# Heating my shop with a rocket stove



## TheGermanJoiner (Dec 1, 2013)

Hey guys. I'm in a pretty cold climate here in NY. As of right now I'm gearing my shop with a torpedo heater. I've been doing a little research about heating a shop safely. While doing that I found out about rocket heaters. I have access to 55 gallon drums and want to know if anyone uses this method of heating. If so how did you build your stove? I originally wanted to build a standard wood stove out of the barrel but this seems MUCH more efficient.


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## Armandhammer (Dec 12, 2013)

I don't know but looks interesting for sure. Pocket rockets work wonderfully as camping/backpacking stoves. Same idea, smaller scale. I'd definitely like to look at this as a home heating option in our new house.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I am fortunate as my shop is part of the house and is partially heated by it.

Please be careful when using a wood stove to heat your shop. I might also mention that if you use a home made wood burner, you could have some issues with your insurance coverage.


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

I looked at them for some time and my shop is just too small to give up the space for the large thermal bank needed to see the benefits. I sketched up a few ideas trying to make a smaller version (on rollers) that would have enough mass to make it worthwhile. It would be easy to end up with the equivalent of a wood burning stove if not done right.


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

A bullet would be quicker.

I've heated with wood my whole life. I heated my home with only wood for whole winters (no oil, propane, electricity, or other heat source). My parents in Maine still heat their home with wood exclusively.

Building a stove out of a barrel and putting it in your shop does not seem like a good idea. If it is attached to your house it seems like a suicidal idea. If you do not live alone, it seems like a homicidal idea.

I agree that its an interesting design, but i'm skeptical about the efficiency claims. It might be the best invention since sliced bread, but I think it's a bit crazy to test it in your shop. If you feel like you really need to heat your shop with a stove, buy a jotul, or the most time tested, bombproof stove you can afford. Then learn everything you can about using it safely.

You will almost certainly void your insurance policy if you install a rocket stove. It might void your insurance to put in any kind of solid fuel stove. Talk to your insurance agent before you do anything.

After you do that, take a look at monte's post this week…


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## Dez (Mar 28, 2007)

I used a wood stove for years, not as dangerous as a tablesaw. The only other thing I will say is that any stove that vents combustion products inside the building uses up oxygen and puts moisture in the air. That can lead to rusty tools!


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## jds16 (Oct 22, 2013)

permies.com, a permaculture website, has whole forums dedicated to the topic of rocketstoves. best source of practical info on the subject i've found. good luck.


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## TheGermanJoiner (Dec 1, 2013)

Thanks for the concern nick. I actually have a detached shop and it's a block structure. If I do build one I definitely WILL NOT be testing it in the shop. I've worked to hard to lose it all for a little heat. I actually have the same concerns and that's why I posted this forum. I'm looking for anyone who does have experience with this style of stove to ensure I don't blow up anything. I've seen montes post and again one if the reasons I'm asking if anyone has experience with rocket stoves to validate their claims of efficiency and safety. Thanks again for the concern. If anyone has first hand experience I'd appreciate it


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

Vertigo: I owe you an apology. I re-read my post and it was definitely over the top. I'd remove it if i could, but you can only do so within an hour of posting. The rocket stove is definitely an interesting design, and it sounds like there are tens of thousands out there, so it definitely can be done. I have no firsthand experience, so my post didn't add anything.

I'm just really leery of homemade wood stoves. I can remember a chimney fire growing up that almost took our house with it and it made me pretty OCD when it comes to fire. At any rate, I wish you the best of luck, and I don't doubt that you love your shop as much of the rest of us, and you're already doing the due diligence and research Iike posting here, to make sure you do it safely.

I'll be curious and genuinely interested to hear about the build and how the rocket stove performs for you. Best of luck.


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## TheGermanJoiner (Dec 1, 2013)

Thanks nick. I didn't take offense buddy. No worries. The chimney fire thing is one of the reasons I was looking into this stove. "Supposedly" it burns everything so efficiently there are no creosote deposits. But it seems like the only info is almost like a sales pitch on it. That's why I want to see if anyone can help me out on it or if anyone has a design. I would put in a regular stove but I don't want to run a triple wall chimney through my roof. All of that adds up. But again thank you for apologizing, but trust me no need. You're a good man Charlie Brown


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

A rocket stove, now that title gave me a mental image of a old NASA rocket you got from spare parts and had rigged up to be your heating source. ROFLMAO.

I have used them at work and they do provide alot of heat. Two things I noticed in using them.
1. they give off fumes that are the equivalent of a cars exhaust, in a confined poorly vented area they are lethal.
2. we have welding gas, it is bad enough we actually have to strike a spark to set that off never mind having this "rocket" to provide ignition to a gas cylinder.

We still use them because at the end of the day I am not freezing my tail off and must have some warmth. But we do turn them off frequently and always before using the welding equipment. Like someone else mentioned your insurance agent is probably not going to give you a green light.

STAY WARM, somehow anyway right?


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## TheGermanJoiner (Dec 1, 2013)

Thanks wood butcher. I have a torpedo heater burning diesel now so I was kind of hoping to avoid the fumes. That's one of the reasons I was looking into the rocket heater. Are your stoves vented outside ? Thanks again for the info


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

In my home shop I have a 220vt one ton heat pump with 4 heat strips as aux heat, I run this to warm the shop up before I go out on a cold day. Once I am working in the shop I have a smaller 110vt electric heater I use to warm the section I am working in as long as dust density is low. This works well in the warmer climate we have in Georgia relative to say Nebraska where it is insane cold at the moment. I have 100 amp service in the shop so load is not an issue but that does not mean I enjoy the bill when it comes if we have an extended cold snap ya know.


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## onesojourner (Sep 13, 2013)

Permies has some good info but it is mostly the Paul Ernie and Erica show. If you really want to see innovation in rocket stoves look at http://donkey32.proboards.com/ . These people are really pushing the design ideas of these things.

This design looks interesting to me:
http://donkey32.proboards.com/thread/951/shop-rocket-heater?page=1&scrollTo=8691

Permies is all about heating mass, or building a bench, bed and hanging out on it all winter. In a shop you need to heat air and you need to heat it fast.


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