Jamie Duncan

Thanks Jerry! I read a couple posts stating that could pose a problem. One said to have the boiling pans sit in water, and have the rocket heat the water. That seems redundant! Good thing is I am not in any rush to complete it this year, so maybe somebody here smarter than me can come up with a solution..

Thanks for the link Satamax! From what I read on these posts, nobody really has a surefire rocket stove figured out for maple boiling yet. As it is my first attempt at the whole maple syrup hobby, think I will just build the simple evaporator for now..... gives me a full year to try to figure out if a rocket may improve things.

Hi guys, just thinking out loud here..... I am going to try my hand at tapping a few maple trees this winter and boiling it down into syrup. On one of the websites that I have found a few guys have turned old furnace oil tanks into evaporators for the boil down. They basically cut the top off, put a fire box in the front, chimney in the top at the back, and have the heat pass their boil boxes on it's way out the chimney. Seems like a pretty easy build, and looks like it boils off quite well, but was wondering if it's possible to make a rocket stove work instead? They mention that it takes a lot of wood to get to the syrup. ... Or if it would even be any improvement from what they have created? Any ideas would be great before I start cutting up my tank.

Well,at least they mentioned near the end that this isn't a newly discovered way to raise cattle! After watching the video there are a few things that come to mind however. Number 1....one guy says it is tough to make quality hay in his region,but he is baling round bales. If you are going to bale round,pay the extra 2-3 dollars and wrap the bales with plastic! That way you are guarenteed good feed.If you wrap them and ensure there are no holes,you will be able to cut and bale the same day,thus not having to worry about any surprise rainstorm. Number 2... you guys have some awesome weather for the middle of winter!!! Here in southwest British Columbia,we are lucky to see the sun once a week,never mind enough to have nice,dry pastures! Which brings me to point Number 3..... we have a small dairy farm and allow our youngstock to roam outside in the winter whenever the weather cooperates. I agree that they,given the choice,they want to spend more time outdoors than in. But...and I guess THIS is Number 3.....people who drive past and SEE the cattle outdoors,and think that they are being mistreated!! Seriously,this has happened....the city folk see cows standing there and think it is their duty to call SPCA. Thankfully the local guys know us and just laugh off the complaints,but it can occur.One day a city-dweller stopped while I was out in the field and asked why I had cows outside in January......I asked him why all the other farmers have their cows inside in the middle of March and April. He just looked at me like deer in headlights......

Hey guys, just discovered rocket mass heaters and was wondering what the difference was between a 6 inch and 8 inch heater? Is it just a matter of size of wood that can be burned, or does it effect the amount of area that can be heated. Think this demands some more looking into.......... thanks from a newbie!