Waste Oil Heater Forum - Your definitive source for burning waste oil for heat.

Thanks just wanted a second opinion.  As long as it burns and goes through the hole heck with right?

Sassoon probably would but I was looking for cheap.  Think it was about $11 but dang what a difference in out put.

Hi Guys

My dad and I were talking the other day about stack placement.  I realize for optimum non-assisted flow the stack should be straight out the top.  Pop has mentioned adding an exhaust fan to the end and routing the pipe along top of shop.  The theory being to allow the stack to radiate more heat before it exits.  Any ideas or experiences?




 

Still seem to have too much smoke but at least now she is puttin out some heat.  1/4" ball valve about 1/3 open and $10 revlon hair dryer feeding the top with heat for hair dryer off. After fooling with a bit I got the body cherry all the way around from the bottom up about about 2 feet.  Wish I had photoed that.

Hopefully I've done everything right and there should be pictures of the inside of the heater inside of door with seal pin/latch for door and the heater with door on.  I'm kinda proud of my door and is attachment.  I thought about hinges and inside frame but this is pretty darn easy and air tight.

Where I work we use the "hi performance" stainless water heater elements to heat glycol to somewhere north of 270f for our steam table.  I've been there 8.5 yrs now and the system has had very few problems.  The steam table has been there many many more years and sometimes they burn out and cool off just like in water.  With that being said I did accidentally short one out and that was terrible ugly.  I caused a dead short with the stem of my thermometer (back when I had to verify temp manually) and it did cause an anal loosening explosion with bright lights and copious amounts of smoke.  Cleared the lab and three offices for several hours lol!

Even having been through that if I had a pressure system that need a large quantity of heated oil I would still strongly consider a water heater.  But (he he he there's always a but) I would use a heater with only one element.  Install a sight glass or float to ensure the level was always a few inches above the element.  Also you mentioned 120f and a lot of people I've noticed are heating 160-200f and gasoline's spontaneous ignition temp is 536f ( http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/ShaniChristopher.shtml )so that should not be issue even with a considerable amount gas in your oil.  But gas's flash point (where it gives off combustable vapors) is way below 0f so I would do an open vent for the tank out side the building assuming your pump is providing full pressure to burner.  The pre heater would then be plenty hot with no pressure in the tank and proper wiring on a GFI circuit in the event of a short the power would be instantly cut.

Just some food for thought.  And no I am not an expert nor have I attempted this.  Let our gut be your guide! 

Hi all

Before the question I'll give a little history.  It's cold, I'm bout broke, and I think I've gained access to a major shop's waste oil.  Hopefully it will be fairly clean, but I plan "settle it out" after transport and when I get a more perminent setup I also have plans on filtering as well.

  Copy of my filtering/pump idea I posted to another thread I'm thinking a pre-storage tank to hold for a good while to allow chunks, critters, grit and water to "settle out".  Then scarf up an oil pump off a big block chrysler engine, fab a pick up tube to then route feed tank.  The reason for the BB chrysler is it's external so if you find one junked easy to remove, filter base built on pump, and drive off a drill when I have to fuel up.  I figure this way I'd get really clean oil to my heater.  I'm sure there are other pumps are similar to the chrysler just can't think of any off the top of my head.
   
When I built my copy of the heater (sorry did not document build) I had to vary MEN spec.  I only have 2 instead 3 wraps for the pre-heater but I plan on correcting this soon.  I have the 6" exhaust but only 2.5-3" intake (I haven't measured it) and my funnel attempt did come out a funnel but it's probably twice as long as spec.  Also my intake tube does not stop at the funnel entrance it probably extends 8" or better into the funnel.  The burner itself has the top, bottom, spacers, and wholes to spec but the mid plate is closer to 1/2" instead of 1/4".  On her maiden burn I got a respectable amount of heat of her outside, howling wind, and 30f but good lord amighty the thing smoked like four house fires.  It was unbelievable! Of course this resulted in tremendous amount of soot inside heater and exhaust.  She is burning way to rich.  I only had 2 sticks of stove pipe on test run.  I gave her a light shot of air from the compressor into top of intake and got a foot of dark orange fire out the stack.

My next step is going to be getting more feed tube around the stack and getting some kind of shroud around it to finish the pre-heater as close to spec as I can.  Instead of over size pipe as per plans I'm fab a squarish cabinet out of the water heater skin.  To this I plan to add some kind of a small blower to boost intake on it.

If/when I get it debugged I'm gonna build a reflector type shield and stick her in the corner of the shop.  I plan to hang a regular fan on the wall over to blow down into the shield, across the heater to fan the heat across the shop. Oh the shop is like 24x30 no insulation in the ceiling and raw block walls.  Speaking of raw block I would never have imagined how much air can flow through a block wall.  I've seen the walls damp on the inside in storms with big wind and no the roof doesn't leak.  It's like the wind blows the water through the block.

Hopefully after getting this one hot I want to build another put a housing it and duct it into the house to lower my gas bill...

Now then (yeah finally right lol, sorry post so long) any suggestions?  What do y'all think about my super rich burn?  Am I on the right track about raising oil temp and possibly boosting intake?  I don't really want to scrap the burner but if push comes to shove I guess I can but I've got to cut down on the smoke!

Again sorry for the long post.  And I have really enjoyed the couple hours so far reading over the sight.  I love it.

Ryan

"Look where you're going not where you've been"