Fogones Mejorados (Improved Cookstoves)

At last I’ve begun work on the improved cookstove project. It was pretty much the main reason that I was solicited for my site. After months of planning, trying to have meetings, filling out grants, waiting to receive grant money, getting the community organized, finding materials (some as far away as the capital), getting materials transported to my site, and getting someone down here to train us, work has finally started. I just finished stove number 6. My friend Andrea came down to train my albañil (mason) Jutico and I. Ben came over from his site near here and Elise the volunteer near me came over as well. We had a big crew for the first couple of days. I think the stoves will make a big difference for the people who receive them for a number of reasons. They use way less wood to cook with, which means way fewer trees will be cut down. And, they have a chimney so the women, children, and whomever else is in the kitchen, will not be inhaling smoke all day long.











How do you make an improved cookstove you may be asking yourself? Well, first we had to take a lot of measurements. We checked the size of the cement blocks. We decided the size of the stove based on that. We identified the location of the stove based on space, and where the chimney was going to have to go through the roof. Next, we had to lay down the first and most important layer of cement blocks. Everything must be square and level because we’re building up and the more square and level the stove is the stronger it will be and the longer it will last. Once the first row is laid out we built the second, third, and fourth, leaving openings on the third and fourth in the front to build the mouth of the stove.





After the four layers are done we filled in the stove with soil up to the level of the second block. On top of this we put the clay tiles that make up the fire box and can stand up to heat better than cement. One 8 x 16 tile goes down flat, another buried halfway behind the base block, two more of the same size on the sides. Then you fill in the seams with clay that you’ve mixed with water so it’s super sticky. After these four are stuck together inside and outside a 10 x 10 tile goes on top and gets the same treatment. Next, we filled in the final cement blocks that go over the box and cement a 6 x 6 tile behind the block over the firebox to help protect the block a little more.







Then, we had to fill in more dirt around the fire box until it is level with the top. After that we put in an empty kilogram aluminum can with top and bottom cut out and wrapped in chicken wire behind the fire box to work as the tube that goes between the two burners. Then we put four one foot pieces of rebar into the soil and set the bigger of the two pots on top of them and lowered them until either they hit the aluminum can or were between 7 and 8 centimeters above the edge of the stove. Did I mention the pots have to be level both from side to side and from front to back? Then we filled in around and up to the pot until it is level with the top of the blocks. We repeated this process with the smaller pot in the back, including putting the aluminum can underneath out the back so that it can connect to the chimney, which we also had to make.





To make the chimney we had to cut a piece of smooth zinc in half vertically and then also cut a round about the size of a 5 gallon bucket opening. We had to roll the zinc around a piece of wood and tied it together with wire. After that, we had to punch holes in the zinc with nails and then put screws in to hold the chimney together, after which we cut a hole in one side about the size of the aluminum can, and we made four holes in the top part of the chimney. To make the hat for the chimney we had to cut up to the middle and then pull the parts together so they overlap, then we nailed a hole and put a screw in to hold that together. After that, we punched four holes in the hat for the chimney and we wired the hat to the chimney. Now comes the fun part, my mason had to cut a hole in the zinc right where we wanted the chimney to come down and we had to feed the chimney through the hole and down into place, putting it through a big aluminum can in the process. We had to fit the opening over the top of the aluminum can that was coming out of the back of the second burner and then cement everything except the big can into place.







Following this, we filled in around the burners and chimney as much as we could with dirt. Then we put into place and mold made of 1 x 4 boards that stand 4 centimeters above the top of the block. After that, we filled in the top with cement and leveled it out until it’s smooth. At this point we took out the pots to fill in any holes we may have left and to take out any excess cement that might have fallen into any holes or be stuck on the inside. Finally, we put on some dry cement at the end to make sure it looks nice on top.

The families have to turn the pots every hour or two for the evening and can take them out that night or early the next morning so they won’t stick. They also have to wait 5 days before they use them so that the cement can dry well.

It’s pretty cool to see the finished project after a hard day of work, although now it’s taking two days to do because my mason decided I wasn’t going to pay him enough, even though we had talked about it previously and it’s more than almost any other mason in the country is getting paid to do this project, so Thony is going to be my mason, with some help from me of course. The only problem with that is that he’s not a mason so it’s a slow process to lay block and cement it together well and get everything level. I know he (and I) will get the hang of it soon enough, but for now what could take 5 or 6 hours with a mason is taking us 9 or 10 hours. It’s exhausting, and you’re generally working inside under a zinc roof, which means it’s super hot, so you’re sweating buckets. Furthermore, you’re working with zinc and cement, so my hands are covered with little scrapes and cuts and my skin is peeling. However, working with the families and spending pretty much all day for a day or two at their houses is really fun and I get to know the people of my community a lot better. Plus, seeing a finished stove and the excitement of the doñas makes it all worth it. Six down, 56 to go.