Making Concrete Slabs For Outdoor Wood Stoves
A Cost-Effective Approach To A Better Heating System
May 29, 2009
A concrete slab is a flat, rectangular or square, reinforced concrete structural member, especially used for floors and roofs. In Lesotho, primary and high Schools use outdoor stoves that use wood and coal for cooking of all sorts of food, that include beans soup, meat and porriage. This is where concrete slabs come in. They are made to be the front part of the stoves,as the body of the stoves is built-up of bricks.
Features of Concrete Slabs
Concrete slabs have different features. We will deal with square-shaped concrete slabs that have equal sides. Their features include:
- 4cm Thickness
- 1 metre length
- 1 metre Width
- 33cm Centre hole
- Reinforced by 1 metre R6 reinfocement
Material list
- 10 x 5 litres crush stone
- 6 x 5 litres sand
- 5kg cement
- 8 x 1metre R6 reinforcement
- 6 x 5 litres water
How to Make Reinforced concrete slabs
The mix of the reinforced concrete slab should be very soft and smooth, to make it tough when it dries up. The mix of the above ingredients will make two slabs, while eight reinforcements will be used for only one slab
- Pour crush stone, sand, dust and cement into concrete mixer
- Pour water and mix
- Pour it into a frame and stop when it has thickness of 2cm
- Place R6 reinforcements on top of the slab, two on each side
- Pour the rest of the mix on top of the reinforncements to fill up the frame
- Leave the slab for 3 days in summer and 4 days in winter to dryHow to Use Concrete SlabsAfter three to four days, the slab will be ready for use. Among others, the slab can be used to make a beautiful front of the outside stove for schools, because it is tough enough to stand all kinds of weather, whether it is raining, hot or cold. It is easy to use this front part of the stove as it has a 33cm hole in the middle, to make it easy to pour in coal, or to insert woodCosts of making a slabThe costs of making a concrete slab with R6 reinforcement is much cheaper and timesaving, when compared to the use of mash wire, as it is more expensive and complicated. The estimated selling price of one slab is around US $15, while the cost of making two slabs is around half of that priceConcrete slabs are trustworthy and cost-effective, especially when reinforced, as one can make them at home with a little professional assistance.
