Shorty Core gets a bell

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate it!

Currently the Home Depot closest to us that carries them is about 9 hours away and I think we can figure out a way to get them, but the more I think about it the more I think this is going to have to be a project for the future and not this year. That will give us time to plan and budget and maybe slowly acquire materials. Maybe over the year I can keep checking Idaho Falls and Pocatello since that would be way more convenient.

I have seen a couple of listings on Facebook Marketplace but they have been more expensive than the Home Depot ones and a lot of them have holes so I was getting super confused but I think I now have enough information to come up with a plan.

I think it would be super cool to have a heater in the barn and maybe we could integrate it with a watering trough and use it to keep water from freezing - and maybe have a way we can have a brooding space for baby chicks.

thomas rubino wrote:Hal, I see you live east of Mt home.
Look in the Pocatello and Idaho Falls areas.
I know they carry (manufacture?) firebrick, and I suspect that clay bricks might also be plentiful.
You can use three-hole clay bricks, but each hole must be filled with clay mortar.
Facebook Marketplace is a great place to locate bricks.

All parts of the country are different for sure, but most parts have someone somewhere that have bricks,  if there is but one brick home/school/office building, the likelihood that the bricks came from more than a few hours away is slim, Of course doesn't apply if your 100's of miles from anywhere, but few are today.

Sadly, we can get brought to us, many items, cheaper than we can drive to them.   ALL of my ISFB's are that way,  I can can super cheaps ones locally but twice as good quality, just by ordering, and in the long run get them cheaper.

Now, for filling holes, most anyones plans should entail, a planned layer by layer brick pattern.   I have found that when a layer is done, a quick fill of the holes only takes minutes.  in other words, don't place a brick then fill its holes and then place another and so on.  Get one task done, then the next.  Bing-bang boom you got a bell made.

Lastly, every takedown of a brick building, usually has a pile of rubble near quitting time, Depending the mortar that was used years ago, these bricks clean fast, with a concrete grinder puck,  I can put a brick in my 3 legged carpenter stand, and I would say about 1 minute per bricks, but take a break after every 15 or so.  

ask, and you may find.  There are lots of old houses torn down, that had brick chimneys.  Another source.

Best of success.

What is under the floor of the heater?
Floor boards indicate stumps etc, but that looks heavy?

thomas rubino wrote:
I am very happy to report the highest temps my arch has risen to are just over 400F!!!  (Success!)

Do you have any measurement on what your core exhaust temperature is reading?
Reason I ask is, I'M BUILDING A SHORTY IN A BRICK BELL TOO!

One final detail I'm working out is the internal chimney. Planning to do the "plunger tube" style of chimney into the bell. But my Shorty core will flip the exhaust to shoot out the back wall of the riser stub so I can put an oven on top of the firebox. The potential issue being hot exhaust shooting horizontally right at my plunger tube. My DSR2 build has a black stove pipe plunger tube and I intend to do the same here. Just a little worried about it being directly in the exhaust path.

Guess I could wrap it in superwool and hope for the best. Or spend an extra $300ish to continue stainless double wall pipe inside the bell. Any thoughts on this scenario?

Hi Matt, great news your building a Shorty!
You are going to love her!
I installed a temperature probe in Shorty's riser, unfortunately it was a type K, since then I have learned a type N is needed.
Before it stopped working I was only getting temps in the 1500F range as my bell was still drying out.

With a plunge tube, you would for sure want to insulate inside the bell.
However, no need for expensive double wall stainless, or for Superwool (unless you already have some), Rock wool  is fine to insulate the plunge.

I will tell you that with her expanding riser Shorty is very casual about burning.
Oh make no mistake, she burns great but she will not  blast heat like a first generation does.

Matt Todd wrote:

thomas rubino wrote:
I am very happy to report the highest temps my arch has risen to are just over 400F!!!  (Success!)

Do you have any measurement on what your core exhaust temperature is reading?
Reason I ask is, I'M BUILDING A SHORTY IN A BRICK BELL TOO!

One final detail I'm working out is the internal chimney. Planning to do the "plunger tube" style of chimney into the bell. But my Shorty core will flip the exhaust to shoot out the back wall of the riser stub so I can put an oven on top of the firebox. The potential issue being hot exhaust shooting horizontally right at my plunger tube. My DSR2 build has a black stove pipe plunger tube and I intend to do the same here. Just a little worried about it being directly in the exhaust path.

I know around the world and even in the same country as the USA folks have different terms for different things.  In this case, what part of the stove are you considering "a plunger tube"  And presuming this is inside a bell, does this effect somehow the workings of the stove vs a bottom of the bell exhaust outlet?  Am curious about if this is something some have not seen, or if this is just different terminology.

Thanks in advance.
Scott

Hi Scott;
The exhaust stack is called a plunge tube when it enters the bell through the roof, rather than outside the bell.
It then extends to within a few inches of the floor, commonly a funnel shape is added at the bottom to encourage the gasses to vent.

It is not commonly used, as sealing at the roof penetration can be an issue.
Also there is no easy way to inspect the pipe, or the condition of any insulation wrapped around it.  

Thomas, how does this do in the corner location? I see that the old metal stove was there originally.

I have seen some in the middle of a large open area, like Glenn's https://permies.com/t/238503/Batch-Rocket-Build

Hi Jackson;
The location does not matter at all.
The entire cabin, including all the many additions, is evenly toasty warm!
They absolutely were not with the old metal wood burner.
So far this year, we have burned less than a third of a full cord.
We constantly have windows cracked to let in fresh cold air.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Jackson;
The location does not matter at all.
The entire cabin, including all the many additions, is evenly toasty warm!
They absolutely were not with the old metal wood burner.
So far this year, we have burned less than a third of a full cord.
We constantly have windows cracked to let in fresh cold air.

Thank you for the info. That is great!