Rocket stove heat for this winter!

The price of propane to keep my home warm is incredibly expensive. As of this year, I am in no position to pay for propane for the winter. That said, I am in Northeast Georgia in a double wide mobile home. I know there are fireplaces in mobile homes so I know I could create a rocket stove for heat inside. My problem is I'm just one woman! I have no welding skills although I have built with wood (and very successfully) and am very handy. My homestead is only a couple of acres and I've already built gardens, chicken coop, raised workshop floor, and workshop area with bench. Not bad since moving in October of 2013.

Now is the time to get ready for winter. The build will take me some time. Can anyone help with material suggestions, build suggestions, insulation, etc.? Money is incredibly tight so keep that in mind.

Thanks for any help you may have.

Mel

Hi Melody.

Well, first of all, i would say, make your insulation better. Is piling straw bales around your mobile home possible? That would be a first step.

Then a "by the book" rocket is possible, if you can make foundations. Carefull, they're not miraculous heaters. They need tending, tho, they're cheap as muck to build, and you don't need any welding skills.

Hi Melody; Under your floor will need extra support to hold the weight of a cob bench. Building with "bells " will lessen the weight considerably.Insulating around with straw bales is an excellent way to help hold your heat in. I know your $ is tight but a copy of ianto evans rocket mass heater book will be invaluable to you, as well as allowing you to communicate better with the folks here at permies. You will want to locate used Firebrick and lots of clay as well as sand (more sand than clay ) and a big pile of stone to add to your mass. Look at building supply's for a sack of fireclay (apx $15.00) to mortar your firebrick , home depot sells hvac pipe in long sticks that you can use in your mass after you move away from the transition area. Anybody can build one of these with almost no special skills but it takes a lot of hard work to mix the cob , having a cob mixing party with your friends and relatives is good way to get it done. But if you don't have any help you can still do it by yourself... I did. Good luck! Tom

https://permies.com/t/30078/rocket-stoves/Rocket-stove-mass-mobile-home

It has been discussed before. Do you own or rent? Mortgage? Insurance?

To build in a mobile home is going to take some minor demolition. Not bad, but no way a landlord or homeowners insurance would approve.

The easy way IMO would be to cut a hole in the floor where you want it and build from the ground up. Proper footing on the ground and simple concrete block filled with gravel or dirt to build up a platform.