Rocket Stoves are NOT Rocket Science

In our efforts to use God's gifts more fully and creating a God & Self-Sufficient lifestyle, Rocket Stoves have come to our attention.  The DH, Roy, loves UP-cycling just about anything he can so the idea of creating a new and improved rocket stove provided the challenge he craves.  Using tips he picked up from reading articles on-line and observing rocket stoves in action at the annual Homestead Heritage Fair in Waco, he began to design his own version using an old smoker that had been hanging around our back yard for several years.  We found some bricks at the local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for 10 cents each; gathered a few old fire bricks and some broken pieces of ceramic tiles we had from other projects.  Now he was ready to build.  He put one grating in the bottom of the smoker to build the stove on so the stove door would line up with the smoker door.  Here are some pictures of the finished product in action - I was out shopping while he was building and he didn't think to take pictures until it was built.

The bottom plate for the "oven" is added using a brick on each side and one on the back to lift the plate over the fire ... temperature is over 550 degrees

The thermometer is pegged beyond 550 degrees - estimated the temp was over 700 degrees inside the oven

Larger sticks slow down the rate of burn and help reduce the temperature

Notice there are only 2 sticks being used here

The brick at the bottom was the center of a brick he had cut to make the chimney he used it to reduce the airflow and control the temperature

Things to note ... this stove produces almost NO SMOKE and the outside of the smoker while metal does not get hot so it is safe for children and pets to be around without fear of them getting burned.

For Super Bowl Sunday, tomorrow, we are having home-made pizza.  I hope to have mine cooked on a "wood fire".  Look for the report in tomorrow's post.