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Grid Down Heating: Rocket Mass Heaters and the Science of Thermal Mass
TL;DR: The Ultimate Off-Grid Heater A **Rocket Mass Heater (RMH)** is an ultra-efficient wood-burning system that consumes 75–90% less wood than a conventional stove. It achieves this through **Complete Combustion** in an insulated "Heat Riser" and **Thermal Storage** in a large masonry mass (typically a cob bench). By the time exhaust leaves the building, it is often just water vapor and $CO_2$ at temperatures low enough to touch. This is the gold standard for long-term surv
Jim R.
Jan 238 min read
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Emergency Firestarting: The Chemistry of Combustion and Thermodynamics of Survival
TL;DR: The Science of Survival Heat Fire is not a "thing"—it is a high-temperature exothermic chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant. To master firestarting in survival situations, you must move beyond primitive methods and understand the **Fire Tetrahedron**: Fuel, Heat, Oxygen, and the **Uninhibited Chain Reaction**. Success is dictated by the **Surface-Area-to-Volume ($SA:V$) ratio** of your tinder, the **Vapor Pressure** of your fuel, and the **Activation Energy*
Jim R.
Dec 4, 20259 min read
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