Rocket Mass Heaters International - what's different outside the USA?

Hello fellow builders and rocket dreamers.

We have a wonderful problem.

Our forthcoming book has been picked up by Permanent Press, in the UK, for publication in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

They are happy with the level of detail, the pairing of "standard" (imperial/US ideosyncractic) and metric measurements, and the notes on relevant building codes in our main chapters.
They would just like to add an appendix to cover particulars for international builders - say, in place or in addition to the reference code from Portland, OR in appendix 2.


I've already done a lot of book research and Internet research on international codes. That's already in Chapter 6, "The Rules."
But we don't have on-the-ground experience from these regions; the closest we've come is consulting from a distance on someone's project.

If you have built, or considered building any kind of rocket mass heater in these regions, we would like your dirty-hands experience to back up our second- and third-hand research.

Could you please share your anecdotes, regulatory shortcuts, tips on choosing the right design for reasons of local knowledge?

If you have stories that you are not comfortable sharing publicly, please PM me, and we can figure out what you'd want people to know, and give it as "anonymous tips."

Many thanks,
Erica W

Hi

I'm midway through "setting up"(it works but refining it before presenting it for inspection) my rocket stove. However it's a 6" rocket stove which is going to back up my solar UHF heating and provide hot water. With the other work on the house i've had building inspector in and all he needs to approve it is to have a 'hetas' engineer approve it to satisfy safety needs but looking to get approved this summer. The design effectively negates all the wood burner and open fire regs in the uk, except having combustible materials within a set distance of the stove.

My understanding of building regs in the uk is that it can be very subjective depending on the inspector. I'm down in brighton which is quite open minded about not being the normal standard thing to put in a house which may have had an influence.

All the regs are in a document called 'approved document J'
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20151113141044/http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/br_pdf_adj_2010.pdf

Regards

Sam