2009 MHA Annual Meeting

Rocket / Bell hybrid experimental hands on

The next day was rainy. It was decided to tear down the outdoor rocket/bell, and rebuild another version, with a heated bench,
inside the pavillion.

This turned out to be a good move. After it was finished and warmed up, it became the social
focal point. See below.

A front door was tried in combination with the regular top feed opening. It didn't work, because
smoke came out of the top opening. So the door idea was abandoned, for now. The vertical top feed
tube worked fine. Chimney temperatures were extremely cool to the touch, with water condensing
out of the flue gas. This could indicate excellent efficiency. Or not, depending on the amount of excess
air for the burn. A flue gas analyzer is needed to measure excess air.

Tami Bond has published some testing data on smaller rocket cooking stoves here.

The lime plaster was SWEET !

"When the "rocket mass" stove got plastered and painted, something magical happened." ---- Doug Hren

Still warm the morning after. This would make a great addition to an outdoor room.