That is awesome C5 - Can you buy a "H" block or do you have to cut it to make it work??

That IS awesome. Nice that it provides its own "safety block" too, and tall enough you could sit near it and warm up without catching smoke in the face, especially if you added a 5th block to extend the chimney.

You can buy H block here. They're about 2x as much as standard block (still pretty darn inexpensive). You could also super gently tap the the center of one end of the standard block with a ball peen hammer (tap gently and in a line down the very center, go back and repeat the line a little harder and a little harder, just like tapping one of the ones with a hollow center section to cut it when nothing else is around), use a mason bit on a drill, or use a tile saw to remove just the very center section of one end of a standard block. If a little of the edge remains, it would make a tighter seal against the fireplace section of the one that's on end.

Good video! Thank you!

The H block was my concern as well. Have to buy it. More difficult to scrounge. As for the extended chimney, I don't believe that would work. that end is where the heat comes out. The other end sucks air in and thus the heat. If you want heat, probably best to put a sheet of metal about 4 inches above the rocket end to slow down heat rise and spread it outwards

The sheet metal is a good idea.

Extending the chimney is the same theory as cutting a hole in the top of a 55 gal metal drum with a door and vents for outdoor heat and adding block or pipe - to get the smoke release higher and over your face level. The height of the chimney would affect your cooking, like lowering and raising the grate of a grill, but once you're letting it burn or just burning for warmth in the room, the height of the chimney isn't going to hurt the flame.

I may have spoken too soon. I hit three local hardware stores this morning and no one has the H block. I will keep looking and I can always cut one with my grinder. (a, must have, tool like a decent corded drill)

This is one of the problems with all of those Youtube "solutions". Ive experimented with many and many don't give whats promised. I broke my own rule this time of not giving advice that I haven't tried in full for at least two years. If you learn something on YT, make sure you actually do it instead of just filling it away as secret knowledge for the apocalypse. A C5 rule of survival is "There is a big difference between 'knowing' in the biblical sense and 'knowing' in the porn sense" (knowing in the biblical sense means having sex if you miss the joke)

luckily, in this case, the technology is so simple that you should easily be able to modify a cinder block. They are cheap enough to break a few tying

A friend just mentioned that the bricks will break in no time because they are not made for that kind of heat. I am guessing if the bricks were wet it might even be worse. I am interested in what you find out - I'll let you grind out the H block and tell me if it's worth it 🙂

A friend just mentioned that the bricks will break in no time because they are not made for that kind of heat. I am guessing if the bricks were wet it might even be worse. I am interested in what you find out - I'll let you grind out the H block and tell me if it's worth it 🙂

No....No No....No No No. Your friend is just being a contrarian. No shite this wont last 20 years. Its a short term solution. I have a kick ass solar system and that is also a short term solution. If you want it to last till future muslim archeologist dig up the sand dunes that were once canada once its ecosystem collapsed....then I would suggest cementing it all up ...then packing it in a mound of cob...then painting it... then making a covered structure over it (Not horribly outrageous so far)...and then covering it with a pyramid 😉 I wouldn't worry about the long term financial obligations of 4 bricks...unless someone comes up with something even cheaper. Te He He. In the two is one motto...Keep 4 extra bricks. Just being my usual brat. No...No No...No No No. I wont tell you if its worth it. Build me your own one and tell me if its worth it. 😀

well - it was worth a shot! 🙂