Originally Posted by
Odd Man Out
My most recent modification was to switch from using a hardware cloth pot stand with an aluminum flashing wind screen that came up the side of the pot to a combination aluminum flashing wind screen/pot stand. The new wind screen/pot stand does not have vents on the top so all the heat is forced through the heat exchangers. This gave a measurable increase of power (shorter burn times) and efficiency (less fuel needed). I presume that in the old system, some heat bypassed the heat exchangers in which case having the wind screen come up the side (or a cone) would help. The new system has three advantages. There is one less part (no separate pot stand needed). It's lighter (the wind screen is much smaller and there is no pot stand). More convenient to use (the assembled wind screen stores in the pot so no need to assemble/disassemble for each use). It is possible that this system is more susceptible to wind since there is no screen shielding the side of the heat exchangers, but my gut tells me this shouldn't be a problem. When I retire I will build a wind tunnel and test the effects of wind on various stove systems. I'm fairly certain this is one key parameter that has never been subject to rigorous independent testing.
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