Beginner's masonry heater project

[B33s knees]

my brother's really into this project for his tiny home and could use some advice. He's a total beginner at this, but he's finally started building his own masonry heater based on Matt Walker's riserless core design.
He's pretty proud that he's mostly used scrounged materials and is learning everything as he goes from books and community support.

He's got the core stacked now and is trying to figure out the transition to the heavy mass storage. He's wondering about the air path he's planning.
Is it okay to use a 4.5" x 9" channel for the air path in the mass storage? He calculated the CSA at around 40, and he wants to make sure that's a good size.
The stove is going to have a double skin with red clay bricks on the outside. Any tips would be awesome!

 

[ringt0n]

Hey man, really awesome stuff but the big thing is keeping the cross sectional area consistent with the core so he doesn't create bottlenecks and yeah smooth transitions are just as important as size

 

[eDJ_]

I first heard of the Russian "Pechka" back in the 80's. It is a masonry home heater that can serve as a cooking facility too. There the larger homes had the rooms arranged such that the heated air could flow thru the home but in a Tiny Home it may not be such a big deal. I mention that as it was seen as a major drawback with masonry stoves.

The Russian home heater, known as a pechka, is a massive masonry stove that has served as a central fixture of Russian and Eastern European homes since at least the 15th century. Unlike a conventional fireplace, the pechka is a multi-purpose appliance that provides heat, cooks food, and even offers a warm sleeping platform. Its high thermal mass design is extremely efficient at retaining and radiating heat over long periods.

Build a Russian Masonry Heater

 

[palom4_rickey]

@B33s knees that sounds like an awesome project. one little tip to optimize the burn, maybe build an efficient, insulated firebox to burn fuel hot and clean

 

[bbq r1bs]

Is it okay to use a 4.5" x 9" channel for the air path in the mass storage? He calculated the CSA at around 40, and he wants to make sure that's a good size.

yes! That's a very standard size and should work well for a single channel heat path in a small home design! Make sure the 40.5sq in is close to the CSA of his chimney flue