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rocket mass heaters

Overwhelmed with options

John C Daley

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posted 3 years ago

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I have to admit the choices available with RMH is overwhelming, I have the books, the DVD's and scanned the universe.
BUT I have reached a stalemate. I now know what I am after, but my head is spinning with ideas.
HELP PLEASE
My situation 400 sq ft 2 roomed cottage, well insulated the picture below is what I have in mind.
I want a batch box, but I cannot get my head around a design.
Can I get some advise please?

97340637_2671951616250584_8981035190147088384_n.jpg

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Gerry Parent

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posted 3 years ago

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Hey John,
Sorry for my ignorance but have you even had the opportunity to build one in your backyard yet? Dry stacking bricks is quite fun and very satisfying because within an hour you can have a stove built and running with minimal effort. Even tru to fabricate a batch box with the same technique. It may not be dimensionally perfect but it may just give you the confidence you need to get yourself over the hump.
Going the extra distance you could cover the whole thing with cob which would seal it up better and give you an opportunity to practice some design ideas before you tackle the in-house installation.

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Thomas Tipton

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posted 3 years ago

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Some pictures of your cottage and the spot you intend to put it might spring some ideas into action.

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John C Daley

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posted 3 years ago

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Gerry, Brick work etc is a skill I have, just working out the batch box shape , dimensions and where the pipes would run in something like the photo is the bit I cannot come to grips with.
Thomas, As for photos my small place is almost the same as the image presented, the ceiling is 8ft and the floor area available is about 2 ft x 5ft.

John C Daley

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posted 3 years ago

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What are the Bell Tops please?

Gerry Parent

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posted 3 years ago

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John C Daley wrote:What are the Bell Tops please?

I think they are made from some type of type of dog. :)

Seriously though, what you are looking at appears to be a type of European Grundofen topped with tile, not a Batch Box heater coined by Peter van den Berg...a whole other beast.
If you are looking at designing a batch box, all your dimensions and descriptions of how to build one can be found here: batchrocket.eu/en/

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John C Daley

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posted 3 years ago

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The Walker plans mention the parts needed, and it includes

Requires 3 36"x48"x1" Ceramic fiber board, 300 Red Bricks, Stone or Concrete Bench and Bell Tops, a little bit of sheet metal, and simple clay/sand mortar. Door and hardware instructions included.

Is it the concrete stepping stones?
batch-rocket-mass-heater-plans

Gerry Parent

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posted 3 years ago

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If you ever had the opportunity to speak with Matt, he often says that his plans (excluding the core) are suggestions only.
Whatever shape or skin you decide upon to best suit your needs are often possible and with a plan purchase, he provides excellent consultation feedback.
Concrete stepping stones could be used as a bell cap if that's what you mean?

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Glenn Herbert

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posted 3 years ago

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You mention "where the pipes would run"... if you make a bell, a hollow masonry box, there is no pipe configuring to do except for the exit chimney connection. That runs from the bottom of the bell cavity; you can have it running up within the bell volume as long as the entrance to the duct/flue channel is at the bottom. This is one reason bells have become so popular in the RMH world, the simplicity and flexibility of layout - no need to worry about duct length and number of elbows, just the internal surface area which should be in proportion to the system size as described at batchrocket.eu. You can make the exterior of the bell look just like the photo if you wish.

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