Abstract
A wood stove including a stove body which defines a stove exterior, a stove interior, and a combustion chamber disposed within the interior. A temporary cast iron insert is placed within the combustion chamber, the insert includes a horizontal base and vertical wall. The vertical wall substantially bisects the horizontal base. Fuel may be placed only on one side of the vertical wall during milder weather that does not require the full heating capacity of the stove. The cast iron insert improves the thermal efficiency of the stove whenever lesser amounts of logs are burned.
Claims
1. A stove comprising: a stove body which defines a stove exterior, a stove interior, a bottom floor and a combustion chamber disposed within the interior, a removable temporary metal insert placed within the combustion chamber, the insert includes a horizontal base and vertical wall, wherein the vertical wall of the insert bisects the horizontal base, and the horizontal base rests on the bottom floor of the stove, the temporary metal insert comprises cast iron.
2. The stove according to claim 1, wherein said combustion chamber has a vertical height from a bottom to a top wall and said vertical wall has a height that is approximately said height of said combustion chamber.
3. The stove according to claim 2, wherein said stove has at least one side wall and said vertical wall is parallel with said at least one side wall of the stove.
4. The stove according to claim 2, wherein said base of the insert covers most said bottom of said combustion chamber.
5. The stove according to claim 3, wherein said base of the insert covers most said bottom of said combustion chamber.
6. A stove comprising: a stove body which defines a stove exterior, a stove interior, a bottom floor and a combustion chamber disposed within the interior, a removable temporary cast iron insert placed within the combustion chamber, the insert includes a horizontal base and vertical wall wherein the vertical wall of the insert bisects the horizontal base, and the horizontal base rests on the bottom floor of the stove.
7. The stove according to claim 6, wherein said combustion chamber has a vertical height from said bottom floor to a top wall.
8. The stove according to claim 7, wherein said vertical wall has a height that is approximately said height of said combustion chamber.
9. The stove according to claim 7, wherein said base of the insert covers most of said bottom floor of said combustion chamber.
10. The stove according to claim 8, wherein said base of the insert covers most said bottom floor of said combustion chamber.
11. The stove according to claim 10, wherein said metal insert has a high heating capacity.
12. The stove according to claim 11, wherein said metal insert has a high thermal energy storage.
13. The stove according to claim 1, wherein said combustion chamber has a vertical height from a bottom to a top wall and said vertical wall has a height that is less than said height of said combustion chamber.
14. The stove according to claim 7, wherein said vertical wall has a height that is less than said height of said combustion chamber.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective of a stove having therein an insert member embodying the teachings of the present invention.
(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective of an insert member embodying the teachings of the present invention.
(3) FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1 with half the amount of the recommended full capacity of wood loaded in a stove without the insert.
(4) FIG. 4 is a front view showing the stove of FIG. 3 with half the amount of the recommended full capacity of wood loaded but with the insert positioned therein.
(5) FIG. 5 is a front view showing the stove of FIG. 3 with half the amount of the recommended full capacity of wood loaded in a stove but with the insert positioned therein, however the wood is stacked on the opposite side of the insert as shown in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(6) Wood is generally burned in household heating stoves, although other types of solid fuels can also be burned in stoves and the stove of the present invention. The following description and figures are in reference to a wood burning stove, although it is to be understood that the function of the stove elements is not necessarily dependent on the type of fuel burned.
(7) A stove 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Stove 10 has a combustion chamber 25 defined by first side wall 14, opposite second side wall 16, a top wall 17, a front wall having a hinged door 18, a bottom wall 19, and a back wall 15, not shown in FIG. 1. Together, these various wall define a combustion chamber 25 within the walls. The stove may be atop an elevated footer or have legs 23 which elevates the stove above the surface on which it is supported, including a floor for instance. Typically, the stove 10 is metal, including but not limited to cast iron. A larger portion of the heat generated by fuel combustion radiates toward and is absorbed by the metal sidewalls, bottom and top of the stove. An amount of the upwardly radiating heat goes out the flue 20. The stove temperature rises as heat is absorbed from the fire in the combustion chamber 25, and this absorbed heat is then radiated to the lower temperature room air, wall surfaces and other objects surrounding the stove. A stove efficiently dissipates its heat into the surrounding room by both natural air convection and radiation. The natural air convection occurs on account of local heat gradients that arise within the room. For example, as air next to the stove surfaces is heated it rises towards the room ceiling and is replaced by cooler room temperature air creating a natural air circulation cycle.
(8) The door 18 is disposed on the front wall, however, the door can be provided on any of the side walls or the back wall of stove 10. Door 18 is pivotally openable on a hinge attached to the front wall. A handle may facilitate opening and closing of the door. Door 18 may in one preferred embodiment include a window to allow viewing of the combustion chamber 25 within the stove 10. The door 18 can be used to place fuel, such as wood logs, into the combustion chamber 25 of stove 10.
(9) A flue, flue or chimney 20 is provided to allow the exhaust gases generated by the burning fuel to exit the stove 10. Included in stove 10 are various air intake apertures and channels, to provide air to the interior of the combustion chamber. The stove may include dampers used to manipulate the flow of intake air.
(10) Within the stove in FIG. 2 is an insert 30 for improving the thermal efficiency of the stove whenever substantially lesser amounts of wood than the stoves recommended full fuel capacity are required. The insert 30 comprises of a horizontal base and vertical wall 34. The vertical wall is perpendicular to the horizontal base and extends from a front edge 36 of the base to its rear edge, not shown. The vertical wall substantially bisects the horizontal base into two equal halves 31 and 32. The vertical wall 34 may be welded to the base 32 employing a bond that has a much higher melting temperature than those temperatures that may arise while burning a heating fuel in the stove. Alternatively the vertical wall may be attached to the base using a bracket and bolts or other well-known means for fastening one substrate perpendicular to another substrate.
(11) As seen in FIG. 4 the height Y2 of the vertical wall 34 of the insert is approximately the height Y1 of the combustion chamber. As seen in FIG. 4 the logs (unnumbered) are stacked against the vertical wall 34 which provides support for the logs. The vertical wall accommodates stacking logs in higher configuration. That is, although logs may not be stacked precisely one on top of the other and may instead be staggered to an extent, they are limited and supported horizontally on at least one side by the vertical wall 34 so as to form an overall cross sectional configuration that is substantially higher than when an identical amount of wood is stacked in the combustion chamber without an insert, see FIG. 3. The insert vertical wall 34 is positioned near the center of the stove for more even distribution of heat to all the walls of the stove.
(12) When a load of wood is stacked in the stove without an insert, see FIG. 3, much of the heat from the logs (unnumbered), the bold arrows directed away from the stacked logs represents that heat radiation directed to the top surface of the stove, a larger portion of the heat radiation generated by the burning logs is directed upward on account of such wood stacks must be generally stacked in a pyramid shape requiring a broader horizontal base in proportion to the wood stacks vertical height. Accordingly, much of the radiant heat emitted from the wood stack in FIG. 3 is directed toward the top of the stove and the flue. The progression of the fire eventually turns the logs into embers which are great sources of radiant heat. The embers fall down beneath and eventually onto the bottom of the stove generally forming a hot ember pile that is a geometrically reminiscent of the original wood stack but shorter.
(13) In contrast a higher original configuration of logs is achievable with the same amount of logs when employing the insert 30. This higher stack of logs radiates proportionately more heat toward the side walls, front wall and back wall. A greater proportional amount of radiation heat, as represented by the bold arrows, in FIG. 5, it is directed at and absorbed by sidewall 16, likewise heat radiation (not depicted by radiation arrows) is directed to back wall 15, door 18 and sidewall 14 with a lesser proportional amount of radiated heat directed at and absorbed by the top 17 and also a lesser amount radiated heat out the flue 20 in comparison to the equivalent amount of wood stacked without an insert, see FIG. 3.
(14) The heat radiating from the stack of logs is also absorbed by vertical wall 34. The heat in wall 34 is then nearly all radiated toward and absorbed by sidewall 16, see FIG. 5. The logs in FIG. 5 conduct and radiate heat to the insert base half 31, this heat is conducted by direct contact to the bottom floor 19 of the stove. The heat absorbed by the base 31 is conducted horizontally about the base of the insert and to the bottom floor of the stove by virtue of its direct contact with the bottom floor 19.
(15) The logs are initially stacked higher against the vertical wall in FIG. 4, therefor as the logs burn the accumulated built up pile of embers will be proportionally deeper in comparison to the resulting generally pyramid pile of embers resulting from an equivalent amount of logs stacked in typical pyramid style as shown in FIG. 3. The resulting more vertical deeper ember bed of course also radiates more heat horizontally as compared with the alternative resulting pyramid bed of hot embers that results from the original generally pyramid stack of logs in FIG. 3 when stacking without an insert. The greatest exposure of the resulting hot ember much flatter pyramid pile occurs horizontally with a very small amount of radiant heat directed at the stove sidewalk back and door. The use of the insert 30 lessens the degree of horizontal exposure and increases radiation directed to the sidewalls, back and door by limiting the hot embers horizontal exposure to about half the area of the stove bottom and causing the embers to pile deeper. The use of the insert 30 of the present invention causes more even distribution of radiant heat from the combustion chamber amongst all the exterior walls of the stove. It is believed that overall stove heat radiation into an adjacent building space is increased with the cast iron insert of the present invention in comparison to the same stove without an insert in the combustion chamber.
(16) It will also be understood that while a wood fueled stove will be described with respect to the preferred embodiments, the disclosure is not limited to stoves burning wood, but could equally apply to stoves using other fuel sources. Further, while the present disclosure described is made of cast iron the disclosure is not to be limited to any particular material, but could be used with other known constructions, such as steel, aluminum and other known materials.
(17) Although the stove body is described with six walls (four periphery side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall), body can be any shape. The above description of a stove has been fairly general. It is understood that any variation in the structure of a stove can be used with an appropriately shaped insert corresponding to the stove body. These and other modifications of the disclosure will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the above description.
