Karen Peters

I know this is an old topic but I'm just reading it. One question I have not seen an answer to in browsing the thread is - Paul stated the only thing to make food grade DE ineffective is getting it wet. Also mentioned many folks eat it for health benefits. My knowledge always said to put a tablespoon in water and guzzle it. This will obviously get it wet. Is there a problem with that?

Thank you Big Al!~ Alot to absorb - will be studying all you referenced today. Thanks! Karen

OK, right now I don't have the money to buy the DVD set, but I have gone back and printed out the previously mentioned book ("The Book") and reread it in more detail and carefully. I may have not retained every detail, so cut me some slack if my questions seem stupid.
So, two new questions.
1) I have obtained a 30 gallon drum to use as my heat riser barrel. It previously held industrial oil, and is painted inside and out. Do I have to do what would be a huge job of sanding and or pre-burning off all the paint? If I don't, will it be dangerous or release toxic fumes? The barrel is about 14 inches diameter. I also have access to a 10 inch 3/8" steel well casing. I was thinking this might be less toxic and hold some mass itself, although less diameter means less inside area in the barrel. How important is the large barrel? Which material would be better?
2) I priced out a ton of sand at $29 and a 60 pound bag at $3.75. How much do I need, money is important to reduce here.
Any helpful thoughts are appreciated.
Karen

Hello Big Al! Thanks for caring enough to post - Guess what I did already download the very same book you recommended and both my husband and I have most of it. Since it is not in paper form, reading on the computer is a little slow, but its amazing that my post made you think I had not yet read the book. All I can say is that there is a big new world out there and its going to take awhile to sink in. That's why I posted on this forum, to try to understand more. I guess it would help if I had purchased a paper copy, but I was eager to get started so I downloaded it. My husband is having a hard time understanding the ratios and so on in the diagrams - and he is good at this sort of thing. But we're trying!!!
So, I may not have the perfect language or design yet, but if I did, I wouldn't need to ask for help! Thanks again for caring enough to post - youi're the only one so far!
Karen

Hi folks and especially Erica I"m excited you're on this week! I am a newbie and am building my first rocket stove! My husband tried first and we got a lot of smoke back - the intake feed was I guess too tall and was acting as a chimney , also his burn tunnel was 4" and heat riser only 3", so I guess the fire preferred the 4" intake to use as a chimney. Lucky this wasn't in the house!
We used all steel pipe, insulated the riser with a fiberglass wrap meant for racecars(his buddy's idea!)
So, learning hopefully from the past, I am planning out my attempt and would love input.
So far - I have a 6" steel well casing 2 feet long I plan to use 1 foot of it as the burn tunnel. I am going to buy a clay flue liner 6 inch round diameter and 2 ft long and a clay fire proof elbow, I'm going to cement these all together with fire clay (I don't think my soil here is clay-ee enough but tell me if there are other options please.) and I have a reclaimed 30 gallon barrel that I am going to clean out and maybe put a fire liner around the lid (like goes around the door of a wood stove?) and that will be my outside burn chamber.

I have not gotten to the mass part yet - and was going to use rigid duct work as my exhaust/base for my mass bench.
Thoughts? and THANKS in advance~!
will post pix if that would be useful - let me know!