The old designs are always better

[The Dong]

On 02/01/2012 11:22, Peter Korsten wrote:
>> I think its awesome - rocket-powered high-efficient fuel burning. ;)
> High efficiency and a stove in a garden sound somewhat mutually exclusive.

Nice things, very old design for some reason abandoned by lots of people 
without any good reason other than fashion or pressure from government 
to buy approved things (that always end up costing us more)
It doesn't really make any real sense why, oh why, people who live 
simple lives with limited income would ever turn to use coal, charcoal 
or liquid paraffin to cook their meals. But they did and do, and would 
spend nearly all their income to simply cook meals and keep warm!
I feel I'm in a very similar situation, funnily enough.

It's not nearly as complicated as it looks, the only fancy part is that 
it is designed (or evolved) to have to flue heat up so that more gasses 
are combusted.

To give you an idea of how efficient these little rocket stoves can be, 
you can cook a meal with a tiny amount (about a few kilos) of scavenged 
wood, pine cones, bark, cardboard, anything that burns non-toxic. Along 
with a stove thermos (or thermos for your cooking vessel/pot) you can 
bring, say, a pot of stew or soup just to the boil, pop it in the 
thermos and it will cook for hours without any power....
I know it sounds a hassle, but so is paying for stuff when you don't 
really need to ;)
Here's some small, commercial ones:

http://wildstoves.co.uk/rocket-stoves/

Not very expensive at all.
Including a diy ceramic elbow for a tiny paint can one.
I guess standard clay piping would work too.
Just a pile of fire bricks stacked right would work too.