Nathan Lamphere

Samantha Lewis wrote:

Nathan Lamphere wrote:I am #1235.  That still makes me part of the cool kids, right? I have been reading / watching much about rocket mass heaters here over the last couple of months and am just about to put it all together. The stove will arrive this week.

I wouldn't have conceived it, let alone be able to make a plan, without the content creators and posts on the forum. I am pleased to be able to help make the movie possible.

Hi Nathan!  

That is awesome.  Good for you !   What  kind of heater/stove are you building?

I think one of the greatest things about the free heat movie is that it helps us figure out which Rocket Mass Heater style is appropriate for a specific installation.

Have you seen the new web page for the movie?  

freeheat.info

Hi Samantha!  

I hadn't seen the link...Thank you for it and I ordered the plans/movie combo.  It might have some extra info on it that I didn't glean out of the forum.

On the Meet the Instructors section I was pleased to see that Sky Huddleston's name listed.  It's one one of their Liberators that I ordered.  I needed the UL listing so I could maintain the insurance on my house and I think it will look good where it is being installed.  Also, the EPA certification makes the tax rebate attractive.

If things work out, I will at least post photos in the rocket mass heaters group as I get it done, but may make a video out of it, too.  Will see what happens.

I am #1235.  That still makes me part of the cool kids, right? I have been reading / watching much about rocket mass heaters here over the last couple of months and am just about to put it all together. The stove will arrive this week.

I wouldn't have conceived it, let alone be able to make a plan, without the content creators and posts on the forum. I am pleased to be able to help make the movie possible.

The cardboard keeps the dirt from falling out of the bottom when doing the offset between courses. Here is a link to Youtube video that explains this. I am not associated with them, just one of the things I found for info. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cer3WKTOcy8

My reason for wanting to cut the tire is because it looks more labor intensive packing the tires, fighting the sidewall, then it does cutting the top sidewall (with the right tools) off. I think that I can get just as good of a pack, maybe even better, if I am not trying to kick the dirt in and then hit with a sledgehammer 50,000 times at varying angles. I am thinking a tractor with a tamper on a bucket bouncing the fill material down will work.

It should make it easier to level them out, too.

On your side note - I have seen flower pots made from the tires and decorated up they look quite wonderful. Sounds like you have ambitious plans!

Thanks for the feedback. For clarification, since I left a lot out of my original post, here is some more:

The property is completely flat. The 5-6' tire wall would come up to ground level, and then have a cement pony wall on top of it to bring it to the height above grade that I want. The ground is entirely sand and rock - absolutely drains everything out of sight straight down. As far as we can tell, it is that way for over 400 feet.

The courses would be battered back 1.5" per course. This would let it act as a retaining wall against the outside materials.

Only one of the sidewalls would be cut out. The bottom one would be left in, and cardboard laid in it just like the standard rammed earth ones I have watched. See the pictures labeled Tire and Tire Cutaway

Rebar would be driven through the tires as shown in the courses attachment.

Also, I would screw them together as suggested.

Lastly, there is a tire recycler within a mile of me. I know some of the people there so might be able to get them to cut the sidewalls off for me for a reasonable rate or something. Otherwise I may be able to come up with something else to cut them, too.

Ok, with the drawings and description am I still off base here?

Hi. I am looking at building a greenhouse/aquaponics system - my first off the grid project. I have watched video after video of rammed earth tires and wonder, "Why not cut most of the sidewall off of one side of the tire and ram it with dirt?"

No more hand stuffing the sidewalls and swinging a sledge hammer at odd angles. It seems that the density can be achieved just as readily, that it actually fills the tire more completely, level it out more easily, and still provide as much integrity.

Am I missing something here? Probably, and that is why I am asking.