by rjdudley » Mon Jul 08, 2013 9:50 pm
Let me say at the outset of this post how grateful I am that both of you, Matt and Manny, reply to my posts. I have been sooooooo hesitant to build this heater due to plain fear of screwing this up.
I bought Ianto's book last year and have read it twice. I've been to other "permaculture" websites that discuss these, I've seen the videos on youtube and YET there's been something that really sort of scared me. And I think it was the feeling that even though others have built these I had this feeling of being alone going forward. You know, no ones brain to pick, no one to ask questions of, etc.
So reading your posts and getting replies to my posts has been monumental in moving me forward. Thanks again.
Now, Matt, I think you're correct about the moisture issue. Several pieces I had put to burn had pitch/sap boiling out the end of them during the burn. AND, the stack isn't insulated AND, like you, I believe the chamber isn't fully cured. Good call.
Manny, what can I say. My wife and I have look and re-looked at the great photos of your build. We've enlarged them to check every nuance we could just to glean as much as we could. Keep it up, I'm learning a lot.
Ray