Fox James - Thanks for that video as well, and the recommendations for a cook top. Since you cook regularly, I have a couple more specific questions if you have time to respond:
What main adjustments do you make personally when going from cooking in a conventional kitchen to on the RMH? What does the flow of preparing a meal look like for you? Are you generally firing the stove with the purpose of cooking? Or are you running it anyway for heat?
Thomas Rubino - Thanks so much for taking time to respond, your perspective and experience is very helpful! I took a look at your links, and your stoves look awesome. With your BBQ, from a cold start, how long to you burn before reaching roasting temps (200-300) and baking temps (400+)?
I can certainly see how having 2 stoves could be helpful, and as Jacob Klingel mentioned earlier, would also provide redundancy in the event there is a need for maintenance. However in that case I'm wondering of the Walker Cook stove would ever really be used as a Masonry Heater, or if it would primarily be functioning as a cook top. Especially before we get an addition put on, 2 stoves in 600sqft seems like overkill to me? I'm also concerned about having the space for them haha.
You mentioned that the Walker stove would heat the house, but would have to be fired consistently. In my mind, if it is my primary or only cooking appliance, I expect I'll be heating it to cook on/in at least 2x/day if not more. Keeping the fire going in-between doesn't seem like to large of a burden to me. However if that greatly decrease the time we can leave home and not have the water freeze, I can see how having increased mass to hold heat longer would be very desirable.
In your opinion, Thomas, would simply adding mass to the Walker Stove, and putting in an appropriate bypass (to heat only cook top/water in summer) accomplish the same outcome as the two stoves? Would the concern be that adding mass may require increasing the size of the system (maybe an 8"), and therefore continuing to cook yourself out in summer? I guess other than redundancy, what makes you say 2 stoves would be better? I'm not opposed to the 2 stove option - just trying to understand more specifically what I would gain from it.
Also thanks for your descriptions for materials. I have wondered where concrete block would be acceptable to use. Sounds like it could be used for a bench which could be helpful. From the reading I've done I think I'd really prefer a bell bench.
Thanks again for all your responses everyone! Keep 'em coming
