Which RMH plans or book should I buy?

Hello heat makers

We're looking to make a RMH and I see there are some plans by Ernie & Erica and a book for building one.

We are in Estonia with long winters and we'd be planning on using this as our primary heater, potentially even doubling as a couch / daybed for 2 or 3 people.

I like the look of the 8" Bonnie Convection bench, I think we'd just like it a bit wider so perhaps 2 of us could lay on it side by side. If I followed the plans of this one, while making it a bit wider, do you think that would be ok? Or if we add more size to the bench, does it require more inches (e.g 10" perhaps instead of 8") to heat it up effectively?

Cheers,
Rob

Rob Irish :There is only one Book-Ianto Evans' ''Rocket Mass Heaters" You can download a PDF Copy$15.oo U$D, from Cobcottage.com, STILL
The best written source of Rocket Stove, Pocket Rocket, and Rocket Mass Heater family information !

You did not give us any dimensions to go by, but Primarily The size of the sleeping platform will determine The temperature that it radiates at, A bigger platform will
radiate the heat that your R.M.H. can send it, An 8'' system should be adequate for your needs, you will just need to feed your R.M.H. and its Dragon enough to supply
it with the Heat energy needed !

Which one of E + Es models will work best for you depends a great deal where your Flammable materials exposures are ! Step one would be to go to -

ernieanderica.info/arrange-a-workshop/site-planning, They have a great Guide to assist you in preparing yourself and your site for your D.I.Y. - R.M.H. Build.
It has guided many people through a successful build with little danger of discovering 1/2 way through a build that some critical part is not on your job site ! A copy
send back to E + E will also allow them to help you pick the right set of plans for your location !

A final note of caution The first 5' of the horizontal piping through your thermal mass IS the hottest and will need to be buried the deepest in your cob to balance out
the temps across your whole Sleeping Platform, again E + E will be your best source of long distance information on this ! Hope this helps ! G'Luck !

For the Craft, as always, questions/comments are solicited and welcome ! Think like Fire!, flow like a Gas, Don't be the Marshmallow ! PYRO - Logically BIG AL !

Thanks a lot Allen.

I forgot to mention that this is for a home around 80sq/m (850sq/f) with earth walls only about 15cm(6") thick. 5 double paned windows, about 120sq/cm(18sq/inches). Earth floor as well. The floor and walls are yet to be done. Winter temperatures seem to be anywhere from -14c to -30c during the coldest times.

We have lots of red clay on site (how does this go for using with RMH?), and sand and stones. What I find so attractive about the RMH is 3 things:

1. Using smaller bits of wood, getting more heat
We have 10 hectares of forest and there is ample branches that have fallen on their own. It seems it would almost be possible to run a RMH without ever needing to pull out the axe.

2. Smoke-less
Last winter it seemed I had to wipe down my office desk every day from ash particles when using a regular fireplace. It also didn't seem very efficient - we were going through a barrel of wood per day and weren't ever really toasty warm. And always waking up next to freezing.

3. Long lasting heat
Most heaters you get going and they start losing warmth as soon as the fire goes out. Which is obviously terrible for environment with the amount of smoke, and it would be nice to have something much more sustainable.


Will this book basically teach me the essentials to build a RMH, or would I read this book, then get the plans?

How do the plans by E & E compare to the book?

Thanks again,
Rob

Rob : - I forgot to mention - There are two D.I.Y. - R.M.H. 'Kickstarter' DVD video offers out there. The one you want comes (only) as a single DVD, and is a video of a 'conventional'
Build by Ernie and Erica Wisner ! This is not the 4 DVD set offered here at Permies.comm and is now in final production and soon to be ready for general release, contact -

ernieanderica.info for more information !

I was only playing with simple 'Cob stoves' when I got a chance to Assist at a R.M.H. workshop they gave - "just down the road a piece'' and I now consider them as personal
friends! My next Rocket stove is going into a 3-4 season 20' Yurt !

Many Rocket Mass heaters Have been made using only 'the book'! 'the book' is nearly 20yrs old at this time, but there is simply no other book out there to compare it to. E + E have
made many design improvements to Ianto Evans' original designs, and they have totally abandoned the Horizontal Exhaust Chimney that Ianto Evans was able to make work by
careful site-ing of house building locations, the horizontal exhaust discharge rarely works on retrofits !

I would get the PDF Copies of Rocket Mass Heaters from cobcottage.com, print as many copies as you need, it's all one price! then I would use 'the book' to fill out their
Site planning (Building) Guide and then contact Ernie and/or Erica in person, a set of plans from them will come with the opportunity to check back with them if you become stuck !

Check back here often, with over 18,000 members, you will always find someone who wants to talk about what you want to talk about ! For the Good of The Craft !

Comments/questions are solicited, and welcome. Think like Fire!, flow like a gas, Don't be the Marshmallow ! PYRO - Logically BIG AL !

allen lumley wrote:Many Rocket Mass heaters Have been made using only 'the book'! 'the book' is nearly 20yrs old at this time, but there is simply no other book out there to compare it to. E + E have
made many design improvements to Ianto Evans' original designs, and they have totally abandoned the Horizontal Exhaust Chimney that Ianto Evans was able to make work by
careful site-ing of house building locations, the horizontal exhaust discharge rarely works on retrofits !

I would get the PDF Copies of Rocket Mass Heaters from cobcottage.com, print as many copies as you need, it's all one price! then I would use 'the book' to fill out their
Site planning (Building) Guide and then contact Ernie and/or Erica in person, a set of plans from them will come with the opportunity to check back with them if you become stuck !

Thanks for that advice Allen. It is really helpful!

I have no idea what a Horizontal Exhaust Chimney is - it sounds like it is inferior to what Erica & Ernie do. Is that correct? But it is important to know the method Ianto Evans do before venturing into E & E terrain?

I will get the ebook now. I could only find the print version at cobcottage.com - maybe it has been removed, I found a PDF version at rocketstoves.com/

Rob Irish : Wow, Thanks for the correction about the PDF Copies, I'm surprised I haven't got a Hot Rocket From Leslie Jackson! More Corrections, More work !

The Horizontal Exhaust is just about like Abe Lincoln's Quote ''You can fool some of the people all of the time , and all of the people some of the time, but you
can't fool all of the people all of the time "

The horizontal chimney works vey well in certain protected locations, micro climates, times of the year, in low squatty type, purpose built houses and almost
never in conventional two story houses as a retro-fit! It's an anomaly its creator is happy to live with. Again Thanks! Hope this helps. For the Good of the Craft!

As always, your comments and questions are solicited and are welcome ! Think like fire, flow like a Gas, Don't be the marshmallow ! PYRO - Logically BIG AL !

Late Note, I was too clever by half, the horizontal chimney does work as stated, the Abe Lincoln quote was not supposed to call the horizontal chimney humbug.

Thanks Allen. On your recommendation I've bought the book and am making my way through it.

In our current situation, we just have a single story home - so it sounds like the old horizontal chimney will do the trick.

I'll get through this book and then put our plans up and see if we're on the right track.

Thanks again for all the help.

Rob : The sun is still above the equator so we have a little time to play with,I have already mentioned E + Es Site planning guide, which they designed to give D.I.Y. - R.M.H.
builders a guide for themselves, And a list of questions that E +E would be asking if the builder needed help and/or a workshop !

I would print the guide up on one side of a piece of paper leaving the other side blank to be filled in, you know you know the answer when you an explain it to a third person

Your answers will come out of 'The Book', but you should be able to say them in your own words ! Don't be afraid to take all the time you need to totally understand the -
Constant Cross Sectional Area, And Keep it Wholely ! pun intended

You will need to acquire some Perlite, ( the non agricultural grade if you can,) and or Rock Wool, for additional insulation around the outside of your heat riser, this is mentioned
in 'the book' and perhaps needs a little more emphasis as it is critical that this step be down well !

I understand the temptation to try the horizontally exiting chimney - if you really want to try it You have to find that part of your house that will be the Lee Side of your structure,
you can certainly keep a weather diary, say 4 times a day and pay close attention to where the winds come from that bring Storms and high winds ! Look at the way the local
trees are shaped, the trees will speak volumes about which way the prevailing winds USUALY Blow !

When you are working up the Bill of Materials PLAN for your horizontal chimney to NOT work, so that you have included the stove pipe and hangers/hardware for a vertical chimney
with Cap and have a source for those materials if the prevailing winds work against you !

Two more things to think about and I will let you go back to your book ! You will actually need to live with your horizontal chimney for a few years, and maybe do some landscaping
before you can be almost sure that it will work for you ! - and don't cheat yourself on clean outs, making sure they are placed, and shaped, and positioned, and oriented to be
actually useful !

For the Good of the Craft, as always your comments and questions are solicited and Welcome! Think like Fire, flow like a Gas, Don't be the Marshmallow ! PYRO - Logically BIG AL