John Morrison

Great topic is the 80 acre plot

Re contours I did a pdc with Geoff lawton online and consider to fantastic and value for money.
Geoff uses and now so do I a Johnson hand held eye level (available ON EBAY) which is most useful and easy. I've used this on a 300 acres farm and over a long distance will give contours accurate to about a foot. You can then use a laser level with your earth works machinery.

As for other things to do I'd start getting the top most Swale started and pond if you can or at least plan it.

Then start adding pioneer species of legumes and support species. Also add slow growing productive trees like nuts and fruit trees that you will enjoy when you eventually move to your property.some of these trees take many years to get to maturity. Remember your working toward permanence so consider this as a 500 year plan.
I've found from personal experience mistake #1 is doing too much to start and this leads to chaos
mistake #2 not enough support species

Trust this helps
Regards
John

hello from Brisbane again
Ive a nephew that farms alphalfa (lucerne) for hay and has just started his 1st crop, not yet got the 1st cut. The local wild duck population have moved in and are mowing the new growth off as fast as it grows. I imagine this would be a recurring issue in nth america with the native geese. Has anyone ot some good ideas of gently moving these bird on until the crop is at least mature. These ducks are not good eating and we cant bring ourselves to shoot them either. We thought of spraying the crop with a mild solution of tabasco.
I think if we can break the habit for a couple of months this will all settle itself down
any ideas

I've seen a design somewhere of a clay moulded fire bricks for the chimney of the fire box. Can anyone point me in the right direction to make this or should his time be bought as fire bricks

Ok it looks like the J style will be my choice is hebel any good to use as an insulator the hebel specs state up to 1800degrees f
Has any one have ideas on this

I'm not sure why this won't work I think I'll use the gas pot idea shown to try this before I build the rocket stove.
The institution stove does not have the J entrance for timber is this an enhancement???

Perfect now I can see a direction of how to build
So what do you think of the radiator as a heat exchange

Thanks
John

GdayAlan
Thanks heaps for your input i have seen this stove at the PRI when i did my PDC, I am impressed!

The reason i thought of the car radiator was that it would be in a hot water drum over the rocket stove not in a oven as my previous communication may have suggested.

I imagined there to be a big pot like the old style copper washing pot my parents used and into that pot put 1 or 2 radiators into the bouiling water as a heat exchanger.

The reason for this type of heater exchanger was the volume of water that could go through it as opposed to 13mm coper pipe and this could be used with the current pool pump which runs a 38mm pipe.

i understand the pressure water system at the PRI but was after more water flow and cant see how i can get additional pressure in this appliacation.

Thanks again for your past and future input
regards john

Hello from down under. Does anyone have any experience in heating a hot tob of about 1200 gallons its curremtly heated via a heat pump .
I think a rocket stove through a heat exchanger would work well. My current plan is to pump the tub water through a car radiator placed in a 50 gallon drum inside a heat box fed from the rocket stove. lokking for input and ideas. We live in subtropical brisbane australia so not as much intence heating as other places
this hot tub is made from concrete in the ground which is about 60degree f its covered with foam and there is sometimes a frost.
Any commnets would be appreciated