Portable Rocket Tailgate Heater

Hello All,

I've been lurking for a while now, but am stuck and need some suggestions so I figured I would jump all-in.

I'm intrigued by the Rocket and RMH designs and like many here am an tinkerer at heart. From what I've read and watched I believe there is a solution to this idea I have. I'm looking to design and build a standing heater for a classic outdoor winter tailgating setup. I play adult hockey twice a week, and after our games we like to stand around and enjoy an adult beverage and some small talk. I believe that a properly designed Rocket might generate a flame column hot enough and tall enough that it could drive/heat a classic patio heater mesh manifold thus keeping us warm in the winter season (~40 - 55F).

I've been experimenting with a classic 4" Rocket Stove base (haven't experimented with insulation yet) and stack. I'm getting some decent flame in the riser, but not as strong or high as I think I might need. My next step is to use the left over perlite from my tomato buckets.

Ideally, the stack would be at least 4 feet high. This is about the lowest that I could imagine the manifold. I came across a propane fueled design that I think might work for a standing position if I can heat it properly. The You Tube Video below shows the manifold I'm thinking about modeling it after.

Additionally, here are some design considerations.

Portable - weight < 40 lbs
Quick to setup & lite
Typical run time would be about 2 hours
Quick to cool off - Need to break down and transport in ~20 min.

I've looked at the different designs including the Pocket Rocket Barrels, but that would require too much cool down time and would like not be very portable.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated at this point.

Tony

Tony Chia : With an an tin can Rocket Stove and a pair of welders gloves you should be able to loosely stuff Perlite between the inner and outer cans,

Then within 1 minute of being ready to go Use Your welding gloves to pour out the perlite in to a metal bucket or onto the ground and then sweep

them up into the bucket. This trick alone should cool every thing down quickly. The tin cans with a very large surface area to mass should cool down

within a couple of minutes ! dump them on top of the now cool perlite and cover and you are ready to go home !

I would find a piece of Car /Truck Exhaust pipe around 4-5 inches to set on the top of your Rocket Stove allowing a little additional air for cooling and

I think the large diameter truck exhaust would last for a couple of seasons - longer if you can get a deal on stainless steel ! A large piece of Hardware

Cloth rolled into a 7'' - 8'' Column or pipe shape will work as a stand off when fastened to your other pipe !


I have been assisting a local Cub Scout Leader make Rocket Stoves and Pocket Rockets for Projects to get them ready for ice fishing for 4 or 5 years

now. The pocket rocket is the most popular by far -but it requires insulating as it will cause concrete to spall and will set fire to Blacktop. Having a large

stack of Precut firewood of small size and very dry will greatly simplify your tailgating . Some years we use Toboggans and Tent Poles and ponchos or

piles of snow for wind breaks ! Last year fishing Close to shore on the St. Lawrence we used a pee wee hockey clubs Goals for wind breaks covering one

with space blankets and Ponchos, and the other on with shippers quilts - best wind breaks ever !


Now for Something different see link Bellow (#9) :




Hope this is helpful and timely ( nothing frozen over yet ! ) For the Good of the Crafts ! Big AL

Tony Chia : Re-reading your Thread I am a little confused by the way you are using the word manifold. I do not recognize an area of Your video

of the Propane heater as containing a manifold.


Also the term manifold is used to describe the area outside of the Heat Riser but still inside The barrel where the rapidly cooling and denser Exhaust

gases Turn at right angles to flow horizontally through the RMHs Thermal Mass. I am sure we can work this small problem out Good Luck! Big AL

Sorry, was using manifold in its generic term. Basically I meant the transition from the chimney to the mesh area. Take a look at this picture. I took a wire trash can and attached it via a 4" to 6" adapter. I cut the bottom out of the trash can. I'll probably need to add a deflector to get the flames to the mesh. An inner thinner walled mesh would probably cherry better. Worked ok, but I think the perlite in the base improved the performance the most. I think I can shorten the chimney a little and get more heat in the top screen area.

I like your dump the perlite into another bucket idea for s quick cool down.

Tony