Ken Jackson

Peter: The compost pile is a grand idea. Now all I have to do is buy some beef cattle to create a compost pile. just kidding.
I was just looking at a mass storage that would not take up space in an always to small garage. The bigger I build the garage the smaller it gets. Right now it is 1720SF and don't have room for all the things I have.
I have radiant heat in the garage and thru-out the house but my energy bill is killing me. Right now power and heat cost me around 3900 per year and I use CFL's everywhere I can. I have two air tight wood burners in the house with heat coils in them to help radiant heat system plus 2 air source heat pumps ( I now go thru 5 or six cords of wood a year and still have high energy bills) I am heating around 4600SF and have high ceilings in the house and 11foot in garage.
But I am so impressed with the rocket heater I want to some how incorporate one or two to off set the heating of water for the radiant system. There has to be a way to use a rocket heater to heat enough water to heat my house and garage. By the way I live in northern Minnesota and we can see -25 degree days several times a year. So I am asking those big brain people on this forum with a lot of knowledge to throw there 2 cents into my problem. I am not shy when it comes to research or hand on trial and error. And as a disabled Vet I have more time than money.
And I thank you Peter for your input so far I know taking time to reply to my post takes time out of your day.

My true goal is to go off grid but don't know if it is possible in my life time. But every little bit put me closer to my goal.

Again thank you all for you input, knowledge is best when passed on.


" Work smarter rather than working harder"

Hahas is an Acronym, Definition. HAHSA, Heating and Heat Storage Apparatus. It is a block building with foam along the walls with a heater built into the front and filled with sand it hat a shingle roof and is used to store heat mostly for radiant heat projects.
I thought that you could build a rocket heater into the front of the unit and it would heat the sand and keep it warm for some time after the fire goes out. With the pipe from the rocket running thru the sand and out the far wall it would heat the sand and then in turn heat the pex pipe with water in it That you could use to run your radiant heat system. Maybe I am thinking to far out of the box. But for some reason in theory it sound like it might work.
The sand would replace the cob as a heat storage device. As I have read the cob benches and beds can be upwards of 115degrees. and have been told you can cover the barrel all the way with cob. So why not sand?
All that have more knowledge please chime in and tell me where I am going wrong with this idea.










" If I could do it all over again I would change nothing For I am the sum total of all that I have done"

Could you not use ceramic insulation? it comes in many thickness and grades and is used to protect kilns will last for years and is rated for constant use.

My question is: Could one build a rocket mass heater in an outside building that is block 8'X10, six feet high with roof and run the pipes around the building and then fill with sand half way. Then loop 1500 feet of Pex pipe in the sand and fill the rest up with sand. Run water thru the pex pipe and use for radiant heat in a house? The water temp. does not have to be very high maybe 110 degrees.
Also how big can you build a rocket mass heater? I am new to this idea but it sounds grand. And I know there are a lot of pro's out there that have a lot of knowledge on this subject and I look forward to learning all I can about these mass storage devices. I would like to go off grid in time and wonder if my idea would work.
I thank all of you in advance in helping me with this question!










"If you learn nothing else in life remember people like to be treated with respect."