2021 Rocket Mass Heater Jamboree - Wheaton Labs

Today we feature Rodney, another instructor at the Rocker Mass Heater Jamboree:

Rodney Morgan has a Masters in Sustainability and has been working with energy building energy efficiency and alternate designs for over 15 years. He is a Small Wind installer, CPHC (PHIUS, Passive House), Landfill Manager, Hazcom 40, and Mud Buddie. In short, an overeducated mechanic that enjoys playing in the mud and preserving the planet.

In the Featuring our instructors series, here is Kirk "Donkey" Mobert.

Kirk is a natural builder who has taught with Cob Cottage Co. and around California for over a decade. Kirk's particular interest in Rocket Stoves and Rocket Mass Heaters is in providing a pathway to super efficient, high technology solutions; with low technology, do it yourself methods. Kirk, also known as Donkey, is the administrator of donkey32.proboards.com, a hotspot for discussion and innovation of all things Rocket Stove.

I just got an email from Paul--there's only


        2 tickets left!!

The projects, in order ...  With seven instructors, the first seven will each get one lead builder.  


Rocket Assisted Solar food Dehydrator (mud)
liberator rmh in wood shop (sky)
solarium rocket mass heater (isaac)
rocket sauna (christina)
   already put in, but needs ducting for under the benches with stratification
   4 inch vertical exhaust kissing the barrel
upgrade rocket mass heater in the red cabin (rodney)
   - bulgarian rmh
Rocket cooktop with lorena option in outdoor kitchen (needs design!) (ray)

rocket oven in outdoor kitchen (whole new build) (needs design!) (ray - part 2?)

rocket forge: steel insertion, plus a crucible (aluminum) (needs design!) (rodney/mike/ray)
   - a design to last 20 years

rmh in bartell's bunkhouse (plot 2) (needs design!) (christina/mud)

FPH (test 4" exhaust to see if it improves performance)
   - rebuild the pebble box
   - 4 inch exhaust
   - stratification elements

library rmh
   - rebuild the core
   - add stratification elements
   - vertical exhaust next to barrel
   - remove the guillotine and the bypass
   - keep mass as is (for this year)

Efficiency/Clean Burn Tests on Existing Appliances: test-o-meter

Kiln 2.0: melting glass (needs design!) (kirk)

tipi rmh
   - core improvements
   - exhaust improvements?
   - stronger draw

Bun Warmer (Making it "pretty")

upgrade the existing rocket oven
   - to be parked outside
   - probably the pavillion
   - maybe outside at allerton abbey or cooper cabin

Rocket Hot Tub Heater

Rocket Mass Heater for Shanndelier

new rmh in love shack? (only after testing existing rmh in the love shack)

portable j-tube rocket stove with full size j-tube

The Rocket Mass Heater Jamboree now has a cook, too! Meet Amelia Morgan!



Amelia is a lifelong learner who is excited to explore and expand the social aspect of permaculture through edible hospitality! She attended a PDC at Cloughjordan Ecovillage in Ireland in 2018, and has been utilizing many of the great tips and links from the Wheaton Labs network on her 5 awkward mountain acres in North Idaho. She has appreciated teaching from the Weston Price Foundation, and attended a Foundation for Functional Fermented Food in-person seminar, both of which have had a significant influence on her concept of, and preparation of food which she considers to be a creative work in progress.

Hi All,

We at Firespeaking are interested in providing sponsorship for this event and rocket mass / batch box heater innovation by providing a number of free or heavily-discounted items from our catalog for innovative projects at this event that are well documented.

For a full list of available rocket mass / batch box hardware, you can view our catalog at:
https://www.firespeaking.com/hardware

Event organizers or workshop leads can follow up on this thread, start a new one, or contact us directly.

Warm regards!
Max and the Firespeaking Team

I updated the project list (a few posts up) to show who will be working on what.  And I added links to threads where a few things need designs.

The instructor featured today is Ray Cirino.

Ray Cirino is an inventor, happy scientist, permaculturalist, natural builder, cob oven and rocket stove master. As a skilled woodworker, natural builder, welder and artist, Ray teaches young people proven sustainable skills and methods. Having created myriad works of functional architecture rocket stove systems that defy convention, he alters environments to live in accordance with nature. His life's mission is to create self-reliance and peace for everyone.

Instructor featured today: Isaac Workman.

Isaac became interested in Permaculture in his teenage years. After attending a PDC in 2016 he decided this would be a direction he would pursue for his life. Since 2019 Isaac has been pursuing opportunities and projects that allow for learning and practice in natural building, wood working, farming, and videography. Isaac often spends his other time working on sailboats.

Hey Chris,

I'm still planning to head up to Montana from Tennessee if you know of anyone that would like to share the drive!

Look forward to building with you..

Ajeet

It would be a dream fulfilled if I could attend, but between having to work to make ends meet, and the cost (though that is likely a good value price point) all conspire together to make it unattainable for me. I shall have to be happy with learning from you tube videos and books.

Will anyone be filming it all for future availability to the rest of us permie fans?

Hello all, I am wondering who we need to let know if we would like airport pick up?
Thank you, Louis G Weiner

I see in the roster that you have not yet decided if you are going to fly or drive.  Does this mean you have decided?

Paul,

Yes, I'm flying.  I will arrive the day before as suggested by Lara.  I would be grateful (and pay) for a ride from the airport. Thank you for your assistance.  


My flight info is

Seattle to Missoula – AS 2571
Oct 1, 11:20 AM–1:50 PM
Take-off
Oct 1, 11:20 AM
Landing
Oct 1, 1:50 PM
Flight duration
1 hr, 30 min

Nicole Alderman wrote:

Coydon Wallham wrote:I just noticed the dedicated page for the Jamboree seems to have copied over text from the events a few months back- the FAQ question about "what should I wear?" gives a weather report for June...

Wish things were more favorable for me to make the journey to the event this year, Missoula in October sounds inviting (oh and that learning cool stuff thing too).

Thank you, Coydon!

I just updated that section to have info for October!

Looking at the food section, unless global weirding is doing a real number on Montana, I think the Rhubarb and lambs quarters info is from an older event also...

I'm also arriving by plane at 1:50pm Friday, so if there's room for both Louis and me for a pickup that would be great!

My impression is that magdalene is coordingating rides.  If it is two days before you arrive and you don't have contact info for your ride, speak up!  But normally this stuff gets nailed down about three days before the event starts.

Just a reminder that attendees are expected to arrive friday - the day before the event.   If people have been here before (and therefore know how all our stuff works) and wanna throw their shoulder in, they are welcome to arrive a day or two early.  We are also inviting all of the instructors to arrive a day or two early.  And it sounds like our cook will probably arrive two days early.

FYI ....   for a moment we were


         SOLD OUT!


And then two people had to cancel so we are back to


         TWO TICKETS LEFT!

Thanks Paul, I'm looking forward to being there again and learning new stuff.  Thanks to you all for the opportunity.

Cheers, Louis

Hello-- signed up to attend RMH Jamboree, and I am a vaxxed person who wears a mask in public indoors or in a tight crowd outdoors.  What if any covid protocols will there be at the lab during this event?  Noticed Missoula infection (delta mainly?) rates spiking, at least they are this week.  Thanks!  Lisa

Hi Lisa!

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but I found this thread about Covid precautions during the summer events. I'm thinking a lot of the same applies for the RMHJ. I'm pretty sure a lot of the projects are outside, and there's multiple ways to cook and eat and sleep a good distance from others.

I hope that helps!

On the first day of the PDC I had a long list of stuff prepared to talk about for covid prevention.  Only it turned out that nobody cared.  Nobody wore masks.  And it just kept heading down that path throughout the PTJ and SKIP events.  So when in all the prep for the rmhj, i just didn't think about it. So at this moment, there are no plans.  

As Nicole says, most of the projects will either be outdoors or open-air.  

We do have a really big collection of rather fancy air cleaners that we acquired for the summer events.  

Do you have suggestions?

Hi all.

I've been working with individuals and groups in Ohio throughout the pandemic to prevent the spread of covid and strengthen community disaster response networks. This work has included helping people host events more in line with their values by identifying  goals and risks before the event, and designing/enacting safety plans accordingly.  

While some expectations for safety can be developed and agreed upon collectively through a discussion at the beginning of the event, I'd like to strongly suggest that the hosts require some minimal rules and precautions in crucial shared spaces so that all participants have a baseline opportunity to safely use the space and learn. For example at the Permaculture Technology Jamboree this summer, ability to use the main classroom area and workshop at basecamp were crucial to participating in and benefiting from many of the learning opportunities (plus morning meetings, getting food/coffee, charging electronics, etc).  If the RMH Jamboree utilizes these spaces similarly, I'd suggest that properly worn masks are required and enforced in these spaces and that we prioritize ventilating both spaces with open doors and fans.

Paul - please feel free to call me or set up a zoom if you'd like to create a plan together, in addition to input on this thread. I can also offer a proper mask wearing demonstration at the beginning of the event and bring extra surgical-style and kn95 masks.

As an instructor, I'll have some additional expectations around covid precautions during the sessions I'm teaching. I want to do what I can to keep myself and travel companions (including an unvaccinated child) safer, and to not put my students at more risk than they consent to.  I think a reasonable way to do that is to

1) plan for all of my instruction to be outside where possible, (outdoor mask use policy tbd based on needs of group);
2) strictly require masks the entire time we are indoors during a build with me (likely just the RMH installation)  
3) maximize ventilation and/or air filtration at indoor build sites *(I'm not familiar with my build site yet and what our options will be)
4) clearly communicate if/when expectations, risks, or rules change
4) let people know my preference to talk/eat with folks outside vs inside, and ask people to give me some time/grace to sit/stand at a distance that is comfortable to me before we get into any unmasked conversations longer than a minute or two (this comfortable distance depends on several factors for me); please don't corner me unmasked even outdoors.

And if anyone has specific needs or requests and think you might like to attend any of my sessions, please contact me at clevelandnaturalbuilding@gmail.com or 440-836-3308.  Thank you!

As an enthusiastic and cautious attendee I am grateful to see another person’s thoughts about this. Delighted to participate fully with precautions.  

Perfect. This all sounds reasonable to me.

I participated in a cob-wall building with Sigi Koko in NY just last month, we all wore masks inside working with the cob, and even a lot outside as we were stomping near to one another. Of course, we all then sat near to one another and ate lunch and those who wanted, stayed further away.

I had a lovely time, and got very inspired. Taking the time to take precautions sounds great to me.

Here is the stuff from the summer events: https://permies.com/wiki/153897/permaculture-projects/Summer-events-covid-precautions

During our summer events, all of our covid preparations were 100% ignored - nobody was concerned.  It seemed like a massive waste of effort.  We still have this stuff.

We have some very fancy air cleaners, including this one https://amzn.to/3CRp8Qd

I will talk it over with my peeps here and let you know what I decide to make official.  

One of the projects at the 2021 Rocket Mass Heater Jamboree has been the outdoor kitchen with a rocket Lorena stove. To allow for a tall enough heat riser, the bottom of the J tube was buried several inches deep. We dug out a hole and leveled it then started laying brick. Then a modified 5-minute riser was installed with perlite around it, followed by a chamber to hold the Lorena pot and then routing underneath the glass cooktop. Then the exhaust is up and out the vertical exhaust.