Rocket Mass Water Heating

Ernie, how did the mockup go Monday?  Are you at a point where you can generalize on your findings?

not yet the weather is keeping me from it so far so i wont be able to say till we get a bit of a break. I am also modeling the system in cad so i  can import it to a system modeler so its taking more time than i wanted. By and by i will get results. I really cant comment to much on this experiment due to agreements with Leslie, Kirk and Ianto about peer review and testing. However i will put out what i can.

Tks.  I understand and appreciate what you can share when you can share it.

Are you testing both the positions we talked about for the water coil?  I don't want to be any more specific unless/until you say.

yes i am. Anything would be safer than what exists.

I hear you.  I ran into images of that install earlier today.  That's a lot of stress to put on copper tubing.

i hope to soon begin building a water heating rocket stove that will be outside.

it will be made of steel and a 55 or 33 gal drum

it will heat water in a insulated used propane tank about 150 - 200 gallons


then the water will be piped in the house and through a radiator

so i'd be interested in what you all think about the placement of the copper tubing

Have fun Ward. wear proper protective gear and play with it away from your loved ones.

Thats about all the comments i have on it at this time. the result of getting the config wrong can be erratic.

the danger should be small, it will be vented

about the worst i see is melted copper and water running all over

wardd wrote:
the danger should be small, it will be vented

about the worst i see is melted copper and water running all over

Vented as in a open top?  It sounds like a closed system..so do you have a steam vent?

Are you sure the copper will melt before it explodes?

ronie wrote:
Vented as in a open top?  It sounds like a closed system..so do you have a steam vent?

Are you sure the copper will melt before it explodes?

it will be open to the outside

a pump at the tank will pump the water to the heater then to the house so i get heat in the house sooner

it will be as simple as possible

i think i can use a coolant pump from a car

I'm not sure where you are at. Where i am there would be a frozen icy mess outside unless i ran the stove constantly (certain times of year).

If it is for heating the house, why not build the heater in the house and skip the water? You can heat water on top of the stove.

ronie wrote:
I'm not sure where you are at. Where i am there would be a frozen icy mess outside unless i ran the stove constantly (certain times of year).

If it is for heating the house, why not build the heater in the house and skip the water? You can heat water on top of the stove.

antifreeze

no room in the house

Why not just blow warmed air into the house from the outside stove?

ronie wrote:
Why not just blow warmed air into the house from the outside stove?

the water will continue to provide heat after the fire has gone out

Few things I tried. I used a half barrel beer keg wrapped with hundred foot copper tubing. 3/4" best to help prevent steam formation.  I'm using 1/2" now but my pump kicks on at 130F.  An adjustable snap switch controls a 12 volt diaphragm pump.  It works but it takes time to build up heat. It would be best to have a bulk insulated storage tank to store hot water. I use both wood and solar to heat water. Just a basic rocket with copper between the riser and cap barrel.


Two salvaged hot water tanks with leaks JD wielded. I use them as radiators. I use old garden hose to plumb the tanks. They help release heat in the living area.

Okay here i took a barrel split it down the side. used it as a retainer for lack of a better word. To set a barrel on top of the rocket.  I put a hole in top of the rocket cap barrel so that the heat / flame strikes the bottom of the barrel stacked on it. 35 gallon of water in the top barrel. when it gets hot enough a 12volt bilge pump moves the water. Works OK. but this is just an idea I got away from.

Sealed containers tend to blow up if heated.

This barrel is not sealed tight.

Sorry no pix but a idea. The barrel I have on top, I cut it so I had the bottom one third of the barrel now sets on top of the rocket ,secured by the split barrel. In the third barrel I placed 3 coils of copper with coils spaced a little. Filled the third barrel with sand. Now, when I fire the rocket the sand acts as a insulator but when I pour some water into the sand it becomes a heat sink. Transfers heat to the copper very well without the flame and creosote exposed.

kbhale wrote:
Few things I tried. I used a half barrel beer keg wrapped with hundred foot copper tubing. 3/4" best to help prevent steam formation.  I'm using 1/2" now but my pump kicks on at 130F.  An adjustable snap switch controls a 12 volt diaphragm pump.  It works but it takes time to build up heat. It would be best to have a bulk insulated storage tank to store hot water. I use both wood and solar to heat water. Just a basic rocket with copper between the riser and cap barrel.


Two salvaged hot water tanks with leaks JD wielded. I use them as radiators. I use old garden hose to plumb the tanks. They help release heat in the living area.

Okay here i took a barrel split it down the side. used it as a retainer for lack of a better word. To set a barrel on top of the rocket.  I put a hole in top of the rocket cap barrel so that the heat / flame strikes the bottom of the barrel stacked on it. 35 gallon of water in the top barrel. when it gets hot enough a 12volt bilge pump moves the water. Works OK. but this is just an idea I got away from.

Sealed containers tend to blow up if heated.

This barrel is not sealed tight.

Sorry no pix but a idea. The barrel I have on top, I cut it so I had the bottom one third of the barrel now sets on top of the rocket ,secured by the split barrel. In the third barrel I placed 3 coils of copper with coils spaced a little. Filled the third barrel with sand. Now, when I fire the rocket the sand acts as a insulator but when I pour some water into the sand it becomes a heat sink. Transfers heat to the copper very well without the flame and creosote exposed.

for heating the living area why not use a small car radiator with a thermostatically controlled window fan?

OK, just so I'm understanding this, please correct me if I'm wrong:

Picture #1 shows how you wrapped copper pipe around the insulated feed pipe for your RMH.  The black thing to the right is the outside of your RMH.  It's going to fit over that brick-and-copper-pipe device on the left.  As fuel is burned, the heat will heat the water in the pipe.

Picture #2 is just a pair of refurbished water heaters that you use to store the water heated up by picture #1.  They don't provide hot water for bathing or any other purpose; they just radiate heat.

Picture #3 shows your finished RMH.  The black barrel on top holds water to be heated.  You cut a hole in the top of the burn chamber of your RMH in order to let the heat in to heat up the water in the black barrel.  The green thing is not a barrel (anymore), it's a sheath to hold the black barrel to the top of the burn chamber.

Picture #4 is another view of your finished RMH.  It also shows where the copper tube from inside the RMH exits the RMH and goes to the two refurbished water heaters.

Questions: What is the water in the top black barrel used for?  Did cutting a hole in the top of your burn chamber affect the operation of the entire burn system?  (IOW, does the smoke still go out the chimney?)

wardd wrote:

for heating the living area why not use a small car radiator with a thermostatically controlled window fan?

I think a car radiator with a thermostatically controlled  fan will work.  It would be like a car or truck heater but the working fluid temp would be less for safety.

Muzhik wrote:
OK, just so I'm understanding this, please correct me if I'm wrong:

Picture #1 shows how you wrapped copper pipe around the insulated feed pipe for your RMH.  The black thing to the right is the outside of your RMH.  It's going to fit over that brick-and-copper-pipe device on the left.  As fuel is burned, the heat will heat the water in the pipe.

The black 30 gallon water tank is not part of the RMH. I just had it setting there. While I was trying to figure out how to heat water with the RMH. Using a sealed tank to heat water, not a good idea the tanks sometimes explode.  I used a plan barrel to cap the riser.

Picture #2 is just a pair of refurbished water heaters that you use to store the water heated up by picture #1.  They don't provide hot water for bathing or any other purpose; they just radiate heat.

I'm using the 30 gallon and 50 gallon tanks as radiators for my outside building. I fire the RMH for about 3 hours before I go to bed. The RMH heats the water being pumped through the tubing and carries it to the two tanks in a closed loop.  Its enough to keep the shed warm till morning.  I can also adjust valves to heat water in a 500 gallon storage tank that I use to wash dishes. Also use solar to help heat the large tank.

Picture #3 shows your finished RMH.  The black barrel on top holds water to be heated.  You cut a hole in the top of the burn chamber of your RMH in order to let the heat in to heat up the water in the black barrel.  The green thing is not a barrel (anymore), it's a sheath to hold the black barrel to the top of the burn chamber.

Yes. Used pipe strap to to pull the sheath tight and clay / cob to seal the edges. Exhaust  stays in the RMH.

Picture #4 is another view of your finished RMH.  It also shows where the copper tube from inside the RMH exits the RMH and goes to the two refurbished water heaters.

Yes

Questions: What is the water in the top black barrel used for?  Did cutting a hole in the top of your burn chamber affect the operation of the entire burn system?  (IOW, does the smoke still go out the chimney?)

The bottom of the water barrel on top is about two and a half inches from the top of the riser. notice my chimney is more like a regular wood stove. No trouble with smoke back. I replaced the water in the top barrel with damp sand for mass. The water could have been used as a batch hot water heater. I may put water back into later and use it to melt snow off the drive and walks.

Somebody was saying they couldn't find my rocket water heater video on these forums, so I thought I would add it: