Post by fancyideas on Nov 21, 2011 20:36:00 GMT -8
I’m trying to design a simple brick variation of a “rocket mass heater/cooker” from bricks. However, though my design seems to be in the proportions I see on other similar stoves, I can’t get the proper “rocket” effect – and the fire will slowly burn out without ever “blasting” over and up into the chimney. I think it is not getting enough oxygen – even though I tried supplying it as indicated in the “16-brick rocket stove” video.
I tried to attach several photos - but only the photo of the "whole" stove/cooker would load. I hope my descriptions of the remainder are sufficient.
The bricks are 3 x 6”. The wood-feed opening on the right is 3” x 6”. I have a sheet metal “table” that the wood rests on, but have removed it for this picture. It is a “U” shape, 3”x6”, with a cutout of 3” on the left “leg”, so air could flow into the heat chamber. The heat chamber is the size of one brick, standing on edge, 3” x about 3-1/2” tall – and runs from right to left, about 2-1/2 bricks, to the chimney. The chimney is formed of one brick with a half brick as needed to form the square. I wanted the right top to be used not only as a heat source, but also a flat area where a tea kettle or baking dish could be placed. Additional bricks are placed at the back, just for mass and to absorb and reflect heat, as is the top square of brick at the back of the chimney.
This is a view into the wood chamber – and you can see that it makes a “left turn” into the heating chamber. It is one brick wide and long – so the heating chamber is, essentially, “half a brick”. With or without the sheet metal table, there wasn’t enough air flowing into it to make a good hot fire.
A view down the chimney. You can see paper ash, from attempts to light it, that didn’t burn, as well as some wood chip/charcoal at the bottom. The chimney is a little less than one brick square.
A view of the chimney top. The double-brick stone at back is to reflect heat. Thinking that there was too much incoming air between the brick joints, I sealed all of them with a mixture of kitty liter and water. It made a great clay – especially when I didn’t want to go outside in freezing weather to try to dig some! (BTW – it WAS clean kitty litter!) ;D
I originally designed this unit to have a top self-feeding drop on the right, about the same size as the one now on the bottom – but it wouldn’t breathe properly, either. I tried to put an air vent in the side - as the mobile stove design shown at rocketstove.org, as an institutional stove – but that didn’t work.
Can you please tell me how to alter this design so it will work? We MUST cut our heating bill in half this winter – and in Omaha, that is hard to do, even under normal circumstances. It will be easy to “re-do”, since the kitty-mortar is easily removed. It would only be a couple of hours work to re-make it – if I just knew how! I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Thanks!
I tried to attach several photos - but only the photo of the "whole" stove/cooker would load. I hope my descriptions of the remainder are sufficient.
The bricks are 3 x 6”. The wood-feed opening on the right is 3” x 6”. I have a sheet metal “table” that the wood rests on, but have removed it for this picture. It is a “U” shape, 3”x6”, with a cutout of 3” on the left “leg”, so air could flow into the heat chamber. The heat chamber is the size of one brick, standing on edge, 3” x about 3-1/2” tall – and runs from right to left, about 2-1/2 bricks, to the chimney. The chimney is formed of one brick with a half brick as needed to form the square. I wanted the right top to be used not only as a heat source, but also a flat area where a tea kettle or baking dish could be placed. Additional bricks are placed at the back, just for mass and to absorb and reflect heat, as is the top square of brick at the back of the chimney.
This is a view into the wood chamber – and you can see that it makes a “left turn” into the heating chamber. It is one brick wide and long – so the heating chamber is, essentially, “half a brick”. With or without the sheet metal table, there wasn’t enough air flowing into it to make a good hot fire.
A view down the chimney. You can see paper ash, from attempts to light it, that didn’t burn, as well as some wood chip/charcoal at the bottom. The chimney is a little less than one brick square.
A view of the chimney top. The double-brick stone at back is to reflect heat. Thinking that there was too much incoming air between the brick joints, I sealed all of them with a mixture of kitty liter and water. It made a great clay – especially when I didn’t want to go outside in freezing weather to try to dig some! (BTW – it WAS clean kitty litter!) ;D
I originally designed this unit to have a top self-feeding drop on the right, about the same size as the one now on the bottom – but it wouldn’t breathe properly, either. I tried to put an air vent in the side - as the mobile stove design shown at rocketstove.org, as an institutional stove – but that didn’t work.
Can you please tell me how to alter this design so it will work? We MUST cut our heating bill in half this winter – and in Omaha, that is hard to do, even under normal circumstances. It will be easy to “re-do”, since the kitty-mortar is easily removed. It would only be a couple of hours work to re-make it – if I just knew how! I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Thanks!