Paul wants help coming up with a different name for rocket mass heaters

(for those who would like to explain themselves to the authorities...)
M assively
E fficient
T wig
H eater
L ovely
A nd
B eautiful

or  (probably a safer option...)

M assively
E fficient
T wig
H eater
O nce
D aily

or

F uel
I s
F ree
T wig
H eater

or     (maybe too confusing...)

S tove
T hat's
O bviously
V ery
E fficient

or    (probably my favorite of this batch)

S tove
T hat
A ctually
S tores
H eat

could be combined to be a METH STASH... (what's wrong with me?!)

Afterburner Mass Heater
Reburner was suggested and that keeps the same acronym.
Esther one removes the scary rocket and more accurately describes the function.  Also avoids the confusion with the open flame rocket stove.

The Greeter
The Greeter Bench

Provides warm, inviting, “green” heat

bruce Fine wrote:small wood inferno

You really think inferno is less scary than rocket?

Jennifer Richardson wrote:If we could have a do-over, what name would you use instead of "rocket mass heater?"

We got a letter from a very kind supporter who wants us to come up with a "sweet, wimpy name" for rocket mass heaters to make them sound less scary.

Paul also told me a story about an organization who refused to endorse them because they thought they literally ran on rocket fuel.

So if you were rebranding rocket mass heaters, what would you call them?

Maybe it means I'm reckless, but I just found the rocket mass heater name intriguing, which led me to search for more info on both Permies.com and the WWW. Wimpy names are low energy, just the opposite of what RMH technology provides. The clueless organization that refused to endorse them simply revealed themselves as ripe for education. If they learned the truth, they might become a valuable supporter. Converts are often evangelical, aren't they?
A significantly different name would seriously diminish the search results, unless both names were always used -- a tedious and troublesome tactic.

David Wieland wrote:

bruce Fine wrote:small wood inferno

You really think inferno is less scary than rocket?

How about the "Hell Fire 2020 Caldera Furnace"?  
There....now rocket mass heater sounds cute and cuddly!

Maybe the thing to do is to say that rocket mass heaters are a subset of zero carbon heaters.  And we can say that a zero carbon heater is something that meets certain criteria in cleanliness of burn and how much heat it holds in the house and stuff like that.

So a "zero carbon heater" could include many heaters that meet certain critera.  

Wonderfully Warm

Earth Efficient

I've found myself leaving out the "Rocket" part and calling it a "mass heater" when introducing the idea to people.

I am also a fan of the word radiant, except "radiant mass heater" might be too many syllables.  3 is good, but hard to pull off if a person is concerned about making the name very descriptive.

David Wieland wrote:Maybe it means I'm reckless, but I just found the rocket mass heater name intriguing, which led me to search for more info on both Permies.com and the WWW. Wimpy names are low energy ...

Good point -- it certainly catches the imagination of independent thinkers, and I think the nickname would persist no matter what the legal documents say. As I see it, the only reason to change the name is to make it a little less "cowboy" and open up the mainstream. I'm not sure we've precisely defined who we're trying to reach, but I would venture that it's builders, insurers, building code people, and the all-important professional engineer with that precious stamp. A highly risk-averse bunch.

Changing the name might end up as a repeat of Borland's ill-fated late-90s decision to rebrand as "Inprise". During the few years before the name was mercifully switched back to "Borland", a confused public invented its own company moniker. If the same thing happens here, the RMH may end up as "The Heater Formerly Known As Rocket Mass".

Thermal Induction Mass Heater.
The T.I.M.H. home environmental control system.
LOL. ✌

This is what someone who knows the history shared with me --

"Rocket stoves are not actually all that clean.

It already has a name, it is called the Walker Stove. If you want a better version just get plans from Matt Walker at Walker Stoves.

So leave the Rocket Mass heater where it is, an older technology that was a stage on the way to clean burning.

Dr TLUD has on his site about Rockets Stoves in regard to cooking. He is the one saying they are not really clean." [/b]
[/i]
Perhaps this may be helpful or not....

Don, with all respect, I think you or your contact are confusing rocket stoves with rocket mass heaters. The hot secondary reburn in the RMH should, in theory, make it quite a clean heater. I don't know if there is any hard emissions data available.

Don Ritter wrote:This is what someone who knows the history shared with me --

"Rocket stoves are not actually all that clean.

It already has a name, it is called the Walker Stove. If you want a better version just get plans from Matt Walker at Walker Stoves.

So leave the Rocket Mass heater where it is, an older technology that was a stage on the way to clean burning.

Dr TLUD has on his site about Rockets Stoves in regard to cooking. He is the one saying they are not really clean." [/b]
[/i]
Perhaps this may be helpful or not....

I would disagree with Dr. TLUD in his overall assessment that rocket stoves are not all that clean burning and that Matt Walker would consider his creations to be superior to all other rocket stoves and should be replacing all the other older technology out there. Matt has always helped and encouraged people to find the best stove to match their needs, which can also mean him recommending a box stove in the right circumstances.
In episode 10 of Matt Walkers Stove chat, he gives an overview of the development of the rocket stove from pioneer to present day. Perhaps a good place to start learning for yourself and maybe even for the good Dr. to listen to as well.

Annie Collins wrote:

Glen Thomson wrote:I think the better name is HEWS heater, for High Efficiency Wood System. Or for fun, call it a Super Hughey system.

This is my favorite so far. It's short, simple, and quickly tells what it is. I would just maybe add "burning" to it so that it becomes High Efficiency Wood-burning System. And HEWS is easy to say as well as remember, too.

HEWH - High-Efficiency Wood Heater

Mass Heater

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Don, with all respect, I think you or your contact are confusing rocket stoves with rocket mass heaters. The hot secondary reburn in the RMH should, in theory, make it quite a clean heater. I don't know if there is any hard emissions data available.

There is a bunch of hard data freely available thanks to Peter and others.  Go dig way back on the donkey boards.  The only real thing missing is a good measure of sub 2.5 particle emissions.  Their equipment doesn't measure that and we know from the weight of the mineral content of wood that stoves they are saying only produce a bread bag of ash burning cords of wood had to produce more.  Most likely reason is it went up the stack as invisible ash.

Okay first let me say I generically object to this kind of P(olitically)C(orrect).  It needs to be incredibly good before I would personally be happy with the change.

That said Healthy Hobit Hole Heaters

Or something warm and fuzzy

Bunny Burrow Heaters or Bunny Burrow Stove  After all it is a long dirt tunnel back to the stove.

Wood Grazer Stoves

Tree Saver Stoves


And just to be obnoxious since more of these are coming to mind.

Chimney Fire Stoves.

Flame Thrower Stove

C. Letellier wrote:There is a bunch of hard data freely available thanks to Peter and others.  Go dig way back on the donkey boards.  The only real thing missing is a good measure of sub 2.5 particle emissions.  Their equipment doesn't measure that and we know from the weight of the mineral content of wood that stoves they are saying only produce a bread bag of ash burning cords of wood had to produce more.  Most likely reason is it went up the stack as invisible ash.

Agreed, and small particulate is the most worrisome stuff. Especially in urban environments. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll dig around.

Edit: didn't mean to hijack this thread.

Since this is purely hypothetical, let's get into our cold-blooded marketing frame of mind. We want customers to hear a name for the first time and be attracted to it. Nothing more.

The original request was for a rebranding with a 'sweet, wimpy name'. Here are two proposals.

1. Stick Stove

This is taken from portable stoves in the backpacking world. (A chorus of voices says, 'that's stealing someone else's idea!' And every ad firm on earth laughs, because that is their business model). Stick Stove is short, simple, cute, and easy to remember. It alludes to the ease with which a person can pick up a stick and load it into the burn chamber. It doesn't explain the rockety, massy part of an RMH, and that's a good thing, because those are way too complicated for an average person. If you want the general public to like a new idea, they have to think that they understand it. If they learn that they can burn small sticks that are otherwise just a nuisance, and get a huge amount of heat value out of those sticks, then they'll think that's pretty cool.

2. Ianto Stove, Ianto Heater, or simply, Ianto

Note: I'm NOT saying that Ianto is a 'sweet, wimpy name'! In fact I think it's awesome- very unique, interesting, and distinctive. As a name for a product, it is non-threatening, and I'd be proud to explain to my neighbors what a Ianto Stove is. Since Ianto Evans is widely credited with inventing modern RMH's, it is fitting, and furthermore, the name Ianto means Gift Of God in Welsh. Not bad!

paul wheaton wrote:Maybe the thing to do is to say that rocket mass heaters are a subset of zero carbon heaters.  And we can say that a zero carbon heater is something that meets certain criteria in cleanliness of burn and how much heat it holds in the house and stuff like that.

So a "zero carbon heater" could include many heaters that meet certain critera.  

"A rocket mass heater is a type of zero carbon heater"

Kinda liking this more and more as time passes.

Kenneth Elwell wrote:(for those who would like to explain themselves to the authorities...)
M assively
E fficient
T wig
H eater
L ovely
A nd
B eautiful

or  (probably a safer option...)

M assively
E fficient
T wig
H eater
O nce
D aily

or

F uel
I s
F ree
T wig
H eater

or     (maybe too confusing...)

S tove
T hat's
O bviously
V ery
E fficient

or    (probably my favorite of this batch)

S tove
T hat
A ctually
S tores
H eat

could be combined to be a METH STASH... (what's wrong with me?!)

Meth Batch lol
Or with inspectors, "whatever blows your skirt up."

I'm just going to leave this here.  Whatever you decide to call it, make it sound mundane.

When I spoke with my insurance agent about building a rocket mass heater in my home she had no idea what I was talking about.  When I explained further that it was a highly efficient" solid fuel burning appliance" she referred me to my local building code inspector.  After speaking with him, and making it very clear that I wasn't intent on building anything remotely conventional, he repeatedly referred to my project as my "Fireplace".  In essence, he didn't care what I built, as long as it adhered to certain code limitations on refractory and masonry materials, space and distance from combustibles. All well within reason.  I get the feeling my code guy is pretty cool and easy to get along with but not everyone code guy is.

So keep it simple.

How about Domestic Pyrolytic Thermal Distributor

Oh gosh!  That's even worse.  

I've heard similar advice that if you're building something yourself, call it a fireplace.  Maybe that's a secret code?

It already bears the right name, "mass heater" just forget the Rocket part for the general public!

Here in New Mexico, fireplace flue vented adobe bench beds of various sorts are called "shepherd's beds." At the working historical museum, El Rancho de los Golondrinas, some have been reconstructed and are part of the education program. Maybe a revival of the term, "shepherd's bed" would be helpful. I'd rather relax on a shepherd's bed than any synonym related to rocket.

masonry stove

My idea for a name is

Clean
Updraft
Burn
bench heater

CUB bench heater,
You can the have CUB stoves, ovens and water heaters.
Sounds cute and cuddly to me (as well as being reasonably accurate?)

I hate acronyms. If I were to name it, I would do something like the Earthships. Why call them semiburied efficient homes for the environmentally conscious, when something like 'Earthship' is so catchy?

Stickheater.
Warmstick.
Permastove.
Vortiheat.
Radiant Earth Heater
Woodstove Reheater.

Maybe something unrelated, but catchy.

Century Heater.
Musical Blazer.
Brown Chilly Pepper.
Firebug friend.
Candlelove.
Gaia heater.

High Efficiency Masonry Heater

High Efficiency Mass Storage Wood Stove

Wood Fired Mass Heater

Low Emission Masonry Stove

High Efficiency LowEmission Mass hEaTer  HELMET

High Efficiency Biomass Conversion Heater

That's all I got right now.

If we start from what is out there HEPA filter comes to mind
So if we start with High Efficiency Wood Fueled Space Heater, To my mind, we are pretty well on the money because we have stated the Efficiency>Key Driver>Function which most people get.  Like HEPA High Efficiency (Efficiency)> Particle absorbing (Key Driver) >Filter (Function).  The same naming convention can be applied to many other examples.  But I like it called a  Rocket Mass Heater because it looks like a rocket, uses rocket engine multi chamber heating and hey, rockets are so cool

What about,

Wood Heat Battery  

Wood Charged Battery

In my area this would get the attention from the sustainable energy guys.

Would a haiku do?

I made it from shit
This beautiful, efficient
Masonry Heater

No, I am not actually suggesting we rename RMHs using a haiku.

As its development was a collaborative effort over time, were it named after a person, it would have to be someone universally acknowledged as deserving of it. And probably dead, to be honest.

Lastly, as a sales concept, rather than being descriptive, you could attach a historically weighted moniker to it. I mean, make it feel like "Victory Gardens" or something like that, something that suggests not only personal benefit, but a thing of benefit done on the individual scale that strengthens the whole.

Victory Mass Heaters?

-CK

Maybe involve the word Independent.  As in independent of electricity or fuel bills.

Silly acronyms free of charge...

Independent
Thermal
Storage
And

"ITSA" Heater

Fuel
Independent
Storage of
Heat

Energy
Independent
Thermal
Heated
Earthen
Reservoir

Or, my favorite,

Cellulose Discombobulator

Chris Kott wrote:Would a haiku do?

I made it from shit
This beautiful, efficient
Masonry Heater

No, I am not actually suggesting we rename RMHs using a haiku.

As its development was a collaborative effort over time, were it named after a person, it would have to be someone universally acknowledged as deserving of it. And probably dead, to be honest.

Lastly, as a sales concept, rather than being descriptive, you could attach a historically weighted moniker to it. I mean, make it feel like "Victory Gardens" or something like that, something that suggests not only personal benefit, but a thing of benefit done on the individual scale that strengthens the whole.

Victory Mass Heaters?

-CK

CK, I hope you don't mind, I cleaned up your "shitty" haiku, frankly that sort of low-brow vocabulary is better suited to limericks.

I built it myself
This beautiful, efficient,
masonry heater

Or maybe it's a 575 heater, and there can be a counterculture movement for it's widespread legalization and adoption built around it (like 420).
Those in the know would dedicate a new heater with haiku written somewhere on it.
Folks would talk about setting their thermostats to 575 to save money.

Main problem is that 5:75 or 5/75 aren't real times or dates... but look how 4:20 or 4/20 and PI day (3/14) has caught on!! A number=date mnemonic is powerful, and a yearly reminder.

What is the significance of 575? There must be something or you would have altered it to a number fitting a date/time mnemonic...

Super Stove

スーパーストーブ

Wonder Stove

不思議なストーブ

Other useful words

Liberty
Freedom
Independence

Mass heater. It is the real name for the thing, has been for centuries. Would it be a "ofen", "Tepushka" "Kachelofen", "Steinofen" "Kakelugn" "pystyuuni" "Kakeliuuni"

It is still always a mass heater. Everybody, or nearly knows these. The words speak for themselves. Easily understandable. By even the most unaware of heating apparatuses.  

Would it be rocket, normal firebox, russian firebox, vortex firebox, batch, J tube, oven, or whatnot.