Kelly Kitchens

I got an email saying my DVDs will be shipped 8/12/13... though I dunno if that's when they arrive or when they drop them at their post office. I guess we'll see when we see.

Sounds like it's not "if" kids are going to be there, but a discussion on "how" they're going to be there. I love kids. Have some of my own, that are finally off top dead center and ready to move forward and maybe produce some grandkids for me to shamelessly spoil ("teach them things their parents would prefer they not learn") and then send them home as revenge for all the stuff of mine my boys destroyed growing up. I'm glad to see this discussion happening, especially the emphasis on parental responsibility to keep children wrangled in a way that will promote community harmony, or at least limit community annoyance. The safety issues probably will eventually need their own thread, won't they?

I think it's better to have a vigorous discussion about this now, especially since moving people together in a healthy, low-toxin, high-nutrition environment is statistically proven to spontaneously create MORE children as their incipient parents' fertility rises from sheer vibrant health.

(edited for spelling, as always)

Scott, Tim plans to bevel the log ends with a chainsaw prior to pulling it, which will take virtually no time at all. There were multiple problems at first getting the base trued enough to provide a square and level base for the platform and uprights, so I think it was better to not dislodge them until the upper structure was more complete. Also, leaving as much material on early gives the most flexibility in potentially modifing the design on the fly.

Paul, thanks for posting the current pic. I was wondering how the logs Charley and Morgan peeled were going to be attached to the rafters. I see Tim added some purlins between rafters, and the diagonal bracing we were going to put in on the Fourth are installed now... with those slots cut into the roof logs for the rafters I bet the lateral bracing we were worried about isn't nearly as much of an issue.

The poopdeck seems to be coming along well. Will you be posting some closeups of the shake nail-down process? I'm pretty curious about that, as well as how the trombe chimney assembly will develop.

(Edited because I can't seem to spell correctly today.)

Charley is undisputed shakemeister. I think the pitch on his arms has gotten in his blood. lol

Hi Erica. Thanks for the response.

What got me thinking along these lines was a set of pictures I saw where someone put a rocket stove in their RV. I was like, "you need some mass for that RMH buddy".

Then I thought through the logistics of RVs. You don't want to haul them heavy. In fact, if possible you drain the water tanks and septic before moving. And voilà, I instantly thought of a drainable water jacket to use in lieu of heavy masonry. If it's vented indoors, (water side I mean,) it'll add humidity during cold weather, it'll act similar to the cobb as far as a heat mass, and it can be lightened quickly when it's time to move the wagon.

What excites me about the concept is now there's a truly portable rocket mass heater that may be bulky, but not prohibitive weight-wise. The potential for putting RMHs in homes on a temporay basis becomes wide open.

Welcome, Ernie and Erica! Waiting on the edge of my seat for the RMH DVD set to mail! Thanks so much for all the work you do.

My question is if you've ever used phase change salts for your mass instead of rock or cobb? Also, have you ever used water jackets around the base of the bell and along the exhaust flue (fully vented to the atmosphere to avoid "boomsquish" of course) for heat mass?

Here's a website detailing a practical urine diversion setup: Current Version Omick

I like some of the details on an earlier version of his site, which show some practical steps that he no longer uses: Older Version Omick

Some details of construction worth paying close attention to:

1) The vertical corner posts should be 4x4's or doubled 2x4's or whatever rough sawn equivalent you decide. This roof could potentially see a significant snow load and the supports should be stout enough to handle a worst-case scenario.
2) The cross beams the rafters rest on should be larger than 2x4's (as represented in most sketches) for the same reason.
3) Due to the above, a larger angle on the roof would be better, to shed the snow more readily. It might be worth considering having the slope go from one side to the other instead of front to back, to prevent a large snow buildup behind the outhouse where the bin access is. Even in winter emptying the bin will still be occasionally necessary, and especially if we use a urine diversion model. The urine container will need emptied much more often than the main poo receptacle. Either that or the bin access should be on the side.
4) Some sort of fabricated ledge that the bin can slide into (up against the underside of the planking the hole is on) will help seal the container area better as a barrier to flies and smells.
5) There's also the issue of keeping the urine diversion receptacle from becoming a big old ice block.

(edited for brevity)

Interesting! I've only read a little about BSFs, mostly around breeding them for feed for chickens, aquaculture, etc. Definitely bears more research. Thanks Chris!