This page reviews some of the history of rocket stoves (my understanding of it, at least), and lists some resources for further research.
To contact me (Luke), please e-mail: rocketstovecores@gmail.com.
Brief History/Function of a Rocket Stove
Rocket stoves were originally created by the Approvecho Research Center to minimize smoke and deforestation in regions where cooking with wood is a common practice. A key goal of the stove is to create a high heat, oxygen rich environment for the wood gases to combust in. The stove’s burn chamber is typically insulated, which ensures hot temperatures. The shape of the stove, usually an “L” or “J”, creates a strong draw, which leads to the whooshing, rocket-like sound from which the stoves derive their name. This strong air flow ensures a constant supply of oxygen to the fire. By concentrating and extracting as much heat as possible from the wood burned, these stoves are able to use significantly less wood than an open fire.
Rocket Mass Heaters
The principles from these efficient, nearly smokeless rocket cook stoves were later combined with ideas from traditional masonry heaters to create the rocket mass heater. In a rocket mass heater (rmh), the heat from a rocket stove is harvested in a thermal mass such as bricks or cob (a combination of clay and sand) to heat a space. The heat from this mass will gently warm a space long after the initial fire has gone out. To some extent, rocket mass heaters are a more accessible version of a masonry heater.
I highly recommend visiting Leslie Jackson’s site rocketstoves.com for a more thorough overview. Leslie Jackson and Ianto Evans’ seminal text, “Rocket Mass Heaters“, is still widely read and referenced today.
Walkerstoves.com
Matt Walker has a fantastic site and youtube channel with a number of plans and ideas for wood cook stoves and heaters. Matt Walker’s video about ceramic fiber cores are what originally inspired me to create this site. I think that ceramic fiber board is an excellent material for building the ‘engine’ of a stove. It can be difficult to purchase, however, and while relatively simple, the plans still take some time and effort to properly cut out. Ceramic fiber board isn’t cheap, so any mistakes while cutting can be costly. By offering pre-cut cores, my goal is to make this step of a stove build more accessible and streamlined. All of Matt Walker’s cores sold on this site are under license from him, and part of the proceeds go to him to support his work in this field.
Forums
Several forums have sprung up where wood burning enthusiasts from around the world share ideas . Kirk “Donkey” Mobert started this forum dedicated to discussing rocket mass heaters. Paul Wheaton’s site, Permies.com, also has a lively forum on rocket mass heaters. Paul also has a landing page with a whole bunch of rocket mass heater info he has compiled.
Additional Resources
If you are interested in building a “J” style rocket mass heater with a cob bench, I highly recommend Erica and Ernie Wisner’s book, “The Rocket Mass Heater Builder’s Guide“. The “J” style cores I offer can work very well in a rocket mass heater modeled after their plans.
Batch box heaters, are a form of rocket mass heater with a burn chamber that is enclosed, more like a typical wood stove. Peter Van den Berg is a leading innovator in this field. They have become very popular in the rocket mass heater community. I hope to offer batch box cores for sale in the not too distant future.
If you’ve made it this far and are still looking for links to click on, this site has some great pictures and further explanations on how rocket mass heaters work.
Please check back in the near future! I hope to have more rocket stove information and ideas posted up here soon.