In the planning
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:51 pm
New guy here in the planning and design phase. After learning about masonry heaters on another forum I started scouring the web for more information. That is when I learned about RMH and that search lead me here. So now I am trying to figure out the best way to replace my current wood stove with a multi-function RMH.
I have read tons of different designs and ways to build these and am just trying to figure out how the best way to make everything work. I am planning to install right where my wood stove currently sits and use my existing chimney. And that is where my dilemma begins. First this area is 42" deep and 92" long on an exterior wall and raised on a brick pad. The opening to the chimney is 26" up from the pad and almost centered lengthwise. It is only a 6" thimble though.
After seeing some of Matt's builds and reading about the trouble Manny is having with his 6" system I am thinking about building a 8 inch batchbox system, but am unsure if I can use it with my 6 inch chimney. Next, after showing some of the builds to the wife she really didn't like the cob and barrel look so I am going to try to scrounge up some used brick to build with. My next though is I would love to have both a white oven and a cook surface. I am unsure of how to make that work or even if it is possible. Seems like the few I have seen with a white oven have the oven over the riser where the top of the barrel would normally be. Can an iron plate be used on the top of the riser for a cooking surface and still have enough heat to put an oven in a bell?
Next idea I had was to feed the system with outside air. My current wood stove is horrible about burping smoke back into the house and I think an outside air source would help. This means I would need to fit an air tight door on the front of the box and feed air up from below. Has anyone tried this before?
Finally because of the limited footprint I am thinking of a small bench only 4-5 ft long. I have not been able to find any designs with both a bell and a bench or if there is a minimum to reduce a 8 inch system down to a 6 inch chimney. Can anyone point me to some related reading on this topic?
Thanks in advance for any help. I am hoping to get the prototype built this spring.
I have read tons of different designs and ways to build these and am just trying to figure out how the best way to make everything work. I am planning to install right where my wood stove currently sits and use my existing chimney. And that is where my dilemma begins. First this area is 42" deep and 92" long on an exterior wall and raised on a brick pad. The opening to the chimney is 26" up from the pad and almost centered lengthwise. It is only a 6" thimble though.
After seeing some of Matt's builds and reading about the trouble Manny is having with his 6" system I am thinking about building a 8 inch batchbox system, but am unsure if I can use it with my 6 inch chimney. Next, after showing some of the builds to the wife she really didn't like the cob and barrel look so I am going to try to scrounge up some used brick to build with. My next though is I would love to have both a white oven and a cook surface. I am unsure of how to make that work or even if it is possible. Seems like the few I have seen with a white oven have the oven over the riser where the top of the barrel would normally be. Can an iron plate be used on the top of the riser for a cooking surface and still have enough heat to put an oven in a bell?
Next idea I had was to feed the system with outside air. My current wood stove is horrible about burping smoke back into the house and I think an outside air source would help. This means I would need to fit an air tight door on the front of the box and feed air up from below. Has anyone tried this before?
Finally because of the limited footprint I am thinking of a small bench only 4-5 ft long. I have not been able to find any designs with both a bell and a bench or if there is a minimum to reduce a 8 inch system down to a 6 inch chimney. Can anyone point me to some related reading on this topic?
Thanks in advance for any help. I am hoping to get the prototype built this spring.