In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

portable collapsible rocket stove heater/stove/pizza oven

Discussion in 'Rocket Stoves & Rocket Mass Heaters' started by BrianK, Apr 27, 2017.

  1. BrianK

    BrianK

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    I wanted to post a separate thread on this build in case anyone wanted to see the info all in one place.

    donkey32.proboards.com

    portable collapsible rocket stove heater/stove/pizza oven

    Hi folks,

    I started designing this stove last August and I finally built it this month, a (somewhat) portable collapsible ceramic fiber board rocket stove deck and patio heater / stove / pizza oven with a vacuum formed ceramic fiber 6" riser. This is designed to be easily taken down and moved but the 2" low density ceramic fiber board insulation, while being easy to cut on a table saw, is a bit too brittle for frequent assembly/disassembly. I built this in my garage in PA, took it to a camp out (Dennis' FHC get together) with about 40 friends in Michigan and fired it for the first time, dissembled it and came home to PA, then took it to a friend's in New York to experiment with the pizza oven.

    Barrel is cut from a standard 55 gallon barrel at 25" and the pizza oven on top is about 12". Riser stands about 12" into the 25" barrel on top. I used a USSC barrel stove door and flue collar for this build. The door is hung on 2/16" mild steel. Barrel top temps hit around 740 degrees F via infrared thermometer, and pizza oven (uninsulated) hit 500 degrees on a Bacharach flue thermometer. Secondary air is introduced via a 2" x 1" channel I made with a router in the bottom ceramic fiber board under the firebrick liner and introduced with a 2" black iron pipe that goes through the firebrick about 1 1/2" from the riser. The bottom, left and right sides of the firebox are lined with firebrick splits. A thin plate of stainless lays over the secondary air groove under the firebrick to seal it better. I haven't weighed it but I figure total weight is 100-120lbs. See photos.

    It has satisfactorily survived about 1500 miles of traveling and being assembled and disassembled three times now but I don't think the ceramic fiber board would hold up to repeated assembly and disassembly.

    This could be used as a deck, patio, backyard, cabin, hunting tent, ice fishing hut, or emergency heater / stove / oven.


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  2. BrianK

    BrianK

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  3. BrianK

    BrianK

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  4. blacksmith

    blacksmith

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    Seeing that fresh pizza in the oven is what gets me!:drool: Some drinks would go foo with that too!:pete::cheers:
     
  5. blacksmith

    blacksmith

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    Really cool idea I like it! How much would someone have in this build? :sherlock:
     
  6. BrianK

    BrianK

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    Approximates:

    Case of 2" ceramic fiber board ~$220
    Ceramic riser ~$50
    (2) 55 gallon drums from Craigslist - $40
    USSC barrel stove kit - $60
    Caster wheels (4) - $20
    Stove pipe & elbow - $50
    Various hardware/handles - $30
    11gauge metal 24" x 16" to hang door & frame - $25
    Stainless sheet metal pieces for box - $40
    Firebrick (12) - $36

    I've been collecting this stuff over a couple years so I didn't buy these parts all at once.
     
  7. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Seen it and felt the heat in person....(and caught a whiff of that barrel paint burning off)- SUPER IMPRESSIVE!
    And considering the hurdles that BrianK has over come by the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, this is a truly incredible heating/cooking appliance, y'all!
    :handshake:

    :thumbs:

    :salute:
     
  8. BrianK

    BrianK

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    Thanks!

    And now I'm working on the new and improved rocket deck heater/cooktop/oven prototype version 2.0 ;-) Its going to be a LOT shorter and more perfessional lookin'
     
  9. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Can't wait to lay eyes on it BrianK :thumbs:
     
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  10. BrianK

    BrianK

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    Hi folks,
    I'm testing design changes inside this old work horse prototype and I finally got a chance to do some more controlled tests with this stove. I sealed around the door frame with black carbon felt as a gasket and used 8' of six inch chimney pipe. For fuel I used a twelve pack of small compressed sawdust firewood bricks. (Its ceramic and home made so I don't have to worry about warping any metal parts or voiding a warranty.)

    I started the fire at 4:15pm. It stopped smoking and the flue gases were clear within 5 minutes. The barrel top hit 760 degrees within 25 minutes and the pizza oven hit 600 degrees (during prior burns the pizza oven only got to 500 degrees)..

    Interestingly, using regular firewood in the past, it was burned down to ashes within an hour and a half.

    I walked away and made dinner after an hour, but when I came back after two and a half hours the barrel top was still 300 degrees. I opened the firebox to find the compressed sawdust logs still burning and only half consumed.

    In retrospect, I think my black carbon felt gasket around the door frame may have limited the primary air entering the firebox, slowing the burn, because I noticed some smoke when I walked away after the first hour. I'm going to have to take a closer look at that tomorrow.
    IMG_1072.JPG
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    After two and a half hours:


    I threw in a small piece of cherry firewood at this point and barrel top temp got back up to 470 degrees.
    IMG_1110.JPG
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2017
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  11. BrianK

    BrianK

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    More experimenting...

    I opened up the primary air path and tore apart the burn chamber today. I created an expansion chamber where I had previously had the vertical riser. I then moved the vertical riser to the left front of the box and cut the side of the vertical riser out next to the expansion chamber up 6" from the floor.

    This is vaguely similar to the Walker Riserless core. This sort of creates a combination expansion chamber/ horizontal riser then immediately a true vertical riser. I forgot to take a picture so I have to wait till it cools.

    I already got 15• hotter in my pizza oven, 615• after 45 minutes. Stove top temp was increased, up to 776 •, an overall improvement of 36• from the initial tests.

    Burn times are definitely longer with the compressed sawdust fire bricks. After one hour and ten minutes pizza oven was still 500 degrees without any insulation and the door still open. At two hours it was still 400 degrees, and stove top temp still 575 degrees. (This is a really long burn for a rocket stove. They usually burn 1 - 1 1/2 hours per load.)

    About half the compressed sawdust fire bricks were still burning.
     
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  12. BrianK

    BrianK

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    Weird. It's now 3:15 since I lit the stove. Amazingly, open pizza stove temp is STILL 350• and stove top barrel temp is 386•

    This thing is holding the heat a lot longer than I ever expected. IMG_1172.JPG
    IMG_1167.JPG
     
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  13. BrianK

    BrianK

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    IMG_1174.JPG Firebox after 3.5 hours
     
  14. BrianK

    BrianK

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    At four hours after light up and with only the original load of firewood bricks, the pizza oven is at 315• and barrel top temp is 386•.

    This is simply incredible with a tiny firebox rocket stove.
     
  15. BrianK

    BrianK

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    At five hours, open door pizza stove temp is 260• and barrel top temp is 256•.

    Not bad for a 10" wide, 18" deep, 12" tall firebox.
     
  16. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    One of the things that I noticed is that since everything is so well constructed and contained, this may give reasons to why your stove may be so efficient. This is why I want to construct a brick thermal wall around my stove so that during periods of time which I am not home or able to load the stove, the heat can radiate for longer even though it may not go to the entire house, its keeping the stove itself warmer by being reflective. Your ceramic fiberboard and brick layout of this was indeed well designed. I am not suprised but I am impressed to say the least. Even though the fiberboard is expensive, it definitely works when the pieces complement each other for maximum efficiency. While there is room for improvement, You designed something that is hard to beat. Im interested in hearing about the firewood test you plan to do soon.
     
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  17. BrianK

    BrianK

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    Last observation for today. At six hours pizza oven is cooled down, barrel top temp is 177• and there are only a few red coals remaining in the firebox, which I drug forward: IMG_1186.JPG
     
  18. BrianK

    BrianK

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    Thanks. I'm going to run a load of hardwood firewood tomorrow, then a load of 1"x3" old pine lumber and see how long the burn lasts with each.
     
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  19. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    It was pretty hot today...do you think sitting in the direct sun affected the numbers?
    Yesterday I picked up some bare metal concrete pins that had laid in the sun for an hour or so...about burnt my hand! :bug:
     
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  20. BrianK

    BrianK

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    Yesterday and today were both in the mid 80s, bright and sunny so that can't account for any differences between these two days of testing or the burn times. But it could certainly explain some of the difference in max temps from my tests earlier this spring!