Steamer pass or fail?

[Adios Pantalones]

WHM chief thermal test engineer Jags has conducted a series of experiments on my home made steamers, with stove top temps ranging from 450F to 800F. Yes, he pumped up the volume to 800, risking life and limb for the mission and his meager salary (which is nuthin).

The water temp went from the 185f F range (at 500-550 F stove temp) to a high of 206 F at the 800ish F stove temp.

So that's the question here- you just aint gonna boil water on the stove top- the rate of water aspiration may be low. Is this a failure? They have little feet that keep them off the stove top to prevent thermal shock- should I just grind down the feet a bit to pump up the heat?

 

[fishingpol]

They still are neat looking, I just don't have the height clearance on the stove top under my lintel. Speaking of thermal shock there was post here with a yesterday under ceramic fireplaces and how in the Raku process they douse the vessel with sawdust and later water at a high temp to thermal shock it at temps higher than it would normally operate at. It is a very interesting concept. How about making some containers for either fatwood holders or for supercedars? The steamers are truly neat, there has to be some other hearth related item that can be created without worrying about damage to a stove.

(broken link removed)

 

[pen]

It had better be a big steamer if you grind those feet off if it's to be used on a large variety stove.

I have my clay steamer sitting on a metal trivet and occasionally it will simmer when the stove is really cranking but never boil. I really wouldn't want it to work any harder personally. I don't expect my steamer to completely humidify my home. I just expect it to supplement the humidifier a bit.

My steamer goes through about about a 1/2 gallon over the course of 24 hrs in the dead of winter.

pen

 

[Adios Pantalones]

fishpol- thanks! I make a lot of other stuff, but these were for a stove shop owner so I'd like to get them right. With raku they use the sawdust (or newspaper, or anything combustible) to make a lot of smoke for a "reducing" atmosphere that gives all sorts of cool glaze effects, but they're not "functional". It's a specialty clay they use (lots of sand-like material) to withstand the stress. Fascinating process, and another way to make fire.



Pen- they're a pretty good size- I should measure them. The temp is why I ask- do they have to boil, or is sort of 190F OK?

 

[pen]

190 would be perfect for me so if it were for my house I'd say leave it. For my 30, it needs to hold 2 quarts in the event of a very hot / full stove. My steamer holds just that and if I didn't have it on a trivet it would be boiled dry most of the time.

But as with many products, it's tough making everyone happy. What about forgoing the feet and making a trivet to go under it out of clay? That would allow the user to choose which they prefer.

pen

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Pen- thanks for your input!

It's really risky to put it directly on the stove unless the clay is formulated as "flameware". I added a mineral that helps a bit, but it's seriously scary- especially when I consider liability. I could just make the feet smaller until I tune in on the right heat.

 

[pen]

Agreed. Better to err on the side of caution.

pen

 

[Beetle-Kill]

AP, why would you want to boil water in a steamer? I think your temp range is great. I'd hate to be cleaning off the stove top everytime the steamer boiled over.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

AP, why would you want to boil water in a steamer? I think your temp range is great. I'd hate to be cleaning off the stove top everytime the steamer boiled over.

Beetle- I dunno, that's why I ask. I have an insert so the top doesn't really get hot enough to use a steamer. I'll put you down as a "no boil"

 

[begreen]

I don't want it to boil, that risks spillover or drips on the stove. Our pot of water cooks along at about 180 all day long which is just fine for me.

 

[Jags]

After the initial tests were done with some safety precautions for my stove (steamers sitting in a large pan in case of breakage), I took them to the "Jags laboratory of controlled environmental punishment and cigars" (that would be my shop).

In the lab sits a one of a kind, never offered to the public, custom built (by Jags Engineering) wood stove. With a plate steel top of 1/2" it can maintain a pretty constant temp and take some pretty heavy duty punishment. The pots were subjected to ~ 2 hours of over 700F temps with an intended spike to 800+F for a period of time, as well. I was "trying" to boil the water. It never happened.

The pots responded with not even a burp or gurgle, simply basking in the heat and exhaling water vapor. All temps were measured with a Rutland magnetic thermo and confirmed with an IR thermo.

See attached crappy phone pics.

 

[firefighterjake]

My "steamer" doesn't steam and to be honest I don't want it to do so . . . I do know that in the winter when I'm running the stove 24/7 I have to put a quart or two of water into it to keep it full . . . no boiling or steaming to make a mess of the stove . . . I do have the enameled steamer on a trivet though . . . and that's on top of my soapstone slab.

I would say if Jags is seeing a decent amount of evaporation and no steam it would be a good thing . . . as long as folks buying these know they are not going to steam.

 

[Vic99]

I concur. No boiling. 190-200 is perfect.

I have a large steel steamer that boils water when my stove top reaches 600 F. It's really loud (which I don't like) . . . I imagine that water boiling in fired clay would be quieter, but still. Put me down for no boil and one pot (Mrs. Vic will pick out a nice color).

 

[Jags]

At typical stove top temps, I would estimate the evaporation rate of greater than 1 qt. but less than 2 qt per 8 hrs.

I was also averaging 186F water temp.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Ours is enameled cast iron, right on the soapstone, never has boiled. light simmer is the most it's ever done, and we refill morning and evening, usually 2+/- quarts. it holds a little over 3, we try not to run it dry. If these are not "only" for a certain contract, we would be interested in one I do believe.. we were thinking about the soapstone ones.. but we have a lot of functional clay art in our home..

 

[Jags]

but we have a lot of functional clay art in our home..

I have to admit - these things are sexy as hell.

 

[Vic99]

Dakota's Dad,

I had a Hearthstone soapstone steamer on top of my soapstone stove. Lasted for 2.5 years before it cracked. Did not have legs, but I had three 1 inch strips of stove door gasket on the bottom to raise it up slightly and to reduce scratching.