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I am up all-night since my brain is always thinking. this is the result of a stroke I had two years ago. I am thinking of using a metal water trough like they sell at Tractors Supply and putting it on wheels so I can move it into my lodge I am building. I would insulate it with Roxul or ceramic blanket on the inside. Put my heater core at one end and use the remainder for a bench. has anyone tried this or what do u think of the idea. I am making a 6 inch stove with flexible duct in the trough and add some material to store heat. I am going to run copper into it to get hot water for 1/2 pex I have in the floor.
Bill Warner

Matt's got one he built somewhere on these pages, and here's one I built probably four years ago.



Not sure what size your trough is but mine is a six inch stove and there's not much room left for a bench. I could have cut a hole out and run some sort of piping that could be plugged into a bench or maybe another mobile trough or something.

Flexible pipe is usually the ribbed kind like dryer vent hose and that can slow the gases too much to run much of any length after the core. Make sure your copper pipe is installed after the heat riser and make sure you have a relief valve so it doesn't turn into a bomb.

There are some good designs out there from Donkey and others who have successfully implemented a hot water heating system, but be sure you understand the safety issues associated with them as they can be very dangerous and when they fail they often do so in a catastrophic way.

I did something similar a few years ago, with a 48"l stock tank. It was a good format, I think you could get a good little heater built into one of those.

I was planning on using a 6 ft. trough.

That should work well, and I think you will be able to fit a little warmed bench on the end. Here's the one I built, the mass had 6" adjustable elbows in a spiral coming up and out. I think there were 5 of them, but I can't find a picture.

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