NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

...and coming up with something that can make a difference in reducing carbon emissions when heating a room or cooking food was a challenge Louis Fourie jumped at six years ago. Terry van der Walt reports.

LIVING semi off the grid in an isolated spot at the top of Magwa Falls in Eastern Cape, where it can get pretty cold, Louis Fourie had to come up with a plan.

“Heating our homes and cooking food are fundamental to our lives, yet the processes are costly to the environment. With normal fires, the heat goes all over the place and up the chimney,” he says.

Fourie came up with a plan and has tweaked his design over the years, building a prototype which is ready to go into production.

The Little Big Stove can heat up a room and its horizontal steel plate, that feeds into the chimney, provides ample space for two large pots to heat on.

Because the draw is so strong, there is very little smoke in the room, and the ash is also minimal, with most going out the chimney.

The wattle-and-daub rondavel where Fourie has installed one is where visitors relax and prepare meals and feeding chopped wood into the stove’s chute becomes second nature to them.

“It worked out so well – and it was too big for me to keep for myself. It is almost like a gift for the world; an invention for the world. However, to patent it is simply not possible – there are other similar ones out there.

“It is a marvellous thing that can help society. It can help farmers; people in low-income groups and high-income groups.”

In developing the prototype, Fourie and his team did tests and found by burning just 26 mielie cobs they could cook a pot of pap.

In a normal fire the heat goes up and sideways but with The Little Big Stove the heat is concentrated as it is drawn up the chimney, not before jetting flames into the horizontal chamber where food is cooked, coffee is boiled.

The stove is fuel efficient, eco-friendly and adaptable, and can be fitted with a water heater.

To find out more about the Little Big Stove visit www.louisatmagwafalls.co.za.

LEFT: Glowing and making the rondavel well warm, the Little Big Stove lives up to its reputation. CENTRE: The finished product which is to go into production soon. RIGHT: With ample room for two large pots, the cooking surface is ideal for making meals.