Glenn Herbert wrote: A batch box can be made to fit the letter of International Building Code for masonry heaters, so simpler to get permission for if needed. Code requires construction or supervision by an accredited professional. A batch box with bell can reliably be built by a good craftsman who can follow instructions, while a traditional masonry heater generally has a lot more complications and probably needs a pro to build reliably.
Our issue is not code, as there is none here, being very rural, but insurance is a different thing. So far they consider the batch box design (as well as rmh) to be experimental, vs the centuries of consistency of masonry heaters. I’m curious what the complications of a masonry heater are, in your opinion, as we haven’t found them to be all that complex from what we have seen and learned thus far. They are definitely more material, weight and time depending on size, but aside from needing reasonable masonry skills I’m not seeing any particular complexity.
Here’s an interesting older thread along those lines, specifically the discussion between Mike and Al-
https://permies.com/t/43809/Masonry-stove-diy-build-feasible
elizabeth mae brown wrote: …the horrible Victorian ‘death stairs’…
That is such a great description of those old narrow steep staircases! My grandfather’s house had them, and as a kid I loved them, but not anymore!