5/5/2017 ThefundamentalsofRocketStovesPermaculturePrinciples

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The fundamentals of Rocket Stoves

This article rst appeared in issue six of Pip Magazine; Australian
permaculture magazine.
WordsandimagesbyJoelMeadowsandDanPalmerofVEGsAppTechworkshops

Mostofourhouseholdenergyrequirementscomeintheformofspaceheating,
waterheatingorcooking,withthesemakingupalargepercentageofour
monthlybill.Rocketstovesareanexampleofappropriatetechnologywhichcan
coverallofthoseneeds,costyounexttonothingtobuild,andjustafewsticks
torun.
https://permacultureprinciples.com/post/rocketstoves/ 1/6
5/5/2017 ThefundamentalsofRocketStovesPermaculturePrinciples

Rocketstovecombustionsystems
deserveattentionforafewreasons:

1.theyofferclosetocomplete
combustionofthewood,meaning
theyarehyperefficientandburn
superclean
2.theycanreachveryhigh
temperatures,andcanbehooked
uptoalmostanythingwewantto
usethatheatfor
3.theycanusewoodtypically
consideredtoosmalltocallfirewood
4.theyareeasilybuiltfromcommon
materials.

Thatsrightyoucanbuildthese
systemsinadayortwo,andthenwatch
themturntwigsintoheatfarmore
efficientlythanmostwoodstoves,with
farlesssetupcost.Ifyouaregoodat
scavengingbitstheycancostvirtually
nothingtobuild,andwhenyoupruneyourfruittreesyoucangetthefuelyouneedtocookdinner,heat
yourhome,andenjoyanicehotshower.

HOWROCKETCOMBUSTIONDIFFERSFROMNORMALCOMBUSTION
Themaindifferencebetweenanormalfireplaceorwoodstoveandarocketstove
isthatrocketcombustionisclosetocomplete.Whenwoodisburneditreleases
volatilecompoundsthatwerecogniseassmokeorsootorcreosote.Inarocket
stovethesecompoundsaresuckedintotheinsulatedandveryhotburntunnel
oftheunitwheretheycombust,releasingevenmoreheatenergytodrivethe
rocketprocess,unlikeanormalfirewheretheyareblownoutthechimney.

Thisdistinctivesuckingoftheflamesdownintotheburntunnel,andtheresultant
roariswhatgivesrocketstovestheirname.Thisisalsoapartoftheirmagic.Rocketstovesareopen
wherethewoodisfedin,allowinglotsofoxygentobedrawnintotheunit.Asthefirestarts,andtheburn
tunnelheatsup,therisinghotairracesuptheheatriser,drawinglotsofairbehindit.Thisincomingair
flowsintothefeedtubeandacrosstheburningwoodcreatingthesameeffectaspointingabigair
bloweratyourfire.Itgetsreallyhot,thewoodburnsbeautifully,andyouheartheairroaringasitcharges
throughthesystem.

Inconventionalwoodstovestheairintakeissmall,andadjustabletoevensmaller.Thislackofoxygen
chokesthecombustion,leadingtocoolburns,incompletecombustionandlotsofsmokeandcreosote.
Whencombustioniscomplete,whatcomesoutthechimneyisprettymuchonlycarbondioxide,meaning
nosmoke:smokemeansincompletecombustion,unburnedfuel,orwastedenergy.Weareculturally
trainedtoassociatesmokewithfirebutwithrocketstoves,sometimeswhenthereisnosmoke,thereis
stillfire!

https://permacultureprinciples.com/post/rocketstoves/ 2/6
5/5/2017 ThefundamentalsofRocketStovesPermaculturePrinciples

Havingensuredcompletecombustion,andhencemaximumheatgeneration,
onlythendowethinkaboutusingtheresultantheat.Conventionalwoodstoves
aresuckingheatawayfromthecombustionchamberforcooking,spaceheating
orwithwetbackwaterheaters,meaningtheunitjustcantgethotenoughfor
combustiontobecomplete,resultinginsmoke.Thecombustionchamberofthe
rocketstoveisheavilyinsulatedtopreventprematureheatloss,andan
enormousamountofheatisgeneratedbytheefficientcombustionprocess.

WHATTODOWITHALLTHAT
HEAT
Whencombustioniscomplete,wecan
extractheatfromthestoveatthetopof
theheatriser.Andhereiswhereyour
imaginationandinnerinventorcanrun
wild:anythingyoucanthinktodowith
veryhotaircanbedonefromthispoint.

Hereareafewthingsthatcanbe
poweredwitharocketstove.

Oveneitheraconvertedconventional
ovenwiththerocketunderit,ora
purposebuiltbarrelovenfromold44
gallon(around200litre)drums.
CooktoporBBQoldcastironBBQ
platescanworkwell,orheavycopper
radiatorplatestoputpotsandpanson,or
justcookoverthestreamofhotair.
Hotwatersystemswevemadevarious
systems,fromonesthatheatabig
ventedtankofwaterwithacoppercoil
runningthroughit,toheatexchanger
thermosiphonunitsboostingsolarhot
water.
Spaceheatersoftenseenwithan
Thedrumstylerocketstoveisnotonlyfunctional,itsbeautiful
inverted44gallondrumbeingthemain
radiator,withthefluerunningthrough
heavyearthorstoneelements(rocketmassheaters).

Takecare!Awellbuiltrocketstovecanworksowellitcanbedangerous.
Dansrocketovenoncegotto180Cinsixminutes,230Cinsevenminutes,
and325Cinthirteenminutes!AsforJoelslatestrocketoven,onhisfirsttest
runthewholeinnerskinofthefeedtubewasglowingred,aswasthebottomof
theinsideoftheoven:thethermometerread350C,andtheroastvegieswere
prettycharred(hehassincetameditdownto200C).

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5/5/2017 ThefundamentalsofRocketStovesPermaculturePrinciples

Whilequitepopularinsomepartsoftheworld,rocketstovesarearelatively Temperaturesareoffthe
chart
raresightinAustralianpermaculturesystems.Theyareanexcellentexample
ofanappropriatetechnologyalternativetoconventionalmeansofheatingfood,
waterorspaceandtheyarewellworthfindingoutmoreabout.

To
read
this
article
and
more
about
alterna
tive
technol
ogy
check
outissuesixofPipMagazine.

TheRocketPoweredOven:howtobuildyourownsuperefficientcookerbyTim
BarkerandIllustratedJoelMeadowsisnowavailableasaneBookfromouronline
store.

https://permacultureprinciples.com/post/rocketstoves/ 4/6
5/5/2017 ThefundamentalsofRocketStovesPermaculturePrinciples

TheeBookincludesinstructionsforarocketconversionofaconventionalovenkeepyoueyepeeledforappropriate
technologyworkshopswithVEGhere.

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