Brilliant DIY Off-Grid Water Heater Using a Rocket Stove – No Propane!
2,784,465
Published 2018-05-13
It was built by a couple of incredible people we met last summer, Sebastien and Isabelle. They're passionate about reconnecting with the earth and finding sustainable ways to live. One of their hobbies is experimenting with rocket stoves and making them function as a cooktop, a heat source, and sometimes even as a hot water heater.
A rocket stove is a simple stove with 3 openings: the one at the bottom for building your fire, the middle one is to feed wood to the fire, and the one at the top is a chimney. By winding copper pipes inside the cob walls of the chimney, water in the pipes is heated up and circulated from the water barrel, around the rocket stove, and back into the barrel by a process called: thermosiphon.
According to Wikipedia, a thermo syphon "is a method of passive heat exchange, based on natural convection, which circulates a fluid without the necessity of a mechanical pump."
Our minds were blown when we learned about this passive heat exchange that didn't require electricity or propane!
This is their first prototype and they're hoping to refine the system this year. Now that they know it works, they're hoping to use an insulated hot water tank that will keep the water warm for longer (and avoid using a plastic barrel to heat water). This will eventually be an outdoor shower for them.
Sebastien and Isabelle from La Nature à l'État Pur are creating some incredible living spaces, and are offering opportunities for people to come relax in nature and to learn off-grid living techniques. Check out their website to find out more:
lebaston.wixsite.com/ecodome
And check out the video we created about their SuperAdobe Eco Dome Home here:
• Incredible Dome Home Built with Earth...
Thanks for watching!
Mat & Danielle
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VIDEO CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat of Exploring Alternatives.
Editing Credits:
Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives
Filming Credits:
Mat of Exploring Alternatives
All Comments (21)
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What do you think of this off-grid water heater? Have you seen or used any propane-free off-grid water heaters? Thanks for watching!
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I built this and it works amazing! It took me 3 days and i documented it for sharing. If you want to see it come down. Our water gets to 140f or 60c and stays hot for hours! This video inspired me. Thank you!
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This has been used in New Zealand for at least 100 years and the coils are often built in to the back of a wood stove. The system is called a “wet back” water heater (not a slur) and it is important for the tank to be close to the fire. You can use a regular hot water tank with a relief valve and a set of cut off valves. In the summer the system is closed off and electricity can be used to heat the water. In the winter the power is turned off and the valves opened and the coil in the back of the wood stove fire box, or embedded coil in the fire masonry will heat the tank. Bullet proof system.
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My Dad made something like this, but on a much larger scale maybe 5 or more years ago. He learned about rocket stoves on YouTube and came up with a system of how to heat the water for our home. He also made sular pannels that heat our water with sunlight. I haven't had a cold shower in years.
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I lived on a boat 40 years ago, and we heated the boat with this same principal. We had a small coal stove instead of the rocket stove, but essentially it worked the same way. Up on deck was the water tank and it gravity fed water down to the stove which heated the copper water pipes which then ran around the boat and back to the tank on the upper deck. It worked really well. I'm so glad to see this rocket stove. I'm going to build myself one!
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Love the rocket stove! I’ve made a few off grid, log fired hot tubs and a few things I’ve noted to help the thermosiphon ( and maybe some people watching this video ) the bottom pipe taking the cold water to the fire wants to be running slightly down hill. The coil around the heat source wants to be going uphill continually, and the exit pipe wants to be going slightly uphill. You can add a small solar powered pump to speed it up even more. On my current set up, with the pump running i can heat 700l of water to 40c from 5c in around 2/3 hours.
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I have always wanted to try the coil on my wood stove. Capturing thermal energy and storing it in water has lots of uses! That build is perfectly artistic. Great job.
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This is almost IDENTICAL to a space heater I wanted to build. LOVE it.
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This is such an amazing rocket stove! Sebastien and Isabelle are inspirational--true models for how to live simply and create a fulfilling life. Also, thank you for bringing innovative ideas to the general public.
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Wonderful, thanks! It would be even greater to see the building process
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You stirred my creativity.I have read somewhere and it is my favourite quote...If you stirrer your creativity,possibilities are endless.
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What a great idea - love this concept. Great video and thanks for sharing.
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Rocket Stove Institute is working on home heating systems as well! So exciting to see these experiments happening in different places around the world
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Dude that is really cool! Thanks for sharing! Sending love to Kbek from Ontario!
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What a beautiful place to live. Reminds me of all the camping and my younger years. great idea.
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What was really cool about the heater was the way it is multifunctional, cheap and energy saving! Great!
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Fantastic - just exactly what I've been looking for. I'm about to build a rocket stove in my front yard and this is a logical extension for hot water in winter.
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Absolutely amazing. I'm gonna try this at our hunting camp in ohio. We usually just use baby wipes to clean up during our week long hunting trips. This would make it a whole lot more bearable. 4 to 5 guys in a small trailer gets a little funky at about day 3. Thanks for the great idea.
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We need more and more of this! Sustainability is the the only way! Closed loop systems are the best way!
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This is GREAT. Simple and efficient. Thank you for sharing!
