J Barth

Here is an attempt at attaching some pictures of my thoughts on the Rocket Mass Heater Water Platform.

I am moving forward with experimenting with an outdoor rocket mass heater for animal water warming.

I will post some pictures of what I am thinking in the next few days, but I had a few questions first.

Can the drop after the heat riser (barrel) be lower than your starting firebox? Or would it be better to keep it at the same height as the firebox for draft purposes.

My question stems from the design I am leaning towards. (Pictures to come) I am envisioning a small brick "patio" next to the RMH that would be the mass. I came to putting the mass underground to keep wind from blowing the heat away. Some will conduct into the surrounding ground, but I think it will keep warm longer by putting it low.

So, if the bricks are to be counter-sunk, (This also allows the warmed patio to be located underneath fencing and supply multiple pens with warm water.) that leads to the main question above, do I need to sink the firebox into the ground also or can it be at ground level and after leaving the barrel it drops two brick channels lower into the ground from where it started?

I will also have some above-ground channels for heat before leaving the chimney that will form a small wall that water buckets can be attached to so they can't be dumped over. So the hottest part of the "Heat Mass" will be under-ground, but some will extend above-ground also.

Does anyone see other problems to this approach that I should think about?



Another question I had is on the channels through the heat mass. Do they need to be brick-lined, or can they be metal ducting tubes buried in gravel and sand for the mass? The hottest parts, the firebox leading up to the "barrel" draft chamber will be firebrick. My question is more towards after the barrel when the heat is traveling back and forth through the mass. How heat-proof do you need the passages there.

Thanks

I heard recently from a horse person that uses the salt water in a bottle trick for the horse trough. The reason they said they believed it worked was the horses could come over and move the bottle around, thus breaking up any ice that had started forming on the surface. Much more mechanical of a reason and any type of floating bobber would work in that case, you don't really need the salt water for it to work.

The pens for the goats, pigs and chickens are too far from my house to practically use extensions cords. Has anyone used a Rocket Mass Heater to keep water from freezing in the winter for their farm animals.

I imagine a low mass that could form a heated floor for some metal water bowls or pans to sit on.

A fancier version would have an extra tank of water that would feed the bowls or trough below when the level gets low. The tank would be near the mass to keep it from freezing during cold winter days.

How would you ensure you don't get the water too hot and simply boil it away or make it uncomfortable for the animals to drink from?

How long would I be able to expect the water to remain unfrozen in just under freezing temperatures (25 - 30 deg F)?

I can also imagine some of the mass being above / hanging over the water trough to give radiant heat from above to the water helping to keep it liquid.

Are there examples of RMH's built to not make hot water, but to keep it warm? Is this idea practical or will it cool off to quickly, being outside, that it would not be worth it?