Printable View for Presentation #24 (See also "Manual on a String").

Brick Stove development

The Brick Stove has a long history. Unhappy with a stinking oil heater, Demotech borrowed the first prototype of the stove as desiged by "De 12 Ambachten". Being the first prototype it gave lots of inspiration as well as hinderance. The combination of inspiration and bricks found around the Demotech workshop resulted in a no-cost stove. It warmed our kitchen for many years. This stove also inspired a follow up.

Author: Demotech, design for self-reliance
Version: Juli 27, 2008		 Feedback email info@demotech.org
Postal: Biesenwal 3, 6211 AD Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Start of the development of the brick stove

While trying to avoid the use of expensive heat resisting cement, the stove was built from bricks, mortared with a mix of clay and sand. Thin sheet metal was used for the top to which the chimney pipe was attached.
Remarkable features in its construction:

  • A 'Nordish' horizontal compartment at the bottom of the stove, in which the fuel wood was stacked.
  • An air-guide from folded sheet metal guided air into this Nordish stack of fuel wood. When the front part of the stack had burned off, the air guide can be pushed into the fire again.
  • Instead of a hinged door, the stove's entry was closed by a plug made from glass strips, held in a flexible frame of thin sheet metal.
  • The hot air entered the top compartment. After cooling down it could escape into the chimney pipe at a lower level.

    Author: Demotech, design for self-reliance
    Version: Juli 27, 2008    		 Feedback email info@demotech.org
    Postal: Biesenwal 3, 6211 AD Maastricht, the Netherlands
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    Refined concept

    Even in the hottest part of the first brick stove ordinary soft bricks were used. Such brick would over a period of three years gradually chip off. But replacement could easily be done.
    To refine the concept, we tried to remodel the stove into a table shaped block, making it useful in summertime. The messy fueling at the bottom could possibly be replaced by inserting a container at the top.
    The next prototype is build in the workshop of Hans Baarslag in Wierden.

    Author: Demotech, design for self-reliance
    Version: Juli 27, 2008    		 Feedback email info@demotech.org
    Postal: Biesenwal 3, 6211 AD Maastricht, the Netherlands
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    More info will be added soon