Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers with NON EPA-Certified Models Only => Home Made => Topic started by: luv2race on February 18, 2012, 04:10:02 PM
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Hey Guys, first off, love this site!!! Seems to be alot of very knowledgeable people on here. I;ve been a welder/fitter for 20yrs, and am wanting to build a wood boiler, I can get a 500 gal propane tank for next to nothing, was thinking about cutting it in half, cutting the ends off, then using 2 1/4" 48"x60" plates for the front and back, and either 7 or 10 ga for the sides welded corner to corner all around to make the water jacket,. I have a 200sq' house and am planning on building a pole shed down the line for a shop, the house I plan to use the rdiater in plentum and radiant running through the concrete for the shop. Would this be an adequate size to accomplish this? any info/advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance! Don
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Been doing alot more thinking on this, and think I'd be better off justa cutting the tank in half and leave the ends on, thinkin I'd be better off leaving enough space between the back of the firebox and waterjacket to let water all around and run the exhaust tube through the water, was thinking about running the exhaust verticle with a t in the bottom, then at the top of the firebox run it towards the front then a u and towards the back again to verticle and out the roof, would a 6" pipe be good for this?
I also plan to cut in an ashbox, with a water cooled grate,and a water cooled loading door. I'm obveously in the very beginning stages of planning this out and will be asking for your opinions and advice if ya don't mind.
One more thing for this post, can someone give me the outside flange dimensions of a typicl blower for a forced draft, so I can start figuring the duct work size I'll need. Thanks again :)
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Welcome to the site luv2race
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thanks Bull, really looking forward to this project!!! and the adive of you more experienced owb builders!
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Been doing alot more thinking on this, and think I'd be better off justa cutting the tank in half and leave the ends on, thinkin I'd be better off leaving enough space between the back of the firebox and waterjacket to let water all around and run the exhaust tube through the water, was thinking about running the exhaust verticle with a t in the bottom, then at the top of the firebox run it towards the front then a u and towards the back again to verticle and out the roof, would a 6" pipe be good for this?
I also plan to cut in an ashbox, with a water cooled grate,and a water cooled loading door. I'm obveously in the very beginning stages of planning this out and will be asking for your opinions and advice if ya don't mind.
One more thing for this post, can someone give me the outside flange dimensions of a typicl blower for a forced draft, so I can start figuring the duct work size I'll need. Thanks again :)
Running the exhaust flue through the water jacket is OK as long as it can be easily and completely cleaned. This area will be subject to deposits and build ups as the flue gases cool. I usually hear that the water cooled grates are probably not worth it. They cool the fire down allowing it to smoke more but don't provide much heat transfer.
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well I think I have my plan pretty well set, will be using 1/2 of a 500gal propane tank, will be 60" long, the water jacket will be 4'wide, 5' tall, and 6' long with the exhaust running up the back, to the front and back to the rear through the roof, with a clean out at uvery 90, after more thought and input from others, will not be going with a water cooled grate, but am still going to design a water cooled door, this will be fed off of the return from the house through a fitting in the top of the door, and exit through the bottom back into the water jacket.
I'm thinking about using 3/16" steel for the front of the firebox, and then 10ga for the waterjacket, do you guys think that a 6" pipe for the exhaust will be adequate?
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Yea look at the heatmaster website, sounds like the flu design you may want to use.
As far as the water cooled door, I don't see the point. With proper door insulation it doesnt even get warm anyway. I can have my stove on full blast and the door barely gets warm to the touch, more heat is lost from the flange leading to the door than the door itself
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mine has the 6" flue and it runs straight up like shaver insulation in door works well for me to. water door just makes it harder to build or something else to go wrong i think mine has been the worst looking one on here but i have enjoyed the build and it still works for me still thinking af a name
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The size of your door and the direction of your incoming air will determine the need for water cooling or not. I burn mostly pallets from work and local factories as they are free and easy to obtain. My door is 36" by 36" and had to be water cooled as my incoming air supply blows in from the back towards the front. I initially found a piece of 3/4" plate for free and insulated the outside of that with kaowool but it warped after 2 weeks and would never seal tight. I went to a water cooled door and have been good for almost 3 years now. It is built out of 7 ga material and is 3" thick with good sturdy adjustable hinges and latch. I have a smaller unit in my workshop with a 16" square door made of 1/4" and have never had a problem with it. It has under fire draft. Done properly you will never have problems with a water jacket door. My personal opinion would also be that 6" flue would be too small and that's from personal experience.8" is better, 10" is best.