thomas rubino

500-600 is very common for a 6" J tube.    800-1000 for an 8" .  Of course there are exceptions.    The taller chimney may change things hopefully for the better but … its worth a try.

Hi all;   Just replaced a barrel stove in my shop. I Now use 8"  pipe.   I have 62" of 6" metalbesto's (now Selkirk) stove pipe.  I'm asking $150 for it.
 I'm up in  nw. sanders county but would meet a permie at a central spot in the general area.   No shipping    PM me if anyone has an interest.

Staci; If it is weather, then you might try making your chimney taller outside.  I know the costs involved with that, to do it right.  If needed, you might just try and stick a piece of plain stove pipe on top and see if it has an effect. (remember it will not be insulated ) If it seems to work and you can't afford a new piece of insulated pipe, then insulate your own. Ugly but wrap it with insulation and slide a larger pipe over top.   Later if that solves your problem you can save up for a shiny new metalbestos pipe.

One last thing Nate;  Your outlet to the mass , might should be larger. At least 8" then neck down to 6".  The horizontal transition area is a big choke point. Many first time builder's make this area too tight and their rocket does not perform to expectations.

Hi Nate ;  Good luck, I think you will be happy with the results.
 I have not heard of anyone burning dry dung, but folks have been burning it for century's so I'm sure you can add some. Might make extra ash though ?  Big deal if it does , scoop it out and carry on.
When you go to building your mass , do not use the sand, use lots of rock with clay if you have any or just plain dirt.

Quick question, are 55 gal barrels plentiful, and cheaply available  ?  If the answer is yes then you might consider building a 1/2 barrel bench rather than a piped bench. Quicker , less cob, faster heat, the down side is it will cool off sooner than a solid mass.

I've lived in deer / elk / moose country all my life.   If the elk or moose really want in, then they are going in.  Deer on the other hand can be controlled with a cheap double fence. Inner one taller than the outer. Maybe 2-3' between. Lots of flagging tied around so things ae moving in their peripheral vision. (Keeps them nervous) They can get over the first but most can't jump the second.

Poisoning deer with natural plants is not going to happen. Animals are much smarter than humans they are not going to eat enough to hurt them selves.
Dogs that merely run them out of your yard , (not chase them down for sport) are a wonderful easy way for you to keep control.

Eating them tastes wonderful … but sitting in jail for shooting out of season would put a crimp on gardening.

Hi Nate;
Sand will work better for you than the dirt has.  No dirt mixed in, unless you need it at the bottom to hold your sand in place. Wrapping plain fiberglass around the outside of that will help against stalling. Sort of a double protection. 1" of fiberglass alone might not be enough, so I recommend using the sand as well.  We want that heat to stay inside the riser.  
As Byron asked , what is your top gap ? Are you planning on cooking on the barrel ?  If not then a top gap of 4" would be better than 2"
This looks to be a 6" system ?  16" deep feed tube ? 5.5" square thru the whole core? 24" wall to wall burn tunnel ? Then a 50" riser ?  Those numbers should work fine.

Can you get sand ? It would be better than dirt.

Hi Nate;  Welcome to Permies!

I' m curious Nate, what part of the world are you in ?  

You can use red clay brick in your riser they just won't last long term.
 Dirt as a filler is better than none but... it isn't much of an insulator. Can you get volcanic rock ? It would be a better insulator than dirt.
Are you in the US ?  Junk yard glass top ovens have ceramic fiber as insulation, scrapping one out could get you  the best riser material currently available for free.
With using the dirt, after burning awhile the inside and outside will become the same temperature, this could lead to stalling and smoke back. Key word there is COULD... it might be fine.
As to why your stove seems, not to be hot enough, nor burning clean enough.  I suspect it has to dry out and heat up fully before it will burn clean and hot.

Hi James;  The black pipe in the center will melt.  The cob may last and the outer skin will be fine. The outer skin would only fail if the cob fails.