Rocket Mass Heater in a yurt

[Bob Rowlands]

'..what's the btu of dried dog turds..' heh heh I love this place.

[MT Rod]

Pioneers crossed the US plains doing most of their cooking over dried buffalo poop. I have read a bunch of journals recalling it was the kids job to pick up dried turds and toss them in a bucket tied on the back of the wagon.

We should try to look up dog turd BTUs, you can find almost anything on the internet.

Maybe you just need a bigger dog? Hehe


Rod
rodyurtlocker.com

[Marshall Eppley]

There are loads of YouTube videos on rocket stoves and mass heaters

[hierony]

I found some rough numbers for dung energy density on wikipedia, but I'll have to look for more precise & authoritative numbers

Zelig: I found the book--it actually said 1/2" felt on the sides, 1" felt on the roof with up to 5 layers during the winter.

[MT Rod]

While you are looking Heirony, could you be sure to find those figures in Metric units. I am just getting more and more used to that way of doing things, .

BTUs per cubic meter of dog turds (does that make it DTUs? (Dog Turd Units)) just sounds so much more official.

As for felt layers and thickness, travelling, I never saw any felt on a yurt in Mongolia that I would guess to be as thin as a inch, most was more than an inch but I would guess less than but close to 1 3/8". I didn't have my calipers. They also seemed to have at least 2 layers on the roofs that I saw, and it just hung down on the sides, so I am guessing the walls were 2 layers also since they were not separate pieces, the roof and wall, at least not when I noticed.

It was all sort of a charcoal, dark grey color felt, and that was the yurt material. When I really looked, they just had a light polyester or muslin on the inside and what looked to maybe be a nylon cover that was white that they put over the outside. I am guessing to make it not so dark inside and to make it look prettier on the outside. When it rained this outer cover was not waterproof, it soaked through. We were rained on a lot while we travelled there, but the roofs didn't leak through.

I am not saying they all did things this way, it is just what I noticed in the places where we stayed. We had 2 nights in a touristy place, the rest of the time we just rolled up to a friendly looking yurt and our translators asked if they had space. Usually they would move to one another family member's yurt and gave the 4 of us the yurt. They liked having the cash.

One night we could not find space, so we slept in our own tents. Luckily that night it didn't rain. When it rains it is a cold driving rain, and I sure got used to sleeping near a wood-stove on a fairly comfortable couch in a warm dry sleeping bag. Not quite glamping, but...


Rod
rodyurtlocker.com

[Marshall Eppley]

There is a lot of videos on YouTube on bio mass rocket stoves kinda wondering how it would work out. Portability would go right out the window though.

[Zelig]

Originally Posted by MT Rod

We should try to look up dog turd BTUs, you can find almost anything on the internet.

Maybe you just need a bigger dog? Hehe


Rod
rodyurtlocker.com

I'm sure that the dog's diet will have some bearing on the DTU content. Luckily for me, my two retrievers have a fondness for gnawing on branches and logs, as well as eating dried leaves and weeds. If I could train them to preferentially seek out higher BTU woods species, then their DTU value should increase.

[Bob Rowlands]

DTUs lol Love it.

[hierony]

Thank you Rod! I've always been curious about how the mongolians do gers--your observations add a lot of insight.

I'll be sure to convert any numbers I find :P I just moved and got internets back up, so it might be a couple days before I can find stuff.

As for portability of RMA, the Freecycle group out of Missoula built a 6" system that they then carried on bicycles across town... It can be done. (Youtube Link)

[Bob Rowlands]

Yeah Rod thanks for the info.