Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
106
General Discussion / Gen Power generators.
« on: April 03, 2014, 10:47:03 PM »
Anybody know anything about Gen Power brand generators?
Auction coming up down the road Saturday and they have a 15K PTO unit up for bids. 35K surge.
I've googled it and can't get any real information.
Looking into this for my Uncle so he can stop borrowing mine.
Auction coming up down the road Saturday and they have a 15K PTO unit up for bids. 35K surge.
I've googled it and can't get any real information.
Looking into this for my Uncle so he can stop borrowing mine.
107
Home Made / Stack temps for waste oil
« on: March 12, 2014, 05:51:58 PM »
I know it's possible to get your flue temp too low and have condensation issues when burning wood. What's the lowest a person could get away with say burning waste oil?
I've googled it and can't find anything about waste oil flue temps.
I have a waste oil burner in the shop that I placed in the old wood stove, before next winter I was going to build a simple tank in tank boiler to place it in then use a plate exchanger to hook the waste oil boiler to the wood boiler.
It's rated at 180,000 BTU an hour by strictly that there is x amount of btu's in a gallon of waste oil and it can burn up to a 1 1/4 gallons an hour, most of the time I keep it around one gallon/hour as any more oil and it does't seem to heat anything up any warmer except the stack going out of the shop.
Be a shame to over build it then have to plug some heat exchanger area off if the temps are too low and condensation becomes a issue.
This is where I picked just the burner kit up, like everything else it's gone up quite a bit in the last ten years. http://www.wasteoilheater.net/Wasteoil.pdf
I've googled it and can't find anything about waste oil flue temps.
I have a waste oil burner in the shop that I placed in the old wood stove, before next winter I was going to build a simple tank in tank boiler to place it in then use a plate exchanger to hook the waste oil boiler to the wood boiler.
It's rated at 180,000 BTU an hour by strictly that there is x amount of btu's in a gallon of waste oil and it can burn up to a 1 1/4 gallons an hour, most of the time I keep it around one gallon/hour as any more oil and it does't seem to heat anything up any warmer except the stack going out of the shop.
Be a shame to over build it then have to plug some heat exchanger area off if the temps are too low and condensation becomes a issue.
This is where I picked just the burner kit up, like everything else it's gone up quite a bit in the last ten years. http://www.wasteoilheater.net/Wasteoil.pdf
108
General Discussion / Effect of low e windows on plants
« on: March 12, 2014, 04:23:57 PM »
I know we have some members that are heating their greenhouses with OWB's and since I'm more of the hay/row crop guy I was wondering what some thought about low-e windows and house plants.
Seems like some don't do near as well since installing those windows but they perk right up come spring when we can put em out on the south side of the house under the porch.
Would some of those LED grow lights help at all?
Seems like some don't do near as well since installing those windows but they perk right up come spring when we can put em out on the south side of the house under the porch.
Would some of those LED grow lights help at all?
109
General Discussion / Time change
« on: March 11, 2014, 08:01:12 PM »
Anybody else hate the spring forward/fall back thing?
Indiana never used to follow daylight savings.
The wife has family in the UK and to be perfectly honest I have a harder time getting used to the one hour time change than I do the five hour when we goto visit in the UK.
Old Indian chief once said when daylight savings was explained to him "only a government would think you can cut a foot off the bottom of a blanket, sew it to the top and get a longer blanket."
Indiana never used to follow daylight savings.
The wife has family in the UK and to be perfectly honest I have a harder time getting used to the one hour time change than I do the five hour when we goto visit in the UK.
Old Indian chief once said when daylight savings was explained to him "only a government would think you can cut a foot off the bottom of a blanket, sew it to the top and get a longer blanket."
110
Equipment / Skidsteer mounted log splitter
« on: March 09, 2014, 11:31:31 AM »
I've had a few PM's about my log splitter, heres a link to some pictures of it.
In a nut shell, Prince 5"x30" cylinder rated at 3500 PSI. Large rod, like 2 1/2 inch.
Used the heaviest 8" channel I could get my hands on, didn't have a lot in it as they were drops. Spaced the channels roughly six inches apart so I could see where the wedge was from the seat of the skid steer.
I placed one piece in it sideways like I was going to sheer it then pushed until I seen the channels start to deflect then I set the pressure relief on the splitter a few hundred pounds under that. Also have a liquid filled pressure gauge on it as well. With the five inch cylinder I rarely see it approach a thousand pounds and haven't found anything yet it wouldn't split.
All was welded with a 250amp 3 phase Miller mig machine, used spray transfer for penetration. http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/MIG_handbook/592mig1_7.htm
One way or another I'll have a gasifier before next winter, already have a plan on how to add a four way splitter to it thats adjustable or can be raised clear up for a single wedge for taking care of real ugly pieces.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4686690199619&set=a.4686679079341.169771.1064842274&type=3&theater
In a nut shell, Prince 5"x30" cylinder rated at 3500 PSI. Large rod, like 2 1/2 inch.
Used the heaviest 8" channel I could get my hands on, didn't have a lot in it as they were drops. Spaced the channels roughly six inches apart so I could see where the wedge was from the seat of the skid steer.
I placed one piece in it sideways like I was going to sheer it then pushed until I seen the channels start to deflect then I set the pressure relief on the splitter a few hundred pounds under that. Also have a liquid filled pressure gauge on it as well. With the five inch cylinder I rarely see it approach a thousand pounds and haven't found anything yet it wouldn't split.
All was welded with a 250amp 3 phase Miller mig machine, used spray transfer for penetration. http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/MIG_handbook/592mig1_7.htm
One way or another I'll have a gasifier before next winter, already have a plan on how to add a four way splitter to it thats adjustable or can be raised clear up for a single wedge for taking care of real ugly pieces.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4686690199619&set=a.4686679079341.169771.1064842274&type=3&theater
111
Home Made / Am I over thinking my build?
« on: March 03, 2014, 09:50:27 PM »
Still haven't decided on a design yet. I followed jackel440's thread after I found it on a google search. http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=642.0
Then I stumbled on peacmar's build here and read it with great interest: http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=2132.30
Then read his collection of information here: http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=1182.0
Question is this, is peacmar's research flawed? When running my numbers for tube diameter and length for the secondary heat exchanger, every commercial unit I've compared my numbers to are undersized according to the formulas in peacmar's thread.
When comparing how much area I would need on just a vertical heat exchanger for easier cleaning (like Central Boiler or Heatmaster) I come up with a incredibly large number of vertical tubes required or do the turbolaters work that well? According to the formulas in his thread I would depending on the size of the tube need up to 28 vertical tubes, or basically enough to take the place of the horizontal tubes in a P&M design. Vertical tubes are only half as efficient at transferring heat compared to a horizontal tube, unless of course using turbolaters doubles the efficiency of a vertical tube, if so then I'm back to a quite reasonable number of vertical tubes only which would greatly simplify cleaning. Vertical tubes only also greatly simplify adding a bypass.
Fan size, for the 8 hour btu's I'm looking at I need about 63 CFM, or according to peacmar's thread would need 150% of that or roughly 95 CFM. I see some use up to a 500 CFM fan. From looking at some videos of the newer Optimizer I'm guessing from the dimensions of the fan (narrow but large diameter) and the sound of it running that they use a higher speed blower that is capable of producing the required air flow but at higher static pressure than most squirrel cage fans can produce. A standard squirrel cage fan when the static pressure starts getting much over one half inch the performance drops off drastically. The one thing that's not mentioned anywhere in the thread is what kind of static pressure if any to expect.
Going with a scotch design and the required cleaning doesn't really bother me that much, but the wife and I both like to travel in the winter. Normally if I cleaned it before I left it would be fine till I got back. However, about every other or every third year we travel to the UK to visit the wife's mothers side of the family. She doesn't have hardly any family left on her side here, but over their she has aunt's, an uncle, and a metric ton of cousins. When traveling that far it's not worth the hassle to stay for less than three weeks. When we travel Dad tends the boiler now as he has to come out every day to check the cattle anyways and I'm sure I can get him retrained to load a gasifier properly, but actually convincing him that it might need cleaned before we get home is something else entirely.
Then I stumbled on peacmar's build here and read it with great interest: http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=2132.30
Then read his collection of information here: http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=1182.0
Question is this, is peacmar's research flawed? When running my numbers for tube diameter and length for the secondary heat exchanger, every commercial unit I've compared my numbers to are undersized according to the formulas in peacmar's thread.
When comparing how much area I would need on just a vertical heat exchanger for easier cleaning (like Central Boiler or Heatmaster) I come up with a incredibly large number of vertical tubes required or do the turbolaters work that well? According to the formulas in his thread I would depending on the size of the tube need up to 28 vertical tubes, or basically enough to take the place of the horizontal tubes in a P&M design. Vertical tubes are only half as efficient at transferring heat compared to a horizontal tube, unless of course using turbolaters doubles the efficiency of a vertical tube, if so then I'm back to a quite reasonable number of vertical tubes only which would greatly simplify cleaning. Vertical tubes only also greatly simplify adding a bypass.
Fan size, for the 8 hour btu's I'm looking at I need about 63 CFM, or according to peacmar's thread would need 150% of that or roughly 95 CFM. I see some use up to a 500 CFM fan. From looking at some videos of the newer Optimizer I'm guessing from the dimensions of the fan (narrow but large diameter) and the sound of it running that they use a higher speed blower that is capable of producing the required air flow but at higher static pressure than most squirrel cage fans can produce. A standard squirrel cage fan when the static pressure starts getting much over one half inch the performance drops off drastically. The one thing that's not mentioned anywhere in the thread is what kind of static pressure if any to expect.
Going with a scotch design and the required cleaning doesn't really bother me that much, but the wife and I both like to travel in the winter. Normally if I cleaned it before I left it would be fine till I got back. However, about every other or every third year we travel to the UK to visit the wife's mothers side of the family. She doesn't have hardly any family left on her side here, but over their she has aunt's, an uncle, and a metric ton of cousins. When traveling that far it's not worth the hassle to stay for less than three weeks. When we travel Dad tends the boiler now as he has to come out every day to check the cattle anyways and I'm sure I can get him retrained to load a gasifier properly, but actually convincing him that it might need cleaned before we get home is something else entirely.
112
Central Boiler / Any Eclassic users in Northern Indiana
« on: March 03, 2014, 10:35:56 AM »
Like the title of the thread says, I'd like to actually see a Eclassic in use. Southern Michigan would also be good.
113
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / EPA hangtags
« on: February 16, 2014, 08:19:24 PM »
So how accurate are the hangtags? I can see the particulates being easy enough to measure, but how about the efficiency ratings?
I've looked at a lot of websites, the ones that don't boast of insanely high efficiency ratings will have a picture of the hang tag on the stove while another that claims high ninety's for efficiency is phase 2, but not a closeup of the tag anywhere on their site to see what the EPA claims.
Does particulate output correspond whatsoever with efficiency? I would think to an extent they'd have to.
I've looked at a lot of websites, the ones that don't boast of insanely high efficiency ratings will have a picture of the hang tag on the stove while another that claims high ninety's for efficiency is phase 2, but not a closeup of the tag anywhere on their site to see what the EPA claims.
Does particulate output correspond whatsoever with efficiency? I would think to an extent they'd have to.
114
Central Boiler / Central Boiler warranty transferrable?
« on: February 16, 2014, 10:11:34 AM »
I was all set to build a new gasifier for next heating season then I got a line on a 2 year old Eclassic 2400. Previous owners just installed it, used it one year then moved, hasn't even been used this winter as the new owners of the home don't and won't cut wood. The wife has asthma and the husband has a bad back. They plan on using the money from selling it to upgrade insulation, windows and to install a heat pump and new furnace. Asking $6800 but will be a bear to get out. Previous owners had a standalone garage built around the boiler. Would have to jack it up and place it one dollys of some sort to get it outside to lift.
From how I understand it the wives asthma is bad enough she won't even allowed it to be lit since it's in the garage. Does have antifreeze in it from what I was told.
Will the warranty transfer to me? For roughly half price is a warranty even a consideration?
From how I understand it the wives asthma is bad enough she won't even allowed it to be lit since it's in the garage. Does have antifreeze in it from what I was told.
Will the warranty transfer to me? For roughly half price is a warranty even a consideration?
115
Fire Wood / How much to pay for stacking firewood
« on: February 16, 2014, 07:40:01 AM »
So I'm pretty sure one way or another I'll have a gasifier before next winter. What I don't have is time to stack wood, I barely have time to get it cut and split.
My thoughts are this, build large racks that hold half a cord a piece out of treated lumber with 4x6's on bottom with treated lumber screwed to them. Racks would be 4'x4'x4' so each would hold half a cord. Not sure if on some of the wetter heavier woods if our little yard lift would handle a rack that held a full cord until it dried. A rack that held half a cord would be easier to find places to keep em inside while drying. Eventually I plan on buying a car port and placing it on 2'x2'x6' concrete blocks to get enough height to get the forklift under.
So the question is this, whats a fair price to pay someone to fill a half cord rack? I'd pay by the rack, years of paying help to unload and stack hay has taught me very little gets done when paying temp help by the hour.
I have a friend a few miles away with a couple of boys that wouldn't mess it up too bad as well as another friend down the road that seems to be laid off as much as he works and is always looking for beer money.
My thoughts are this, build large racks that hold half a cord a piece out of treated lumber with 4x6's on bottom with treated lumber screwed to them. Racks would be 4'x4'x4' so each would hold half a cord. Not sure if on some of the wetter heavier woods if our little yard lift would handle a rack that held a full cord until it dried. A rack that held half a cord would be easier to find places to keep em inside while drying. Eventually I plan on buying a car port and placing it on 2'x2'x6' concrete blocks to get enough height to get the forklift under.
So the question is this, whats a fair price to pay someone to fill a half cord rack? I'd pay by the rack, years of paying help to unload and stack hay has taught me very little gets done when paying temp help by the hour.
I have a friend a few miles away with a couple of boys that wouldn't mess it up too bad as well as another friend down the road that seems to be laid off as much as he works and is always looking for beer money.
116
Fire Wood / Carbide chains
« on: February 16, 2014, 07:22:07 AM »
I see Stihl has a carbide chain available, mainly for use on lumber that has concrete on it. I was wondering if a Stihl (or another brand) would work on trees in a fencerow that might have the occasional piece of wire in it? I want to clear out a fence line that runs along our property and a dirt road. Big old trees that a few of them grew right thru the old perimeter fence. Need to get these cleared out so I can install the new fence.
I've wondered too how expensive the chains would be that fire departments use to cut thru roofs.
I've wondered too how expensive the chains would be that fire departments use to cut thru roofs.
117
Home Made / Draw the water off the top or bottom?
« on: January 21, 2014, 11:10:47 PM »
So spent a lot of time researching gasification boilers on line then found this site to be a wealth of information in one place.
Built my first boiler thats still in use over a decade ago, then built a few for family and friends which I'll never do again as they think they came with a life time service agreement or something.
First boiler is still going strong but have decided I want something more efficient so whence the gasifier.
I found this thread that covered a lot on where to draw your water off, http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=213.0. Was wondering though if since that thread was last active if a new rule of thumb has become accepted? The ones I built I returned the water under the fire box and draw the water off halfway between the top of the firebox and the maximum water level. I seemed to get a very good mix of water in the tank according to a infrared thermometer.
But I'm wondering about any potential problems of pumping cooler water under what will be the hottest part of a gasifier if sticking to the Portage and Main style?
On the ones I built I installed a tee in the supply lines on the back of the water jacket and actually have my thermocouples in the water flow. Problem I could see with this with drawing off the bottom is the water near the top of the boiler could be near boiling then, or would it mix better with drawing the water off the bottom and returning it at the top to the opposite end by the loading door? I've also toyed with the ideal of having a high limit aqua stat near the top to override the normal control if the water was considerably hotter near the top compared to what the pump was drawing. Or even two, one to override the main control if say the water was 200-205 and a second one with a interlocking relay to kill power to the fan and damper if the water actually reached boiling until it was manually reset.
Normally I'd just play around with this and figure it out the best as possible on my own, but it looks like I'll be extremely busy all year and would like to have it done before the next heating season. So any way I could save some time is a huge plus.
Im a farmer by trade and I've picked more ground up for this year plus will have another 40 acres of hay to make this year. Also promised the wife I'd get another room remodeled this winter before I got "busy" in the spring. Happy wife, happy life.
Any help or thoughts on this would be mucho appreciated.
Built my first boiler thats still in use over a decade ago, then built a few for family and friends which I'll never do again as they think they came with a life time service agreement or something.
First boiler is still going strong but have decided I want something more efficient so whence the gasifier.
I found this thread that covered a lot on where to draw your water off, http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=213.0. Was wondering though if since that thread was last active if a new rule of thumb has become accepted? The ones I built I returned the water under the fire box and draw the water off halfway between the top of the firebox and the maximum water level. I seemed to get a very good mix of water in the tank according to a infrared thermometer.
But I'm wondering about any potential problems of pumping cooler water under what will be the hottest part of a gasifier if sticking to the Portage and Main style?
On the ones I built I installed a tee in the supply lines on the back of the water jacket and actually have my thermocouples in the water flow. Problem I could see with this with drawing off the bottom is the water near the top of the boiler could be near boiling then, or would it mix better with drawing the water off the bottom and returning it at the top to the opposite end by the loading door? I've also toyed with the ideal of having a high limit aqua stat near the top to override the normal control if the water was considerably hotter near the top compared to what the pump was drawing. Or even two, one to override the main control if say the water was 200-205 and a second one with a interlocking relay to kill power to the fan and damper if the water actually reached boiling until it was manually reset.
Normally I'd just play around with this and figure it out the best as possible on my own, but it looks like I'll be extremely busy all year and would like to have it done before the next heating season. So any way I could save some time is a huge plus.
Im a farmer by trade and I've picked more ground up for this year plus will have another 40 acres of hay to make this year. Also promised the wife I'd get another room remodeled this winter before I got "busy" in the spring. Happy wife, happy life.
Any help or thoughts on this would be mucho appreciated.