I have so much to say about the Rocket Stove. First of all, it is a relatively new development in the history of stoves. I will focus more on rocket stove mass heaters.

Rocket stoves can be built inexpensively, really by anyone. People these days are focusing on making stoves better….and that usually means more efficient. We want to get more heat out of less fuel. The problem is how to do that. That is where the rocket stove comes in. The rocket stove was developed to more efficiently burn wood. It has been said that the rocket stove uses about 5 times less wood to produce the same amount of heat. The way the rocket stove achieves this is by burning the wood in a super-insulated chamber. The temperature in the chamber and into the next part of the stove called the ’riser’ is very high. This ensures the complete burning of the wood, even the gaseous part, which usually just blows out the chimney as unused and wasted fuel. In a properly built rocket stove, the only exhaust is CO2 and steam. The burn is so complete, that there is little waste or pollution of the outside air.

The main part of the rocket stove is connected to a length of piping which is usually covered with cob, a type of earthen plaster. As the heated air flows through these passageways, the heat is transferred to the cob. Then the heat is slowly released from the cob over the next day or so. The rocket stove is much lighter than a normal masonry heater, which makes it much easier to build and it normally does not require a heavy foundation. The rocket stove can also be built to release immediate heat from the barrel. Some of the heat is given off right away and some of it is stored in the cob mass for a more prolonged release. These types of stoves are ideal for people interested in saving the environment from harmful exhausts usually given off during combustion.

The rocket stove would be a great addition to any house being built in the ’Öko’ way. I hope to include some pictures so that the idea of the stove is clear.