Is it made of earth or brick? This is a common distinction in the world of wood-fired ovens and comes with a whole slew of assumptions. "Earth ovens are cheaper, easier to build but less durable." "Brick ovens are expensive, harder to build but more professional and will last longer." The oven build documented below is an exploration of the combination of these techniques to leverage the advantages of each. We use earth where its sculptural quality allows us to perfectly mold it to the shape that we desire. We use brick where it will give a good durable surface for cooking and in the entrance . . .
How to Make a Rocket Powered Kiln of Clay and Sawdust
Jon and Flip Anderson have been working with stoves and ovens for some years now (HPP regulars may remember their rocket powered oven design.) Last February, they helped teach at the Winter Stove Workshop put on by Aprovecho and InStove. Aprovecho Research Center (ARC) was consulting for Mercy Corps in East Timor, who had sent their Program Manager for Renewable Energy, Will Baron, who has responsibility for all programming related to energy, poverty, lighting, electricity, appropriate cooking technology and sustainable cooking fuels. Mercy Corps' East Timorese stove program imports stove . . .
Wood Stove to Greenhouse mass heater
IntroductionVisiting in the Winter TimeStep-by-Step Photos of the Construction ProcessAnalysis and Suggestions for ImprovementA Call for SupportAdditional Resources A very avid gardener hired Kiko Denzer and Max Edleson to convert an old woodstove into a greenhouse mass heater. The wood stove did a good job of heating the air, but couldn't retain enough of the heat to keep the greenhouse warm from one winter day to the next. We built a system of channels and mass to contain and absorb sufficient warmth from the stove to keep the greenhouse warm with one or two firings a day. Here's . . .