Mud stoves require shelter from rain and other
adverse physical effects
Basic features
All improved biomass stoves have some common characteristics. These include an enclosed fire chamber.
Insulated walls, and, in some cases, close fitting links between the pot hold and the pot. The features are
related to specific dimensions. These affect the efficiency of the stove, the durability, cost of production
and use. It is not possible to generalise the dimensions and the following are just guidelines.
The thickness of the walls
The thicker the wall, the better the stove since thick walls conserve heat and minimize cracking. Although
thick walls slow down the heating process in the initial stages of lighting, they act as insulators, t hereby
improving performance once the stove heats up.
Thick stove walls are good because they conserve heat
The height and size of the fire chamber
This affects the rate at which the pot gets heated. If too low, the fire will engulf the pot and if too high the
flames do not reach the pot, both resulting in fuel wastage.
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