Jean-Paul Calderone

It looks like my only local supplier of firebrick carries them in these dimensions - 1.25" × 4.5" × 9".  I wonder if anyone has a design for a firebox for a 6" system out of these?  I'm not seeing a nice way to put them together without a lot of cutting and waste.

This will go beneath a rocket oven w/ a rigid board insulation heat riser so I just need the feed tube and burn tunnel leading to a ~6×6 (somewhat flexible on exact dimensions here) opening to connect to the riser.

I went ahead and built a cob RMH in my super-insulated, rather tightly air-sealed house.  I find I need to crack a window a couple inches to start the stove.  Once it is roaring, the window can be closed unless someone is going to open and close an external door somewhere in the house.  With window closed and fire roaring, a door closing causes the stove to backdraft for a second or two and let a puff of smoke into the house.  As soon as the door is shut it quickly reverses again but generally doesn't manage to suck all the smoke back in.

I had plans to create a dedicated air supply (not plumbed into the firebox - just into living space) which could easily be opened and closed and didn't have the problems associated with opening a window mid-winter (condensation buildup, ice buildup, uncomfortable location to dump the cold air).  The crew doing my walls forgot to leave me a space and I haven't gotten around to digging a hole through my wall to do this.  Probably will be at least one more winter (3rd with the heater) using a window to make this work.

Patricia Boley wrote:There are laws in the state of Ohio about how you store eggs if you plan to sell them retail.  Small egg handlers (less than 500 hens) are required to refrigerate at a temperature around 4 degrees F.  I sell eggs at the farmer's market during the summer (no real requirements) and keep them in a cooler with ice packs, since they've already been refrigerated. Whatever I don't sell at the marker and during winter months I sell them retail at a local co-op.  As far as cleanliness of eggs, the chicken eggs are usually pretty clean, unless it's been a rainy day.  I spot clean with water.  Duck eggs are usually filthy as they are indiscriminate as to where they lay. Again, a brief soaking in warm water and a scrubby pad occasionally.

Are you sure it was 4 degrees F?  That sounds like freezing, not refrigerating.  I've had eggs go solid in much warmer temperatures than that.  Perhaps 4 degrees C?

Well... We decided to go with lime plaster because we think that's going to be the most durable finish (and the putty is mixed up w/ the color now so probably going ahead with this unless someone points out it's going to be totally catastrophic...).  I have a related question though.  Should the lime plaster go directly on the cob or should there be a layer of something between - for example, I've heard of people doing a layer of clay slip or of lime wash.  Is one of those a good idea (if so, which)?

Current status: https://imgur.com/74k30dQ

Thanks.

Hello all,

I'm getting somewhat close to the finish work on my thermal mass (posted a couple pictures of current state https://permies.com/p/950111) and I'm trying to figure out how to finish (as in "make durable and nice looking") it.  So far plaster seems like the main contender (helpers around with lots of plaster experience).  What I'm not sure about is what kind of plaster is right for the job.  I've seen some posts in the forums discussing gypsum (not ideal for high temperatures, but the mass shouldn't be high temperature...) and some references to lime plaster.  We've also been discussing hydraulic lime plaster as an option.  I think the gypsum plaster around here has perlite in it, too.

So, considering the mass specifically is there a reason to prefer one kind of plaster over another?  Again, this will likely be the final layer (except for any cushions or pillows or whatnot we end up with) so I want something that's going to stand up to some abuse.

Thanks,
Jean-Paul

Well, time passes...  We had a couple good cob parties and made some progress but now progress is kind of slow and intermittent...

Here's some current pics

Hello,

I have a handful of icelandic sheep and we've just done our spring shearing.  Our shearer said she would probably just mulch the fleeces.  It's true, they don't look great and I'm not completely surprised.  Several of the sheep had started to molt.  A couple of the sheep spent the winter mostly outdoors.  The fleeces are a mix of white, black, grey, and brown (moorit).

I wonder if there's some other slightly more valuable use that such fleece can be put to than mulch, though.  Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

thomas rubino wrote:Well Gerry ;
Did you notice my post about admitting I Might be getting old ?
I have this horrible illness... called CRS disease , you may have heard of it.
So ahh yes  , You are correct. My apology's Jean Paul, just an old man rambling...
     

Thanks Thomas, Gerry!

My current plan for the bench is:

 * Rear brick "retaining" wall providing 4" airgap along the first run (right out of the manifold and the final duct run before the chimney)
 * Dry brick and fieldstone rubble directly on (quite dry) concrete slab
 * Cob and fieldstone on top of that

It sounds like I should have thermal cob (clay and sand) around all of the ductwork to form the backup ductwork when the metal ductwork fails.  This should be "filler" for most of the bench.  I should have structural cob (clay, sand, straw) below my metal ductwork (on top of my dry rubble layer) and on top (around 2" thick).

Does that sound right?  You asked about encasing the bench in another material.  I have the brickwork on one side.  The other side will be up against sheetrock.  If I am using cob for the other sides, it seems like that should be a couple inches of structural cob (clay, sand, straw) as well?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I'm getting to the cob part of my project.  I can't quite figure out where it is best to use thermal cob and where it is best to use structural cob.  I figure there must at least be some structural cob near the surface of all cob construction - sort of like thermal cob is the filler and structural cob is the casing.  Is that the right idea?  If so, how thick should the structural cob be?

Thanks,
Jean-Paul

Hiya,

My 8" build, following the builder's guide, is perhaps halfway done.  One thing that's come up is that I have a little less room behind my manifold than I thought.  My heat exchange ducting runs through around 30' of bench (doubled back) and then comes right behind my manifold before heading up about 6 more feet of stove pipe and then 20ish feet of class a chimney.  The heat exchange ducting, galvanized HVAC ducting, passes close to the manifold (which is half a steel 55 gallon drum).  I have some wiggle room but it's going to be tricky to get more than 2" separation between the two and the run would be straighter with about 1".

What kind of clearances are acceptable here?  Can I add something to the design, eg an insulator between the manifold and the ducting, to help out?

This picture might help convey the situation, though the manifold is not in place (but I'm sure you all know where it goes).  https://imgur.com/ICV4Tb6

Thanks