Wood powered boilers for home use.

[The patriot]

Bill, if it wasnt such a far drive, I'd be there. Apple is said to be very good wood to burn.
MGM $100. 00 is "retail". I dunno what it's going for wholesale. I dont think you'd like to go from house to house delivering each cord!! I dont really know anyone in the biz.
I try to get wood at job sites ,theyre popping up these cookie cutter houses at an alarming rate.
I dont know how it'll work on copper, cast iron or plastic, but phosphoric acid works pretty good on rust. I'm sure there are boiler chems specifically made for this, but not ever using any of them myself, I cant reccomend any. I highly doubt you'd be able to purchase any locally anyway. If you would cover shipping, I can send you some sodium sulfite, but I cant reccomend a dosage. I'd have to figure out a way to box it first. It's presently in a 55 gal fiber drum.
I have had my Dads 1 ton (1990 Dodge CTD) loaded straight across from the top of the cab, to the tailgate. (I am a master class stacker) SOB didnt even squat. It must have been a cord and a half, maybe more.
Eric

 

[Sled Puller]

So you are saying apple prices are going to go up?
Good thing I decided to prune mine this year.

I hate golf courses, the morons spray so many chemicals, it would be better to black top it!

 

[Sled Puller]

I checked local, nobody knows of any chemical that will do that. I would have to do some research before using it, that is for sure.
Thanks,
Gene

 

[Papa Joe]

Hardwoods from nut and fruit trees kick butt in the heat arena. Very high BTU per cord with reduce ash and creosote build up. Shame to hear of that heat going to waste. On the other hand econ is econ !!

New golf courses with high tech sprinkling equipment ("fertigation") are pretty safe because they balance the uptake of the various grasses on the fairway, rough, and greens with the injection into the system.

Good luck, illflem. Your journey appears challenging. Joe

[This message has been edited by Papa Joe (edited 03-27-2001). ]

 

[illflem]

Apple firewood goes for $100/ cord here also, the firewood guys must have their own OPEC.
Burning orchards aren't the half of it around here, I had to let three of my full time guys go today, one had been working for me for 15 years. They saw it coming and understood though, guess where they're going- California! Hispanic enrollment in the schools here has dropped 60%, the work force is leaving the area, lots of work, no money...

 

[merryman]

Illflem or others,
Do any of you have simple plans for building or converting a wood burning stove to waste oil??
I have a 40 X 60 shop and my son (a well driller) produces LOTS of waste oil. I have been working on converting a vertical barrell type wood burner to oil, but haven't got it working well at all.
Could use some plans of a system that works.

Vaughn

 

[N8LHG]

Chad,
I have a propane gas boiler in my home, and personaly think it is a pile of junk. I have a 2300 ft2 home, and it takes about 500 gallons of propane a MONTH to heat my home. Obvously, I didn't heat with the boiler this winter. I also have a wood burner in the house, and have been heating my home on fire wood for about $100 a month (about 1 cord of wood a month).

It could be there is a problem with my boiler, for I have not looked into it since gas is OUTRAGOUS in price this year, just simply havn't used it this winter. In short, if I did use it, it would be well over $1500 a month to use it. NOT AN OPTION.

In any case, until propane comes down in price so I can fill it for under $500, I'm not even considering repair, or even looking at it for a problem. (tank is a 500 gal)

Boiler is a newer 1998, low pressure boiler.


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Mark Wardell
1996 Dodge 3500, 4x4, Duel, Green and silver, Shocked farm pin hitch, Goose Neck hitch.

[This message has been edited by N8LHG (edited 03-29-2001). ]

 

[The patriot]

Merryman, I've heard of people doing a home made modification. You just weld a small pipe in the back of the firebox, and install a metering valve. Adjustment of the valve is a trial and error thing.
If you have a newer type woodstove, it might have a catalytic combustor. This would have to be removed first.
BTW if you have smog nazi's there like we do here, keep the mod. under your hat.
This isnt a "full conversion" per say, but I dont know if a conversion would be very economical. You'd need a high press pump, burner assy, blower, etc. etc. At this point, with all you'd have to purchase,(not to mention that you might never get to work "right") you may be better off buying an actual waste oil burner, depending on your supply of w/o.
Mark, is your wood stove capable of taking a coal conversion? Friend of mine has a old house about the size of yours (no insulation in it) and heats it with about 1 ton of coal a year!! I'm sure our winters here are milder than yours, but even if you went 5 tons a year, you'd be way ahead.
I have a Consolidated Dutchwest stove. Love it!! It'll take coal, might try it next year.
Just thinking out loud... ... #ad

Eric

[This message has been edited by The patriot (edited 03-29-2001). ]

 

[merryman]

Patriot; From a point well above the stove, and from a tank up on a stand,
I ran a 1/2 inch into the barrell of the stove and a 1/4 inch copper pipe inside that one. The 1/4 copper carries air ,at only a couple psi, while the 1/2 inch carries oil from a small metering valve--actuall just a 1/4inch ball valve, and while it works, I have not been able to achieve any decent level of control and the pipes keep getting really gunked up. Guess I will just keep tinkering with it.
Here on the south coast of Oregon, things are pretty laid back. Don't think they have discovered air polution yet----the air is generally passing by to fast to get polluted.
Also, when I do get the stove burning well for a shot while, it burns pretty clean-just can't keep it doing so.

Thanks for the ideas

Vaughn

 

[Glen]

N8LHG: That sounds like an awful lot of propane! I have a Viessman propane boiler in my system that I use for backup and days when I'm too lazy to start the fire. I don't run it much but I think it uses less than 80 gallons per month in our coldest weather.

 

[Sled Puller]

Mark,
That just ain't right! The thing was junk from the get go or is really broke!!
Maybe a Leak in the propane tank? WOW!
I'll stop complaining about my gas bill!
gene

 

[illflem]

Vaughn, I copied my waste oil heater from a design that a company in Yakima sells, they want $2400 dollars for the kit to retrofit a fuel oil heater. The only things that are really different from a fuel oil heater are very fine filtration, very fine nozzles and a 1200 psi pump. I was able to come up with all I needed for $800. The secret is to convert the waste oil into a very fine mist, then it burns almost like a gas.

Here's an only in California heat system I saw a few years ago. The sheet rock in the ceiling had a wire grid running though it hooked up to 220 volts. The ceiling got plenty hot, but not the rest of the house, electric bill was way up there also.

 

[David_VT]

I have a 'HARDY', prior owner let the heat exchanger freeze, but hope to get it going this summer.

Friend has one of those green 'buildings' that looks like a yard storage shed.

Heats large farmhouse and massive farm workshop with it. Shop has radiant heat in the concrete. Big enough to hold 5 tractors and several trucks.

Unreal heat!!

Currently I use a pellet stove to offset my oil usage. Cheap, bought at Home Depot! Works great.

 

[JTBMC]

Bill, The loss of farm land to developers for Golf courses, Super Walmarts and 5 acre mimi farms for the city dwellers to have a week end retreat has been devastating for Farmers in my part of Mississippi also. I recently lost 400 acres of lease land we were using to run 200 head of Momma Cows on and for additional hay pasture,New Lawyer Owners priced us out, our 10 year lease of ten dollars an acre expired, new terms were for 50 bucks per acre. I guess the greedy SOB's figures its better for the land to lay fallow than rent it for going rate, after all he tell's me that cattle pollute ponds and creeks and cause soil erosion and besides his wife thinks cattle stink. Prices at the Food Market are high so we must be making a killing just like you Apple Growers.
Good luck, Tom

 

[Champane Flight]

If you could use coal I would be interested. I have about a two year supply of wood on my land. But down the road a few miles,theres a coal mine. Fifteen dollars a ton. I fiqure three ton would make me through the winter. With a fireplace of course.

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95 Dodge 2500 Luverne grill guard,headache rack,running boards and Amzoiled. Soon to be mildly bombed. 84 Dodge d-150, 318 Hooker headers,Edelbrok intake,mallory ignition,Carter Afb,Accel coil,and Custom dual exhaust. Boat,fifthwheel,motorcycles,and shop. 72000 as of 3/1/01,not even broke in yet. Old Dodge 126000 miles and running better than new.