Author Topic: Pocket Rocket Stove Project  (Read 7108 times)

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GoVertical

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Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« on: October 27, 2014, 11:55:00 AM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWgXGdQcNHc

Hi, starting pocket rocket stove project for possibly heating water. Then pipe the hot water into the house to a radiator for some extra heat over the winter. Picture shows after burn. I was surprised at the results of a small fire and short burn time. A lot of heat is produced with a small amount wood.

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Bruce S

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2014, 03:05:06 PM »
Becareful with those old trashcans!! Most of them are Zinc coated, once those fires get hot enough the Zinc will begin to smoke. There's a well known thingy called Zinc fever.
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Mary B

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2014, 07:15:09 PM »
beat me to it Bruce, if you have flu like symptoms after burning that thing you have zinc poisoning.

GoVertical

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2014, 09:25:30 PM »
Thanks for the info. I am aware of the hazard. I am only using it outside and for testing. Thanks again, it is real important information to know.

Today test results:
When the bottom of the feed tube fills with ambers it creates a choke point and the fire dies.  All large pieces of wood and the fire dies. Best results were found by adding a small amounts of large and small wood pieces. I plan to add a few 1 inch hole at the bottom of the feed tude. I may help operation. Long sticks the shape of pool cues may work best for fuel.

I will start searching for a more suitable plain steel container.
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GoVertical

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2014, 07:53:25 AM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbSCR6RTb0

Found interesting video on heating water with a rocket stove.
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tanner0441

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2014, 12:11:27 PM »
Hi

My first job on leaving school was in the offices of a brass foundry, we used to call it zinc Monday because it always seemed to affect you on a morning after a few days away from the furnaces.

I am 71 now and if there is a sudden change in the weather from dry to damp I still get a blocked nose and sneezing and I was only in the job for just over 12 months.

Brian



GoVertical

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2014, 02:33:36 PM »
Hi, I have received info of welders not knowing better have welded zinc plated parts and die a short time later.. It is nothing to play around with.

I think I found a suitable replacement at Lowes. It is a black  fire place ash bucket, about the same size and appears not to be galvanized.
 
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Frank S

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2014, 04:06:28 PM »
Some folks are more susceptible to toxic fumes than others I guess.
 30 or so years ago I worked at a company that made tanks out of a material called galvaneal it is sort of a galvanized metal with a lower zinc content, sometimes we would get in an old galvanized tank that needed reworked we would hae to crawl inside and weld in the repairs. the fumes would knock some of the guys out pretty quick. For me and a few others we would just down a qt of sour buttermilk then cough and puke for a while . the next day we were ready to get back at it.
  As for using a galvanized trash can to make a stove out of, once it has been hot   to turn blue or red all of the thin coating of zinc should have been burnt off
 For me I don't worry about it much since I regularly cut up galvanized steel with a torch   
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GoVertical

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2014, 06:48:36 PM »
Hi, thanks for the info. I should've said "I plan to avoid it".

Todays burn test results are poor. I tried burning some long 1/2 by 3" plywood pieces from a shipping create. The bottom of the feed tube filled with embers and the fire reversed direction. I did add the extra 1" holes at the bottom of the feed tube. I think there is still not enough space between the bottom of the  feed tube and the bottom of the burn chamber. The feed tube keeps slipping down. I will have to make some more modifications.  I  would like it to gravity feed and have a long burn time. We will see how it goes.

Started searching for a off the shelf small heat exchanger.
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GoVertical

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2014, 09:45:48 AM »
Hi, a few sheet metal screw did the trick. I screwed them into the side of the feed tube and the slipping problem is solved.  About a 3 " space is maintained between the bottom of the bucket and the bottom of the feed tube. This allows enough time for the embers to turn to ash and the choke condition is avoided. It will now gravity feed.
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greenenergyexperimenter

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2014, 12:37:40 PM »
For a small heat exchanger, you could try a junkyard heater core. Get a whole blower assembly, and you could even have 12v forced air, probably enough to take the chill off a small shed.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your progress on this project.

joestue

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2014, 05:16:45 PM »
I am 71 now and if there is a sudden change in the weather from dry to damp I still get a blocked nose and sneezing and I was only in the job for just over 12 months.
Brian

that is interesting, that is my experience too.. But I've not read that anywhere as a symptom of zinc fever.
I had one bad case of zinc poisoning and it only affected me for a couple days.
A few years later i had one bad case of chlorine gas poisoning (i was attemtping to make a downs cell for producing sodium and calcium from their chloride salts), but it was only enough chlorine that i smelled chlorine for a day or two. nothing to actually damage my lungs.
Between those experiences and the lead exposure from going through several pounds of solder over the years and some exposure to mercury but probably not enough to notice..
I think i've lost at least half of my sense of taste and smell, and i'm only 26.
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gww

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2014, 08:19:13 PM »
I am not positive, but my old man got galvinize poisining and I believe it took out his apindix,  I think these insidents were the same time but my memory may be going also.  They did tell him on the peritinitis of the apendix that if he would have waited too many more hours he wouldn't have suvived.  He is now very sensitive to gavinize fumes. 

Off subject but when I moved to my house I found a little bottle of mercury in my attic, It was being sold as a sexual imputance medicine.

gww

dnix71

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2014, 08:37:09 PM »
Don't weld galvanized. I've been sick from doing that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_fume_fever
Feels like you have the flu, shakes and fever.

tecker

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Re: Pocket Rocket Stove Project
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2014, 02:46:15 AM »
I was concerned that the stove I had built was going to burn out .I bought a boxwood stove and am adapting it The draft up  cools 20 to 50 degrees and then back into the fire chamber will keep it burning clean ( smokeless )