Linwood Bridges

Thanks for letting me benefit from your learning curve! Definitely some issues to deal with by trying to modify these stoves for those of us who cant spend all day using less wood. You saved me a lot of time, headache and money so I think I'll keep researching this site more before I decide which way I will build mine. Maybe this summer...... Thanks, I will keep checking on your progress also.

Did you shut off the air intake (down below the locker) before opening the feed tube(door) to allow the draft to be taken from inside the locker with the door cracked slightly? I thought this might pull any smoke inside through the system to be burned. That's only a thought though, obviously you have real world experience in this area. I also thought of using water as a heating medium to run through my garage floor since I have the tubing already in. I have not built a stove yet because i am in hopes to have most of the details figured out before hand. (hopefully!) Thanks, and Merry Christmas to all!

I also like the thoughts of not having to tend the stove so often and have had the following thoughts scrambling around my little peabrain: What if a sealed metal locker was used to load the wood over the burn hole. Completely air tight so the fire could not go up inside, but the draft was taken from the bottom and drawn across the lowest part of the wood. Like dropping the wood into an inverted T-pipe. If the draft needed to be raised because of smoke backing up, then an elbow and maybe a little extra pipe to get the height you need. With the air passing along the bottom of the longer logs and the rest of the logs inside the sealed locker then fire shouldn't be able to climb the logs. Plus you dont need a high ceiling to load because you open the door, load the wood, shut the door. Whaddayathink? Im here to learn so give me your best feedback!

I was thinking of forming the whole center from the riser pipe to the outside of the inner barrel. Not using a pipe or a barrel at all... only the perlite and refractory mix. With an 8" riser and leaving 1 - 1.5 inches around the edges for exhaust that would be about 6" thick if i am thinking correctly. I thought of using a sauna tube and a cardboard barrel of the right size as a mold for the mixture and let it burn out when the first fire was lit. If the mix wouldnt be smooth enough then i figured 1/8" stainless steel might have longevity to hold the mix. But then I wouldnt really need the refractory cement would I? Maybe to form the cap?

Has anyone tried casting the whole insulation interior out of refractory cement and perlite? Would this be durable enough, too heavy, or is there a need for a liner? I read that a two part perlite and one part cement would make a good brick, but have no experience with it.

So if the barrel doesn't radiate heat away fast enough then the system won't work as well? I didn't know if keeping half of the barrel out to radiate some heat away, and the other half mortared in that the mass of bricks would get hot and give off heat long term after the fire was out. I am new to the idea, so I apologize for my lack of education on the subject. Thanks for increasing my knowledge though! Downloaded the book online and am scrounging stuff already. I look forward to learning and building one sometimes... for my garage to start with.

Hi, I'm new to the forum and have been researching rmh for a month or so. Just a thought...could the chimney be sealed just out of sight but allowing the exhaust pipe to exit up the rest of the chimney? If the heater were mostly bricked in with some area exposed for quick heat, then wouldn't the bricks then become the mass? I'm sure something could be fabricated to decorate the front if someone put some creativity to use.