EMERGENCY HEAT for Indoors: Rocket Stove Burns Pellets or Firewood? Liberator Rocket Stove

This is not a paid video. Just a review of the stove.
Liberator Rocket Stove Heater (not an affiliate link)
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'Free Heat' Rocket Stove Course at Permies (affiliate link supports our work)
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'The Honey Do Carpenter', Darwin made my first rocket stove
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• Complete Build of Port...

[@plandsurvival7144]

Here, we make black diesel and run it in a $150 Chinese diesel heater. We convert old engine oil into diesel at about 25 cents a gallon. Run our trucks on it too.

[@aussieveteransoutdoors]

How? I’d love to do that too

[@plandsurvival7144]

@@aussieveteransoutdoors you can look at my list of videos, full instructions there

[@DonnaRatliff1]

@plansurvival could you post a direct link to the exact video of diesel heater? I went to the Playlist but I don't have time to watch a bunch of videos to that exact one. I see there's many heater videos but none that specifically indicate diesel. Thank you. I'm looking for alt heat source and have 55 gallon drum of burnt oil. I'd like to use for something more than my wood fencing. Thanks again

[@beebob1279]

My mechanic has a used oil burner for his garage. With oil changes throughout the year he doesn't have to buy oil to heat the place. Great savings.

[@wadebrewer7212]

​@beebob1279 and they actually burn very very clean because they are so hot.

[@rascalwind]

you might need something to hold the wood off the bottom of the stove. The reason they have the grate for the pellets is to keep them off the bottom or they would go out as well. You might consider putting a couple pebbles or something steel in the bottom to hold your logs off the bottom and give the log access to air from underneath. I'm looking at welding up something similar and have that same requirement to keep the wood off the bottom of the stove.

[@AMC-eq3jr]

Grreat information. Thanks for your humility and sharing pertinent information about stoves.

[@kathymarsden5757]

a well done informative video. Thank you for your work and information!

[@jameshupalo]

Absolutely fantastic review. Thank you!

[@lancerudy6584]

Great video. Thanks 😊

[@Roel922]

This system could burn dried foodscraps too also nutshells are great fuel if you eat nuts often. Great inspiration for my next woodstove project even little modification to a stove I already have.

[@rdkndr1]

I just got ours. Seems ours stays at 600 on pellets. Havent tried sticks yet but thats what i intended to use primarily. My wife watches all your content. Between this stove and fireplace we can make basement very warm. Cats love that heat. They fight over heater space.

[@davefroman4700]

I have to agree. They need to come out with a batch box version of this stove.

[@stoneinthefield1]

wood chips from a wood chipper might work? Tree trimmers pay sometimes to discard tree trimmings if you could get a truck load and dry it out it would be a ton of chips for nothing. Plus help the tree guy. In one day I would fill a box truck full. 7x12x3 about.

[@martinjohansen8100]

I like burning pellets in mine, a lot less fiddling around. Plus I get twice the ammount of heat per pound of pellets that my Englander stove gave for the same ammount of pellets.

[@GeoffHou]

I would try to start with 4" pellets with the grate and once going put a big piece in with the grate still in place. That way the flow on the burning surface remains big as now it gets smothered by the bottom plate.

[@walterflanamonk5106]

Try using cubes of wood like wood gasifiers use. Probably have to use that pellet grate or make one to set lower in the chamber.

[@DonnaRatliff1]

Tgank you for sharing. We're looking for another alt heat source but dont think a pellet heater fits our needs. We don't the tiny fireplace in our house because it needs babysitting too much to keep burning. I like to drop a log and get on with whatever I'm doing. So decided on a wood cook stove too. Even though we're in the south, we live in the Appalachians and does get cold during winter.

[@rodkeh]

Since my last comment I have seen several other evaluations of this stove and I see that my original speculation was correct. This stove is very precisely designed to burn pellets and that is why it works the way it does. But as we have seen, this method doesn't work well for cord wood, which I believe will be fixed by changing the direction of air flow because this is a rocket stove so it should be able to burn wood well. If it doesn't...

[@fire7side]

I'm happy with the 500 dollar baffle stove I bought from Menards about 10 years ago. It has a big door. I can throw a couple logs in it and not worry about it for up to 8 hrs. if there are coals in it. It's easy to clean. I can fit a dutch oven in it in a pinch and cook on the top in the winter. The idea of a rocket stove is great, but they take up a lot of space with the bench and need a lot of fire tending.

[@tomskimcdouglegaming806]

Good in theory, horrendous in practice.

[@joed.4038]

Do they make/sell a version of the Menards stove? Can you run without electricity? Thank you.

[@beebob1279]

They are supposed to have a mass to heat. I'm not seeing a mass attached to hers. I do like the idea if I would be around the house all day long with nothing to do. But that's not my lifestyle

[@craigsymington5401]

Hi Julie. You don't have a batch box on this stove, so think again! These burn split palet wood beautifully... I now have to build a batch box like Darwin's or Perer vd Berg to bolt on to the stove. I built my own, and my own pellet system, it was less fuss. When balanced feeding it properly, it's incredibly efficient. There are, from my experience, some critical shortfalls on this design. This particular design concept was from an original based on Lianto's original concept, for shop heating by DIYers (published decades ago, repurposing a water heating cylinder), willing to feed it while they work, with wood scraps or sliced up free palet wood, so an "attended" system. Obviously much development by others, especially your buddy Darwin. DARWIN'S current model is a testament to that, with his batch box system and super insulation in the burn chamber (your model shown here doesn't self-sustain the heat in the burn chamber, hence coaling-out.

[@justinw1765]

@@tomskimcdouglegaming806 A good rocket stove system has some major differences from the one shown in the video. One, the flue is much longer and typically is encased in thermal absorbing mass--the air that eventually comes out of the flue/chimney pipe is often not particularly warm, let alone hot. Most of the energy produced, has gone into the living space (rather than out the chimney). 2. the burn chamber and especially riser are typically much better insulated than it is here, which helps with a more full and thus efficient combustion. Most good systems use as little as metal as possible, as even stainless steel can't hold up well to the kind of temps and higher oxidation that the systems can, and often do, produce. You do have to tend to a rocket stove system more than a traditional stove, but with a well designed and built system, once you get everything going and are building up heat energy into the entire system (typically takes a couple of days), you don't need to keep fires going constantly (if you do, you have more of an insulation problem than a heating problem). Good systems are significantly more efficient at extracting most of the energy from the biomass unlike traditional stoves.

[@dave1secondago]

thats a great stove for the house

[@Darthdoodoo]

Get some vse grips for the lil metal plate or weld on a coiled handle so u can easily grab it

[@niklar55]

Wood pieces burn like a wick, so you need two or more pieces for them to burn effectively. .

[@cillo2000]

Would you not invest in a wood chipper for your cordwood? It should solve a lot of the issues?

[@johnlogan4053]

The instructions say to close off one side of the intake. And to run a fresh air feed . It will work much better if you do that. And your pellets will last longer.

[@tasost2161]

Hiw you run fresh air in feed? Doesn't get the air by it self?

[@johnlogan4053]

@@tasost2161 if you don't install and fresh air intake the stove uses available air in the room. which creates drafts. Pulls air from windows and doors. The stove will work better with its own Air feed. You should call the company and ask about a damper or dampers. To control air flow before and after combustion.

[@rodkeh]

Cheer up Sweetie, it may be better than you think! Although they won't make your stove perfect (in other words, "As good as mine. But then my design is DIY only, so no UL certification.") A few minor, inexpensive and easy to do modifications, could greatly improve, simplify and shorten the lighting process, prevent all smoking and possibly improve the burn and diameter of cord wood. All you need to do is go to Home Depot's HVAC and home heating department and pick up two, 4" sheet metal pipe caps and go to a glass company and have a piece of tempered glass cut and safety-ground to slid and fit in the ash door slots but it should have a handle on top so it can be raised and lowered at any time, in order to damper and control the amount of fire. Maybe a cutout or a knob above the port, on an extended portion of glass? I'm not sure why this stove is designed this way. Maybe it was specifically to allow pellets to be used as fuel but if you want to be able to light the flame with only a barbeque lighter or match and it will propagate immediately, you first, before you try to light the tinder or dryer fluff, you have to put the 4" sheet metal pipe caps, over the two 4" air intake ports at the top of the fuel feeder tube where you put the fire wood. Then you cover the fuel filler chute with it's cover. Now the only way for air to get into the rocket combustion chamber is through the cleanout door and as soon as you spark the tinder which is the last thing you put in, after you loaded the kindling. As soon as a flame starts, you close the new tempered glass clean out door, down to a small crack and leave it there until the fire starts to spread. With the door almost all the way down, that becomes the lowest point of the tube so as soon a flame starts, the fumes will rise, so they have to go the only way they can to rise up and that is now the rocket tube, since the the fuel filler and old air inlets are now closed off. Once a solid flame is established, probably less than a minute, you can open fully or even remove the new glass cleanout door. You only need to slide the cleanout door down a little if and when you want to turn the stove down, to control the heat to a certain degree. With the stove set up this way you may have more success with cord wood. On the subject of fire wood jams. If you have an adapter made at a sheet metal shop, the adapter should be made from a 4" section of 26 gauge round pipe, the same length as your cord wood with a flat plate sticking out around one end, so that it can be slipped inside the fuel supply tube and rest on top. Now, anything you can put through the 4" pipe, will never jam the feed and a standard 4" sheet metal plug will make a perfect seal and ensure a nonsmoking stove. If you are loading sticks and twigs and fags in general. they should be fed in bunches the same size as the pipe and tied with a piece of string every several inches, so they can't shift and jam. To be on the safe side. By the way, if you want to add fuel or check the level will the stove is burning, to avoid making it smoke, you first close the new glass door on the cleanout port. This chocks the stove and it will draw air from any where it can, so as soon as you open the fuel port, it sucks the air down the pipe, so it can't smoke. Once the fuel is reloaded, you close the port and open the cleanout and your back in operation with zero smoke and fumes. And you may not have to change anything back, just to burn pellets. Except the hopper of course. If you make these very simple modification, I doubt that they will cost more than about $100 and I think you will be far more satisfied with you purchase. It's not your fault I wasn't ready so there is no reason to make you and the other owners suffer in leu of a few minor adjustments.

[@akbychoice]

Why didn’t they put the lighting access door on a hinge ?

[@judiehavard4903]

You just can't beat the old wood burning heaters.

[@justinw1765]

A good rocket stove system has some major differences from the one shown in the video. One, the flue is much longer and typically is encased in thermal absorbing mass--the air that eventually comes out of the flue/chimney pipe is often not particularly warm, let alone hot. Most of the energy produced, has gone into the living space (rather than out the chimney). 2. the burn chamber and especially riser are typically much better insulated than it is here, which helps with a more full and thus efficient combustion. Most good systems use as little as metal as possible, as even stainless steel can't hold up well to the kind of temps and higher oxidation that the systems can, and often do, produce. You do have to tend to a rocket stove system more than a traditional stove, but with a well designed and built system, once you get everything going and are building up heat energy into the entire system (typically takes a couple of days), you don't need to keep fires going constantly (if you do, you have more of an insulation problem than a heating problem). Good systems are significantly more efficient at extracting most of the energy from the biomass unlike traditional stoves.

[@beebob1279]

From what I read, these stoves are designed to be used with a mass. The mass gets heated so the stove doesn't have to be burned constantly. This is why small pieces are used such as sticks to get the mass heated and then rely on the mass to radiate the heat. Your pellets are nice for long burns. If I buy one, my wife and I will need to move to a highly efficient house where a mass will be used to radiate. But then if that's the case I'll have a masonry heater installed and solve the problem altogether

[@justinw1765]

More than just the above. This system needs better insulation for a complete burn, and the flue needs to be significantly longer. And as you pointed out, it needs thermal mass to act as a "heat battery".

[@chadmiller8019]

I'd really like to see different pellets like grass, leaves, paper shredding or any organic material for that matter. Or see some paper mache or sawdust briquettes. I also heard of people chunking up their cord wood and then just tend it every hour or so.

[@daviddrrouin5797]

Rocket stoves actually burn smoke. But in all honesty I think is she cubed the logs, I'm sure she could get longer burn time without friction of feed tube

[@jenniferj7588]

Cut your wood the size of the tube and stack wood in tube and put the pellet tray in side or a grate to keep It off the bottom to catch the wood would make it like pellet burner.. You could fill the tube up just like you would like pellets... Just a hint might work ..Use a chop saw or hand saw or other tools to cut wood the size you need ...

[@tasost2161]

In other videos i heard this stove os perfect for wood and pellets amd its burns little woods to worm the places, in this video i heard os better with pellets and not so good with woods, disappointed

[@ACE1542yt]

I have a traditional pellet stove for $700 and a backup solar generator system for $400 in NH where we just had a bad storm without power for 4 days and ran the stove the entire time. That extra $1,700 could buy a lot of pellets or more solar panels to make sure it will still work with bad weather.

[@ACE1542yt]

Good video tho

[@hithere7382]

This thing is made in the USA in Missouri by Americans, not immigrants. It also burns way, way hotter than your traditional stove.

[@justinw1765]

If I was in your situation, I would buy a few more Solar panels and use them solely as direct heaters. Basically, you hook them up directly to nichrome wire and put the wire in a thermal mass of more efficient energy absorbing materials (there are better things than sand), and then insulate that well during the day and take off the insulation at night. All the energy that the Solar panels can collect get dumped into this "heat battery" directly and with no loss from things like electro chemical batteries, controllers, inverters, etc. These are energy drains when it comes to heating. Electric to resistive heating is nearly 100% efficient. Unfortunately our property does not get enough consistent sun for Solar panels (especially in the winter), not even for this direct heating. We have like one part of the property that gets maybe 3 hours of sun in the same spot in the winter. If we had a lot more sun, especially near the window areas, I would build Solar heat collectors and directly pipe in hot air through a window insert system.

[@crazysnarfy861]

I was thinking about giving one of these a try a while back, but the price took the wind out of my sails. It's a shame because they seem like a decent unit.

[@Tonyncher]

Me too, It is the same price as the sophisticated electronic ones, a more realistic price would be half of what they are asking, did you see the price of the replacement items too? Ouch!

[@crazysnarfy861]

@@Tonyncher I know, right? I feel like I could fabricate one with a little work!

[@justinw1765]

If you have access to plentiful and cheap clay, straw, and sand, you can make one for yourself for pretty inexpensive. You'll need a little metal for some of the flue, and the bell/barrel that goes over the riser but most people re-purpose a used oil barrel for that part anyways. It is not a good idea to make an indoor rocket stove system primarily out of metal. Metals just don't last long enough in these systems--not even stainless. Maybe M42 steel or pure titanium might last, but that would be a very expensive system. There is no need for much metal when a combo of firebricks and cob work extremely well and last a long time.

[@scott1lori282]

Seems to like finger sized sticks. This thing is a different animal from a box stove. As far as the burn chamber door, It's too tight and seems to expand even tighter while hot. I took mine to the bench grinder & shaved off maybe 1/16th from each side. I also rounded off the sharp corners. I sprayed with high temp black paint & now it doesn't bind up.

[@blade5054]

So just a thought that I had just kind of curious on what people's opinion would be or if you would be willing to try it now I know it wouldn't work with wood chips made from fresh wood but if you have wood that is seasoned like you're the wood that you're using to test this with if you put that through a wood chipper and then use the at least the gate at the bottom from the pellets maybe the whole Hopper system from the pellets would that work because if I could let my wood sit in season and I yes larger logs and all would take longer if they aren't split but it's not necessarily A Bad Thing and instead of taking the time to split it just running it through a chipper to process it so it'll fit in the stove and burn better I kind of sounds like it would work to me but I kind of I don't know just something tells me it would feel somewhere I just don't know where also I think the big difference or what would make a big difference is having a mass I know you're saying that you don't think the cord would heat up the mass but I think it would be a pain the first time you get the mass heated up but then if you put a couple small pieces and then light it you know an hour in the morning and an hour or even two at night just to recharge the mass I don't think it would be that bad I don't know I'm not saying it would necessarily be an entire home heater but I think it would be better than what it's currently doing and burn through less fuel

[@snicks50]

Yeah I tried hooking up with that company. To get me a demo stove I could try out. But they failed on that. I am a USA stove dealer. From what I see the pellet option is the best for long burn tine for sure......

[@dirtpatcheaven]

Yep. The pellets are pretty cool.

[@jamesoconnor9122]

How long does a 40lb bag of pellets last?

[@rdkndr1]

Yeah we all wanted 1 for free...

[@hithere7382]

I don't think they do dealers, they're a manufacturer direct sales company.

[@makeitpay8241]

12 to 24 hours@@jamesoconnor9122

[@handcraftedluxuries1980]

I wish i could have wood heat. Im allergic to pine in any form from wood smoke to pinesol.

[@Blackford86]

Is there a way to have air come from a vent from the outside so it’s not sucking air out of the room to burn hope that makes sense

[@bli3366]

That's what the 4" holes on the sides of the Feed Tube are for. You can pipe air in on either side and block off the other one so that all your combustion air comes from outside the home.

[@thegiggler2]

Wouldn't it be better if the flame is coming toward the fuel and not away from it?

[@stagman4611]

Is it me. Or are rocket stoves supposed to run on thinner wood so you don’t use as much. To me if you wannna burn logs Get a log burner

[@robertodiamato8114]

per comprarla mi mandate un link

[@peterd1234567890]

Could you use wood chips instead of pellets?

[@makeitpay8241]

that's a good question

[@timklassen421]

I like my natural gas furnace been using it for years

[@makeitpay8241]

what do you do when the gas is off?

[@timklassen421]

enjoy summer @@makeitpay8241

[@failingdisciple938]

Will this get as hot as a regular wood stove?

[@bli3366]

Normal operating temperatures should be in the 450°-650° range--so probably a bit hotter. I've heard of some people getting them even hotter than that, though it's probably not advised.

[@blessildajoy]

Yeah, I'll keep feeding my regular cast iron and steel stove every couple hrs...

[@makeitpay8241]

my old Ashley would keep a fire up to 16 hours with good hardwood chunks.

[@makeitpay8241]

why doesn't she have a damper in the stove pipe?

[@northerntrucker]

Still amazes that you people are alive in States...🤣 For nordic people in Europe we get this infomation in our mothers breastmilk.

[@blessildajoy]

🤣

[@makeitpay8241]

city people have city ways

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

Good thing I live where most burn wood and don't get offended by such...

[@regwatson2017]

Rocket stoves by their very nature are built to burn hard and fast. Either that or you use a small version for camp cooking with a suitable cooking adapter. If you don't want to have to keep stoking a fire to stay warm get a proper stove heater not a rocket stove or else a proper pellet heater. Watching this video is like watching someone try to deal with a naughty child !

[@improvisedsurvival5967]

I wanna add wood and go all nite not every hour will wake up cold

[@CoastalGardening]

👍👍

[@anthonymonaco5889]

I would never get one.. Too much maintenance Every 1/2 hour .. . I'll stick with a regular stove with a catalytic converter. They burn for hours and hours with one load.

[@proxywebs]

Why couldn't you just make a machine that mulches cord wood into pellets that will function in this stove?

[@BowenOrg]

With All Due Respect.... while this type of stove seems unique and "cutting edge".... I see it as the biggest pain in the derriere I've ever seen!!! : ( WHAT I DON'T WANT: * I don't want to babysit a stove! * I don't want to have to buy special sized wood! * I don't want a limit on the size of the wood box, aka the fuel area! * I don't want a stove that is dangerous... meaning that I don't want any chances for carbon monoxide going into my living area.... especially since it's odorless and colorless. WHAT I DO WANT: * I want maximum heat... THAT I CONTROL... to last as long as possible, hopefully overnight... AND I want to burn almost any sized log or material that I want. * I want the safest stove I can find * I want the stove that has multiple features so it does more than one thing... ie: radiant heat, forced heat with a fan, heating water etc etc. WHAT I'M WORKING ON: * I've "borrowed" every stove idea I could find from almost every inventor I could find.... PLUS using stoves and fireplaces for 40+ years myself. * I'm designing one that will be incredibly safe which means it's completely sealed with no leaking of carbon monoxide... and yes, I'll have a separate air supply from outside the home for the firebox which is "pushed" up the chimney and NOT into the home.... that's the primary key of safety. It's also the key to heating the home. * My design also has a blower fan... also with a separate air supply from outside the home.... because you don't want to have air being recycled from inside your house.... you want fresh air being heated up and that's more refreshing. * My design heats an entire home automatically... basement, 1st floor, 2nd floor etc.... because the clean air is "pulled" from the outside, heated, and then "pushed" outward throughout the house... and that's the major flaw with 99% of all home stoves. "Regular" home stoves "suck" the heated air OUT of the home and up the chimney and that is why you can't heat an entire home and why people spend so much money on wood. * My design will also "feed" the stove with enough wood to last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours... depending on how hot you want your house to be and the type of wood you're burning... and the size of your home of course. * My design also heats water as an extra bonus. MAJOR BENEFITS: * You save an enormous amount of money on firewood! * It's safer! * It's easier to operate and the homeowner is in control (not the stove) because there is a thermostat included! Hopefully I can have a sample model built ASAP so I can document everything and upload some videos. Amen Retired, Veteran

[@Yahweh-Chase-Bella]

Anyone ever tell you, you look like Kristen Bell or whats her name lol

[@GrandmaGingersFarm]

UNFORTUNATELY, A pellet stove is NOT very Self Sustainable!

[@phucknuts.7065]

Just vote for Trump in 2024 and run it on oil.