Suppose you were building a home from scratch, what are your thoughts on incorporating your heater? One video of yours showed the top being 200+ degrees. Are the sidewalls as hot? If there wasn't much risk of someone burning themselves, the heater could be installed in a central area of the home.
We've been able to walk around and touch the heater while working with it, feeding it, etc. Due to the cramped quarters in the heater room, I've placed a hand or arm against the heater long enough to steady myself and have done so without injury. Far safer than its all-metal and far more expensive counter parts.
AND YES ... for most efficient use of the heater, installing it centrally is an awesome idea. We'd be getting FAR better results if I had had the option of installing it centrally.
@johnlvs2run Feel free to design / modify this heater design to allow for a larger airflow ( more square inches of air flow ). I determined the size of the airflow by making it the dimensions of one brick ( 4.5" by 9" ). To make it larger, you will have make significant changes to the design and may need to cut brick.
@LarsMith217 Sorry for posting that twice. I have a small fireplace insert currently, that works great and heats the whole house. I use 1/2 cord of wood for all heating through the winter. The climate is moderate here.
However I love the rocket mass heater design and would like to build one in the spring. I especially like your design.
@johnlvs2run you stated "I see no reason for keeping it small.". If the burn area is larger than the heat riser, then you will find that the fire will want to burn back @ you and fill the room / house with smoke. You're safe to have LESS square inches @ the start of the airflow channel and MORE further along but not the other way around.
According to Rumford, the flue being smaller than the area of the burn creates a streamlined flow up the flue, which reduces turbulence, and increases draw up the flue.
The way you have described is the opposite.
Considering you're having a heck of a time getting the fire started, and the temperature is only 200 degrees at the top, I'm curious why you think that is better. I'm just trying to understand this, not be critical. I do like your design.
@johnlvs2run ... I'm NOT having a "heck of a time getting the fire started". The heater starts up VERY easily.
The heat at the top of the heater runs between 250 and 325 during the day.
I have added a 55 gallon drum as part of the "exhaust" portion of the heater and drive a 20" fan across that drum, using it as a heat exchanger, thus redeeming more of the heat created by the heater.
@mockum I would suggest reading up on how to situate / locate masonry heaters in a home. It's generally recommended that they be installed in a central location where air can flow freely; the warm air going up and the cooler air returning across the floor to the heater. This heater can provide radiant heat, as well as convection so place it where it can impact people who sit near it ... and find a way to design the home so that people can conceniently enjoy the radiant heat.
@mockum I've never experienced the heater being hot enough to be dangerous for people to be around. The walls are not as hot as the top. I purchased an infrared ( $50) thermometer to discover first-hand the temperatures in different areas of the heater and recommend that you do the same, as it will help you decide, with confidence, on the safety of this heater design. You should also consider building up around your heater with red brick, with perhaps a cob bench attached to the heater.
Our home is approx 2000 sqft and we do not heat solely with the Hermon Heater but also have a ToyoStove Laser 73. We managed to cut our fuel consumption "not quite" in half between Jan 20 and March 20, 2009
Suppose you were building a home from scratch, what are your thoughts on incorporating your heater? One video of yours showed the top being 200+ degrees. Are the sidewalls as hot? If there wasn't much risk of someone burning themselves, the heater could be installed in a central area of the home.
mockum 2 years ago
We've been able to walk around and touch the heater while working with it, feeding it, etc. Due to the cramped quarters in the heater room, I've placed a hand or arm against the heater long enough to steady myself and have done so without injury. Far safer than its all-metal and far more expensive counter parts.
AND YES ... for most efficient use of the heater, installing it centrally is an awesome idea. We'd be getting FAR better results if I had had the option of installing it centrally.
LarsMith217 2 years ago
@LarsMith217 What adjustments would you make if it was the only source of heating for your house?
For one thing, it seems to me that the opening from the burn area to the riser could be much larger. I see no reason for keeping it small.
johnlvs2run 1 year ago
@johnlvs2run Feel free to design / modify this heater design to allow for a larger airflow ( more square inches of air flow ). I determined the size of the airflow by making it the dimensions of one brick ( 4.5" by 9" ). To make it larger, you will have make significant changes to the design and may need to cut brick.
LarsMith217 1 year ago
@LarsMith217 Sorry for posting that twice. I have a small fireplace insert currently, that works great and heats the whole house. I use 1/2 cord of wood for all heating through the winter. The climate is moderate here.
However I love the rocket mass heater design and would like to build one in the spring. I especially like your design.
johnlvs2run 1 year ago
@johnlvs2run you stated "I see no reason for keeping it small.". If the burn area is larger than the heat riser, then you will find that the fire will want to burn back @ you and fill the room / house with smoke. You're safe to have LESS square inches @ the start of the airflow channel and MORE further along but not the other way around.
LarsMith217 1 year ago
@LarsMith217 Thanks for your reply.
According to Rumford, the flue being smaller than the area of the burn creates a streamlined flow up the flue, which reduces turbulence, and increases draw up the flue.
The way you have described is the opposite.
Considering you're having a heck of a time getting the fire started, and the temperature is only 200 degrees at the top, I'm curious why you think that is better. I'm just trying to understand this, not be critical. I do like your design.
johnlvs2run 1 year ago
@johnlvs2run ... I'm NOT having a "heck of a time getting the fire started". The heater starts up VERY easily.
The heat at the top of the heater runs between 250 and 325 during the day.
I have added a 55 gallon drum as part of the "exhaust" portion of the heater and drive a 20" fan across that drum, using it as a heat exchanger, thus redeeming more of the heat created by the heater.
LarsMith217 1 year ago
@mockum I would suggest reading up on how to situate / locate masonry heaters in a home. It's generally recommended that they be installed in a central location where air can flow freely; the warm air going up and the cooler air returning across the floor to the heater. This heater can provide radiant heat, as well as convection so place it where it can impact people who sit near it ... and find a way to design the home so that people can conceniently enjoy the radiant heat.
LarsMith217 1 year ago
@mockum I've never experienced the heater being hot enough to be dangerous for people to be around. The walls are not as hot as the top. I purchased an infrared ( $50) thermometer to discover first-hand the temperatures in different areas of the heater and recommend that you do the same, as it will help you decide, with confidence, on the safety of this heater design. You should also consider building up around your heater with red brick, with perhaps a cob bench attached to the heater.
LarsMith217 1 year ago
Our home is approx 2000 sqft and we do not heat solely with the Hermon Heater but also have a ToyoStove Laser 73. We managed to cut our fuel consumption "not quite" in half between Jan 20 and March 20, 2009
LarsMith217 2 years ago