So I was going through some of my old YouTube videos and came across this video of me talking with Paul Wheaton about rocket mass heaters:
I had honestly forgotten some of the statistics on this thing, but it’s pretty incredible:
- If you use a rocket mass heater instead of a wood-burning stove or fireplace to heat your home this winter, you’ll use 1/10th the amount of firewood.
- Since the rocket mass heater captures smoke and uses it to produce heat, you’ll be releasing 1/100th to 1/1000th the amount of smoke into the atmosphere.
- The core of this thing reaches about 3,000°F, versus the 600°F or so generated by a fireplace.
- This is the perfect DIY project. You can build it yourself in a weekend.
- It’s inexpensive to make. In fact, some folks build theirs out of cob, discarded pieces of ducting, and old 55-gallon steel drums … for less than $20!
- And–here’s the kicker–many people heat their homes with a rocket mass heater using nothing but the branches that naturally fall off the trees in their yard. (In fact, one guy made it through the winter on just junk mail!)
Because rocket mass heaters are so awesome in so many ways, I got in touch with Paul and worked out a special deal for you on the 4-DVD set you hear about in the video:
Better Wood Heat: DIY Rocket Mass Heaters
(Click here to buy now.)
In this 4-DVD set, Paul shows you:
- DVD 1: “Building a Cob-Style Rocket Mass Heater”—Two separate designs using cob (one in a log structure, and one in a teepee)
- DVD 2: “Building a Pebble-Style Rocket Mass Heater”—Three pebble-style rocket mass heater designs, including information on building on a conventional wooden floor
- DVD 3: “Building a Rocket Mass Heater Shippable Core”—Covers building several different styles of shippable cores
- DVD 4: 2014 Rocket Mass Heater Innovator’s Event—Covers the most difficult part of any rocket mass heater build (the manifold) and shows several new designs from the Innovator’s Event, including a rocket mass heater that doubles as a cooker and smoker; the cleanest rocket mass heater design ever; and an indoor rocket griddle, oven, and water heater
As part of this special offer, Paul has agreed to give you instant online access to streaming of the 4-DVD set in HD …
… plus access to 20 hours of presentations from the 2017 Wheaton Labs Permaculture Design Course (including the 5-hour tour of Wheaton Labs)!
If you’re ready to learn how to put this extremely efficient, ultra-clean, highly sustainable heating method to work for you, click here to buy the 4-DVD set (and get your bonuses!) for just $79, including domestic shipping. (This link will take you straight to PayPal, which is Wheaton Labs’ preferred payment method.)
Look what just arrived in the mail!
(And yes, I bought this set for myself … and actually for several of my team members, too! The information in it is just too good to pass up!)
Marjory Wildcraft is the founder of The Grow Network, which is a community of people focused on modern self-sufficient living. She has been featured by National Geographic as an expert in off-grid living, she hosted the Mother Earth News Online Homesteading Summit, and she is listed in Who’s Who in America for having inspired hundreds of thousands of backyard gardens. Marjory was the focus of an article that won Reuter’s Food Sustainability Media Award, and she recently authored The Grow System: The Essential Guide to Modern Self-Sufficient Living—From Growing Food to Making Medicine.
COMMENTS(19)
So have you built one yet?
Here in Grimes County, TX, a mass heater is NOT the answer, as we need the wood heater only every so often. Usually it does not stay fired up for a week continuously more than twice a year.
That being said, the paper logs made with junk mail or magazines, cool down the fire! They would never keep us warm. We tested it with the thermometer gun. With a good fire, the gun read HOT (over 500 degrees, it just says h-o-t. When I added just a few of the paper logs, it immediately cooled to read 250! Even after allowing the paper logs to catch up, it never again read over 300 degrees, until I added more seasoned oak.
I have quit making the paper logs.
I had a friend who told me he had built two rocket stoves and how much heat they produced. He said one would be great to heat my 20 x 30 foot space. Temperatures here around 15 F are common. I was skeptical. I lived in indigenous structures like teepees for many years. Burning small sticks means constantly feeding the fire. I tried the rocket stove. It does not get nearly as hot as a regular stove. I don’t believe he ever used one if he built it. You have to constantly feed the fire. That is why the thermal mass is necessary. You constantly mess with the fire for a few hours and then have the warm thermal mass for a few hours. Notice people talk about how comfortable it is sitting on the thermal mass. Translate that as the room is cold. The kinds of stoves pictured do not come close to heating a 20 x 30 foot space. Maybe a 200 sq. ft. space. Not only that but you do not really get the pleasure of the open fire. Look closely at the pictures and read between the lines. If it does not fit your experience watch out. These are certainly not for everybody. The house has to be made for the stove.
John, I have one in my house. About 1400 square feet. I run a fire for about 90 minutes – that’s filling it three or four times. And then my home is warm for two days. In other words, no fire at all for 48 hours. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hcZ1RvW440
Hi Paul,
So glad to see you jumping in here…
I don’t have a rocket stove yet, however, I am very much interested in this form of heating. However, I would question the use of junk mail in the form of magazines, also referred to as slicks because of the ink used & shiny pages. These inks are poisonous to the environment. I never used them in the garden when I laid down paper to keep the weeds down, nor did I use them when I used to make paper logs for burning in a Wood Chuck (wood/coal furnace). I don’t know if with the rocket stove, if any of the fumes would make their way inside the house, however, I still cannot imagine that they would be safe in the environment with all the chemicals and other things we already have.
EPA and local politicians have Fairbanks locked down as far as burning wood, wood pellets or coal, any solid fuel. Neat idea but we are constantly being banned. We are criminals and fined if you’re caught. I just haven’ t been caught yet.
Sounds like you people don’t know how to elect local politicians or there are too damned many communist among you. You need authorization to shoot at the EPA.
Makes sense. Fire has only been the cornerstone of human technological achievement for the entire history of our species. So naturally we have to shut that down.
Hi Scott,
So glad to see your profile photo up here!
This is definitely an interesting idea to design into new construction, but I wonder how easy it would be to incorporate into a pre-existing home. I would like to know the total square footage of floor space and weight of the entire unit, including all the thermal mass, and how the walls and floors of a conventionally built home would be protected from the heat.
I may have to get that DVD set. I tried to make a version of this in a greenhouse, but I didn’t have success. I’m sure I got some diameter, or length, or height, or other measurement off. If I could get it to work, maybe I could convince my wife to let me install one in the house. And then (master plan here), I wouldn’t have to cut nearly as much firewood during the summer.
Seen the plans on how to make one years ago. They look very good.
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This sounds like a great technology. Very fuel efficient. Thanks for bringing this one back to the forefront, Marjory.
You are welcome Brodo. From these comments it seems a lot of varying experiences… I was up at Paul’s famr and it was toasty there… I am considering moving to Colorado and building one to try it our myself.
I want to build one, but my wife said the 55gal barrel is ugly. Could i use an astro-mech droid instead?
Aaron, what in the heck is an astro-mech droid? Or am I totally missing some kind of joke here?
An astro-mech droid is something like R2D2 from Star wars… in other words, cute and not looking like a steel drum. The good news is that there are tons of ways to build an RMH without a standard steel drum.
They do need to be built right, according to proportions, and sized for the space; winging it will probably fail.
Something that would be interesting to check out but living on a VA disability pension and my husband only having a 20% SC Disabled pension we are lucky to pay bills and buy groceries. We also live in the middle of the New Mexico dessert and although it was really mild this winter we can get really cold especially at night. Will just have to wait to find out about this burner.