Learning to heat with bricks

I have lived my entire adult life heating our various homes with wood-burning stoves only.
24-7 From September to May, the daily plan revolved around the current status of the wood supply and does the stove need more wood.
As the only source of heat in houses with running water it is imperative that you do not screw this up. (Frozen pipes suck! )
I have gotten rather good at it. I have never lost a house to a fire and have only had frozen pipes @-28F a couple of times. ( While I was home!)

As my backup plan,  for 40 years my best friend stopped by every afternoon when he got off work.
If we were gone on a town run , just in case we did not return on time, he always made sure that the stove was stoked up.
This allowed for stress-free trips to Missoula or Spokane, not having to worry about how long we had been gone.
A few years ago my buddy suddenly passed away, and we had no backup plan!
Enter Steve, the 10,000 btu unvented propane heater on the back bathroom wall.
A useful tool that might delay having frozen pipes, but it is a poor substitute for the wood stove or a good friend!

As many of you know, one month ago we replaced the old wood gobbler and installed a Shorty design Batchbox in a large brick bell.
Oh my goodness is this different!
I am still burning wood, but currently only one time a day.
I am now heating our home with bricks!

This is SO DIFFERENT than anything I have done in the past!
Sure for the last 11 years, I have had J-Tubes and I currently have three other Batchboxes, but this is my very first one that is in an insulated home.
The only thing I can compare it to is a top-of-the-line central heating unit.
Our rambling old structure now has an even temperature from the back bathroom to the bedroom at the other end!
You feel it as soon as you open the front door! And you feel it even more at 3am walking from the bedroom to the bathroom... wow it's not chilly!
And then you realize, there is NO fire... and it is OK... and there is no creosote, so never ever a chimney fire... well that's cool... and No ELECTRICITY is needed either, during those pesky power outages!



This is just So Fine!  You need to experience this in person to understand just how badass these RMHs are!
My bricks are running 170F on the outside and after 24 hrs they are still holding 85F!
Imagine having 500 solid clay bricks each one at 85F sitting in your living room in the morning... and then they stay close to that temp all day!
This sure is a step up from having an oil barrel in your living room!

Anyone capable of getting their hands dirty and following directions can build an RMH like this!
Sadly some states will not allow a homeowner built Masonry stove but require a licensed Masonry stove builder.
Hopefully, you live where it is allowed!

Currently with the not-quite winter-like temps, we often have windows open, sometimes all night!
I predict one cord of wood or less will be needed to heat the house this winter, instead of the normal three.
The big difference is how evenly warm it will be!
Of course, the uninsulated art studio will burn 5 cords, and the barley-insulated shop about 3-5.

Tidy work! I aspire to something as pretty for my next build. For now I'll be happy with the barrel in the living room look!

Yes, yes, yes, Tom… a masonry heater fired by a batchbox core is truly a marvel of a heat source and perhaps the ultimate heat source considering that you are in control of your fuel source, the effort to maintain is limited in relation to other options and the output of the system is remarkable. There is no better and more efficient way to heat a home and make your body feel comfortable in the frigid winter months than radiant heat. Living an off-grid, self sufficient life style presents many challenges and many opportunities for experimentation and adaptation. Now and then you implement a change and say “that’s a game changer”. Over the years we have said that phrase many times as we have implemented new process, procedures or systems but I can absolutely say that nothing has been as impactful as our masonry heater for taming the winter elements and adding a level of indoor comfort, convenience and efficiency.

We just emerged from 4 straight days of snow fall totaling almost 3’ so just venturing out to grab some more firewood from the pile would not have been fun. The fact that we had enough wood inside to service the heating needs for 5-6 days is amazing. I’m not looking to start trouble with anyone here but I’ve seen claims on the forum of 90% reduction in wood usage. Perhaps some people do experience this depending on what they were previously using. Tom is stating that he expects to reduce his usage by about 66%. This to me seems much more reasonable to expect and roughly about what I would expect too. I only say this to set what I believe to be more reasonable expectations for rocket heater technology.

I’ve mentioned it in another post that I'm familiar with Tom’s build and the reason he built a single skin bell. He has a limited weight carrying capacity floor and no reasonable way to add underfloor support. Even so, his performance from a single skin bell is excellent and the thermal battery characteristics of 500 bricks is enough to keep the house heated with only a single burn per day! For those of you heating your homes with wood you know this is a game changer to not be tending a fire all day and waking up to a house that is 50 degrees (10C).

Tom’s reality is that his structure would not support a double skin mass however it is worth noting that for those who can build a double skin bell you have now significantly increased your thermal battery storage capacity. My double skin masonry heater is heating a very large space so I burn twice a day. After a cold night my external brick is still around 135F (57C) and the thermocouple embedded into the brick of the inner skin shows an average of 260F (127C). If you live off-grid and wake up in the morning to check your battery bank state of charge, the significance of adding a whole new battery bank to your home will be well understood… only this one is a thermal battery.

Great job Tom! Hopefully we can inspire others to go beyond the imagining stage and begin the planning/building stage.

So happy to hear Shorty is working out so great for you and Liz.
Seems Steve has upped his game and is now doing a lot more than just keeping your house from freezing.
Good friends never really seem to leave us or let us down do they?