Geoscience Reference
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and distribute evenly. This is tapering of the manifold. In a common domestic griddle stove with
external chimney, the gap under the griddle can be reduced to about ½ inch for optimum heat
transfer.
A simple rocket stove can be made from a metal 5-gallon bucket, one adjustable 4-inch,
90-degree stovepipe elbow, an 8-inch-long piece of 4-inch stovepipe for the exhaust-side chim-
ney, and a 7-inch-long piece of 4-inch stovepipe for the horizontal combustion chamber (see
fig. 4-4
). Cut holes in the 5-gallon bucket's cover and side to accommodate the pipe, and use a
noncombustible insulating material such as vermiculite, rock wool, or perlite, to support and in-
sulate the stovepipe inside the bucket. All it takes is a little paper and a few sticks for your
rocket stove to become a roaring, clean-burning cookstove. Keep feeding the sticks into the
combustion chamber for as long as you wish to keep the stove burning. If necessary, knowing
the design principles of the rocket stove, you could design and build a heating or cooking stove
using a wide variety of found or scavenged materials. You may purchase a factory-built rocket
stove for personal use, or for donation to a needy third-world community, at
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