Rocket Donkey!

We call boilers 'geysers' in South Africa. A wood-fired geyser is known as a 'donkey'.

Enter the rocket donkey! A highly adaptable solution to using wood fire to heat a fairly large quantity of water. In this case, approx. 130 litres in under 2 hours.

As stated late on page 3 at this topic, I did some innovating and constructed a hot water boiler for a friend who wanted an outdoor bath. I promised to update with pics after the installation, so here goes.

His reason for not wanting a fire under a cast-iron bath is, according to him, that the bottom of the bath can get very hot, causing bathers to have to sit on submerged wooden planks. He did not want that.

His reason for not wanting a copper coil thermosyphon mechanism is, according to him, because spurts of hot water make the bathing experience tricky.

Here are pics of the solution. The final picture should give you an indication of what is happening on the inside of the outer barrel.

My friend is very happy with the end product. He asked his partner to marry him a few days ago, and she said yes. This is obviously due to the presence of the rocket donkey!

See my other stuff at my website e.g. my books.

david pittaway wrote:He asked his partner to marry him a few days ago, and she said yes. This is obviously due to the presence of the rocket donkey!

** Fine print: Results may vary!

;)

Definitely the greatest thread title on Permies.

Also, looks very cool, very well made. This kind of thing has been #4211 on my to do list for a long time.

Dan Fish wrote:Definitely the greatest thread title on Permies.

Just for fun, did an image search for "rocket donkey".
Found this vintage photo (Turkish army, 1930's)


This thread now has its own mascot. :)