[Stoves] Simple Two Can Charcoal Grill/Stove

[Lanny Henson]

Tom,
Thank you for your comments.
See mine below.


-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Reed [mailto:tombreed at comcast.net]
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 9:20 AM
To: Lanny Henson; STOVES at LISTSERV.REPP.ORG; Agua Das; Chuck Stevenson; Bill
Ayres; Alia Ghandour; Phil Reed; Peter Reed; Kevin L. Reed; Katherine
Lathrop
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Simple Two Can Charcoal Grill/Stove


Dear Lanny:

Congratulations on an incredibly efficient (and cheap) charcoal stove.

LH- Cheep and easy to build but there is a lot of wasted heat. An outer
shell would help.

Charcoal is usually the least efficient of all fuels.  Making charcoal gives
< 30% energy yield (unless you are cooking, baking, heating, etc.  with the
volatiles).  However, it is also a relatively clean fuel.

LH-Yes especially clean to store, it does not leak pollution. You can actual
use it for water filtration before using it as fuel. It does not deteriorate
and is good for long term storage. You could possibly have a permanent
charcoal cash built into your landscape and dig it up if you ever need it.
Of course there would be charcoal drying involved.

Your charcoal briquette stove is probably 10X as efficient as a charcoal
barbecue.

LH- Yes most anyway.

I would be interested in a measure of the CO in your flame.  CO briquettes
can be a major source of CO (fortunately generally outside and rising.
However, inside your stove there may be enough protection to give complete
combustion of the CO.


Agua Das has a rule of 3-6-9.  In the first three particle diameters of a
charcoal fire, the charcoal burns mostly to CO2.  (Kingsford Briquette ~ 1.5
inches thick?)  In the second 6 diameters the hot charcoal reacts with the
CO2 according to

C + CO2 ==> 2 CO

So it takes 9 diameters to gasify the charcoal.  It is probably quite
important that your layer of charcoal is not too thick, so air can pass
through for the final combustion.  If you fill it too full you may produce
more CO.

LH- Yes! before I burned charcoal in a can with about an 18 draft body (a
Webber Smoky Mountain Cooker)
There were flames above the charcoal and the temp shot above 750degF. It
only took about a pound or two.
I assumed that the extra heat came from co burning. As I recall I used a
stick to maintain a hole in a 4" stack of charcoal in the can with an
expanded metal grate.

I guess I'll have to make one and amaze my wife.

LH- you may want to change the level of the grate. This can be done by using
wire from a bucket handle. Cut/break the wire at an angle so you have a
point to pierce/drill holes in the can. Insert two wires and lay on the bar
grate.
If you are only using 5 briquettes spread out then the grate needs to be
higher but if you want to try to burn the co then the grate need to be near
the bottom for the combustion height you mentioned.

Tom said in another note: I have noticed that in the last few years SOME tin
cans have an innwardly projecting lid.  That seems to be what you are using
and is probably necessary.

LH- Institutional food cans will work instead of coffee cans that have an
inner flange, but you have to cut open the can in a way that leaves an
inside flange. This means starting the cut with a pierce from a knife blade
and then finish the cut with aviation snips. If you have cans with no inner
flange (been opened with a can opener) then you can still connect bottom to
bottom to make a 2x long cylinder


There is something about fire and cooking outdoors that appeals to men.
This is our chance to establish our  territory in the culinary department.

TOM REED      BEF


Lanny Henson wrote:
Simple Two Can Charcoal Grill/Stove
http://www.lanny.us/twocan.html
The best feature of this stove is the simplicity of it's design.
It is built from a "tin can chimney" and two "simple folded bar grates".

5 Kingsford charcoal briquettes grilled a 1/2 lb burger.

The construction methods are simple and require no electricity, you just
need left cut and right cut snips and a
knife blade. You can build this stove after the electrical grid goes down.

The body is a simple tin can chimney from two coffee cans.
http://www.lanny.us/tcc.html
 The cooking and charcoal grates http://www.lanny.us/grate.html
are simple folded bar grates that can be cut from a bucket or a can. The
charcoal grate sits on the center flange.
A tab cut in the bottom can is an access door and controls the combustion
air.

For improvements the stove needs
1- an outer shell (5 gal pail?)
2- and maybe some loose fill insulation,
3-better combustion air control
4-and a better way to utilize the heat
All of which will add complexity to the construction but still may be
practical.

I hope these basic methods are useful to some other stove developer.
Feel free to use these methods to copy my work or create your unique design.
There are lots of possibilities like top lit,  bottom lit, add a hole above
the grate to burn sticks.


I would like to invite you to get off the sofa and enjoy building something.

Happy dumpster diving!
Lanny Henson


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