Hi all. I am on my 4th attempt on making a heater.
I have gone through lots of searching and hearsays all over the net.
1st through 3rd attempts:
A 28" high system with 4"
feed, 4" burn, 4" delivery (all brick) 4" riser (steel pipe); then 8" insulating pipe filled with
vermiculite between, 3" top gap (riser to 14" propane tank (cut in half, with removable 3" lid sealed with fiberglass rope))
8" circular tinning chopped up for larger exit to 6" tinning (runs out for 1", then 2 90's, into a T for clean out, then 2 90's
and outside(horizontally). Bad smoke back turned the t into a vertical chimney (less smoke back)
Changed 4" riser to 6" and about 1 1/2" from from top of tank. Better, but still not just burning tips (lots of coals)
More reading& researching small revamp... still not good
Sat down seriously for the 4th and got out the welder and grinders, as well as put a serious thinking cap on. So...
Now I have a J tube of : feeder 4.5", delivery 4.5", riser 5.5" (steel tube) , 12" insulating tube (with light slip/ vermiculite mix)
Cut half a hole in, now, 40" high tank (welded other half of tank back on) for exhaust. Calculated the area of the 12" pipe to the
14" barrel, subtracted, to get back to the area of the 6" riser pipe (read to go a little heavier. 12.5" would have been more exact)
and the riser to top gap is now 1 1/8".
Same exhaust.
Still not getting
enough pull/flow to stop occasional smoke back. And now that I have gone tall for flow, the top of tank doesn't
get the heat it use to, which probably means I will have to cut it back down to about 30-32" to get the heat back?
Just not the fast and furious I am looking for to take the vertical stack off and go to the original horizontal.
I know I have to be close. I have never been afraid of doing my homework and constantly searching out on ALL my projects! : )
When I get this my next is surveying the different temperature ranges around it for heating
hot water and a mini steam (low
pressure 50-70 psi) generator.
Would really appreciate the fine tuning help.
MUCH APPRECIATE all the articles and inputs from PERMIES!!! Happy New Year!! I really hope it is better than the last. : )
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