Pete Mitchell

Update I ordered 1/2 neoprene for the cover directly on the water. I do have 2 solar panels, but had a couple of freeze cracks I had to fix. I'm going to cut off the bottom foot of copper tubing and replace with pex. Hopefully that will be a little extra insurance against frozen pipes. I have plans on a mass fireplace/rocket stove and have plumbing for that. The keg is just another extraheat source.

I have a 6'x6'x5' deep, 1700 gallon, plunge pool made from cement filled cinder block, with a shell of 2 1/2 foam on the outside. I am working on trying to heat it. The last attempt was a Pocket Rocket/Snorkel Stove made from a beer keg with 6"x2' feeder tube and 4"x5' vent. I sunk the keg about 2/3. I thought the fire burned good, but it didnt heat up the pool like I thought it would. 3 days of 8 to 10 hour heated the top foot of water from about 42 to 70. I'm looking for suggestions how to make it work a little better.

Possible problem areas
Lack of water Circulation. I didnt have the pump working at the time.
Insulation on the water surface. I covered the pool with tarps and loose foam scraps.
Not taking advantage of the heat going up the vent.
thickness of the keg metal.

Hopefully my second revision will be better with some suggestions. Thanks.