Campfire water heating apparatus and method

A method of heating and delivering water by utilizing heat from a heat source, such as an open campfire or a fireplace, said method comprising:

• a. providing at a supply location a source of water, which remains open to ambient atmospheric pressure such as a container of water, with said supply location being at a first supply elevation to create a supply pressure head relative to lower elevations;
• b. providing a source of heat, such as a campfire or a fireplace fire, having heating location at a second elevation lower than said first elevation;
• c. providing a heat exchange pumping and condensing device comprising:
• i. an elongate housing having a length dimension substantially greater than a width dimension thereof, and defining a water heat exchange chamber of a predetermined volume, said housing having a first end and a second end,
• ii. a water inlet means and a water outlet means at the first end of the housing,
• iii. an inlet conduit located in said chamber and having a conduit inlet connected to the water inlet and a conduit outlet adjacent to the second end of the housing and opening into said chamber near the second end of the housing;
• iv. said housing having a side wall extending substantially entirely along said length dimension, said side wall being constructed and arranged as a heat exchange surface to receive heat from said heat source, as a primary source of heat from said heat source for said device;
• d. providing a supply tube having a supply tube outlet end connected to said chamber inlet and a supply tube inlet positioned to receive water from said source at substantially atmospheric pressure;
• e. providing a delivery tube having a delivery inlet end connecting to the chamber outlet, and positioning an outlet end of said delivery tube at a delivery location to create a delivery pressure head, with the delivery tube having a maximum delivery elevation which is at least as high as said supply elevation, said outlet end being positioned and arranged to be at approximately ambient atmospheric pressure;
• f. filling said chamber with water, and locating said heat exchange pumping and condensing device at said heating location to be heated by said source of heat;
• g. applying heat from the heat source primarily to the side wall of the housing and heating the water in the chamber to a boiling temperature to create steam in said chamber, while substantially blocking any reverse flow of the water in the chamber toward the source of water, and creating steam pressure in said chamber to a level greater than said delivery pressure head to cause flow of the water from the chamber through the outlet means and the delivery tube to be discharged at the discharge location;
• h. continuing the discharge of the water from the chamber through the delivery tube until the water in the delivery tube is substantially discharged from the delivery tube so as to lower the pressure in the delivery tube and in said chamber to a level below the supply pressure head created by the water at said source of water, thus causing water to flow from said source downwardly through the supply tube toward the chamber;
• i. causing flow of water from the supply tube to flow into the chamber near the second end thereof to absorb heat from the heat exchange pumping device and condense steam in the chamber, with the steam in the chamber being substantially entirely condensed in said chamber to thus cause additional water to flow by gravity from said source into said chamber to substantially fill said chamber.