James Barr

Or maybe even just build a form from wood and skip the pipe. Making flue entirely from cob?

hey folks,
its finally summer here in alberta canada and cob making materials are emerging from the snow! I plan to tackle this tast this year. I have been doing more research on this topic. I think I will just go for a traditional heater, not portable. I am wondering tho, fire brick is pretty expensive here, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 8$ a brick. Can I just use Chimney pipe encased in fire cob instead? I have access to old chimney all the time, since I am a plumber. This would make the whole project much cheaper for me to build. Opinions?
Kind Regards,
James

kirk
I am wondering if using this method will give me an inferior product. Is there a way to capture the other microbes and get them into my mix? Why are the other microbes so essential?

Hi folks,
Just started my DIY batch of EM starter about a week ago. You may be familiar, its the one you start with rice water, add milk later and then ferment newspaper. I thought this would be an economical way to try this kind of composting out. I am just wondering, those of you who do this, do you see drastically different results? I have read that the fermented product still needs to be composted afterwards, but its supposed to be faster to get nice dark compost. I do worm compost as well but the limitations of it make me want to expand into this area. I want to be able to compost meat, bones and heavy citrus material. In the summer I also want to employ this to speed the process times for my dog poo digesters.

Hi,
I compost outdoors, and indoors with a traditional heap and worms. My outdoor heap I keep going all winter with hot composting methods and I turn it quite often. Id say every other day or so. In the winter, I dont have to worry about watering since the snow melts into it from the heat. In the summer I will water as needed. i just check it when I turn it.
Kind Regards,
James

Thank you so much for giving me a straight forward response. I really appreciate it. As it turns out, the insulated pipe that goes through the roof was no good. Its 100 bucks to replace, so my wife and I are weighing the pros and cons of replacing it. Will have to see. The fire brick idea is one that Im a fan of, not to mention that I would be buying those for my RMH any ways. Thanks again.
Kind regards,
James

hello folks, I have an old barrel stove in my rental. I am working on the plans for a RMH but in the meantime I need heat in my shop. I replaced the pipe inside the shop as it was quite rusted but didnt replace the chimney about the attic thimble. Its a triple walled chimney above the stuff I replaced. I started a fire in the stove tonight as I was planning to do some work in there and was hoping to be warm. The pipe began to make lots of ping and pop noises. I got freaked out and dosed the fire with snow and put it out. I have no experience with an old stove like this and like many feel safe using manufactured things from the store. I realize that these have been in use for a long time, so I am looking for advice on what to do now to make this stove safe while I plan my RMH. I likely wont be able to make the RMH until spring and have a long winter ahead of me here in Canada.

Also, I had a few stray sparks coming out of the top of the chimney, above the roof. Is this normal?

hey, just having a hard time finding out what gauge pipe to use for the exhaust?

Hey folks,
I rent the farm Im on at the moment. I have a shop with an old barrel stove in it. The exhaust is rusted out and needing replaced. I will need to purchase firebricks to line in to extend the life of the barrel. I posted a question about it on the wood burning stove thread, and it was pointed out to me that I may like a RMH more. The question is if I can build a RMH in a kind of crate. Thermal mass being sand with a wood top. The reason is that I dont want to invest a lot of time in building one of these, just to have to destroy it if we wind up moving. We are planning to buy the place, but if that falls through I want a contingency plan.

Thanks in advance for any advice. Im also looking for guidance on a design.

Kind Regards.
James

ok, so these rocket mass heaters, can I make one in a crate kind of thing? I dont want to build one to have to destroy it should I move from here (the plan is to buy it later, but if that plan falls through). Im imagining a long box on a long pallet, to be able to pick it up with a tractor. The heater would consist of the burn box and barrel with the exhaust running inside the box. Maybe sand for the thermal mass and a wood top? Sand would be removable should I have have to load it on a truck and move it.

Thanks for your input.