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Good Afternoon Permies,



A new addition to the Permies Poll series. Do you own a Rocket Mass Heater? There are many configurations of RMH that exist and could exist so I don't want to get too specific. I want to know if you utilize anything rockety and mass heatery on your properties.


(Source)

Feel free to share what you have in the comments below!
COMMENTS:
 
master gardener
Posts: 4902
Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall
2098
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I do not own a Rocket Mass Heater.

I am learning about them and am constantly impressed with what these rocket scientists are cooking up every day. Regulation creations some red tape when it comes to interior use where I live but I am in the early stages of potentially incorporating one into an outbuilding.

 
rocket scientist
Posts: 6524
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
3394
cat pig rocket stoves
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Why yes, I have three and the fourth is rattling around my head almost ready to appear!
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master pollinator
Posts: 5210
Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b
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Timothy Norton wrote: ... I am in the early stages of potentially incorporating one into an outbuilding.


Me too. I'm thinking that the mass could be completely stealthy, and the rockety bits on an outdoor skid that can be connected, fired, and removed when The Man comes sniffing around. Nothing to see here -- smile and wave! Just a notion.
 
pollinator
Posts: 873
Location: Clackamas Oregon, USA zone 8b
94
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I'd like to have one someday when we can ever buy a house.
 
gardener
Posts: 1326
Location: Proebstel, Washington, USDA Zone 6B
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I don't yet, I am hoping to build one on my patio this summer.
 
pollinator
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Location: south-central ME, USA - zone 5a/4b
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Put a cob hat on my main girl this winter ... definitely saw a spike in efficiency and drop in wood use for such a cold year.
 
Posts: 42
Location: Southwestern US
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The Rocket Heaters all look so cool and when I build my house, I will probably build a rocket heater or something similar. My ideal house would be well-positioned to the sun, have a greywater system, rainwater harvesting, etc. I would also consider finding a way to insulate the house very well, but use the wind as a natural AC (I'm picturing a system where you could route the prevailing wind through the house by opening/closing windows in some sort of vaulted ceiling. Since hot air rises, you could let the wind carry that out, thus removing excessive heat and giving air circulation). For now, I am in an apartment near my University, so that isn't really an option. I do some stuff in the apartment (sprout some grains, balcony garden, do some crafts, help out at a local community farm, etc.), but for now, having a rocket heater is inaccessible.
 
pollinator
Posts: 113
Location: The soggy side of Washington
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I own a rocket heater. Sans mass...for now.
 
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My RMH is a 7" J-tube system, all cob. There is a unique feature in this picture if you look closely. There is an air intake on the bottom left that feeds air from the floor level instead of a couple feet off the ground like most of these kinds of stoves have.

The idea is to draw in the coldest air in the room into the stove instead of air from a couple of feet higher that has already been heated. Doing this creates negative pressure there which pulls the warm air above down to floor level where the floor can be heated quicker. The floor should be considered as mass that needs to be warmed also.

The feed is 16", but the added space for the air intake adds another 4", therefore, I can insert longer pieces of wood if I need to. The pot lid is needed here in order to force the air to be drawn from floor instead of through the feed.

System works great.
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thomas rubino
rocket scientist
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Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
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And here is my fourth RMH, or as I call them, a Montana Masonry Heater
Introducing Shorty Core she is a cutie!
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Rusticator
Posts: 8819
Location: Missouri Ozarks
4710
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Sadly, I don't. I just couldn't get hubby on board.
 
software bot
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Last vote in apple poll was on February 9, 2025
 
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