Josh Hatton

It's a slab (actually monolithic foundation) so it can handle the weight. The wall will be open above to allow heat to move between living room and kitchen area. The house will be 3 need, 2 bath.

Ok here's a picture of what I'm planning, rough layout. I've got plenty of room (up to 10') to go up with a heat riser so I can make it however tall it needs to be. And the length can be somewhere between 12-16' on the one wall and 10-12' on the other wall. I've added a quick drawing of that as well.

So instead of going up with the bell you lay it down? I've seen pictures of a nice build the was a bench with chamber instead of pipes. Could I start with a bench (bell) and end with a vertical bell? That would be the best layout.

Thanks for all the links and info. All this stuff should help me design a nice stove to heat the house with little wood.

Thanks again!!

I know all about installing wood stoves properly and was a home builder for awhile and built this home also. My ceilings are flat, 10ft on the inside with 4/12 gable roof with the stove pipe coming out dead center of the house (right at the peak.) So it will probably be 19-20' from floor to top of stove pipe (considering pipe will be at least 4' above roof.) Up to 10' will be inside, up to to 6' will be through attic space (triple wall pipe) and 4' or more above the roof (triple wall also.) The perfect set up for a good draft. I also plan on building an 8" system.

Since I've got sooooo much height inside it would be best to go up but the wife likes the idea of something to sit on....but the layout might not work out right to have seating. Mostly I want to heat my home with little wood and more even temps which our current stove does but just not as good as RMH. Satamax can you add a couple links with images of the bells you speak of? I've found them on Google in the past but would like to see finished and the interior design also.

I'm in Kentucky, Northern, so I get some cold weather. It can be in the 10's (all temps in Farenheit) for a month and below zero at night for the same period and sometimes hanging around zero for a high for a week or so.

The only reason I want glass is to get an idea of what is going on with the fire without opening the door. Has nothing to do with 'looks' or 'romantic' stuff and I've had glass doors on stoves before I know they get gunked up (spent my whole life with wood stoves.)

I've read the Rocket Mass Heaters book but I'm more interested in folks that have built successful batch boxes stoves (including masonry heaters!!!) I've actually built and been around RMH's that the feed tube goes down but that's too much tending so I'm looking for less tending in mine with longer burn times

Thanks for the replies!!

Hello everyone.

The time is coming near for us to finish the rest of our home going from 750 to 1500sq.ft. Currently we have a wood stove that I surrounded with rocks and cob. Putting the mass around it cut our wood consumption in half (about a cord now.) So when we finish the home the area the heater will be is centered in the house and from floor to top of roof is 17 feet so the exhaust will go up to 18-20ft so I should have great draft for a rocket mass heater. But I don't want the conventional, some kind of batch box is what we want so we don't have to tend it so much. How is everyone getting their box? I've seen some made of concrete (ish) material built on site and I've seen some metal box styles. I'd like to have a glass door so any links to sites to buy them would be great.

I've got a blank space to build on a L shaped wall (probably 12x12 maybe 16x12) so for the exhaust being 18-20ft in the air how far can I run horizontally and how many 45 or 90's can I do? I know there is a formula but I forget it. I'd love to see everyone's stoves and some thoughts on and ideas.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry to drag old posts up but I wanted to update everyone on composting toilet issues. I had already ordered urine separator so I built a new toilet with it. I also added a small computer fan to the back so buckets last for days now and there never is any smell even during operation.

I've been doing it 2 years so I've tried the one cup, two cups, etc. No its not just the initial smell. We used to go number one but it got very nasty to empty and stunk. Its 5gal, just like humanure. I'll get new dust and get back to you

It's from a mill, live trees, circular saw not a bandsaw. It's eastern red cedar (technically a juniper, Juniperous virginiana.) I'm going to try new sawdust and go from there. I thought slightly moist wouldn't be as good so that's actually good news. The guy down the road with the bandsaw operation doesn't cover his sawdust.

Thanks everybody for the input! Here's to a bucket a week!!

I'm not good at code or I would love to help. The issue is mainly on pages where links get put into the post.

Thanks for the response