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Self cleaning waste oil burner
By Old F, Section Heat Posted on Tue Mar 20th, 2007 at 04:11:22 AM MST
Hi all its been a wile

Self cleaning waste oil burner
Hi all its been a wile .
I have been so busy that I hadn't had any time to tinker or post much in a long time. :(
Last summer I put up a new shop Area 52.1. An this winter I had some time to tinker keeping it warm.
Here what I got so far.

The stove its self is a cast iron box wood stove.
I removed the top cover plate and replaced it with a steel plate with a hole for air and fuel .
The pipe is two inch black iron. And the blower was from an old propane furnace .

The foil you see was a attempt to cut down the air flow . This blower is way over kill and I ended up using a light dimmer to slow it down . I found that good air control is critical in getting a clean smoke free burn. This basically a force draft version of the Mother Earth News stove
The oil is gravity fed at a rate of about ½ gallon and hour this puts this at roughly 70000 BTU an hour input. Lighting is easy I put two paper towels in the burner turn on the oil drip wait a bit light it turn on the blower .

The only thing new here is the fire pot . All the ones I read about used heavy steel plate or pipe for the burner.
And are all plagued to one degree or another with a build up soft soot or rock hard crud that has to be cleaned out quite often .
Here is where I took a different track. What I am using is a cheap 8 quart stainless steel stock pot with a stainless steel bowl inverted in side it. The bowl works as preheat surface for the oil .
Set me back a whole 8 bucks at a Odd Lot store .

My reasoning was to have a burner that would heat up fast to maintain combustion and be easy to clean.
As it turns out after about 40 gallons of oil there is nothing much to clean out .
Now if you set the air flow to low you can get a heavy coating of soft soot but up the air flow and it will burn out .
I have been burning any kind of oil I could get my hands on with no problems. Even some WVO.
One thing I want to try is to increase the air inlet to three or four inch pipe to see if I can use natural draft
And do away with the blower. As of now I have no problems at all keeping the shop warm with it.
And it looks like I will get another heating season or two out of the pot and bowl.
Having so much fun it should be illegal
Old F

Self cleaning waste oil burner | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 editorial)

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by jimjjnn (jimjjnn at yahoo dot com) on Mon Mar 19th, 2007 at 09:21:08 PM MST
(User Info)

Fantastic !!! love it
Jim Denver,CO

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by wdyasq on Mon Mar 19th, 2007 at 09:23:26 PM MST
(User Info)

Nice - you may want to preheat the air to get better combustion.

Ron
Adventure is just bad planning." -- Roald Amundsen

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Mon Mar 19th, 2007 at 11:54:27 PM MST
(User Info)

I really like your stove. How much air is blowed in, with forced air are you getting any fumes out from cracks and joints on the cast iron box? Did you do anything specail to seal the joints, door, ashpan, etc... to prevent blowing out fumes

I have a somewhat similar small cast iron unit in the yard. Made different but about same size shape. This would be good for mine, and I been wanting to take it apart and clean it up, basic rebuild, someone gooped it up with some putty sealer stuff around joints.

Is that an AC blower fan? A couple posts you may have missed are about the lower power use of DCfans compared to AC fans. A normal $10 sized AC box fan uses about 72watt on low speed, a car radiator fan running on 6VDC uses about 13watts, car fan moves lots of air at a reasonable speed, will start at 3V maybe less.
I mention that because if you use a car heater blower on DC you may save some electric power also and can vary the volts to adjust the speed most likely. I have not tested that type of blower from a car heater yet to see what power they use etc..

So, basically it is gravity dripping into an airstream from the blower and directed down into the stainless pot and that's it? No diffusers or other stuff? How far into the top does the pipe reach? Just beneath the top plate, half way?

Great job, glad your staying warm
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by Old F on Tue Mar 20th, 2007 at 06:18:01 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.oldf.homestead.com

Nothing to lose

There is nothing like an air tight stove .

And there is nothing air tight about this one : )
The blower I am using is way over sized and to slow it down enough I had to us a AC light dimmer switch or I would not blow all kind of nasty s out of the cracks . The two inch pipe in side the stove is about two or three inches above the lip of the pot . Here is were a little more tinkering can be done to find the best length
Here is were I found the air fuel delivery system I am using

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me8.html
The only thing different is the burner pot.
Old F

[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by Slingshot on Tue Mar 20th, 2007 at 04:30:00 AM MST
(User Info)

That's great!

I saved my waste motor oil forever, hoping to find a project like this, but finally recycled it all about a year ago. I don't follow the details of the burner itself, though. How does it go together and work?

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by Old F on Tue Mar 20th, 2007 at 06:19:15 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.oldf.homestead.com

Sling shot check out this link You will find a lot of good info
On the mother earth news waste oil burner and its variations
This site help me out a lot

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me4.html

Old F

[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by Slingshot on Tue Mar 20th, 2007 at 07:16:39 AM MST
(User Info)

Very interesting site. I read it all, and followed most of the links.

Have you tried building one of these?

[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#8)
by Titantornado on Tue Mar 20th, 2007 at 06:01:07 PM MST
(User Info)

I really like the concept of Old F's and Pepa's drip oil burner experiments, but the valve controlled flow just has too many variables that really bugs me. Variables of the oil's viscosity from different sources, ambient temperature differences, head pressure changes from changing levels in the tank, it all leads to a non-consistant flow rate. Though it might add a slight bit of complication, a simple, small displacement pump would accurately meter flow rate, and could probably even be homebuilt pretty easily.

Something like this:

It could be driven with something like a cheap gearmotor. Perhaps a cam on the shaft to operate the plunger?

Opinions?

Rod

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#9)
by mikey ny on Tue Mar 20th, 2007 at 06:34:59 PM MST
(User Info)

Maybee if you preheat the oil with a coil around the stack it would thin it out and make for a more consistant flow. The hotter the stack gets the thinner the oil gets and the more freely it flows.

Mr. Mikey... "I thought I made a mistake but I was wrong"
[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#10)
by Titantornado on Wed Mar 21st, 2007 at 04:01:43 AM MST
(User Info)

That's exactly the thing I'm trying to prevent. With a valve, as the stack and coil heats up, the oil would thin and run faster, making the fire hotter, thinning the oil more, causing it to run faster, making the fire hotter . . . . . . . . It might settle down several minutes after lighting, if the valve metering the oil is away from and uneffected by the heat source, but you still have the variables like different viscosity oils and flow rate changes due to changing oil levels in the supply tank, which would require tinking with the valve for proper flow.

I'm trying to overcome the changing viscosities having any effect on the flow rate. The displacement pump should "meter" the fluid irregardless of it's viscosity.

Rod

[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by Gordy on Wed Mar 21st, 2007 at 12:07:28 PM MST
(User Info)

Rod'

You would have to have that pump short stroking to minimize the pulsing of the oil (oil, no oil, oil, no oil, ect). But with this type burner it should work.

On the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/altfuelbabington/ Site a guy is using a car engine oil pump hooked to a windshield wiper motor, with the auto reversing part disabled. Here's another one http://www.highcountryeng.com/Projects.htm .

Gordy

[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#12)
by windspeed on Wed Mar 21st, 2007 at 03:26:10 PM MST
(User Info)

has anyone used waste vegetable for an oil burner maybe a scrap central heating injector type boiler with a cutomised jet would work usually its the motors that give up first

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#13)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Wed Mar 21st, 2007 at 08:22:36 PM MST
(User Info)

I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but if it normally ran on diesel, kerosene, or heating feul oil, then veggy oil should work fine also. The 4 are somewhat interchangeable with some modifacations it seems. Like changing a Nateraul gas heater or stove over to propane, they work as well on either but jets and air supply are changed.

I knew truck drivers YEARS ago that would run a tank of Kerosene in the semi at times to clean out the sludge in the tanks and feul lines/feulpump clean injectors etc... Not as much power but works the same.
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.
[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#14)
by Gordy on Wed Mar 21st, 2007 at 09:41:46 PM MST
(User Info)

WS & NTL,

Check out this site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/altfuelfurnace/ For converting HHO burners to WVO. The siphon nozzle setup seems to be the more reliable setup. And you need a preheater at the nozzle to get the oil to atomize into small enough droplets to burn clean.

Gordy

[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#15)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Wed Mar 21st, 2007 at 11:20:41 PM MST
(User Info)

Thanks Gordy,

I been playing with stuff, preheating WVO is often good, fuel injected into a gas 351 carburated engine likes it preheated and low volume.
Don't ask how I know :)

Too soon to tell if I am fouling plugs or other problems, but I am ready to park that truck soon anyway. HP seems to be up and gasolene use is down :)
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.
[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#16)
by Gordy on Fri Mar 23rd, 2007 at 09:27:33 AM MST
(User Info)

NTL,

"I been playing with stuff, preheating WVO is often good, fuel injected into a gas 351 carburated engine likes it preheated and low volume.
Don't ask how I know :)"

OOHHHH, I have to ask, as I have a beautifully 79 3/4 ton (351) that I can't afford to drive at 10 mpg. I hate to see it parked, except for the once a month 10 mile exercise run, to keep every thing in working order. Definitely need more info ;-)

Gordy

If you prefer Gordyh (AT) lakedalelink (DOT) net

[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#17)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Fri Mar 23rd, 2007 at 02:09:06 PM MST
(User Info)

I was going to retire this truck soon, you probably don't want to try it with a good truck/engine. Too soon to know if I could be destroying the engine or not.
I may do a dairy for it as I take it back part later.
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.
[ Parent ]

Re: Self cleaning waste oil burner (3.00 / 0) (#18)
by harleypanrider (harleypanrider@yahoo.com) on Wed Mar 28th, 2007 at 09:05:26 PM MST
(User Info)

i built a simular 1but mine is 2 pieces of pipe 1 smaller then the other blow the air in the outside pipe and it comes out holes drilled in the inside one dripped oil in at top at first but was always messing with the valve getting flow ajusted right and thats with a 300 gallon tank full of oil 10 ft higher then burner i also used a furnace blower for air with a dimmer swith to control air i ended up using a 12 volt on demand pump like for atv sprayers and a needle valve to control flow but as you said dont seem to get away from crud build up ive spent countles hours in front of this thing watching it and changing this and that 1 thing i would strongly sugest is never leave these things unatended ive had some bad recks such as fire going out and oil keeps running in firebox and leaks out on floor if your not there or if theres water or antifreeze in your oil that will make it flare up and burn hotter ive had my whole stove cherry red but its free heat

Self cleaning waste oil burner | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 editorial)

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