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·Would a cob masonary heater work? Only using cob as the mortar and local stone. Can anyone think of any advantages/disadvantages? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Declan said:>Would a cob masonary heater work? Only using cob as the mortar and local >stone. Can anyone think of any advantages/disadvantages? Any help is greatly >appreciated.
The cob mail list has several members who are quite knowledgable about the science of cob, including information about it's thermal mass. Have you searched those archives?
http://www.deatech.com/natural/coblist/
Declan said:>Would a cob masonary heater work? Only using cob as the mortar and local >stone. Can anyone think of any advantages/disadvantages? Any help is greatly >appreciated.
You ought to read a book called "Ken Kern's masonry stove" (You can read many of his articles in www.motherearthnews.com archives). It has detailed instructions on building several forms of low cost stoves as well as their history, woodlot management etc.
In it, the shell of two stoves are made of slipformed concrete with vermiculite or several other heat storing fillers in the middle. The firebox and flues are lined with firebrick and refractory cement. Toward the end, he did write of intending to build clay stove with an inflatable ball used as a form to cast the firebox sphere.
As for cob, it might work, atleast for a time, if you line the flues with firebrick. How'll the straw fare in high temperatures?