Author Topic: Tank stove water heater  (Read 5557 times)

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PaulM2

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Tank stove water heater
« on: August 25, 2005, 01:48:58 AM »
I'm looking for any suggestions or ideas before I get into this project.I can get 200 gal furnace oil tanks for free so this is what I use. One tank outside for burning brush sometimes 3- 4 hours at a time. I want to put a zig-zag of 2 inch steel pipe inside it near the top and circulate water thru it. Connect insulated water line to it and to my house about 60 feet away. Inside the house, connect a heat exchanger pipe coil submerged inside a 200 gal tank filled with water for thermal storage. Then extract heat from it using another pipe coil to preheat the water that goes into my furnace. See photos, what do you think? I would like to use PEX plastic pipe. (Except inside the fire ofcourse)



« Last Edit: August 25, 2005, 01:48:58 AM by (unknown) »

MountainMan

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Re: Tank stove water heater
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2005, 08:09:11 PM »
Just thinking out loud:


  1. It seems like your pump will have to pump pretty fast to keep the "water" in the pipe from  boiling
  2. Since your storage medium is water, it would be at or below 212F or 100C.  I don't see 150 gallons of 200 degree water holding enough heat to significantly heat a house for very long.  I think you would need a much larger tank.  Don't systems like this typically use a few thousand gallons of water?
  3. Need to make sure you bury your pipe pretty deep so it doesn't freeze when you're not there to man the stove.  Not sure what you would need to do with the part of the pipe that's above ground to avoid same.


Keep us apprised of your progress.  I'm just envious of your woods.  My land was in a fire a couple years ago.  Noting more than 3 feet tall on the whole parcel.  I can see nice trees in the distance though, so that partially makes up for it.  I do have many tons of flash fried trees and scrub oaks that I could burn if I had one of these setups.  No house to heat with it yet though.


best,

jp

« Last Edit: August 24, 2005, 08:09:11 PM by MountainMan »

Phil Timmons

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Re: Tank stove water heater
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2005, 08:18:25 PM »
Not to be fussy . . . but "safety first" is pretty important.


I do not see in your sketch an "open" port or if you want a closed system, a high pressure / high temp. relief valve.  At least one of those really need to be included.  


I follow that you are just discussing concepts at this point, but I have done a small project like yours and it can create a surprising amount of heat, steam and pressure where you may be only expecting hot water.  


Another design consideration (that will push you quickly into more heat and pressure issues . . . )   Since the smoke and dirty end of this whole thing is outdoors, you may wish to consider a "re-burn" barrel in the exhaust stack.  They reburn barrels generate more heat than the basic fire barrel.  If you routed your heat pick-up coils through or around the reburn barrel, you may pick up more heat than on the surface jacket of the burn barrel, as I understand your description.


You may also want to consider a thermostat disc on the exit pipe to regulate the pump flow -- i.e., when the exit pipe is at or above the design temperature, the pump flows, when the fire dies down the pump stops.  

« Last Edit: August 24, 2005, 08:18:25 PM by Phil Timmons »