spot" for cold feet, or for a pet to sleep.

[@jcwoods2311]

How do you deal with creosote build up in the bench and burn barrel? Would seem to create more creosote and more surface area to attach to. Cool (LOL) idea, like the efficiency.

[@wizzarin424]

How big of a space is your stove heating? I have a large barn 60 x 32 x 18 (23 at peak) and trying to see if one of these would do the job?