Kenneth Geraci

Rob Lineberger wrote:What you're witnessing is a barrel vault configuration. ...

This answer is so much more than I ever expected.  Thank you for taking the time to write it.  It puts me a great ease regarding my friends oven.  Not ideal for pizza, but more importantly not a problem for their home.

Hi, I am looking for advice from someone who has some knowledge/experience with brick ovens.

I was just visiting a friend who had a backyard addition and decided to added a brick oven to the project.  When I saw it, I was confused by the oven design; Arched with a flat back wall, Chimney in the Center, Mortar between the bricks on oven floor.  

I had never seen a brick oven with the Chimney in the Center of it.  Also, the floor is fire brick, but it has standard mortar between the bricks; I am almost confident that it is not vermiculite or Refractory Fire Clay.  I am concerned that instead of a wood burning oven, the mason built a really big rocket stove.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12LtffpXglA1tOd76izFZeuTcCWL206sZ/view?usp=sharing

R Scott wrote:A rocket core see stress that is a cross between a kiln, a forge, and a blast furnace. The high temperature and high flow are extremely hard on materials. Metal will die quickly. Low quality firebrick will die almost as quickly.

Thanks, this is helpful.

Satamax Antone wrote:Metal is doomed!

Say more please. I am completely new to this.

I wanted to ask if you can use a curved 90 degree elbow for a rocket stove design? or does it need to be squared 90 degree connections?

I have attached two pictures of some double wall galvanized pipe that I loosely connected to show my concept for a rocket stove. The red line at the bottom of the feed tube will be a metal plate that will close off the airflow from the bottom.

The feed tube is about 6", burn tube 6", riser tube 18"

Hello everyone! I am trying to get feedback on an idea I have for building a portable rocket mass stove in a 5 gallon bucket that I can use in Haiti. The idea is to, here in America weld a L-tube of a four-inch by 12 inch piping. Take the l-tube with me to Haiti, then once in Haiti taking 5 gallon bucket, cut out a 4"circle in the side, place the metal tube in the bucket, and fill it with sand and dirt.

The idea came from this YouTube video http://youtu.be/aOZ7gJaqdtQ In this video the man uses 5 gallon bucket and PVC pipe as a mold to create a solid concrete and vermiculite rocket mass stove. My idea is to make the burn chamber and chimney out of very solid long-lasting material, that can be transported around. Big bucket and insulation would just come from their natural surroundings. I think my idea is the opposite of what this man did.

Plastic Buckets, sand and small rocks are plentiful in Haiti. My questions are:
would sand and rock be enough insulation to protect the integrity of the structure?

Second what would be the best metal tube to use for the L-tube?

Are there any other ideas I need to consider that you can think of?

Lastly, is this a good idea or just wishful thinking?