Ground protection under stove?

[SaraR]

I had my Wildstove woodgas stove out for the first time in a long while on Sunday to try out using cat litter wood pellets as the fuel. It worked really well, although I think I need some metal mesh in the base to stop pellets falling down.

Anyway, my main issue was that the patio slab underneath clearly got very hot. I've got some bricks I can place it on next time, but I need to find something more lightweight for when I'm out and about. Especially since I'm getting a honey stove later in the year.

Any suggestions for efficient, lightweight and packable options for protecting the ground?

I had a look at welding mats etc, but it's not something I know much about. Also saw some suggestions of using biscuit tin lids etc.

 

[Woody girl]

I use a small sandwich cake baking pan, or a fray bentos tin. Both work well with mine.

 

[nigelp]

Plumbers soldering mat.

 

[SaraR]

I use a small sandwich cake baking pan, or a fray bentos tin. Both work well with mine.

Did you use that upside down?

 

[Woody girl]

Did you use that upside down?

Like a little tray, so that it catches any ash or stray hot coals.
It still gets very warm under the pan, but I've not had any burnt grass or anything.
I found an old silicon baking pan in the charity shop for 50p so may make a little mat to go underneath from that for extra protection. I can store it in the bottom of the pan for transporting, and weighs nothing realy.

 

[Kadushu]

I use a baking tray. I'm wary of thin steel like a biscuit tin lid warping as it heats and tipping the stove. If there are holes in the base you can put bolts through then you could use long bolts or threaded rod as legs. I did that on the IKEA cutlery drainer stove.

 

[SaraR]

Like a little tray, so that it catches any ash or stray hot coals.
It still gets very warm under the pan, but I've not had any burnt grass or anything.
I found an old silicon baking pan in the charity shop for 50p so may make a little mat to go underneath from that for extra protection. I can store it in the bottom of the pan for transporting, and weighs nothing realy.

Ah ok.

 

[SaraR]

I use a baking tray. I'm wary of thin steel like a biscuit tin lid warping as it heats and tipping the stove. If there are holes in the base you can put bolts through then you could use long bolts or threaded rod as legs. I did that on the IKEA cutlery drainer stove.

The insert for the Zebra pot that it came with would probably work and is quite solid stainless steel.

There is no base to attach bolts to, otherwise that's a great idea.

 

[Ystranc]

Same as NigelP, I use a fabric plumbers soldering mat which will roll up. I usually roll one around my fuel bottle and fasten it in place with a couple of elastic bands because they don’t like being folded. I use one under a windproof Trangia as well…just in case.

 

[SaraR]

I had a look at those mats too, but wasn't sure how well they'd cope with 1h+ of fire so close by.

 

[nigelp]

I had a look at those mats too, but wasn't sure how well they'd cope with 1h+ of fire so close by.

An hour is a long time to burn the stove in one ‘spot’ without leaving a mark. My bushbuddy has a ‘cavity! Between the base and the burning mesh and even that will get quite warm after 20 minutes.
The mat is rated to a few 100° so should be ok.

 

[SaraR]

An hour is a long time to burn the stove in one ‘spot’ without leaving a mark. My bushbuddy has a ‘cavity! Between the base and the burning mesh and even that will get quite warm after 20 minutes.
The mat is rated to a few 100° so should be ok.

If on bare ground, it is of course possible to dig down a bit to make sure there's less to be damaged (save the soil community).

I think adding a mesh floor to the burn chamber/fuel basket will help as well, as some pellets were dropping down and burning on the ground.

 

[nigelp]

If on bare ground, it is of course possible to dig down a bit to make sure there's less to be damaged (save the soil community).

I think adding a mesh floor to the burn chamber/fuel basket will help as well, as some pellets were dropping down and burning on the ground.

Maybe a combination of a tray and something underneath to protect the ground.

 

[bearbait]

I've used a fire blanket folded multiple times several times in a tent under my Fourdog stove. Seems to do the job, and protects the groundsheet from any embers or sparks when adding wood to the stove.

And, like nigelp, I use a soldering mat under small cooking stoves to protect the table or ground from the heat.

 

[Ystranc]

I had a look at those mats too, but wasn't sure how well they'd cope with 1h+ of fire so close by.

They cope very well, they’re made to protect decorative finishes from the intense, direct heat of a blowtorch. They do a great job of protecting surfaces below stoves where the majority of the heat is focused upwards.

 

[Paul_B]

They're usually made of an Eglass fabric typically 1250gsm area weight. Sometimes with a graphite/silicone weavelock or other weavelock to give the fibres a bit more durability / cut resistance. They resist heat but offer only a modest insulation. Enough for under the fire in most cases. Actual temperature resistance is likely to be about 650'C but that's for unstressed temperature. It'll not be damaged by a bit higher in this use. It'll start to degrade at about 800C

IME most natural, naked flames are about 750C. Once the tip of a match has burnt out the flame from the match I've measured 730 to 760C with an infrared thermometer.

We had all that kit at my old place for measuring molten rock in the furnace body (a bath of molten rock that's kept at a steady temperature before pouring out to make fibres.

You can get higher temperature rated soldering mats. They're usually a quilted mat that may not be that stable. It'll consist of probably silica needlemat enclosed in a vermiculite coated, silica fabric to the hot face and possibly Eglass to the balance. Might have a foil layer at the back but that's not really needed. Being a padded mat means your stove might not be as stable, possibly. Overkill and overpriced for this use.

If worried about heat use two of the thinner, standard soldering or plumbers mats.

BTW fire blankets are simply Eglass fabric at about 600gsm. For about £6 per m2 of fabric they'll charge anything up to £60 depending on the size. The soldering mats are the area weight of double thickness, smaller, lighter, more compact and cheaper if bought online from anywhere but main DIY stores.

In full openness I work for a company that has a sideline selling these types of products. I don't think it's right pointing people to the company's online shop but I do know a bit about these materials from a technical pov and as a user for outdoors use. I bought my own before I worked here for £8 from b&q but that's too expensive for what it is and costs them. Rip off!

I hope I haven't broken any forum rules as I'm not selling or promoting the company I work for. Just trying to give information I know on these products and their use outdoors.

 

[Paul_B]

One last point, the type of fabric used for soldering mats also gets sold as bbq or fire pit ground protection mats. I've used one under an Outwell cazal portable fire pit for several hours of full heat fire. That's inches above the mat but I think it gets as hot under it as a honey stove or similar.

The last time it was in grass at a campsite that was higher than the tops of hiking boots. Underneath grass was unaffected but to the side it was a little bit singed but but enough to be a problem.

 

[SaraR]

They're usually made of an Eglass fabric typically 1250gsm area weight. Sometimes with a graphite/silicone weavelock or other weavelock to give the fibres a bit more durability / cut resistance. They resist heat but offer only a modest insulation. Enough for under the fire in most cases. Actual temperature resistance is likely to be about 650'C but that's for unstressed temperature. It'll not be damaged by a bit higher in this use. It'll start to degrade at about 800C

IME most natural, naked flames are about 750C. Once the tip of a match has burnt out the flame from the match I've measured 730 to 760C with an infrared thermometer.

We had all that kit at my old place for measuring molten rock in the furnace body (a bath of molten rock that's kept at a steady temperature before pouring out to make fibres.

You can get higher temperature rated soldering mats. They're usually a quilted mat that may not be that stable. It'll consist of probably silica needlemat enclosed in a vermiculite coated, silica fabric to the hot face and possibly Eglass to the balance. Might have a foil layer at the back but that's not really needed. Being a padded mat means your stove might not be as stable, possibly. Overkill and overpriced for this use.

If worried about heat use two of the thinner, standard soldering or plumbers mats.

BTW fire blankets are simply Eglass fabric at about 600gsm. For about £6 per m2 of fabric they'll charge anything up to £60 depending on the size. The soldering mats are the area weight of double thickness, smaller, lighter, more compact and cheaper if bought online from anywhere but main DIY stores.

In full openness I work for a company that has a sideline selling these types of products. I don't think it's right pointing people to the company's online shop but I do know a bit about these materials from a technical pov and as a user for outdoors use. I bought my own before I worked here for £8 from b&q but that's too expensive for what it is and costs them. Rip off!

I hope I haven't broken any forum rules as I'm not selling or promoting the company I work for. Just trying to give information I know on these products and their use outdoors.

That’s super-helpful. thank you!

 

[Paul_B]

Just realised "temperature resistance" might be misleading. I mean the fabric can resist the temperature not that it will resist the heat energy getting through the mat (it might not resist completely temperature on top with some heat energy getting through). However with air flow around the stove and the heat being a little above the mat it will be good enough in this use. If you like air gap can dissipates heat enough that the fabric can cope with the rest of the heat energy.

I once saw a fire test of a passive, fire protection product consisting of a thin layer of Eglass fabric. Designed to resist smoke getting through to the other side in the case of a fire, typically used above cavity suspended ceilings. Usually a product with insulation is needed but in certain, limited conditions heat resistance isn't needed only a smoke barrier. A thin fabric half if not a third of the area weight if these mats we're looking at. The furnace/hot face gets up to serious temperatures very quickly. 50mm of rockwool type product only lasts 15 minutes stopping heat getting through but this fabric layer lasted 2 minutes for insulation. In the next hour it stopped the smoke though one of the guys running the test suited up in one of those silver fully covered fire suit and the video camera had started to melt on the "cold face" several metres away! We were in the fire and heat proof room behind a really thick piece of heat resistant, toughened glass.

Since then I'm aware of thin, multi layer fire barriers <20 mm thick capable of lasting half a hour even full hour of insulation in the fire test. All made of eglass fabric and eglass insulation layers.

Sorry! Waffling on.

 

[Jared]

Any material suitable to do double duty as a backpack frame sheet?