Adapting a Miniature Dome Stove to a tarp tent

This post is about possible ways to adapt a Miniature Dome Stove to work in a tarp tent.

Introduction

Note: This post is being prepared while in self-imposed coronavirus quarantine that could go on for some time. I have been discussing with Steve the possible use of my Miniature Dome Stove in his versatile Tyvek tarp tent or his more recent but similar silnylon tarp tent I thought the ideas might be of interest to others with tarp tents.

My stove designs have focused on application to pyramid or tipi style tents that I favour. In these, the stove is essentially in the middle of the tent for even heat distribution. It also means that the flue pipe can be essentially vertical, have a strong draft and can have maximum cooling (or heat exchange to the air in the tent) before exiting the tent canopy.

I also try to design my tent stoves to be very efficient so that not much heat is wasted up the roll up flue pipe, so the upper reaches of the pipe seldom exceed 100C. This is achieved by simply burning off only the ends of a bundle of fuel sticks. The modest regulated rate of wood stick combustion (~400g/h) produces generous glowing heat and never results in sparks or boastful flames shooting out of the top of the flue pipe. The stoves have no need for spark arrestors, flue dampers or even an air inlet control.

[Photo of paper ash from a waxie fire starter (used to prime the flue pipe draft) that is left in the flue pipe elbow of a Miniature Dome Stove after several hours of stove operation. It demonstrates that the strong draft is not strong enough to expel ash.]

On the other hand, my most recent design, the Miniature Dome Stove quite deliberately lets more heat exit into the flue pipe to sustain a stronger flue pipe draft. This means that combustion is more robust, safer and fuss-free to manage the refuelling.

The downside of this is that the flue pipe, where it is passing through the tent canopy, may at times get hotter than 100C, so it makes it more critical to provide protection to the tent canopy from the flue pipe heat.

If a Miniature Dome Stove is to be operated in a tent such as Steves’s versatile tarp tent, the flue pipe could conveniently pass out through the top of the front doorway opening alongside the single bush tent pole. It could do so safely if the flue pipe passed through a light tubular flue gland made of stainless steel or titanium foil. This could be tied to the tent or pole or the tent apex. This would provide; insulation by separation, heat dissipation by conduction and heat removal by convection.

The experimental flue pipe gland is an over-sized stainless steel foil tube with a small welded attachment loop in the middle.

Angulation of the flue pipe

I imagine that the best location for the stove would be somewhat back from the doorway in a tent such as Steve’s. It also could be set off to one side (eg the right side behind the door flap shown above in Steve’s photo). This would give clearer access to the tent and reduce trip hazards. In this case, the flue pipe would need to be at an angle to perpendicular. The above protective flue pipe gland will hang at any angle to align with the flue pipe. At the stove end, the elbow fitting can easily be rotated within the fire dome to allow it also to be aligned with the flue pipe.

Here is a little Instagram video of fitting the elbow.

Reduced draft in sloping flue pipe

It is tempting to think of the strength of the flue pipe draft as being related to the flue pipe length. However, it is the height of the flue pipe above the stove that will determine the driving pressure of the draft and pipe length per se just introduces ‘pipe friction’ that impeeds flue draft. Consequently, sloping the pipe will diminish the flue pipe draft. “Fortunately, there is ‘draft to spare’ with this new Miniature Dome Stove design that was not always there in it predecessors.”

More to come

Tim