A chimney starter or charcoal chimney is a device for igniting charcoal lumps or

briquette A briquette (; also spelled briquet) is a compressed block of coal dust or other combustible biomass material (e.g. charcoal, sawdust, wood chips, peat, or paper) used for fuel and kindling to start a fire. The term derives from the French word ' ...

s. It consists of a metal tube with a grate to hold charcoal. A lighting cone is a similar, conical, device placed over an existing grate. The tube is typically cylindrical, but may also have other cross-sections."Outset Collapsible Camping Grill and Chimney Starter"

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US20160075961A1
filed 2014 The tube may also be made of combustible material designed to resist burning long enough for the coals to ignite. Modern commercial models are usually sheet steel cylinders about 6–8" (15–20 cm) in

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid fo ...

and 8–12" (20–30 cm) tall. A grate or mesh to hold charcoal is placed horizontally inside the cylinder about 3" (8 cm) from the bottom; this is sometimes conical. Large holes around the bottom let air in. Modern commercial chimneys generally have insulated handles.

History

A 1910 British design for a cylindrical metal

portable stove A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, used in camping, picnicking, backpacking, or other use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed. Portable stove ...

is described as "also applicable for use as a Fire Lighter" and describes the use of paper kindling below a conical grate, with wood or coal above it. A 1917 design closely resembles a modern chimney starter: a metal cylinder with a raised grate and air holes below the grate. However, it is not described as a fire starter, but as a "camp stove". Home-made versions in the 1950s, called kindle cans, were often made from metal coffee, fruit juice, or motor oil cans with ventilation holes punched with a

can opener A can opener (in North American English and Australian English) or tin opener (used in British English) is a mechanical device used to open tin cans (metal cans). Although preservation of food using tin cans had been practiced since at leas ...

, and did not have a grate. They often did not have handles, and needed to be handled with tongs. Various kinds of chimney starter have been patented over the years.

Design considerations

Chimney starters essentially work by increasing the

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

, supplying more

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...

to the coals. Taller starters are more effective than shorter ones. In empirical studies of lighting cones for Haitian charcoal stoves (which are placed ''over'' a grate rather than having an integrated grate), the ignition time and charcoal consumption were halved compared to lighting on a shallow bed grate, and

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

production was reduced by 40%. The cone also protected the charcoal from the wind, and helped direct the smoke away from users.

Using a chimney starter

The chimney starter is used by placing kindling—typically paper—under the grate and charcoal over it. When the kindling is lit, it ignites the charcoal and creates a draft. Since the coals are held together, radiation heats adjacent coals, and

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the conve ...

heats coals higher in the stack. Once all the charcoal is burning (glowing red on the bottom and ashed over on the top), the chimney is lifted by its handle and the burning charcoal dumped into the grill. If some burning charcoal remains in the chimney, adding new charcoal will quickly ignite it.

Cooking

One can also cook directly over the chimney starter with an additional top grate. This provides high-intensity heat for fast

searing Searing (or pan searing) is a technique used in grilling, baking, braising, roasting, sautéing, etc., in which the surface of the food (usually meat such as beef, poultry, pork, seafood) is cooked at high temperature until a browned crust forms ...

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References

External links