thomas rubino

Hey Ben;
As Glenn said, you would want a removable top barrel.
They usually have a plastic seal under the lid that you want to remove.
I have found that, with rocket use, you do not need to reseal the lid; it is cupped, and the band tightens it enough that I have never had a leak.
For setting the barrel on a masonry base. You can put cob down and seat the barrel on it, or I prefer to use a Superwool gasket apx 1/2" thick.
Tear the 1" in half; create a barrel-shaped gasket. Set the barrel in place and seal around the bottom with cob.

If you can not locate a removable top barrel, you can use a traditional full barrel.
If you have brought cob up on one side to protect the wall but not gone completely around the barrel (Other than the very bottom), your cob will form to the barrel, but your barrel can be broken free and lifted off. The short wall of cob on the back side should stay in place.

On my J-Tube builds if I used a Superwool riser or a brick riser, I never needed to get in and inspect the riser.
The area that needs inspection is the transition area and the pipes through the mass (If you used them).

Only the horizontal portion.
As soon as it turns vertical, it no longer counts.

Hi John, interesting question.
Living in a 100  year old house, this is not a problem for us..
I suspect that in a tight house that has someone home, air would be exchanged simply by walking in and out the door a few times.
How the home is heated would affect that, too.
We heat with a masonry stove; we might light it twice a day.
600 clay bricks at 200+F, will convince you that a partially open window all night at 10F is a nice thing...

Of course, not everyone is able to heat with wood.
In a city, you might not go outside often enough to bring in fresh air.
Opening a window is the most efficient way to quickly add fresh air; no power required.

Fluffy has had enough!

Ok. I am looking more closely at your photos.
It appears that the flap on the feed tube could be an air channel. Is that so?
Why is it closed?
Was the bottom "air intake" originally closed and then cut open?

To run a thick metal stove, start with nothing but kindling, then slowly add larger wood as the metal heats up.
The hunk of wood you show in the feed tube is way too large for a hot stove; it is completely inappropriate in a cold one.

Well, as Austin stated, the metal is going to deteriorate quickly.
The design is faulty.
The hunk of wood you have in the feed tube is way too large for a cold stove.
What you have there is a K-tube.  Known to be a poor performer. (They like to burn backward up the K-feed tube)
The extra air intake at the bottom is allowing too much air.
Why should it pull air down through your feed tube when it has a convenient alternative?
If you want this to work for a while, I see two options. Seal up the bottom air intake and let the air flow over your wood, not under it.
Or close off the angled intake and run this like an L-Tube.

If you plan to build a masonry stove in the future, start by assembling a proper brick J-Tube.
That metal K-L Tube is going to burn you unexpectedly, and it will not last.
Oh, and close off the extra holes you made; they really are not helping.


 

Are there any 90-degree bends in your pipes?
Each one adds 5' to the total length, you are allowed 30' with a 6" J-Tube

Do you have a way to check the outlet chimney gas temperature?
It should be 60 C or higher.
We need more info on your system (sizes).

Mine did that.
It's condensation; the exit chimney temps are not hot enough, or your wood is not dry.

Hi Kara
I went 100% of grid back in 1983; so far, I have had no problems of this nature.
The solar flares, if bad enough, could affect things, they say.
Backwoods Solar is only 60 miles from here; they have been my supplier since 1985 or so.
They are very knowledgeable and way more up on the new electronics than I am.

In the 1980s and 90s an intentional EMP from a foreign power was the big "concern" for some folks.
Now in 2026, I suspect there are much better ways to interrupt the power grid, vehicles, and other infrastructure.
The CME threat sounds much more likely.

Would it affect even stand-alone, off-grid systems?  
Maybe, but despite Backwoods selling this. I suspect it is not very likely.
Would it affect you if connected to the electric grid?   I suspect that it would.

These are just my opinions; I have no real knowledge of how likely this scenario is.
For now, I will not be rushing over to buy this kit, although I do believe that it works as advertised.

Perhaps a professional off-grid installer will reply with more information.



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