Put your thinking caps on!

[Rita]

I always get such good and varied information on here, I thought I would put this problem before you.

My 24 year old grandson did some volunteer work in Kenya in a small village this year and he was appalled at their way of cooking indoors. They have wood fires with no chimneys so consequently they are breathing smoke all the time. He is trying to get a grant to help make decent stoves from the homemade mud bricks that the people can make.

Does anyone have plans for a simple stove with a cooking surface and chimney made out of bricks? Would the mud bricks need anything added, like concrete to make them more fire resistant or is just the mud enough? Thanks, Rita

[ronbre]

check out the alternative sites at www.permies.com they have all kinds of mud and other stoves..

[Harry Chickpea]

Be aware that the smoke may be acting as an insecticide that keeps the homes from becoming totally bug infested. Removing it may have unintended consequences.

[Ross]

Good point Harry! Definately not concrete, it can explode with enough heat. Baked clay tiles are acceptable to line mud brick..... if they can fire them. They'd need to leave a one inch air space as best as possible to keep the clay tile form igniting anything mixed with the mud. Odds are the people who live there have tried something similar in the past..... they may have a very good reason for doing things the way they do!

[Bonnie L]

Our church supports a mission in Peru that is helping with new stoves that vent outside. I'll see if I can get contact info for your grandson.

[suitcase_sally]

Solar ovens are being promoted in a lot of areas. No smoke, fire or danger.

I made a box cooker several years ago and am very pleased with the resul. Costs? $2.00

http://solarcooking.org/plans/

http://www.solarcookers.org/

[Freeholder]

Lorena stoves and rocket stoves were designed for this very purpose. However, that's a good point about the smoke keeping bugs out of the house. I guess the local people would have to decide if it was more important to avoid breathing smoke (and overheating their homes, which the current arrangement is probably also doing) or to provide some deterrent to bugs getting into the house. And consider whether there might be other ways to keep the bugs out.

Solar cookers are also a good idea, but they might not have access to materials to build them.

Kathleen

[watcher]

Check out solar ovens. They not only remove the smoke they free up the time spent gathering firewood/dung.

[MoonRiver]

I have the book but haven't built my oven yet. Earth Oven

[Rita]

I have a solar oven and know how great they are and I will remind him about them. However, they do seem to want to have a cooking surface so maybe what they make is better cooked that way. Not sure. Also not sure if most could afford the materials for solar ovens. Maybe the grant money (if he gets it) could be used to buy materials to make them.

[Mr.Hogwallop]

http://journeytoforever.org/at_woodfire.html#intro

rocket stoves, a brilliant simple design:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_stove
http://amurthaiti.org/img/rocket_stove.jpg
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/so...ve_details.gif

A rocket stove made of mud brix
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YY0758omW6...cket+Stove.JPG

http://www.chimp-n-sea.org/wp-conten...ricks-full.jpg

A mud glazed mud brick rocket stove
http://www.ranchomastatal.com/img_ba...ocketStove.jpg

A better diagram
http://www.boingboing.net/200806261447.jpg

Making simple 6 brick rocket stoves in Darfur
http://www.bioenergylists.org/darfursixbricks

A very good site with video and more info. Check the R stove made from a tin 5 gal bucket.
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Rocket_Stove

I've made these little 6 brick rocket stoves while camping, if you do it right they use very little wood and make almost no smoke.

[Mr.Hogwallop]

many detailed plans for hand made stoves
http://www.chilakootbowhunters.org/cooker.htm

detailed construction data on the rocket design.
http://www.chilakootbowhunters.org/rocketstove1.htm

[ldc]

There's a site cllaed VITA, volunteers in technical assistance, and they invented a cheap stove for this purpose that uses very little fuel. These stoves are used all over Africa, India, and SA. They have a website; I think the office is physically in DC. ldc

[watcher]

Originally Posted by Rita

I have a solar oven and know how great they are and I will remind him about them. However, they do seem to want to have a cooking surface so maybe what they make is better cooked that way. Not sure. Also not sure if most could afford the materials for solar ovens. Maybe the grant money (if he gets it) could be used to buy materials to make them.

Long ago I saw what amounts to a solar grill. It was a flat plate which they used mirrors to shine the sun on the bottom. I can't remember if it got hot enough to fry stuff on or not.