As anyone who heats with firewood knows wood is generally measured in cords, but you also would know a cord is a pretty fuzzy measurement. Technically a full cord is a stack 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long. The problem is every time you stack that pile of logs it will sit a bit differently altering the gaps between pieces and thus changing the overall volume of the pile. Then there is the other issue that how much potential heat energy in that pile also depends on what type of wood it is, how dry it is, and so on.
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Being a Chimney Sweep with a Rocket Mass Heater
The leaves have turned color and the air has become cool. This also means the house is getting chilly, needing some heat for comfort. During these edge seasons when the skies are not overcast and the sun is shining bright I’m generally able to take advantage of all the excess electric power my off grid solar system generates and heat my place with a couple electric space heaters. Once my battery bank is full this surplus power just goes to waste otherwise, so I might as well utilize it. However, the days are going to be getting cloudy and overcast in my region due to the proximity of Lake Michigan and the effect it has on the weather. It’s also going to get much colder. So I’ll soon be feeding the small dragon in my living room that is my rocket mass heater.
Continue reading “Being a Chimney Sweep with a Rocket Mass Heater”An Incredible Tool for Splitting Kindling
I just finished making what is known as a kindling splitter today, and oh my goodness is this a freaking amazing tool! Anyone out there who has a wood burner or uses kindling should probably think seriously about acquiring one. It makes the tedious, dangerous job of splitting wood into smaller sized “kindling” pieces quick, easy, and MUCH safer.
Continue reading “An Incredible Tool for Splitting Kindling”Rocket Mass Heaters – increase your wood burning efficiencies 50 to 90 percent
In the last post I mentioned the three Es. I really need to write more about these soon, but that is something of a conceptual post. Mind you I have nothing against conceptual writings. I expect to engaging in a fair amount of that here with this blog project. In fact, as an artist my personal experience has been that the written word is probably the best avenue to try and convey complex concepts. Maybe it’s just me, but conceptual art trying to communicate its ideas through visuals alone often seems lacking, usually requiring a written statement to go with it that actually explains the concepts.
Continue reading “Rocket Mass Heaters – increase your wood burning efficiencies 50 to 90 percent”