Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Pools & Hot Tubs => Topic started by: Pulseingenuity on February 28, 2014, 12:18:50 PM

Title: 1st attempt at wood fueled pool heater
Post by: Pulseingenuity on February 28, 2014, 12:18:50 PM

Hey everyone, New to this site, wish I knew about it sooner.

Just wanted to show my first shot at a wood fired pool heater, works really well, just does not have the capacity that I want. The next one I build will be all stainless steel, do you guys have any suggestions on the most efficient and least smoke producing design? I was thinking a 30"x30"x36" burner box, with a full water jacket, then a secondary smoke combustion chamber with a water jacket, then through 2" heat exchanger tubing surrounded with water. Is it better to have my smoke exit the bottom of the burner box or the top? is it possible to extract too much heat?

Thanks for your input

Scott

Title: Re: 1st attempt at wood fueled pool heater
Post by: mlappin on February 28, 2014, 12:51:50 PM

You could probably up the efficiency of what you already have by wrapping some high heat insulation around it. Something reflective would be better to direct t he heat back to the copper.

Title: Re: 1st attempt at wood fueled pool heater
Post by: RSI on February 28, 2014, 01:01:31 PM

You are pumping pool water through copper pipe? Copper is not compatible with pool chemicals.
I would use a stainless steel pool heat exchanger to isolate the pool water unless you want to keep replacing the copper pipe.

I would start out looking at the designs of OWBs and find one you like to copy.

Title: Re: 1st attempt at wood fueled pool heater
Post by: Pulseingenuity on February 28, 2014, 06:40:33 PM

Sorry, those photos were from the initial install, I immediately wrapped the whole thing with roxul and I even added another loop around the chimney, like I said, it works well, I can get the water coming out almost steamy, it just doesn't have the capacity that I want mostly because the burner box is too small. As for the copper tubing with pool chemicals, Ive had it running for 3 seasons now, it runs 24/7 without any issues. My next design will be full stainless, just looking for input on design ideas.

thanks

Title: Re: 1st attempt at wood fueled pool heater
Post by: mlappin on February 28, 2014, 09:15:05 PM

Simplest would be a stainless tank in a tank, 10 gauge 409 would be fine for the firebox as long as your gentle filling it with wood. Seen one at the place that specializes in stainless welding and fab work that builds our stainless sprayer tanks and somebody kept chucking wood in it until they busted the back out.

Check the homemade section out for ideals on baffles to prevent as much heat as possible from escaping out the flue.

Title: Re: 1st attempt at wood fueled pool heater
Post by: Pulseingenuity on March 01, 2014, 08:37:28 AM

Thanks for the reply, I have a design sketched up ill start a new thread in the home made section for feedback.