Jarrett Hadorn

We have a few...... They're American Guinea Hog, Mangalitsa, and Kune Kune mixes. Knowing what they eat & how they're raised is our biggest reason for raising our own.

Awesome!

Liv Smith wrote:For all those that still need an answer to the old question: "how to prevent wood posts from rotting without using bad substances?', here is an answer from Paul, in the form of a cute video. Enjoy!

         

Is this the most current method being used & how long has it been tested? What species can you reliably use with this method (pine? or does it need to be something more naturally rot-resistant?) Should the bark be peeled or left on? Thanks for any extra guidance.

Thank you!!!

Thomas Tipton wrote:You might want to bring in air that has been cooled via the Earth by running the air through buried corrugated drainage tile, like this guy.

Ask a Prepper

I've read where those type of cooling tubes are not a good idea & are susceptible to mold issues from the condensation that builds up inside them??

Not as cheap as the RMH build would be but..... Here's a thought. I'm thinking of doing a homemade geothermal system without using the heat pump. It would basically be the ground loop & a pump to circulate water at the roughly 55 degree or so ground temperature at about 6 ft down. The water would flow through a heat exchanger of some sort like an old radiator or one from an old A/C unit that connects to duct work.

So, could you instead/also run that loop through the mass of your RMH to have that gound temperature water cool off the mass? Would it be enough? You could also have shut off valves to the mass to be able to drain the water out of it during cold weather to eliminate the risk of overheating the water in the loop.

paul wheaton wrote:

Sandrine Coosemans wrote:How do you convince a homeowner who probably put a good bit of money and effort into installing a well-functioning and efficient (albeit expensive and unsustainable) heating system, to throw that out the window completely - and put in a rocket mass heater instead?

Instead of "instead" howzabout "in addition to"?  

The fisher price house had a propane heater.  We added a rmh and used it so much that the propane heater didn't come on.  But if the house were to be empty for a week or two, the propane heater could do its job.

Might be simple and straightforward for a small house or a trailer, but what if you're tackling a more complex heating installation in a multi-storey (and not open plan) family home?

It's been done.

Most people don't want to build their own heating system.

True!

And most people don't want to build their own nuclear reactor either - but that nuclear reactor stuff is taking up about a thousand times more brain space than rocket mass heaters.

Paul, where can we find some examples of RMH in a complex install like stated above? That's my drawback to figuring out how to heat our entire house that is not an open floor plan, has multiple smaller rooms, etc. Could you maybe build a mass that intersects through several walls to cover more than one room?

I'd really like to figure out how to do a RMH in the way you would use an outdoor wood boiler that's hooked to radiant floor heating or into ductwork to circulate throughout the house and also provide hot water to use.