using rocket mass heater to heat multiple floors or rooms

We love the rocket mass videos and information.  It is a cool idea and we want to put it into our  house to save some money.  We currently pay over $1000/month for heat with propane and electric.  Couple of questions.  Can  you build one in a "V" shape with 2 sets of tubs going through the mass and then both tubes connecting at the end to vent?  Since the air is hitting the barrel top and dropping down on all sides it seems like adding a second 8" outlet would help?

Also, have you had a rocket mass heater in one room and use fans or something (ductwork?) to push the hot air to other areas or a different floor to heat?  That would be ideal for us.

I'd be interested in knowing whether this would work too but RMH provide radiant heat; they're not so much heating the heat which you can convect and flow to other parts of your house.

Hi James and welcome to permies!

James Herb wrote:We currently pay over $1000/month for heat with propane and electric.

$1000/month seems very high to me. Just wanting to double check that you meant to write that. If so then I imagine a rocket mass heater would save you gobs of money.

I'm having a bit trouble understanding your question about the design. Maybe I'm just tired. Any chance you could upload a quick sketch?

Yes, the $1000 is right.  It is a big stucco house.  For the design, has anyone built it where it has 2 benches of mass?  One on the left of the heater and one on the right and both long.  So maybe you could put in a corner with the heater in the center and 2 branches off each side?

James,    How about something like a double ended bell bench like this? The bench does not need to be straight and could pass through a wall into another room. Perhaps some of the bench could also have a metal top to help bring more instant heat into the other room.

The double ended bell concept is sound; running two separate ducts and reconnecting them has been said to be difficult to balance: one channel always predominates and takes the majority of the heat.

So for the month of November you paid about $1000 for propane and electricity combined?
In the past 12 months what is lowest combined billed that you paid?
If I were to subtract this lowest bill from the highest bill it would help me to figure out how much of your bill goes to heating?

It almost seems like could help alot but maybe you have a 'shop' or something and that is were most of that energy/money(gas+electric) is going?

I have seem one RMH heating two stories, so you should be able to heat up your multi-room house with just a regular setup.

A multi-duct setup will work, and if you setup a vortex where they rejoin it will help both side pull in heat equally.

Yeah,  $1000 is on the low end.  This is why we are looking to save money.  10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.