Tent Small Rocket Stove KP

Hot tent ?

Why not ?

Well, let's go!

Because I like to be/sleep in warm. and winter camping is (could be) very cold, well i must add a heater in the tent.

But which one. It in a common sense to burn wood and cook and heat yourselves on site. But open fire is open fire and you need a ton of wood to hold through night. Better and good efficiency is a stove - save wood and generate heat and you cook with clean pots.
Best combustion have a rocket stove, practically without smoke/sap, Must be small but save, Well, so it be.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/194478935/Fact-Sheet-Rocket-Stoves#scribd

I made my own idea drawings and start to assemble a stove.

A common packing metal tape was used for small L shapes which are with popup rivets bonded on the inside part of first triangle. All others triangles and forms are prepared as this one.

In the rocket stove in the combustion chamber (burning place), wood burn totally fast and chamber achieve a very high temperature. Therefore I decided to make this chamber from two layers of metal sheet to get roughness and durability. Then I make holes inside chamber to have vortex air flow and cut out an opening for wood entrance.

All parts are equipped with "L" pc's and with 3mm popup rivets connected to both sides. Bottom and back plate are 2 cm wider then inside sides, to achieve distance and lower temp.- security step to avoid accidentally possible contacts sleeping bag or other camping fabric with hot insides. Therefore I have a heavier stove.

At last, outside cover is bend and with 3 mm popup rivets connected to main body. Dimension of this cover is also with air distance 2cm from both stove sides. Small square throat shall be added to hold a chimney.

Adding a part which troat hold square chimney on stove.

Square chimney was difficult to prolong (stack) and it was to heavy. Also it shall be difficult for cleaning, So, after first field test, I decide to make a round tube chimney made out spray cans, Collecting same diameter, same steel material. cutting, rolling. point welding... assembling.

Well, this was a first my attempt in this skill and I learn very much, correcting mistakes, so today I have great respect for this profession.

Inspite that the chimney have about 80 C surface on 1.2 m high at normal draft, I decide to add a can which can slide and made a distance from tent wall fabric and chimney when he pass through tent wall. Later at testing, I measured can surface heat about 30 C...

What about sleeping in hot tent.

If you add every 15-20 minutes an wood in stove to keep fire running, you can not go to sleep. If is outside snow, you load a wood in stove all night. I was thinking that I add/attach a part (candle drawer holder) to the stove from outside. which can hold 8 hours tea light candles. 3 x 5 candles shall bring about 450 Wats in the stove and ALL CO/CO2 shell past through chimney... see pictures. Material was 0,5 mm metal and unnecessary heavy....but for test was OK. And it works!

So, late autumn, outside temp about 12 C I tested rocket stove with square chimney. Everything was as predictable. It was easy to collect small wood max dia 3 cm and it burn correctly. Stove was warm and no smoke. Perfect.

Another day test was inside tarp with out +6 C ... we reach comfortable +16 C inside, but with no wind outside.

But - every 10-15 min - wood is burn out.

Stove is a little bit to heavy for backpacking ( about 4,2 kg) as seen + 1.5kg for candle part.

Material which I used for stove ... steel cca 0,5 mm thickness. Sttove should be made out 0,25 mm thickness metal plates.

As always, better material - higher prices.

It shall be continued....if / when snow came.

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