I have officially proclaimed the rocket stove “not working”. The stove simply does not draw on days without the right wind direction/intensity. It is unreliable. Even when the wind is right, the stove takes too long to heat up (even the barrel itself!) At times, it smokes into the house, which is added frustration.
Something is [...]
Posts Tagged ‘rocket stove’
I proclaim the rocket stove “not working”
An update! (A brief one for now)
After a week of travel in early January, I returned home to Dancing Rabbit… to cloudy, gray, cold Missouri. After days of thick clouds, the Common House’s power system was depleted and we went powerless (for the first time on this solar system) for five full days! Whoa.
Anyway, I have a fair amount of news [...]
What’s in store for 2010
Winter is the time for planning for the year ahead, and there’s a number of building-related projects in the works for 2010.
A Recommended Cob and Natural Building Book List
There are a few books that I referenced and relied on throughout the process of building my cob house. I’ve come up with a short list of books for aspiring cob builders to get inspired and get set on the path to actual construction of a small cob house similar to my own. Check them [...]
The lowdown on my rocket stove performance
The past few weeks have been the first real test for my rocket stove with outdoor temperatures dipping below freezing at nights, and daytime temperatures in the 30s-40s. (This week has below freezing daytimes, with wind chills in the negatives – but I am with family in NJ and April is at home tending the [...]
Building a Rocket Stove: Part 2: Cob Bed and Bench
The rocket stove and cob bed and bench are essentially finished. The rocket stove (which I will detail more in yet another post) has 25 feet of horizontal run that wraps through the bed, into the bench, and out the southern wall of the house.
The rocket stove is successfully working
I am pretty psyched right now because it appears that my rocket stove, complete with nearly 25 feet of horizontal run (including two 180 degree turns) and no vertical stack, is successfully drawing.
More on that later.
Building a Rocket Stove: Part 1: Stove Materials
A few days ago, I finally began building my rocket stove. A rocket stove is a high efficiency, low cost type of homemade mass heater. The advantage with rocket stoves is being able to run the stove pipe through cob furniture such as benches or beds. Instead of sending the stove pipe straight through the [...]
Flue pipe for making a rocket stove
I recently bought some flue pipe for the construction of my rocket stove and heated cob bed. I purchased it from a local hardware store, and I was very happy to learn that there is 60″ lengths of flue pipe for sale for roughly $11 each. Compared to the more common 24″ lengths, which are [...]
Gearing up for building season
It feels like building season is almost upon us. There’s a hint of spring warmth in the air, and I get antsier with each passing day as I think about the prospect of finishing my humble abode. I have a building sequence of events that I’ve been thinking about today.
Other than finishing the living roof [...]
