Author Topic: How do I filter wood smoke?  (Read 37306 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

pathfinder_05

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
How do I filter wood smoke?
« on: September 20, 2010, 06:39:12 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I live in a city with strict pollution laws and I am building a clay oven in my back garden.

I have access to a 'green' supply of nice wood and I plan to use the oven for almost every kind of cooking.

The top of the dome will have an opening and chute for smoke.... but how then, without extra pressure added to it (like a fan), can I filter it?

I am fairly handy at 'giving things a go' so please fire any suggestions at me.  Or, if you know of the right expression to enter into Google I will search for it and study hard.

Thanks in advance,

Brian

TomW

  • Super Hero Member Plus
  • *******
  • Posts: 5130
  • Country: us
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2010, 06:44:38 PM »
Burn dry wood with lots of air and smoke is a non issue.

Never heard of filtering wood smoke. But only have burned wood for 50 years or so.

When the oven gets too cool to cook yet still nice and warm put the next fires wood in it to dry.

Tom

Basil

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 249
  • 3 rd shift made me this way.
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2010, 08:20:14 PM »
One that works but big.
Search ( foundry bag house ). You can build one out of scrap. 55 gallon drum.
Use stove pipe, blower and so on.
55 galoon drum for the cooling tower with spray heads before it goes in the bag house.
Know as wet scrubber.
Search ( Cupola baghouse ).
Doable but who wants a baghouse in there back yard.

bj

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 596
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2010, 11:13:54 PM »
  Read somewhere about a fellow who used catalytic converter elements in the flue.  He put in fresh air vents just below them.  Claimed it helped, but I haven't tried it,
so I can't endorse it.
"Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while"
bj
Lamont AB Can.

WindriderNM

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 232
  • Country: us
  • some days you get the bear some days the gets you
    • WindriderNM
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2010, 02:02:16 AM »
Several years age I saw catalytic converter designed to go in a stove pipe. 
~~~WindriderNM (Electron Recycler)~~~   
~~~Keep Those Electrons Flowing~~~

Bruce S

  • Administrator
  • Super Hero Member Plus
  • *****
  • Posts: 5370
  • Country: us
  • USA
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2010, 12:38:36 PM »
I'm with TomW on this one.
There are the WoodGas stoves, they can burn green wood once they are already running and have no smoke. BUT still you'll need to have a good fire going first.
No good seasoned wood around? cutting and splitting will help the green to season, but you still need to let it dry.

Best of Luck
Bruce S
A kind word often goes unsaid BUT never goes unheard

pathfinder_05

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2010, 07:36:59 PM »
Ok guys, thanks for the input.

I guess the first step is to make sure my wood is dried thoroughly and then we will see.

Take care,

Brian

mesuno

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
  • Country: 00
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2010, 11:10:11 AM »
Burning dry wood is definitely the best first step - everything gets easier from there. Also, have you built this yet? You could look at rocket stoves, which are also made of cob but have a well designed combustion chamber, unlike what you describe.

If you do decided that some kind of smoke reduction is still necessary you could look into fitting a catalytic combution thingumy into the flue. Basically they burn all the remaining flue gases on the catalytic surface.
Burning firewood and looking after woodland in the UK

dnix71

  • SuperHero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 2513
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2010, 12:17:55 PM »
Forced air and a restricted long exhaust pipe, with small holes and a capped end to act as a bubbler, into a 55 drum of water is a simple way. Dry kindling to start the fire and like the others said, season your free green wood first.

Something like this  http://www.harrisonoutdoorwoodstoves.com/

Bruce S

  • Administrator
  • Super Hero Member Plus
  • *****
  • Posts: 5370
  • Country: us
  • USA
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2010, 01:29:32 PM »
Forced air and a restricted long exhaust pipe, with small holes and a capped end to act as a bubbler, into a 55 drum of water is a simple way. Dry kindling to start the fire and like the others said, season your free green wood first.

Something like this  http://www.harrisonoutdoorwoodstoves.com/
That and one of those creosote catchers thingy's that used to be found all over the Agri-centers.
A kind word often goes unsaid BUT never goes unheard

kbhale

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 7
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #10 on: January 02, 2011, 12:30:38 AM »
I like this idea for reducing smoke reduction.

http://www.youtube.com/paulwheaton12#p/u/16/TvrUrnEIQoo

naturalpessimist

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2011, 07:21:39 PM »
Also, have you built this yet? You could look at rocket stoves, which are also made of cob but have a well designed combustion chamber, unlike what you describe.

Agh! You stole my thunder!  ;)
When I first started playing with rocket stoves one of the things you immediately realize is that anytime you see smoke - you've got really bad combustion.
Rocket stoves, Rocket mass heaters, masonry stoves - all burn the exhaust gasses 2, 3, 4 times and get SO HOT (with almost no wood) that there is  -0- smoke and almost -0- emission.

The folks these day who preach the whole "Rocket Stove"- "Rocket mass heaters" make it sound like it's some new-fangled development that a bunch of concerned eco-60s hippies came up with, when in fact the Russians (Euros) developed the idea about 400 years ago.

Google "Russian Stove" and you will find images of whole house heater/stove/oven units --- THAT HAD NO FLUE!
Fact is it burned so hot and so clean it would heat the entire home (slowly), cook and bake, and the "exhaust" (as it were) dumped right back into the house.
If there is still time, might want to consider the whole masonry/Russian/Rocket Mass Heater concept.

These types of "stoves" basically have a long running (sideways, up and down, back and forth) flue. The convection out the ass end sucks the air through-FAST, gets up to 1200+ degrees (try THAT with you Franklin Stove!) -  and by the time it finds open air it has burned up all the gasses, no smoke, with a fraction of the wood burned. It really is very cool, and unfortunately something very few people know about.
I have built several, including a rocket stove that I use for our a campsite. I bought a fireplace thermometer and with a good handful of ripped 1x4 I pegged the thermometer at over 1400 degrees. Even if heat production is not your goal, the exhaust concept still applies and is something you should at least be aware of

REdiculous

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 225
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2011, 08:35:37 PM »
Meat. Filter the smoke with meat! ;D
☣☠☢

Rear Admiral

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 1
  • Country: au
Re: How do I filter wood smoke?
« Reply #13 on: September 21, 2015, 11:19:30 AM »
I've had an idea related to this post, but need advice....

I have a DIY query regarding the bubbling/filtering of smoke though water.  No, it's not regarding weed or tobacco - it's regarding wood smoke. 

Take a look at the following image, just as a start guide:

http://www.artisan-distiller.net/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=1676

If a set-up was made using steel (iron) pipes similar to what's shown, where the left-hand vertical pipe was sealed and filled with wood chips, but instead of using an external air-blowing source (shown as an aquarium air pump) - an external heat source was applied to the bottom of the vertical pipe on the left (e.g. burner, or hot coals)....would enough "smoke pressure" be built up so that the smoke would be forced to bubble it's way out through the water?  If so, would the water have any effect at trapping some of the tar and creosote bubbling through it?

But overall, the main issue is whether or not enough pressure would be built up by the external heat source, where they only way out for the smoke is through the water.  I can guarantee that a high degree of heat and smoke would be built up within the left-hand pipe.

The other query is the same filtering concept, but instead of water....having the secondary vertical pipe (on the right, with the opening at the bottom) filled with some sort of steel wool - either fine steel wool or coarse stainless steel wool.  Would this have any filtering effect at all?

My apologies if I was clumsy and confusing at explaining this.  I don't know if anyone can help me here, but I'm hoping somene might be able to help.