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Ceramic Rocket Stove as heater

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5231 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/27/2018 : 00:13:11

I�ve seen a few demos of a Rocket Stove for use as a quick way to fry an egg or just heat up a small space with a minimal amount of fuel. Usually a handful of dry twigs and sticks will create a roaring fire.

The theory of a rocket stove is simple: create a horizontal combustion chamber within a stovepipe that will create a strong draft. The draft draws air through the chamber that feeds the fuel with plenty of oxygen.

I�ve seen them constructed from steel pipes, tin cans, cement blocks and flower pots but I haven�t seen any rocket stoves made from ceramic materials or fired clay. Anybody seen such a thing?, say from Etsy or a boutique commerce site?

I�m thinking it might be good to heat up the boat�s cabin on a frosty day.

Here�s a metal version:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/569349379/rocket-stove-self-feeding-with-airflow

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - Voyager on 12/27/2018 00:15:30

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3992 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2018 : 05:43:36

Without a chimney that vents to the outside wouldn't you also fill the cabin with smoke and carbon monoxide?

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Peregrine
Admiral

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830 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2018 : 12:15:09

Quite honestly I hesitated to reply assuming the post was a joke.
Let's see...Hmmm...
Fire below decks...Gee great idea.

I was given a Coleman tent heater but am too chicken to use it.

A rocket stove should IMO only be used on dry cleared, land areas with fire extinguishing items near by.

John Gisondi
Peregrine #4762

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Peregrine
Admiral

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830 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2018 : 12:23:16

To follow up. Both Joshua Slocum and Herreshoff write about having wood stoves on their boats but...
That was a different era and they were proper wood stoves vented to the exterior.
Still not a good idea IMO.

John Gisondi
Peregrine #4762

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3992 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2018 : 12:44:21

I'm not real sure if this was serious but if you are trying to put some heat in the boat while your there in the winter If I remember Bruce you cover the boat with poly tarps. One idea would be to replace the tarp over the cockpit with a clear tarp and let the sun do it's thing. Greenhouse effect. When I had a boat shrink wrapped It got very warm inside on a sunny day. Something like this.https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074G32VFJ/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2018 : 15:16:01

Bruce! Tell me you were kidding! ...or I'm taking Passage back!

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2018 : 20:23:58

I think he's joking. But I've been thinking about getting something like this so I can overnight on the hook in winter with more comfort. It has a protection cage, low oxygen shut off, and a tip-over shut off. It runs for two and a half hours off a one pound propane tank.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-10K-BTU-HeatAround-360-Portable-Propane-Heater-in-Black-HA1360BK/303228792

Also, search for "sailboat wood stove" and "sailboat fireplace" in Google Images. It's neato to see...

Seth
"Outlier" 1987 Catalina 25 SR/SK/Traditional Interior #5541
"Zoo" 1977 Morgan Out Island 30
"Nomad" 1980 Prindle 16
"Lost" 1988 Catalina Capri 14.2 (sold - yay!)
"Marine Tex 1" Unknown Origin POS 8' Fiberglass Dinghy
https://whichsailboat.com/2014/07/27/catalina-25-review/

keats
Navigator

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USA
215 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2018 : 02:15:57

You could heat a pretty large space with 10,000 Btu/Hr and would also burn a lot of fuel. I think it would be too much for my boat.

We use Mr. Heater Little Buddy which is 3,800 Btu/Hr and fits a 1 lb. canister like the one above. It burns for about 5 hours on a canister. It has safety shutoffs for tilting and low oxygen.

We set it at the foot of the companionway stairs, point it towards the v-berth and go to sleep. No worries and a toasty cabin. I do crack the hatch open a couple of inches to vent the moisture and allow fresh air in. In the morning I screw on a new canister and take the chill off before we get up and about.

There's some sweating on the windows and other internal surfaces but not much.

These types of radiant heaters, that burn bright orange with a small blue halo, are virtually achieving complete combustion. The products of combustion are carbon dioxide and water vapor. They produce no carbon monoxide in any measurable amount though I imagine a carbon monoxide detector would offer some peace of mind.

We've used larger, 5,000 Btu/Hr models, years ago in cabin tents with the kids with no problems.

We've used the small heater in the cockpit while motoring in on cold days as well.

Tim Keating
1985 C-25 TR/FK #4940
Midsummer
Lake Don Pedro, CA

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2018 : 08:01:56

Wow... You folks are scaring me. When you burn a carbon-based fuel, some amount of CO is almost a certainty--it's just a matter of how much. As the oxygen level drops, it will increase. If a tiny bit of dirt, soot, etc. degrades combustion, it will increase. What are the safe thresholds for low O2 and high CO, and will they be correctly detected by little hardware store devices? Will the interior air circulation or lack thereof cause either level to be missed based on the placement of the detectors? Do you know for sure there are "no problems" coming from unknown degrees of reduced oxygen to young brains? (We all know, of course, that the "poisoning" from CO is the displacement of O2 in the blood.)

I've felt CO poisoning from nice blue flames from a natural gas stove--it's insidious (and maybe explains my brain)--and I've known about a whole family dying from CO. If a flame in an enclosed space is not vented directly to the outside in a way that creates a draft in the vent, as in the chimneys in our homes, detectors or none, I'm not sleeping with it, and I'm certainly not letting children sleep with it.

Curmudgeon out.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5231 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2018 : 16:21:02

I am very glad I got the conversation started. I�ve seen lots of videos about Rocket Stoves on YouTube and it got me wondering whether there�s ANY practical use for one?
If you need a portable camp stove, it might be usable however backpacker butane stoves work as well and are much lighter in weight.
It�s really just a solution looking for a problem IMHO.
As far as heating your boat, and electric oil type heater is probably the safest type if you have shore power. Radiant electric heaters are much less so since they can start a fire.
I have used my Coleman stove to make coffee if I visit the boat during a chilly winter day, and I�ll run the stove for say 20 minutes at most to warm up the cabin. I watch the coffee pot and stove like a hawk while it�s brewing. While the stove emits CO and CO2, it�s not enough to worry about.
What I will NOT do is run any kind of heater for hours, especially not overnight.
This is not to say that no boats should have heaters. In fact, properly vented kerosene or propane heaters are very standard aboard boats, but they must have a flue. Even these are not idiot-proof, since nature continually produces better idiots!
Guess I succeeded in getting the conversation started.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1736 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2018 : 19:15:54

Bruce -- Yes, you got the conversation going, I just hope we don't find new openings for solar vents from "excited" stove venting! (smile)

Peter Bigelow
C-25 TR/FK #2092 Limerick
Rowayton, Ct
Port Captain: Rowayton/Norwalk/Darien CT

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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5231 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2018 : 21:34:43

Hmmmm, Peter, you got my interest. My solar vent is located in my Vee berth. The fan is shot, so I could always insert a smokestack. If I put the heater in the Vee, that could make the entire cabin nice and toasty!

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 12/29/2018 : 19:34:42

quote:
Originally posted by Voyager

Hmmmm, Peter, you got my interest. My solar vent is located in my Vee berth. The fan is shot, so I could always insert a smokestack. If I put the heater in the Vee, that could make the entire cabin nice and toasty!

Of if you have some bulkhead instruments you don't like anymore...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFmwT-TV0po

C25BC
Navigator

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Canada
200 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2019 : 04:59:11

I use a Origo 5100 alcohol heater , works pretty good, can cook on it as well apparently ,but haven't tried it .

Angus
S.V.Tempus
#4748
1984 Catalina 25 SK/SR/Trad.

C25BC
Navigator

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Canada
200 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2019 : 05:29:12

I use a Origo 5100 alcohol heater , works pretty good, can cook on it as well apparently ,but haven't tried it .

Angus
S.V.Tempus
#4748
1984 Catalina 25 SK/SR/Trad.

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3312 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2019 : 10:33:51

I very nearly died from CO poisoning on a fishing trip to N.Canada. It gave me the worst headache I have ever had for about 6 hours. I now won't allow any open-flame heater inside anywhere.

Derek Crawford
Chief Measurer C25-250 2008
Previous owner of "This Side UP"
1981 C-25 TR/FK #2262 Used to have an '89 C22 #9483, "Downsized"
San Antonio, Texas

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2019 : 22:14:39

quote:
Originally posted by Derek Crawford

I very nearly died from CO poisoning on a fishing trip to N.Canada. It gave me the worst headache I have ever had for about 6 hours. I now won't allow any open-flame heater inside anywhere.

I guess I should quit using my wood stove to heat my house.

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2019 : 22:18:23

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

Wow...

Do you know for sure there are "no problems" ...

I know for sure that if I don't go outside I won't get hit by a car.

But I still go outside.

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2019 : 07:54:56

If your wood stove vents into the room, yes.

And at least when you get hit by a car, somebody knows it.

It's like the old saying: "A bad analogy is like a bad analogy."

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 01/03/2019 08:01:47

keats
Navigator

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USA
215 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2019 : 16:52:21

There have been enough qualified comments on this thread that I have reevaluated my opinion and will now run my radient gas heater only when I can monitor it, and for more limited time periods. Always with ventilation as I have in the past.

I have a study showing my particular model is safe in an enclosed, ventilated space but the stakes are too high if something were to malfunction.

Tim Keating
1985 C-25 TR/FK #4940
Midsummer
Lake Don Pedro, CA

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2019 : 22:10:01

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

If your wood stove vents into the room, yes.

And at least when you get hit by a car, somebody knows it.

It's like the old saying: "A bad analogy is like a bad analogy."

It seems one man's hyperbole is another man's question. Or while hyperbole can make for an excellent analogy, it's not for everyone.

There's no good reason to spread FUD when you can offer solutions.

Edited by - sethp001 on 01/03/2019 22:10:35

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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4275 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2019 : 12:01:47

quote:
Originally posted by sethp001

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

Wow...

Do you know for sure there are "no problems" ...

I know for sure that if I don't go outside I won't get hit by a car.

But I still go outside.

That won't keep you from getting killed here in Houston. Had a child killed sleeping in their bed a couple of months ago when a drunk driver ran through the front of the house into the bedroom.

Association Member

GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4275 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2019 : 12:07:39

While at the dock I use a Lasko Model 5154. It will keep the cabin in the 80's when it's freezing outside and if it falls over it will shut off. I keep in sitting on the cabin sole.

Lasko 5154 Electric Heater

Association Member

GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - GaryB on 01/04/2019 12:10:13

Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2019 : 14:07:59

Well, I've never needed a heater in the boat............

Never used one of these, but surprised no one mentioned it:

Mr. Heater Portable Buddy heater:

http://www.mrheater.com/portable-buddy-heater.html

Of course you could just move your boat down here and do as I do when it gets chilly, put on sweat pants...............

Davy J

2005 Gemini 105Mc
PO 1987 C25 #5509 SR/SK
Tampa Bay

C25BC
Navigator

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Canada
200 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2019 : 18:56:50

quote:
Originally posted by Davy J

Well, I've never needed a heater in the boat............

Never used one of these, but surprised no one mentioned it:

Mr. Heater Portable Buddy heater:

http://www.mrheater.com/portable-buddy-heater.html
Keats actually did mention it at the early stages of this conversation... And yes I am envious of your 12 month sailing season .

Of course you could just move your boat down here and do as I do when it gets chilly, put on sweat pants...............

Angus
S.V.Tempus
#4748
1984 Catalina 25 SK/SR/Trad.

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5231 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2019 : 19:55:35

Due to Keats� post up above, I looked up the Mr Heater Little Buddy on Amazon. It�s about $65-70 depending on when you log into Amazon.
The claim is that it�s a combustion-type heater that�s 100% safe and effective when used as directed. What could possibly go wrong?!?!

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

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