thomas rubino

Super story of an early mass heater that saved lives.






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Hi Eric;
My Walker stove is his BBQ version.
I call it a Black or White oven.
His water heater is very similar, although it may use a larger core variant than mine.
A water tank is contained inside the bell, where it is safely heated.

Matt's riserless core is a proven design with many variations.
They are slow to start when constructed with heavy firebricks; the Ceramic board versions light quickly and burn cleanly.
The heavy brick holds heat longer.
Both burn clean when hot.

Hi  Bever;
I am guessing that you are referring to the illustration on John's video?

If you wanted to build such a thing, perhaps you could use kiln shelves.

However, why would you want to build a serpentine channel stove when you can build a stratification chamber with a high-output BatchBox design?

Congrats, Ben, on another job!
I have not used the half barrels myself, but it is a tried and true system.
How many barrels in a row were you thinking?
Matt told me that with an 8", you could have up to five.
As far as how much cob on top, 4" at the high point might be more than you want, 4" at the top means 6"+ on the low points.
I would start with 2"+ on the high point and see what your heat transfer is like.
If you were up north and this needed to burn longer, a 4" cob layer would be perfect.

When you cut your barrels, leave an inch or so on the ends to maintain the barrel curve.

Well, now gee, that is just cheating!
Great idea though!

Yes, those are all Persian cats, with rather poor haircuts.
Known as the lounge lizards of the cat world, they prefer to drape across your furniture, leaving a coating of hair everywhere they go!
Quiet and calm, and usually not very talkative. (There are exceptions!)
We raised breeders & show  Persians for over 25 years. (Belgian Gulch Persians)
We only have seven of our fixed moms left, now.

So, this is what the cats think about the winter temperatures!
If you listen closly they are not purring but quietly chanting  "we love you, we love you, we love you, non stop!"

Hi Alex, Welcome to Permies!
And welcome to the wonderful world of Rocket Science!
Peter's build in Hokkaido is a fine example of using locally available materials.
You might try sending him a "Purple Moosage" through the Permies message system to get first-hand information directly from him.
He may or may not notice your post, as he is not always online cruising Permies.
You can expect plenty of advice here, and you can write to me directly at dragontech@blackfoot.net if you prefer.

Hi Emily;
I have not raised chickens before, but I have been around the block a few times.
As you mentioned, the weather wizards are predicting horrible weather; they often exaggerate a bit...
With three days of rain coming and then a deep freeze, adding an extra tarp is a good idea.
Perhaps putting straw bales in or around their tent will help.
Closing off the front overnight when it is truly cold will help bunches.
Your hot hands idea would work for a few hours, but it will cool off, and ultimately, the water will freeze.
Are you burning a wood stove in your house?
If so, consider heating clay bricks or large rocks on top of the stove. If you use bricks, you can set the water bowl on top and put plastic over the brick to deflect water.
Warm rocks around the waterer would help.
You will need to check every chance you have that the water is still drinkable.
A lack of water will harm them much sooner than the cold will.
If Chickens are like pigs, they will huddle together to stay warm.

Your cold weather will only last a short while; once it moves back North (where it belongs), your troubles will be over.

Is your property fenced?
I'm thinking a farm dog, hopefully, who will scare the chickens off rather than eat them.
But in a fenced yard, I suspect that would be fully legal if it did.
Spraying them with a garden hose every time they wander over could discourage them from returning.
Eating them is certainly an option, but it might create a hostile neighbor who wants to escalate things.
When all you want is to enjoy your flowers with no mess!
Good luck,
I moved to a place where my nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away.
I have fine neighbors, they have different heavy equipment than me, and are always willing to come by to help on a big project.
They literally would give you the shirt off their back...
The rest of the time, they mind their own business.