Jeff Darrington

Glenn Herbert wrote:I checked the specs and the customer Q&A at Lowe's, and these are not "concrete" as the title says, but standard firebrick. The 3000 degree spec is contradicted by an answer in the Q&A that says they are good for 2000-2300 degrees, which is good enough if not spectacular. 3000 degree firebrick are a specialty high-performance item, not likely to be standard at a consumer big box store. Kiln supply companies offer 2300 degree and 2600 degree firebricks, with the 2600 version distinctly more expensive.

The upshot is that this would be a typical material for a J-tube and heat riser. You might want full thickness firebrick (4 1/2" x 9" x 2 1/2") for the bridge over the burn tunnel, as that shape might be more durable than the equivalent in splits on edge; I haven't seen comparison tests there.

I am building a j tube rocket stove and saw this Lowes fire brick as well. I did not find the 2000/2300f rating. But if its suitable its easy for me to get and no shipping. Can you explain what you mean by full thickness bricks. or splits? much appreciated

I actually found this forum message googling about the old castle bricks. It appears there is some thought already put into these box store bricks. https://permies.com/t/30551/Fake-fire-brick

Is there a test you can do to a brick to see if it will pass muster. I have cutting torches and a laser temp gun. Can I see where one melts. or is it just better to move to a known product. Would you mind sharing the link you found at Lowes to the name brand. I dont seem to be doing the correct search for it.

I was at Lowes today with my RMH shopping list. I see they carry one fire brick. I went to customer service and he pulled up the specs and it said concrete material rated at 3000f. Is this correct from what i have read I assumed this was a specialty product to reach those temps or every one would just stop into lowes.  Of course the generic wording they have it may not actually be concrete or i dont under stand what fire brick is yet. I'm building the j tube RMH FYI

I bet a nice red brick all square RMH  that looks like it was professionally installed at construction with proper chimney would never be questioned. Ive never heard of a certified brick fire place? Ive also never had a house inspected before by an insurance company ever. Once i had a agent take pictures of the outside 30 years ago. I just changed company's this summer and same deal. they just want to get paid. They no there is a fire heat source. I wonder what the policy says? probably if the unit is lit or burning they dont cover it. I'll have to pull the policy out.

They want the money so bad the agent will bend over backwards to make the sell. use that leverage. Just dont say you built a box in your house yourself to burn wood at 2000f. Build a bell or have one made one that looks like a big black box just like a air tight stove. Weld some fancy knobs on it. Make it fit the part. Have a logo cut out that says Alaska fire place or red wood fire place and install it on your bell like its manufactured. something they wont google and see it isn't that model. make your own model name or brand make it look old.  Must have gone out of business years ago?

If they ask just say fire place for there form. it is to a layman its a open fire place that's just a little different but they just want to go home. it looks like its been there for years it must be fine. dont say primary heat. Its not your primary heat its what you use when your not using electric. How much more honest can you get. Asking every one for permission on these projects seems to be a dead end. Try and fit in and play along to what they want to hear.

I'm not saying lie to any one. I'm sure done correctly most insurance company's wont look twice. if your house burns down the fire Marshall will say the old brick fire place failed. the one you had when you got the insurance policy. You have family pictures of that holiday showing it was there before the new insurance policy or they actually do when they approved it on there walk through.  plead the 5th and if its a issue try another company.  i just did a policy and they did it all over the phone they have no idea what i have.  let them draw there own conclusion. on houses new enough to have records of a stove and manufacturer your probably out of luck. My house was built in the 60's or 70's and it was always heated with wood.

On that same note if you have a very nice house having a nice brick fire stove of some type would also not be out of line in a visual inspection. Agents are like used car salesman. they just want to get paid and move on to the next client. I dont think this is nearly the issue most people think unless you plan on it looking like a piece of art you built. The walker stove would go right through a house inspection that i just watched in a video on here. Its a reasonable looking item that looks like a professional built it. At least with my company since they didn't even care what kind of stove i had.

You have to own your own home. You have to be wicked and selfish. you cant be part of the collectivism of the establishment.

You have to self insure it appears. People any more that self insure with food supplies and water wells or solar panels especially RMH etc etc. These groups of radicals are being shut down. You need to really rethink the idea of a RMH. Its a very wicked and un social idea that goes against the collectivists idea that every one pulls together. Insurance systems home and health, water supplies , power supplies, sewer systems.
As you embark on this mental journey of going against the grain and into the darkness of freedom. The loneliness and isolationists place were people are self reliant and self serving you cross a line. You take from those that have planned a life of living off your hard work and flip it upside down.
HOW WILL YOU FEEL IF THEY HAVE TO WORK HARDER AND THEY DON'T HAVE YOU TO FALL BACK ON.

Imagine you start saving money on energy to heat your home. Then you take that money and pay off your mortgage. How will the bankers survive when you'll be removing there ability to fractional loan more money that they dont have and didn't exist with out you because you no longer need to borrow that fiat currency (debt) from them that didn't exist in the first place.

Next you'll want to take this real wealth your creating and buy more land and start growing your own food. This will destabilize the world let alone foreign markets that get IMF funding to grow CONAG GMO seeds. You could being put peoples lively hoods at risk every where like the Round Up people. if you grow your own food they wont have anything to spray there amazing product on.

Maybe next you have moved to your new farm and its now off city water or sewer. This leads to all kinds of issues. Your first putting people out of work and destroying the economy by not paying the government for the service you clearly need. You do realize that there is no way a well of water is safe to drink with out a fluoride or chlorination facility. Sewer poured directly in a tank creates bacteria! there bad ask your doctor or the management of the sewer plant. Technically your really trying to create a biological weapon against your neighbors. You may be a terrorist at this point its a very grey area.

Imagine you come up with a crazy idea to use the water flow (river or stream) on your land to create energy for a saw mill or to grind seeds for flour. worse you get the idea you may want to create electricity on your own. Its like you want to destroy the world at this point. Massive unemployment because power workers wont have jobs.

Bringing disease to the land through bacteria your wanting to store right next to your home were your family is sleeping. What about the children.

Virtually shutting down retirement pensions by not buying insurance that is invested in the markets. If you were to work for yourself on your own land you would be saying you want old people to go hungry and live on the streets as you would not be paying into the social system itself. Your like a monster at this point! Thank gosh we have congress here with lobbyist to shut this idea down and oppress this evil way of thinking.

This idea of RMH leads to untold disastrous consequences. This why you have to have to be regulated in your home and stopped from thinking or seeing you could improve a system on your own. There is no room for selfish people in this amazing social system. Like fiat currency and currency legal tender laws if you choose to try and destroy us with your mad idea they will create mandatory insurance you must pay or go to jail. You must not be allowed freedom to better your self. Next they'll do it to health insurance.

So the answer is no there is not home owners insurance that lets you be a radical extremist. This whole site is a breeding ground of sinister thoughts and some very frank swearing that makes me want to go to my safe spot and curl up in the fetal position in front of my smart phone running my RMH app. and order a meal from Amazon fresh.

That answers my questions on ease of build and efficiency. Still makes me wonder why any one is using the flew pipe but it must be to keep the height down to make a couch or bench.

Thanks for showing me that video.

Is there a calculation for how much mass for a homes Square footage. To climate area like your growing area weather map.

Satamax Antone

Thank you for the links.
Can you tell me why I dont see more RMH's having these barrels (bells) installed instead of the flew pipe in the Masses.
I had not yet seen the whole barrel used as you showed in that photo bucket picture set. I was thinking they would be cut in half and a flat sheet of metal welded to them to get there profile down. But now i see having even a tall mass to make up for the air volume in the barrels should be acceptable. Plus a lot less work to construct as complete barrel.

I think my searches were coming up short as i thought the term bell was for the barrel over the riser only. Now i realize its a term for a displacement vessel such as diving bell or anything that would displace to dissimilar volumes(pressures). In this case hot and cool air or high and low pressure is probably closer to the correct idea or term.
This little bit of info helps a lot in understanding the system. Just when i though i had it figured out you opened up a new door. its much appreciated.

I'm interested in info on the efficiency between the two types. Not seeing a lot of bells to this point I have assumed the pipe method must have some sort of advantage over the barrel design.

This forum is amazing in its depth as I learn to find my way through FYI.

Can some one explain to me the difference between these two types of flew pipes in the mass I have seen on you tube and a few pictures on here I could find. I saw a gentleman that builds a masonry stove with a mass bench that is hollow of brick and granite slabs on top that are sand and clay to seal. I also see some videos of people building a hollow cavity with 55 gallon drums that have been split in half.
I see in one of the video's the explanation of stratospheric effect in the hollow bench design and that it appears you can install the flew pipe any where in the system and its depth is the important specification inside the hollow space.

These hollow benches seem to me (not a engineer) that a 55 gallon drum split in half used as tunnel instead of actual flew pipe would have a superior ability to create surface area to move the heat into the mass with the available heat rising inside.

I wondering this because i am trying to find a way to get the appropriate length of pipe in my limit space. I have an existing gas stove i would like to replace. I like the idea i only need to plunge down from my vertical chimney into the top of the drum where its convenient.

I'm not planning a couch design i just want the function of heating so its shape or size is not a factor for myself. I was actually thinking of the mass being a bench to store the wood itself in the house and heat to dry it?

Thanks Jeff Wa.