The Cabin Stove

[byQ]

For the last few years I've heard about some folks in Oregon trying to build a cabin stove. It is suppose to be a cross between a masonry heater and a rocket mass heater with a metal cook top. The problem was the immense heat on the metal cook top which caused warping. Well it looks like they got this cook top sorted out with help from Germany.

I don't quite understand the 'guts' of this thing. The first prototypes had the heat exhaust going up, hitting the cook top, going to the left, going down the left side, going under the firebox, going up the right side and out the flue. This one is different.

I'm not sure what it is doing on the left (something to do with rocket mass heaters?). This one has the exhaust going up, hitting the cook top, going to the right, running horizontally through one side of he bench, running in the opposite direction through the other side of the bench, and out the flue. I guess the left side is a chamber with no flowing exhaust? Anyways this might find a niche for small places. Notice the glassless door to keep the cost down. Also, the clean-outs are on the end of the bench (roundish looking).

 

[byQ]

Another video. I don't know what a heat riser is. Something to do with rocket mass heaters.

 

[HisTreeNut]

A pet project of mine is learning about the rocket stove/rocket mass heater. I am fascinated by the simplicity of the "technology" and how seemingly efficient it appears to be. Being a bit of a skeptic, I built one of the tin can rocket stoves and surprisingly enough, it works, and it works well. Burns really hot with a small amount of wood. The mass heater is more or less a rocket stove but on a larger scale.
I am thinking the heat goes through the riser, which then heats the cook-top before either going up the chimney or into the bench.
The bench is made of cob [which is a mixture of sand, clay, & straw or sawdust]. The exhaust pipe runs through the bench before heading up the chimney. The bench absorbs the heat of the exhaust, and then radiates the captured heat for 12-24 hours. The exhaust that leaves the chimney is usually 150-200 degrees and mostly water vapor.
It is a neat concept and if I had more time, I would play or build one on a small scale...however, the wifey is not a fan of that idea. Anyhoo...