Operate a wood stove or RMH for an hour - PEM BB woodheat.sand.operateheater

Mike Haasl wrote:This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Sand badge in Wood Heat.

Operating a wood burning contraption is a bit more hands-on that using a gas furnace.  Let's get some practice with wood heat!

Minimum requirements:
  - Start and operate a wood stove or rocket mass heater for an hour
  - Starting dead cold

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - The wood burning stove or rmh you're starting with
  - Kindling, paper and other fire making supplies ready to go
  - Fire started
  - Wood added
  - More wood added

I have previously submitted this under the PEP guidelines and it was rejected on the grounds that the rocket stove at Allerton Abbey wasn't a true batch box.

Since these guidelines specifically state "wood stove or", I figured it might qualify here.

We don't have smoke backdrafting into the room, but we had been living in the Allerton Abbey a week and doing all heating and cooking with the stove there. I didn't even know this was a badge bit until a few minutes ago, and I can't officially show "warming the riser", as it hasn't really been cooled down since we started using it! (it happens when you are frequently cooking on it...)

This is our last day at Allerton Abbey, and I'm trying to slow cook some tomatoes down for spaghetti sauce, so I don't expect to let the fire go out, and I don't know when or if I'll get another chance at this BB... The very idea of making spaghetti sauce from scratch (raw tomatoes) demands longer than an hour of cooking...

The starting material in place (the paper is buried in the back, as it's been customary to save up the used paper towels and throw them in every time we start a fire).


The wood starting this meal prep

Starting the fire



A look deeper inside, showing some of the burning paper too



Adding more wood is easy...



At this point, I'm looking for long-term, slow-burn (gettin' it done! Knowing that we can't lose - and we'll be rockin' in Paradise...)
For those who are old enough to recognize that lyric, now you have a pleasant ear worm that will be with you the rest of the day...  You're welcome!

This is the largest piece of wood I can fit into the mouth...


Into the fire! I could fit more in, but I really want longer burns at a lower temp right now


The simmering spaghetti sauce to become...