Homestead Hacks: DIY Radiant Heat with a Rocket Stove Boiler

By Tim Luce
Published on December 6, 2016
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The
The "Dragon" rocket boiler is designed to heat water for radiant flooring in the Luce home.
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Search your local salvage yard to find and fit the components for your own
Search your local salvage yard to find and fit the components for your own "Dragon" rocket boiler.
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The fuel chamber grate to hold fuel wood in the
The fuel chamber grate to hold fuel wood in the "Dragon" rocket boiler.
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Outer skirt for the
Outer skirt for the "Dragon" boiler's riser tube.
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Dry-fitting the riser tube and burn chamber components for the
Dry-fitting the riser tube and burn chamber components for the "Dragon" rocket boiler.
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Wrap the copper tubing around the burn chamber to add even more heat-capturing surface area. Concentrate the coils around the bottom third of the chamber to gain the most heat.
Wrap the copper tubing around the burn chamber to add even more heat-capturing surface area. Concentrate the coils around the bottom third of the chamber to gain the most heat.

My wife and I designed our house for DIY radiant heat. I installed copper heat exchangers in the firebox and stovepipe of the Fisher Grandpa Bear stove I grew up with, and pumped water through it to heat our radiant floors. After a hard winter spent feeding the stove, I realized that a rocket stove would better fit our needs. (Rocket stoves are efficient, convection-driven, biomass-fueled stoves that burn hotter than conventional stoves.)

It took me two to three days to build what I call the “Dragon” rocket stove boiler. It has three main components: the burn chamber, where combustion starts; the riser tube, which is the convection engine that fires the stove; and two heat exchangers. The heated water is stored in a 330-gallon tank separate from the stove. I designed a closed system, meaning no water enters or leaves the system. To build your own “Dragon,” take a trip to your local salvage yard and size up the scrap-metal components, avoiding aluminum.

Learn more about this rocket stove boiler project.

Materials

• 1⁄4- to 3⁄8-inch-thick steel for base/grate
• 1⁄16- to 1⁄8-inch-thick steel for burn chamber inner and outer walls

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