BuildingEnergy Systems

Wood Burning Stoves 2.0 – the DVDs (Kickstarter Campaign)

Four DVDs will be created: "Fire Science", "Sneaky Heat", "Boom Squish" and "Hot Rocket" – showing the most sustainable way to heat.

I pointed the video camera at all the cool stuff at the workshop, just like I said I said I would. Now it is time for you all to pony up for the DVDs. Once funded, the raw footage will be massaged into stuff that will fit into DVD-like thing-a-ma-jigs.

What’s the big deal?


Ernie sitting on the hottest
rocket stove ever made

The crown jewel here is the rocket mass heater, based on rocket stove technology. This is a wood burning stove that will replace a conventional wood burning stove in a home and keep that same home just as warm using 1/10th the wood. But that’s not all. You would think that with 1/10th the wood there would be 1/10th the smoke, but it works out to be closer to 1/1000th the smoke. As a result, the overall environmental damage ends up far less than natural gas, electric, oil or conventional wood heat.

Ernie and Erica Wisner have built over 700 rocket mass heaters and what was shown at this workshop is the result of their most advanced work to date.

Here are Ernie and Erica showing off an earlier rocket mass heater:

Find out more, and help kickstart this project, here!

Paul Wheaton

Paul Wheaton is the tyrannical dictator of Permies.com, the largest permaculture forum on the web. As a certified master gardener and permaculture designer, he's built an empire around what he calls, 'infecting brains with permaculture'. His forums are full of rich information, and there are a number of great free resources, guides, and articles that can be found on his sister site, Richsoil.com as well. Most recently, he has worked with rocket mass heater experts Ernie and Erica in developing a 4 DVD set on all things rocket science, and has built a following around his World Domination Gardening DVDs, which detail how to use hugelkultur, swales, and natural ponds to capture and utilize water without irrigation. His recent work with natural buildings based on Mike Oehler's designs have resulted in the creation of the Wofati, a semi underground natural home design. Currently, Paul continues to run his internet empire, and is now offering several opportunities for people to learn and experience permaculture at his property in western Montana, where he offers PDCs, workshops, living arrangements, and even resort stays.

9 Comments

  1. I want a rocket mass stove! I have heard that you can run a stove like this on cuttings from coppiced trees. Just think–you are heating your home with twigs and small branches instead of big honkin’ logs. This is very appealing as I consider a system that I might be running when I am in my 60’s and beyond.

  2. I like the idea. Can they put a coat of the black high heat paint on them? They are ugly in the videos. I’m also interested in Masonry heaters. Any opinions on those?

  3. I have been living in a hand built yurt heated by a modified rocket stove for two winters now. I am absolutely sold on the concept. It heats 300 sq feet quickly and keeps it warm from the stored heat in the mass for up to 17 hours. I use, in an hour long burn, what I would use to start the Shrader box stove that heats the shop.
    It is a bit finicky and I have modified it four times now to get the efficiency dialed in. The cool thing there is that cob is so forgiving and easy to work with. I need to get Earnie and Erika’s plans so the next one goes a little bit smoother. I would like to see the basic concept used in a variety of ways to improve the performance of existing stoves as well as the hand built rockets.

  4. To Cory, I take a wire wheel to the barrels before installing them. Once they heat up they have a nice patena look to them. I’m sure the stove black would work also but I seem to remember some off gasing at first.

  5. Dava, I think you can get all 4 DVDs for $100, or all of the content as a download for $90 (nice if you are far from Montana). You can also get DVDs or downloads one at a time if there is only one that you are interested in seeing.

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