Barney Tighe

Hello Permies, i need your advice! I've been working through my first RMH build. I'm hung up trying to insulate around the brick inner chimney. I read about using an electric heater's shell w/ perlite-cobb inside. When my sister got a new heater I took the old one and hack-sawed off a piece to fit the height of the chimney.



my concerns:
- Usable material? There are some rust-patches in an area of the panel. There is one hole that goes through, almost the diameter of a penny. I'm worried about the insulation holding vs breaking through over time.
- Access Panel hole. Due to chimney height I had to cut a piece containing the access panel for the electric heater. There is a low profile steel cover held by 2 screws that I can reattach. Again concerned about this holding the insulation in.
- Reattaching cylinder? After un-crimping where the edges come together I can't seem to get the cylinder to mate together again. Any suggestions? Should I use wire wraps and rivets to hold it in place as best I can?
- Perlite-Cobb - Is there any special clay I need to because of proximity to heat? I'm still searching forums for a good recipe

Thanks for all the help. I've followed most of your advice thus far. got a new book, barrel, and pile of bricks. I've tried two crude test burns in the back yard. Both of which i'd consider promising and a learning experience, but not a success. The biggest issue i'm seeing is that the fire wants to crawl up the wood in the intake and back-smoke.



This is a picture of the most recent burn. There is a brick chimney hidden in the barrel that goes up to about 2" short of the top. After blowing in the inlet I would get what appeared to be a correct rocketing effect, but a few breezes later the smoke would start billowing out the feed tube.

Issues with test setup:
- Not very air tight. Dry stack of bricks
- only 1 segment of exhaust
- wind over intake

Issues that may be in the design:
- The chimney does not have an insulating wide stack (have not come across a good mat)
- Shortness of burn tunnel (i shortened by 1 brick length this go around)
- cross-width size of burn tunnel / chimney

Do you recommend pushing forward and trying to emplace inside of the greenhouse? Hoping the longer tunnel, wind shielding and morter-air tightness will make the burn more effective. Or should I continue to do outdoor burns until I get a shape that works?

rocket stoves you can snuggle up to will make a great stocking stuffer.

after cutting off the lid, the oil residue looks pretty unmanageable. I will start looking for a drum w/ removable lid.

Thanks for the advice tom, after reading more the hercules is just an extra part. I may sit it overtop the inlet for show. Your picture of your setup is what I believe i'm going for now.

Re: my 55 gal drum. There was still some oil in it, which I have now drained out. Can i expect that residue will burn out? Should i look for a new drum?

I just finished construction of a 400 sq/ft cold frame in the back yard. I figured it didn't need to be heated. I got sad that there was nothing left to construct. Then I found this site, and got exited over rocket mass vids. Then I remembered some old stove looking thing and drum and in my shed. Now i'm wondering just what to create.

I'm still trying to read up. I can't help my amateur enthusiasm.

- Does anyone know what the Hercules metal stove might be? It's Sears Roebuck placard is beyond google's knowledge. There is a max psi etching on it and some openings at the top, so maybe a boiler? Interested in best exploring how this can be used as the fuel side of a rocket mass system.
- Do you think I could safely heat or boil water?
- Is there a danger in using the old drum? I don't see any rust on it, but have no idea what it was used for in it's previous life. Possibly oil.