Kim Hostettter

We are a non-profit Wellness and Art Education ministry with 35 acres located in Old Fort, NC (30 minutes East of Asheville) whose goal is to build an off the grid sustainable Healing and Arts Learning Center. The vision is to teach and help people how to overcome bodily disease, help them heal from emotional trauma, and/or grow in their spiritual walk with God. This will be achieved through Wellness Education programs (raw food, juicing, detoxing), art retreats and therapies for adults and children, and teaching about sustainable living.

We have most recently built a palette, straw, and earthen home that is totally solar powered but have many other structures to build in order to start our classes and retreat center. This March we are starting the digging of our Walipini (underground greenhouse) and will be needing hands and knowledgeable people to help with that. Plus, we hope to be able to add at least two guest cabins by the end of the year.

Also, we are hoping to soon get a hydro-power system in place once we can raise funding for it. We are considering a crowd funding project to help raise the money.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT OUR CAUSE IN ANYWAY, PLEASE CONTACT US VIA OUR WEBSITES BELOW OR THROUGH THIS FORUM.

Thanks for taking the time to check us out. Visit Our Websites for more information about the programs. EDENintheMountains.org and AlmondBlossomLive.com.

How are your hear riser and burn tunel insulated? Are you sure of your barrel gaps and flue connections.

If what I think you are talking about is the "heat riser"...the chamber inside the barrel: we used a square terracotta tube with 8" pipe in the center with vermiculite filled in around the sides. I now know we did not put enough in it...as per the advice we should've used 4" thick. We have about 2". The burn tunnel? Don't have any.... What are we missing without the proper insulation? I assume less heat being held in barrel?

It does get quite hot quickly. Just did not like the idea of having to feed it little twigs all the time. Once we change the feeder and cover the ash clean out below it, I am hoping for better results.

My husband is asking: what will we gain by shortening it and how do we keep the fire burning longer without having to constantly feed it every 5 minutes? I assume covering the ash clean out would help.

The metal that the ashes are in is just an insert he created to hold the ashes and pull it out, to make it easier to clean.

Hey, Sorry I took so long to respond back. Have not had a chance to sit down in front of the puter much this past week. I did post the pics? I thought? But re-posting them here for you to take a look out. After reading over your thoughts, I am definitely sure the feed tube is too long. Plus the opening under the feed tube?? A pic speaks a thousand words. Thanks for your valuable time.

Hi All,
I am another first-timer here with my own set of "problems" with our newly created rocket mass heater. First off, I will be the first to say that my hubby and I did not study the design as thoroughly as we probably should have, and put together a unit based on some of your You Tube videos and designs sketches. Please be kind...lol. Now, here's the problems we are having. Please note the pics I attached. I have not finished cobbing it as I did not want to go further until we work out the bugs.

My hubby, built the unit using a terra cotta tubes for the feeder (see pic) and the air chamber? (whatever that opening is below the feeder?). The combustion chamber was made from a 8" pipe with another terra cotta tube inside it. He used 8" pipe in the bench...but did not run it back to the barrel.

1. So, the unit does burn but when starting it from cold, it must be started from the access hole on under the feed to get it burning sideways, otherwise it smokes back.
2. We cannot seem to burn anything larger than small twigs and sticks in the feeder tube without it getting smoke back. He seems to have to put the wood in the bottom access hole to get it to burn sideways, laying them down on their sides...can't use feeder tube.
3. The darn thing burns really fast and have to keep feeding it. Of course we are using small wood but it still burns super fast, even with bigger pcs of wood.
4. Question: The bench is very wet due to cold weather and we don't start it often as we are not living on premise right now. How long to they take to dry out if burning it daily, esp in cold weather?
5. Question: since we did not bring the pipes back around and only have one 8", will we still get any warmth from the bench?

I told my huddy that the feeder tube is too long and there is a design issue with it. What did we do wrong? or rather...did we do anything right?? lol.