Are rocket stoves suitable as cookers and space heaters in tipis?
We get many enquiries about the suitability of our rocket stoves for use as cookers and heaters in tipis.
As with any solid fuel fire, despite producing almost no smoke under normal operation, rocket stoves can produce some harmful pollutants, including carbon monoxide. Therefore, we are very clear that these are for use in well-ventilated areas – which usually means the outdoors. Tipis are a grey area, because they are designed to house open fires (one of their great charms) and when ventilation is managed with skill, they may well be safe.
So do wood powered stoves like the G3 Rocket offer a good alternative to an open fire in a tipi (or tepee, teepee or Tentipi!)? Because of their design, rocket stoves usually produce substantially less harmful pollutants than open fires; this is why they were developed for confined conditions in low-income countries. So if it's a question of using either an open fire or a rocket stove, then the latter is arguably much safer. They also use a fraction of the wood required of an open fire, because they combust much more efficiently.
However, bear in mind that these rocket stoves are cookers, not space heaters, and one of the ways in which they achieve their astonishing efficiency is by directing most of their heat up to the pot, unlike an open fire, which radiates heat in all directions. So as space-heaters - which in a well ventilated space requires radiation rather than convection – rocket stoves will not warm you as well as an open fire.
The choice ultimately comes down to what you want out of your fire: if you want a more efficient, convenient quick way of cooking on wood fires then a rocket stove is a no-brainer. Once tried, most people find there's no going back to cooking on an open fire. If you want radiant heat, then an open fire or enclosed metal stove like the Frontier would be better. The reality of living under canvas is it you want both.
So what do Wild Stoves recommend? I'm not the TP user, but when camping I would never be without my rocket stove for my morning brew and meals, and when it gets chilly I light up a stove or if I'm outside, an openfire. I'm afraid I won't be pinned down on whether or not our stoves are safe in tipis until someone shows me data on the safety of using open fires in them. The bottom line is any solid-fuel heat source presents potential pollution hazards. Ultimately, all of us who love and use open fires in the great outdoors need to balance a recognition of the risks with common sense. It is this rare opportunity to apply common sense that drive many of us to getting away under canvas...
Note on charcoal use: some of our StoveTec rocket stoves may also be powered by charcoal. Charcoal combustion is notorious for production of carbon monoxide, and so although every fire has a charcoal combustion phase (this is when the embers glow through the night), particular care is required when using charcoal braziers or stoves.
