R Scott

I can’t find the video now, but I watched one a long time ago about a farmer that built an under ground dome house just like building a cob bread oven. He built a big mound of dirt, covered it with old tarps, then built a rebar frame and poured stiff concrete. When set, he dig out the dirt and used it to bury the dome.

I agree 1000%

There is lots of nuance. Yes, there was better quality but there was also better care. Holes were patched quickly, they weren’t exposed to harsh chemicals (like frequent washing).

You can still get waterproof wool, but it will cost you. I have a modern Swedish wool coat and it is incredible. I can’t imagine what a real cloak or great kilt would be like.

My home runs on rainwater, so I have to be cognizant during the dry season. I have gone to doing the leaning barrel method. When it’s done, I do a quick steam to help crack the carbon and cool it slightly, then put the lid on and let it cool down without oxygen. I probably use 5 gallons for a 55 gallon barrel batch. There is no water left, it all steams off by morning.

It can work, but it takes A LOT more fence and time dealing with it.  It makes it extremely hard to adjust paddock size to match grass growth conditions.  Cattle will ruin swales, and quickly; you can’t let them run loose.  

It I were to do it again, I would make multiple alleyways so you can cross the swales more than just the ends.  Or do the crescent mini swales with guilds that you can put a circle fence around and run your paddocks wherever you need for the conditions and herd.

What about an electric bear fence?

Hmm. At my old place it would grow in the cracks in the concrete, or a spoonful of sand on top of the concrete, so I don’t know if pH matters that much.

Definitely sleeve it.  PVC electrical conduit or PEX water pipe is what I usually see.

Avoid fittings at all costs. This is part of why conduit or pex are used, they have sweeping bends that allow flexible line to make a 90 bend without a fitting.

Make sure you use a large enough pipe. Propane is under really low pressure and long runs will have significant loss.

For reference, the current sweet spot for commercial pastured organic flocks is 20,000. And they make as much out more on the manure as the eggs, too.

Not my money, but if I were in that situation I’d probably do the gasifier boiler mounted in a small metal building. One end would be a small boiler room with rock wool insulation (fire and rodent resistant) and a bigger wood shed area on the other end. Big door in between that will fit a pallet jack so you can roll a tote of wood in at a time.  

Definitely NOT an outdoor boiler, you are 1000% right on that choice.

A rmh is more efficient for a simple space, but retrofitting into a house not designed for wood heat can be suboptimal.