Solid fuel burning induced draft stove

Abstract

An induced draft stove has a housing in which a food-supporting grate is disposed above a solid fuel-supporting grate. Burning solid fuel within the stove creates an induced flow of ambient combustion air to the fuel which is sequentially drawn into a pair of manually dampered inlet plenum boxes carried by the housing, through an air supply manifold, and into the open ends of a laterally spaced series of horizontally extending air delivery tubes which are removably positioned within the housing beneath the fuel grate. Combustion air entering the tubes is drawn downwardly through bottom outlet openings therein, flowed upwardly along lower exterior surface portions of the tubes, through the spaces between adjacent tube pairs, and then upwardly to the burning fuel. Upper side portions of the tubes shield the bottom outlet openings therein to prevent ash and other fuel bits falling from the fuel grate from clogging these outlet openings. Because the tube outlet openings face downwardly, air discharged therefrom is laterally spread along lower surface portions of the tubes before flowing upwardly to the fuel. This baffle effect of the tubes evenly distributes induced combustion air to the fuel, thereby substantially eliminating 'hot' and 'cold' spots therein and creating a uniformly distributed cooking temperature pattern within the stove. The upward flow of combustion air along the exterior surfaces of the tubes also functions to cool the tubes to substantially prolong their operating lives despite their close proximity to the burning fuel.