# Heating Rocks for a sweat lodge.



## WoodChoppa (Mar 6, 2012)

Had an interesting visitor the other day come over to look at my boiler which is an Econoburn EBW-200 outdoor model.  This guy is from a local Indian Band and they are looking for a way to heat  up  rocks for a sweat lodge.  The traditional way to do this is by building a fire on the ground and throwing about 30-50 pounds of rocks into the fire once it gets big enough to heat them.  After the rocks are heated they pull them out and place them in a metal pail and place it in the sweat lodge.  Never done it so I can't say for sure what the end result is but I believe when they are done they come out more purple then red!

Long story short this guy thinks a wood boiler similar to mine would be a cleaner and quicker way to heat up the rocks.  I told him that he would have to be careful loading the rocks so as not to damage the refractory but other than that can't see much of an issue as long as he's not doing it with my boiler!  Can't see how a gasification boiler would matter as they would use the upper chamber, maybe just a simple barrel stove would do this job...or maybe a Greenwood.

Thoughts?


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## woodsmaster (Mar 7, 2012)

Could put some rocks in the lower chamber, then they would be really hot.


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## kopeck (Mar 7, 2012)

woodsmaster said:
			
		

> Could put some rocks in the lower chamber, then they would be really hot.



I would be really worried about the rocks exploding.

K


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## ewdudley (Mar 7, 2012)

WoodChoppa said:
			
		

> maybe just a simple barrel stove would do this job...
> 
> Thoughts?



Barrel stove sounds like a good solution.  Two thirds of a 55 five gallon drum vertical with door plate and air inlet on the bottom.  Couple pieces of rebar through barrel to make floor of upper chamber.  Wire egg baskets or whatever for rocks.  Cover plate on top with a couple feet of 6 inch stove pipe for chimney, with damper.  

Stand a sheet metal liner tube an inch or two inside the barrel to prevent a lot of radiant loss out the sides of the barrel.  

For big outdoor cooking, make another cover plate and flue, with a hole cut perfectly as a collar to accept a 60 quart industrial kitchen pot that would set on rebar upper chamber floor.  

Save the rocks inside of boiler idea until 1 April.


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## woodsmaster (Mar 7, 2012)

kopeck said:
			
		

> woodsmaster said:
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 Your probably right didn't think about that.


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## huffdawg (Mar 7, 2012)

Out here the Natives  make a hut out of cedar boughs , burn sweetgrass, and they heat the rocks in big old wood stoves or bon fires.


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## MarylandGuy (Mar 7, 2012)

It reminds me of what we used to do when camping.  We would stack rocks in the fire about two hours before bed.  

Then put a few cold rocks on the floor of the tent.  When ready for bed, move hot (glowing red) rocks to tent and stack on cold rocks.  Within 10 minutes, all the dampness in the tent is gone and the temperature is soaring.  It heated the tent for at least two hours.

The fun was always seeing a few of the more damp rocks split in the fire.  Steam has amazing energy.


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## heaterman (Mar 8, 2012)

kopeck said:
			
		

> woodsmaster said:
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Ditto.


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