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rocket stoves

rocket stove hot water

Posts: 29

Location: Missouri Ozarks

posted 14 years ago

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We use barrels of water left in the sun to shower with. Makes for a real nice, comfortable shower. But now, with the highs in the 70's and nights in the 40's it is unbearable and we are back to spit baths.
I've been thinking about using an old gas fired water heater set upon a rocket stove to heat our shower water. As the tank in these heaters have the flue running through the middle, would it be possible to set a tank on the rocket stove and use the flue for the exhaust and get sufficient heated water after a time of burning the stove? If you've tried this, how did it work?

Jordan Lowery

pollinator

Posts: 1528

Location: zone 7

posted 14 years ago

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you could also make a rocket mass heater, run piping though the thermal mass as its being fired and pump hot water through that way. seems you would get heat for your house and water that way if your set on the rocket stove.

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka

Joel Hollingsworth

pollinator

Posts: 2103

Location: Oakland, CA

posted 14 years ago

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awhitaker wrote:
I've been thinking about using an old gas fired water heater set upon a rocket stove to heat our shower water. As the tank in these heaters have the flue running through the middle, would it be possible to set a tank on the rocket stove and use the flue for the exhaust and get sufficient heated water after a time of burning the stove? If you've tried this, how did it work?

I haven't tried it, but it sounds like it would work great. It might be less work than building a rocket mass heater, too, for the amount of thermal mass you would be bringing into the home.

"the qualities of these bacteria, like the heat of the sun, electricity, or the qualities of metals, are part of the storehouse of knowledge of all men. They are manifestations of the laws of nature, free to all men and reserved exclusively to none." SCOTUS, Funk Bros. Seed Co. v. Kale Inoculant Co.

Posts: 126

Location: Ava, Mo, USA, Earth

posted 14 years ago

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The original rocket stoves were low-mass cook stoves. Many of these designs have built-in pots and pressure cookers. You don't want to heat up a ton of other mass before the water gets hot.

I've seen plans for converting gas waterheaters to wood. Probably in a Mother Earth News from the early years. You would add a lot of efficiency by making the burn chamber bases on a rocket design.

homesteadpaul

Alan Whitaker

Posts: 29

Location: Missouri Ozarks

posted 14 years ago

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that is basically what I had in mind. A simple rocket stove but with an old gas water heater on the top/exhaust instead of a pot. But this is for and outdoor shower. I'm not about to try it in the house! I'll use the tankless heater for that.

Nick Ritar

Posts: 22

Location: Meliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

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posted 13 years ago

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You guys might be interested in the rocket powered water heater we built. It's been keeping many Permaculture students in hot showers for several years now

http://milkwood.net/2009/07/12/the_rocket_powered_shower/

rockewt-shower.jpg

Permaculture Education, Blog and Resources https://www.milkwood.net
https://www.instagram.com/milkwood_nick/

Burra Maluca

out to pasture

Posts: 12484

Location: Portugal

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posted 13 years ago

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That looks really professional!

I followed the link shown at the end of the video and found your page on stoves - here's the link in case anyone else is interested. http://www.goodweld.co.uk/id20.html

You make some *very* interesting stuff!!

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