Howdy Folks.
Call me crazy if you want to - but I've not been able to bring myself to stick those really terrific, expensive, irreplaceable (for me) bricks together in any permanent way.
There's an aspect of projects for me that is sort of like a need to have it feel right - and until something does feel right I just wait and see what thoughts come to me about it...which is what's happened here.
So having said that - here's the deal with this design, for me=>
It is very tall and narrow, requires a large number of (expensive if bought new) firebricks, and due to neighbor problems there is no good place here for me to rough it out and test it to my full satisfaction before committing resources which I simply cannot duplicate if I ruin them.
The final piece for me is that no matter how many times I look at it and try to see it living in that small space - it is too big and a poor fit for it.
Since this 'mulling over' period began I also ran into the wonderful videos made by Pekka Leskela (
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ElEYx ... SMg/videos) as well as one about a 20-gallon RMH.
In particular, here are 2 that really grabbed me:
And here's that 20-gallon idea:
Here is yet another idea which is very lacking in exact build details:
What struck me about that idea is it seems to be set into a small metal box and uses a big pot for the barrel part - very small, but quite functional still.
So here's where my head is at right now...
Until I can positively verify that the Omega design made all of bricks is absolutely as it needs to be for indoor usage - it is on indefinite hold.
I really, seriously think well of Pekka Leskela's box + box type idea, which is both small and uses little materials to make.
And silliest of all, having watched that 20-gallon thing I am once again thinking that in order for me to be both at comfort AND to get this doggone thing
DONE & in use, I need to slap one together from sacrificial materials that I already have on hand.
As of right now that seems to be one which I'll mold from old stovepipe surrounded by mortar/perlite mix, the new stovepipes I bought for making a heat riser, the 30-gallon steel barrel I've got, and the old bricks from the kiln which can be mangled up any old way and I'll be fine with that.
Likely I will buy some plain old bricks to top off the tiles for the stove base, but they are very cheap so that's OK for me.
The J-tube type design is very well tried and if it disappoints me then I can tear it down without any remorse at all.
(I do still lean strongly towards wanting a fully horizontal burn tunnel and that is nagging at me...)
Later, when I can arrange to get my better/newer stuff all assembled and tested to a positive outcome outdoors somehow (like maybe NEXT year in the warmer months...) I will be OK to risk those materials on a final build of this design.
Sorry if I'm driving anyone crazy with my thought processes here; it is just that in this situation this needs to be right on the very 1st shot so it needs to be tried & true & simple (and not as tall as I am either !!!).
Thanks for being patient with me and Best Wishes to All.