Wet Tolerant Rocket Mass Heater in a Greenhouse Plans

Source: Scubbly.com

Summary

Rocket mass heaters are a super-effective way to extend your growing season, without spending piles of money on electricity to heat a space. You even burn less wood - rocket mass heaters burn up to 90% less wood than a conventional wood stove, and put out almost zero pollution - pretty stinkin' amazing.

The tricky thing about putting rocket mass heaters in greenhouses is, you're not just heating a dry open space, you're heating wet soil and plants, and it's a little challenging to do it just right so the plants don't get damaged, and the rocket mass heater holds up under the constant moisture. These plans address those concerns, and are specifically designed by the experienced pros (Ernie and Erica Wisner), so that when you build a rocket mass heater in your greenhouse, you only have to do it once.

This rocket mass heater design will keep your greenhouse warm all season long on a tiny amount of wood, but it's also designed in such a way that it's safe for people and plants, and built to last. These digital plans are where your ideas become what's heating your greenhouse all winter long.

These plans are part of the Ernie and Erica Rocket Mass Heater Everything Combo, a digital bundle with just about everything they sell on rocket mass heaters.

Create a warm sprouting bench, heated hoop-house, or wood-fired solar sauna, completely off-grid. This rocket mass heater design includes 30+ pages of detailed plans, beta-testing example projects, and tips on how to orient your sunroom for year-round or seasonal use.

These projects are based on Ernie and Erica's standard 8" rocket mass heater with J-style firebox, but use damp-tolerant detailing for durability in moist or steamy environments. Heat output from these designs can be enough for a small house, but may not be sufficient to produce tropical conditions in an un-insulated greenhouse in all climates.

Where to Get It?

Digital Market on Permies

Related Threads



Ernie and Erica Wisner's Everything Combo
Rocket Stoves in Greenhouses

Related Websites

Ernie and Erica's website

This is an over complicated version of Rocket stove technology. I worked at Aprovecho in the 1980s where they developed the rocket stove. you can set one up much easier than this. I don't thin this guy really understands the principles.

I'm sure you can set something up easier, but Ernie and Erica have spent over a decade experimenting and perfecting rocket mass heaters for efficiency and reliability. I think they know what they are doing. There has been a lot of progress since the 1980s.

Frank Holzman wrote:This is an over complicated version of Rocket stove technology. I worked at Aprovecho in the 1980s where they developed the rocket stove. you can set one up much easier than this. I don't thin this guy really understands the principles.

I've seen them on a few youtube videos and would say they seem to know what they are doing. There is more then one way to build a heater.

Frank Holzman wrote:This is an over complicated version of Rocket stove technology. I worked at Aprovecho in the 1980s where they developed the rocket stove. you can set one up much easier than this. I don't thin this guy really understands the principles.

Frank, I think you are mixing up the respective function of two distantly related combustion technologies.
A rocket stove to cook on is an entirely different device than a rocket mass heater to heat a house or a workshop.

I think some are confusing rocket stoves with rocket mass heaters. They are two different things.  Yes there are some similarities but the purpose and function are different.    

Does anyone know the people at Midwestern Permaculture.
They have a giant RMH in a 48 X 30 greenhouse.
https://midwestpermaculture.com/2016/04/epic-greenhouse-rocket-mass-heater/

Joe Grand...
I was a manager in the Ranch that had the giant RMH built by Midwest Permaculture.  It was quite a thing to see.
Sadly, it was disassembled last year because it was not what they hoped it would be.  There are plans to rebuild.  Please revisit the website and check it out

Tasha Miller wrote:Joe Grand...
I was a manager in the Ranch that had the giant RMH built by Midwest Permaculture.  It was quite a thing to see.
Sadly, it was disassembled last year because it was not what they hoped it would be.  There are plans to rebuild.  Please revisit the website and check it out

I once built a rocket heater for a 3,000 sq ft DWC aquaponic greenhouse, it put out about 500K BTU/hr. The main heat source was a semi-passive hot air system, the rocket was just for cold snaps and cloudy periods.

The variable speed fan is definitely necessary, I put a bathroom exhaust fan at the end of the chimney. That made lighting the rocket super easy and if you build the system correctly there will not be enough temperature differential to keep a draft going so you will need a fan.

All you need to do is complete the combustion in a highly insulated burn zone then immediately inject that heat directly into your aquaculture tank via a dip tube. The tilapia really loved that heater. One thing I learned is that condensing exhaust vapor gives off heat. Just make a long horizontal exhaust tube inside the greenhouse and be aware that water will be condensing inside (drill a few holes in it). By the time the air gets to the exhaust fan it will be barely warm, if you're brave don't send it all outside, keep some of it in the house. Keep a Co2 meter handy!

Directly heating air is a waste because hot air shoots up to the roof and just goes into space. The roots are the heart of the plant, not the leaves. Keep them warm and the plants will be happy.