Hi Tom and Linda,
Well, there's me, but I'm closer to Brattleboro, so as they say, you can't get there from here.
https://permies.com/t/266494/DSR-Beehive-Dome-Completed
I do seem to have done it the hard way but I'm generally content. Pick a simpler rocket core and a square brick mass, your life will likely be easier.
What I like:
* the house is still 55*F on -10* mornings, even though I'm sleeping through the night. With the box stove, if I didn't get up at midnight to feed it, there was sometimes ice on the toilet by dawn.
* I am indeed burning less
wood, probably about 1/4-1/3.
* It does seem to be less smoky overall. Jury is still out on creosote buildup. I will have to update when I do the spring chimney clean.
What I don't like:
* I can no longer just stuff the thing full, choke it down, and head to work. I also can't leave it wide open to finish its burn without losing all my warm house air up the chimney afterward. So I need to spend a fair amount of time at home tending the fire.
* I think my core is bit undersized, both for the house and for the brick bell. So I have to keep it firing more or less continuously on very cold days and it takes a lot longer to warm the chilly house than the box stove did.
* Still haven't found the right setting for a truly stable burn in the Vortex core. That makes some messy smoke. Other rocket cores are likely to be less fussy.
If you want to discuss it in more depth, you can PM me your phone number and I'll call.
Thanks,
April
7
