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Summary
Paul Wheaton and Chris McClellan (Uncle Mud) talk about building codes, insurance companies and
rocket mass heaters.
Around six years ago Erica and Ernie Wisner managed to get RMHs added to the building code for Portland, Oregon. Around 15% of other counties and cities have followed suit. To persuade the others, the
RMH has to be presented as safer than similar
wood stoves as safety and avoiding complaints are the top concerns.
RMHs don't produce creosote, so no chimney fires. With virtually no smoke, no-one complains about them. They use up to 90% less wood so they are economical, putting less pressure on the landscape and people's wallets. The more people use RMHs, the more the regulators will take notice of them. Some regulators have attended workshops at
Wheaton Labs.
Building an
RMH outdoors is legal virtually everywhere in the US. Some areas only allow a two hour burn, but that's
enough for an RMH as it stores the heat. If you burn brush in an RMH instead of outside it could heat your house for a year without pissing off the neighbours.
Only 5% of insurance companies embrace the RMH though 10 to 15% are exploring them. RMHs are safer than gas, propane or electricity and they heat the home for days after the fire is out. You might need to find the right person in the company to talk to, who is empowered to take decisions. If they turn you down, find out what their actual issues are and solve them. In the last year there has been a 40% growth in RMH progress. Maybe in five years 90% of regulators and insurance companies will be on board with them - the trailblazing is nearly complete!
Relevant Threads
RMH and house insurance
Insurance company OK's my RMH-style heater!
Insuring a house with a rocket mass heater
RMH Portland Building Code
rocket heaters meeting code
rocket mass heaters and local codes
Rocket Mass Heater Compliance to Code
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This podcast was made possible thanks to:
Dr. Hugh Gill Kultur
Eivind W. Bjørkavåg
Suleiman, Karrie, and Sasquatch
Bill Crim
anonymous
Kerry JustTooLazy
Wade Luger
Jocelyn Campbell
thomas adams
Sasquatch
havokeachday
Chris Sugg
Dominic Crolius
Julia Winter, world's slowest mosaic artist
Kyle Neath
Bill Erickson
G Cooper
Lisa Goodspeed
Penny McLoughlin
Mehron Kugler
Mark
Sean Benedict
Dana Martin
Rita Bliden
Greg Martin
Candace Dahlk
Keith Kuhnsman
Eric Tolbert
Ruwan Nanayakkara
Polly Jayne Smyth
Alias
4
