Increase wood stove efficiency during blackout

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Douglas Alpenstock wrote:bogdan smith, thank you for your posts. I think your experiments are extremely valuable to us.

I can't speak for others, but in my area I see a lot of stickers and cloths flapping in the breeze that include lovely colours such as blue and yellow, and personally that sits well with me.

thank you, take care of yourself

During operation, 1 per week it is necessary to service the stove, remove ash, dust and clean the glass.  in a week you get about a bucket of ash.  Detergent is applied to the glass and washed off after a few minutes.  Servicing the oven takes approximately 15-20 minutes.

Due to the fact that problems with electricity began again, a decision was made to increase the volume of the stove so that long firewood 86 cm long could be stored. An additional portal was welded from the door of the old safe and painted.  after which the stove was heated so that the paint would burn through.
the tank above the stove was also inspected

Ok

the stove works great, increasing the portal made it possible to load longer firewood, and it can also be used as an oven for cooking bread and food. also a small problem arose when the stove door was not sealed with a cord, the air penetrating through the cracks allowed the glass to remain clean during combustion, this can be seen in the photo. when I sealed the cracks, the glass began to smoke heavily. I want to make a sliding bar with through holes on top so that air can enter from above and this process would be controlled. Now I have installed solar panels and during the day I can run air conditioners with the ability to heat, given the huge temperature of the stove above +150 C, and a ceiling fan, this gives a very good effect. Given the availability of electricity from solar panels and the presence of a battery, the next step will be to install a water heat exchanger inside the flask and connect it to the heating system. Given the high power of the stove, its ability to work for more than 9 hours at full load, this will allow heating the radiators throughout the house. There is an idea to put a buffer tank on the second floor, but I have put it aside for now.

Bogdan your work is of the highest quality.  Nothing feels better than a stove to cold hands.  My family and I are sending prayers to everyone in your town, and to all of Ukraine.  

If you have time, please write us at
rhill.acep@gmail.com
We are currently supporting our local Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and would like to know   other ways we can help during this senseless war.  

Slava Ukraine

Rico

Rico Loma wrote:Bogdan your work is of the highest quality.  Nothing feels better than a stove to cold hands.  My family and I are sending prayers to everyone in your town, and to all of Ukraine.  

If you have time, please write us at
rhill.acep@gmail.com
We are currently supporting our local Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and would like to know   other ways we can help during this senseless war.  

Slava Ukraine

Rico

Thank you for your kind words, they are the greatest help to me right now. Each of us needs to appreciate what we have and no matter what difficult situations arise in life, to understand that happiness is a basic state that we already have and we do not need to look for it, but rather accumulate it like a battery accumulates electricity. And to rejoice in those little things that make up life, no matter what difficult situations.

for cleaning the chimney I made 2 brushes, for the one made of ordinary metal, galvanized wire and a brush for a grinding machine, since the pipe is made of stainless steel I made 2 attachments, one from a plastic canister, the second from a fishing line for a garden trimmer, which I inserted into a long plastic pipe

After I increased the firebox, I did not load the fireclay bricks back, to make some improvements, between the pipe with holes through which air is supplied for secondary combustion, a corrugated stainless steel hose is inserted in which 4 mm holes are made, it is attached to a metal disk. One end of the hose is brought out from the back of the stove for additional air intake for secondary combustion. This hose was previously placed in the firebox and tested at high temperatures. Also, holes were drilled above the door for air to enter from above onto the glass. This is done so that air enters for burning long firewood that lies in the portal and under which there are no grates. during combustion the temperature of the firebox is +114C the temperature of the flask on top of the firebox is +152C the temperature of the heat exchanger flue pipe is +47 C

corrugated pipe with nozzles for secondary air combustion in the furnace

some time has passed and I want to say that I really liked the result. The spiral of the corrugated stainless steel pipe creates a glow and creates an amazing epicenter, the firewood burns like a candle with a fire in this epicenter and it seems that all the energy that burns in this epicenter is drawn out of them. Moreover, the firewood itself does not burn but smolders. Active combustion only in the area of the pipe and the secondary combustion spiral. It is like gas combustion. Now I am convinced that firebrick is simply necessary and the spiral with air supply through nozzles has become a real combustion catalyst in the firebox. I was worried about the too small diameter of the corrugated pipe and the small diameter of the holes, but everything turned out to be super successful. The combustion is stable, smooth and very long, there is no need to adjust the air supply and make a lot of movements like near a conventional stove. After loading the firewood, you do not need to move them and do nothing at all.  loaded, lit and removed the ashes every few days. The size of the firebox is just perfect even after reducing it due to the brick. Also, the holes in the top of the door glass proved themselves - the glass became much cleaner, although I think this was also affected by the presence of a spiral and brick. I think that it is necessary to make holes at the bottom of the firebox door so that if necessary it would be possible to clean the glass with combustion. Now you can see how the air goes down the glass and cleans it, but this is not enough. Now I am almost sure that I will make a water circuit, especially since I have almost everything ready. I have a traditional fireplace in which I made a heat exchanger and included it in the general heating system. With the beginning of the war, I was forced to cut it off from the system so that it does not depend on the circulation pump, since there was no electricity for several days. Now I have the opportunity to use a circulation pump. We have slight frosts and before their onset, I bought a small boiler and pipes from which I will make a heat exchanger at a metal collection point.  It remains to think over the security system and the unit that will allow heating the water, I think it is called a bypass. In principle, everything is ready, of course I would like to do all this in the summer, but if the gas is turned off due to shelling, I think I will significantly speed up the process. I am confident in a positive result, since I see that the power of the stove is enough. At first, I wanted to enter the radiator pipes near the stove, but I think that if there is already a ready-made tested route and it is idle, then I will punch holes in the basement and crash into it, especially since there are good diameter pipes there.

the error has been fixed, the diameter of the air supply for secondary combustion has been significantly reduced. air from the cold basement floor was supplied to the firebox. this pipe is blocked and air is taken directly from the room because of this the combustion process has improved even more. and there is practically no smoke from the chimney. In the future, it is probably necessary to punch a larger diameter and think about how to heat it before feeding it to the firebox

Bogdan my friend, thinking of you and family as spring slowly begins.....Ukraine colder than the South, I admit, but you well know I cut wood with you in spirit, and especially in joy.

It's hard to describe how much I continue to love certain farm chores, like feeding the animals...that includes our teenage son...and cutting wood for the fire.  A kinship exists all over the globe;, we are connected intrinsically with lighting the communal fire .

Whether a grandmother ready to cook a meal on the sweltering coast of Zanzibar, or a teenage boy in Alaska feeding a stove to warm his family, we are all together.  Certainly we all discuss " does it make sense" or can we justify our effort based on BTUs earned per truckload of oak...but the truth remains:  this work warms us thrice.  In the final analysis, it warms our heart

No, Bogdan,  that's not your double vision, that's my digital dementia....

Just came in after some vigorous cutting and splitting. Photo from new work in our eastern acreage,  as splitting ash wood followed by water oak and the past two days a lovely small red oak.  All these trees would have potentially caused damage to our barn.  Had to use mauls plus sledgehammer/wedges on the knotty twisty ash, but this red oak has been a gift from God

Mostly straight grained, with a pungent smell and gorgeous colors within.   Working through splinters and  a bit of blood is part of earning next winter's warmth. Somehow it brings me down to earth, and I thank you again Bogdan,for your kind emails, for your creativity and tenacity,  for the fire you light tonight for all the world. We send our blessings,
Rico

North, South. East,  West

Togetherness

Try wrapping the heat exchanger pipes with insulation to keep more heat inside and make your system more efficient.

We survived this winter, I'm preparing for the next one. I'll still try to make a water circuit, at first there was a plan to make a heat exchanger from an old boiler of a smaller diameter. Insert a pipe into it, weld the edges and put it at the outlet of the stove in the flask, I already bought a pipe and a boiler, but I myself will not be able to do a good weld. But today I managed to buy a ready-made heat exchanger that I can install inside the flask. Now I need to think over the security system, and cut into the heat line already tested earlier on the fireplace. There is time before winter, so with God)

Rico Loma wrote:No, Bogdan,  that's not your double vision, that's my digital dementia....

Just came in after some vigorous cutting and splitting. Photo from new work in our eastern acreage,  as splitting ash wood followed by water oak and the past two days a lovely small red oak.  All these trees would have potentially caused damage to our barn.  Had to use mauls plus sledgehammer/wedges on the knotty twisty ash, but this red oak has been a gift from God

Mostly straight grained, with a pungent smell and gorgeous colors within.   Working through splinters and  a bit of blood is part of earning next winter's warmth. Somehow it brings me down to earth, and I thank you again Bogdan,for your kind emails, for your creativity and tenacity,  for the fire you light tonight for all the world. We send our blessings,
Rico

excellent firewood, it's cool when there is firewood nearby and a forest) unfortunately, we are prohibited from being in the forest. so for now only memories))) take care of your back chopping firewood is a good gym we have a saying when you create with firewood you warm up three times, when you chop firewood, when you carry firewood and when it burns. Your forest reminded me of an amazing place in Ukraine not far from Kyiv there is a pyramid, water sources, and even its own hermit. this place is called Trakhtemyriv. all over Ukraine there is a chain of hills their origin is unknown and only in this place they surround one place. enjoy every day take care of yourself and your family)

This is really interesting, keep up the good work and keep on creating. I built a small primitive version of this using tin cans from can food. I use furnace cement to seal the openings. You can make the same thing with Clay if you don't have access to a welder. Much love and protection to you and yours.

I think everything is ok, of course I'll have to remake the flask, the heat exchanger won't fit into the old flask. I cut off the liner and tried it on the stove. I washed it or left it filled to check for leaks,

started making a water jacket with a friend, had to change the barrel, and raise it now it turns out the vertical and horizontal chimney will be almost at the same level, maybe it is worth adding a vertical chimney so that the smoke rises up and then goes down if you leave it like this then it seems to me the smoke will immediately go into the horizontal chimney.

Today my friend and I managed to install the connection to the heating system before the missile strikes, tomorrow we will connect the safety group, pump and flexible hoses to the heat exchanger. We had to break through two walls and lay the main line to the old connection unit of the brick fireplace. Also, the length of the vertical pipe was increased and now it is at the level of the last turn of the heat exchanger and now I am in doubt again. Now the vertical pipe is higher than the horizontal one, but now the heat exchanger will be heated by the inner side through the pipe and by the smoke that will descend through the outer side of the heat exchanger. But I think that this option will still be better than if both the horizontal pipe and the vertical one are at the same level. I will conduct tests and then we will see.

a safety group, a pump are installed, the system is running, there are no leaks. the next stage is connecting the chimney, sealing the flask and starting it up. it is also necessary to make thermal insulation and protection for the pipes that run along the uninsulated veranda, I will make a warm box out of foam plastic

Your project is coming along, looks great.  Bogdan the Creator!  Your work always gives me inspiration.  
All the best my friend,
Rico

the work is finished, the system is tested, there are no leaks. What has been done: a heat exchanger is installed in the flask, pipes are laid that are connected to a previously made route for another fireplace (it was disconnected when the war began). A pump with a temperature sensor and a safety group are mounted. A hose from the safety group is brought out into the hole in the floor. Thermometers are installed in the flask and chimney, which will show the temperature in areas important for control. The stove is raised above the floor by 5 cm so that air can circulate under the bottom of the stove. Now it is gradually coming out. air from the system, after which the stove will be painted again and we will start it up. It will be even more interesting later) it is planned to install a buffer tank and connect thermoelectric elements so that heat is directly converted into electricity. and from there it is not far to cold synthesis). this time it was very difficult, but it is good that despite the shelling there was electricity and I am grateful to my neighbor, who always helps me

Rico Loma wrote:Your project is coming along, looks great.  Bogdan the Creator!  Your work always gives me inspiration.  
All the best my friend,
Rico

thanks Rico)

I tried starting the stove, unfortunately, without success. I heated the water in the system to 40°C with a gas boiler and then added a few logs of firewood. Water then started pouring out of the flask housing the heat exchanger. The pressure in the system didn't change, so I concluded it was condensation. I increased the water temperature in the heat exchanger again with the gas boiler, then added firewood, and the condensation stopped flowing. I think my mistake was not installing a three-way valve to ensure the heat exchanger always had hot water. It's still warm, and I have some time to fix the problem. Also, my filter is installed incorrectly—it should be before the pump, and I don't know whether to install the three-way valve before or after the pump. And whether I need to install a check valve before the pump. I'd appreciate any advice.

The blackouts continue, with no power for 18 hours at a time. Thank goodness the problem has been fixed, and it was a very simple one. The return and supply pipes were mixed up. An additional pump was also installed in the distribution panel as a backup in case the pump near the furnace fails. A temperature sensor with a thermostat is installed on the pump near the furnace to stop the pump if the furnace cools down. I tried the three-way valve option, but the best option is to warm up the system with a gas boiler and then start the furnace with the heat exchanger already hot. For now, I'm testing on light settings and haven't pushed the furnace to its maximum. As long as there's gas, I'll keep the furnace running this way. If the gas is turned off, I'll remove the heat exchanger and use the furnace without a water circuit.

I think the temperature in the flask needs to be raised for the heat exchanger to work more efficiently. I could probably wrap it in 25mm of kaolin wool, secure it with wire, then wrap it in foil and secure it with foil-covered tape. Just keep in mind that the flask needs to be removable, so the insulation will need to be in two pieces. I found the remains of an old hair dryer and checked the fan. I want to insert it into the pipe and connect it to the air supply on the side of the stove to supply oxygen directly to the fire.

I didn't have time to complete the barrel insulation experiment, but that's for the best. There was a complete power outage for several days. Thank God I managed to get the stove working this year, and now it's really saving my family. My system consists of a stove, a gas boiler, three air conditioners with heating functions, 4.5 kW solar panels, a 6.2 kW inverter, a 48-volt 100 A LifePo4 battery, and an uninterruptible power supply with a 100 A LifePo4 battery for the stove circulation pumps, the distribution board (backup), and the gas boiler. Currently, the main task is to ensure the operation of the circulation pumps for the stove and gas boiler. When the gas is turned off, I will dismantle the heat exchanger and the stove will be the main heat source. If necessary, we can move to the basement, where I also built a stove and the temperature there is always above zero. I have a supply of firewood. Now the main task is to use gas and solar energy and save firewood. The situation is very difficult.

we are relieved to see your post here Bogdan having followed recent events in Ukraine...and good to know all of your work has paid off although so sad it was ever necessary.

prayers for an end to the bombing and for you and friends and family to have the opportunity to live a peaceful life.

The gas boiler is critically important, so I bought an old secondary heat exchanger with a higher capacity, cleaned the boiler inside, and replaced it. The hardest part was getting it out; I had to cut the wrench so I didn't have to remove the three-way valve.

In the process of using the stove, I see a huge benefit in the supply of air above the stove glass, as well as the advantage of top combustion, when the wood is lit from above. I also really find a mixture of gasoline and soap, which allows me to quickly light and warm up a cold chimney, very helpful.

Judith Browning wrote:we are relieved to see your post here Bogdan having followed recent events in Ukraine...and good to know all of your work has paid off although so sad it was ever necessary.

prayers for an end to the bombing and for you and friends and family to have the opportunity to live a peaceful life.

Thanks Judith

The worst thing is that the circuit breaker on my electricity meter has started smoking due to power surges, and I can't change it because it's sealed, and the power company hasn't come to replace it. But I'm hoping this situation will improve so that if the power comes back on, I can charge the batteries. The second problem is snow on the solar panels. Thank goodness I got a low-power inverter, and it only needs a little sun to start working. But the temperature drops to -20 at night, and if it snows, I'll have to climb onto the roof. Now there's power even under the snow.

I made a backup system for the circulation pumps. When the main battery is discharged, an additional battery with a small inverter starts working. However, as it turns out, its charging current is only 6 A, which is very low, since it takes a long time to charge. Therefore, today I was able to order an additional charger with which I can reduce the charging time. And the small inverter has outputs for a 12 V solar panel, so this power source can also provide it.

When I used lead-acid batteries, I had a DC generator made from a brushcutter engine and a car alternator. Its advantage is low fuel consumption and the fact that it produces direct current. But now I have a LifePo4 12-volt 100-amp battery, but it is more sensitive to charging current. I'll try adding a stabilizerhttps://tempus.prom.ua/ua/p1945442959-povyshayuschij-preobrazovatel-30a.html, a voltmeter, an ammeter, and fuses to the generator to avoid damaging the battery. I need to explore all options... or, alternatively, buy a new lead-acid battery to use as a backup.

I also need to figure out how to heat the room where the solar inverter is located if the temperature drops to -25. One option is to scoop out the coals from the stove and put them in an iron bucket near the battery, or make a pinch stove, but then there will be an issue with smoke... I'll think of something.