Yes, I planned on putting an access port either at the bottom of the tank or where the exhaust leaves the tank. It will also have an access door for starting the fire, and another for loading.

I've tried several insects I've caught with the same idea you have, Jimbo. I microwaved all of them except for dragonflies and a luna moth I found while dragonfly hunting. Crickets tasted slightly nutty, and grubs tasted pretty much just like walnuts. Worms tasted like fish, dragonflies tasted like soft-shell crab. My friend who also tried the dragonflies with me thought they tasted like slightly salty potato chips. I just happened to have soft-shell crab a couple days later for the comparison. I don't recall what the luna moth tasted like, I was probably too distracted as it must have been full of eggs because there were tons of "seeds" that were very hard to crush with my teeth, and got stuck everywhere in my mouth.

I appreciate the info. I have seen that they have plans available. I plan on doing mine a little different. I have an old air compressor (I think it will look better than a barrel) that I'm going to cut, install the J-tube, then weld back together so it's a sealed unit. I also plan on a fresh air intake as opposed to drawing room air in.

My county later said they may approve of a permit if I have a thermal transfer engineer approve of my plans. I am still waiting on an answer from them, since they never heard of it and had to do consulting and research.

I spoke with UL via email and phone these past 2 weeks to get a Rocket Mass Heater certified as my county will not allow a non-UL approved appliance to be installed. I had to submit basic plans and a description. They replied with a cost of $4500.00 to certify my individual stove for my residence.