Rocket Stove Performance

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SpaceBus

SpaceBus

Minister of Fire
Nov 18, 2018
7,493
Downeast Maine
Before joining the Hearth forums I was reading a lot about rocket stoves and mass heaters. To my surprised nobody really uses them here. We thought about a DIY one for an outbuilding, but definitely not for our house. I've seen folks using them in alternative building videos (straw bale, cob, etc.) and folks seem to love them. However I don't see many reviews after living with a rocket stove for a few seasons. What is the reason? Do they just not perform up to the hype? From my reading here a properly designed masonry heater would be superior in just about every way. On paper rocket stoves look like the future, but nobody seems to use them.
 
Watching...

Masonry stoves are popular in some regions, but they’re mostly a solution for those building a new home with the stove planned into it from the start.
 
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Ashful said:
Watching...

Masonry stoves are popular in some regions, but they’re mostly a solution for those building a new home with the stove planned into it from the start.
Click to expand...

Yes, any mass based heater would have to be integrated from the beginning I think. Personally I'm not a big fan of permanent furniture, so mass heaters are unappealing to me in the first place. However a barn with a giant tank of water or some other thermal mass built into the structure seems like the perfect application for a "rocket stove".
 
There have been some long discussions in the main forum on this topic. They can be cheap to DIY and can be pretty clean burning. Unfortunately, the topic often gets muddied by exaggerated claims.
 
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begreen said:
There have been some long discussions in the main forum on this topic. They can be cheap to DIY and can be pretty clean burning. Unfortunately, the topic often gets muddied by exaggerated claims.
Click to expand...

This is what I figured, they just don't perform as well as folks say they do. From my observations it also seems like a rocket stove based heater wouldn't do well in extremely cold weather with such small fuel loads. If the heated mass ever cooled down it would be a nightmare to get everything back up to temp at 0f!
 
A good masonry heater is a safer bet.
 
Mass based wood heaters are quite common in some parts of Europe. My father in law built one in his house in 1992. It’s still there and running flawlessly BUT
- he had to build a concrete pillar under it for n order for the floor to support the unbelievable weight
- at the time, cost was about 1 year wage of a blue collar (and still is)
- it took one week to build and 6 months to dry the whole stove
- cleaning is a monumental PITA
- operation is not so simple: if there’s still flame in the stove, you cannot close the door and go to work
- it takes 2 to 3 days to come up to temp
Here are some of the reasons why mass stoves are not so popular.
If someone is curious, I can take some pics of the stove, it’s a real beauty.
 
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Dick Hills U Maine boiler had a lot of similarities to a rocket stove. He traded a water storage tank for a massive chunk of masonry. I would buy one if anyone still built the design.
 
Alpine1 said:
Mass based wood heaters are quite common in some parts of Europe. My father in law built one in his house in 1992. It’s still there and running flawlessly BUT
- he had to build a concrete pillar under it for n order for the floor to support the unbelievable weight
- at the time, cost was about 1 year wage of a blue collar (and still is)
- it took one week to build and 6 months to dry the whole stove
- cleaning is a monumental PITA
- operation is not so simple: if there’s still flame in the stove, you cannot close the door and go to work
- it takes 2 to 3 days to come up to temp
Here are some of the reasons why mass stoves are not so popular.
If someone is curious, I can take some pics of the stove, it’s a real beauty.
Click to expand...

Please do post photos! I'm not interested in one for my house, but I'm always a fan of beautiful masonry.
 
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