16.6 Build a Brick Rocket Stove

Difficulty: Easy · Time: about 30 minutes · Cost: $0–$30 (16 bricks)

A rocket stove burns small sticks very efficiently in an insulated L-shaped chamber, producing a hot, clean flame for cooking with a fraction of the wood an open fire uses. Use it outdoors.

What you need

• 16 solid bricks (standard clay bricks or concrete pavers), or 4 cinder blocks for a quicker version
• A metal grate or a few steel rods to support the pot
• A small piece of flat metal or a brick half to make a fuel shelf (optional)

Steps

1. Layer 1 (3 bricks): On level, bare ground, set 3 bricks in a U shape: one on each side and one across the back. The open front of the U is the fuel door.
2. Layers 2 to 4 (4 bricks each): Lay 4 bricks per layer in a “pinwheel” square, each brick overlapping the end of the next, so they form a closed square chimney over the fuel door. Stagger the joints from one layer to the next for stability.
   • The 16th brick (or a half brick or flat stone) goes inside the fuel door as a raised shelf, so air can flow under the sticks.
3. Place the grate or steel rods across the top. Leave space for flames and smoke to escape around the pot (a gap of about 1/2 inch).
4. Feed small dry sticks horizontally into the front opening. Light tinder at the inside end of the sticks. As the sticks burn, push them in.
5. Adjust: more sticks for more heat, fewer for less.

Safety

• Bricks get very hot. Keep children back.
• Build on bare ground or patio pavers, away from buildings and dry grass.

Build sheet: Brick rocket stove

• Difficulty: Easy
• Time: about 30 minutes
• Cost: about $0–$30 (16 bricks)

Materials:

• 16 solid bricks or concrete pavers (or 4 cinder blocks for a quick version)
• A metal grate or a few steel rods to hold the pot
• Optional: a half brick or flat metal piece for a fuel shelf
• Small dry sticks and tinder

Tools:

• None; a level helps
• Heavy gloves

Steps:

1. On level, bare ground, set 3 bricks in a U. The open front is the fuel door.
2. Lay three more layers of 4 bricks each in a pinwheel square, staggering joints, to make a chimney over the fuel door.
3. Set the 16th brick inside the fuel door as a raised shelf.
4. Lay the grate or rods across the top, leaving about 1/2 inch around the pot for gases to escape.
5. Feed small dry sticks in flat. Light tinder at the inner end and push sticks in as they burn.

Test it:

• Once it’s hot, it should pull air and flame into the fuel door, with little smoke. Lots of smoke usually means wet wood or too much of it.
• Boil a pot of water and time it, so you know your stove before you need it.
• Push gently on the chimney. It shouldn’t wobble.

Safety:

• Outdoors only. Bricks get very hot; keep children back.
• Build on bare ground or pavers, away from buildings and dry grass.