Discussion:
Haitian women use charcoal stoves for cooking their food, it is easy to use and reasonably economical. Due to the lack of money, and income, cooking is conducted in poorly ventilated houses to conserve charcoal. If used outside, any amount of breeze will cause the charcoal to burn faster, there by ‘wasting’ charcoal. The purpose of the project is to redesign the current stove or provide a more efficient stove that can be used outside the Haitian homes.
Haitian women use charcoal stoves for cooking their food, it is easy to use and reasonably economical. Due to the lack of money, and income, cooking is conducted in poorly ventilated houses to conserve charcoal. If used outside, any amount of breeze will cause the charcoal to burn faster, there by ‘wasting’ charcoal. The purpose of the project is to redesign the current stove or provide a more efficient stove that can be used outside the Haitian homes.
Current Stove:
The current stove is an amazing piece of craftsmanship, made entirely by hand, using a hammer and cold chisel, from steel salvaged for old steel drums. It is held together with nails formed into rivets and metal flaps bent over to two pieces together.
Testing Method:
All tests were compared to the functioning of the original stove. A measured amount of charcoal was placed onto the charcoal support. It was lit using an igniter made up of candle wax impregnated with sawdust, with wick in place. The igniter was removed when the charcoal showed a significant amount of red glowing charcoal. A pot with 1/2 liter of water was placed over the coals and the time for the water to boil was measured. In the case of the old style stove, the pot was placed directly on the coals. With the new style stove, the pot was placed on the top edge of the housing.
Modifications:
A deflector was added to the upper portion of the stove, the bottom was removed, legs and a deflector added (shown below), but nothing effectively increased the efficiency of the stove. A square fan was used to simulate a breeze blowing across the stove.
New Design:
A trip to the local hardware store for a box of screws solved my dilemma. A piece of 8” stove pipe and a pair of metal snips and the new stove took shape.
The final item measured 7” high with 3 openings equally spaced around the top edge measuring 1” x 3 5/16” wide and an opening at the bottom measuring 2 ¾” high x 4” wide. The screen for supporting the burning charcoal is 3 ½” below the top edge.
An adaptor ring was developed for use with the current stoves. It measures 2 5/8” high with the same 3 openings around the top edge as described above. This is placed in the center of the stove for those who already have the current stove so they are able to use it outside.
The pictures above show a prototype stove made from available materials. The actual stove and adaptor will be made from heavier steel and the charcoal supporting surface from more appropriate screen.
Stove Drawing
Adapter Drawing
