Novice questions: easy RMH for small portable yurt; access to the book?

Hi!

Newbie here. I'm currently building myself a 16' (200 sq ft) yurt to live in full-time in the PNW, and I want to also build a portable RMH for heat and cooking. Since the winters are somewhat mild, and my space is small, I'm hopeful that it is possible for this novice to build something effective and portable.
Here are my questions:
1) I've followed several links in permie rmh forum posts to a pdf RMH book that I can pay to download, but none of them work. Is this no longer an option?
2) Do you have design suggestions? Can I make an affordable, portable rmh without cutting metal?

My limitations are:
*needs to not take up a ton of space
*somewhat portable (not planning to move the yurt much, but needs to be possible)
*tight budget
*good thermal mass so that my dog doesn't get cold when I'm away from home for several hours
*no experience in welding, cutting metal, masonry, etc.
*would prefer to be able to use larger sized pieces of wood, if possible

The affordances of my situation are:
*efficiency is not a huge deal b/c small space, mild winter, access to plenty of free wood
*I *could* take a welding class at the community college, if it is truly worth the investment and time...
*I am willing to put tons of time into this project and have access to friends' helping hands for labor.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Welcome to the forum!

Here are some threads you might enjoy:

https://permies.com/t/110472/Rocket-mass-heater-stove-nomadic

https://permies.com/t/107870/linear-RMH-design-idea-tiny

https://permies.com/t/71700/Tiny-House-Cook-Stove-Heater

The "M" in RMH stands for "mass".  Mass sufficient to the needs of heating a living space is inherently not portable.  

Also, yurts are often built on some kind of raised platforms, at least the ones I've seen, and any such platform would need to be built sturdy enough to support the weight (mass) of an RMH.

As noted in one of the links, the Korean Ondol solution might be a good one for a yurt, where floor space is already quite limited.

Hi!.
Perhaps a batch rocket would suit your needs? They can take decent size wood and need less attention. They can also be made portable and can be made lighter weight if you forgo a mass element. Although you won't get the residual heat once the fire goes out and with poor insulation in the yurt you will probably have large temperature fluctuations.
If you need a mass component then perhaps the mass part could be mortared with clay so that you can break it down and rebuild it at a new location.

I use one for my hot water needs during winter and my friend made one at his house that he then moved 450km away to his holiday home and uses it in his sauna.

They can be made reasonably simply. I've worked on 4 of them now but they all had an element of welding.
Welding seemed daunting to me, however I watched some YouTube and gave it a go with a borrowed welder and safety gear and am very happy with the results I got. A course has also interested me but I wouldn't say it's necessary if you have lots of time to read and watch videos prior to trying it out.

batchrocket.eu has almost everything you need to know. The site has been added to again and again as new information has been discovered so you may need to read every page a couple of times to get piece everything together. It's a brilliant resource.

It may not be the solution for you but it's a option for sure.

There is nothing about a rocket mass heater that *needs* welding. Some parts could be made with welded steel, outside of the core. If you want to make some metal containment or fastening, you can most likely come up with a bolted or screwed together design.

For a portable unit, I would suggest some form of replaceable mass, either a container you fill with rock or gravel (or sections of cob), or a water tank.

Glenn Herbert wrote:There is nothing about a rocket mass heater that *needs* welding. Some parts could be made with welded steel, outside of the core. If you want to make some metal containment or fastening, you can most likely come up with a bolted or screwed together design.

For a portable unit, I would suggest some form of replaceable mass, either a container you fill with rock or gravel (or sections of cob), or a water tank.

Ah absolutely. I hope it didn't come across that way in my comment. I was just saying that in the 4 builds I've worked on, welding was involved because it seemed the most practical solution for that application.