Cheap, portable, easily storable RMH?

Hi everyone,

It is spring here in Southern Illinois and that means that the peach trees are blooming, but at a dangerously early time of the year and we are getting freezing temperatures.  Probably this means that there will be a much-reduced harvest this year, but it had me wondering about a way to maybe save the trees.

In the past, the locals have used smudge pots--basically burn some oil (?) that produces a thick, black smoke and enough heat that the trees *might* stand a chance against freezing.  This had me wondering if there was a better way to do this.  So I was wondering if there was some sort of RMH that would be cheap enough to buy/construct in numbers great enough to deploy across many, many acres of peach trees (perhaps hundreds of acres).  Of course it would burn hot enough to prevent freezing, burn wood efficiently, completely and without smoke.  Maybe there would be a way to reflect some of the heat that would ordinarily rise up so that it projected out to cover a large distance?  

And of course it would have to be simple in design so that it could be set up in place with maybe a day's worth of warning and then disassemble and store easily.


So, any thoughts?



Eric

Seems to me that a rocket stove made out of cans then surrounding with brick or concrete block would be a easy RMH.

Some threads for inspiration:

https://permies.com/t/115433/Build-Mini-Rocketstove-Tin-Cans

https://permies.com/t/243280/masonry-rocket-stove-maple-syrup

https://permies.com/t/273728/Big-thread-Tiny-Stoves

That sounds like a job for a cottage rocket! It is built entirely inside a barrel. It's probably heavy still, but you could probably move it with a handtruck.

Smudge pots work by creating blanket (literally) of smoke that blocks intrusion of cold air. I see this phenomenon perfectly in winter - clear sky means freezing, any cloudiness or fog rises the temperature a few degrees above freezing. It basically needs air pollution.

Cristobal,

Smudge pots=little pollution machines.  Yes, I knew this one too.  This is the reason I was thinking about something like a RMH that could be set up quickly.


Eric

Harold,

Now that's the idea I was thinking about!  I wonder how large an outside area one of these could heat--how many peach trees could be kept at just above freezing when the temps drop to 25 degrees?  I love the concept.



Eric