Fuel Delivery Styles > Drip System

old german drip system, need grates, advice

(1/3) > >>

stubborn66:
Hi
I recently got an old style drip heater that that was made in germany, it is probably about 25 years old.  the pump was not working so I cleaned it and go it to work.  I have tried the burner twice so far but I have a few questions maybe someone can help me with.  I dont know anything about the manufacturer except that it is German.  The burner has about a 7 gallon tank on the side of the unit, a two speed pump is located on the bottom of the tank that feeds the drip.  At the bottom of the heater is a thermocoupler that needs to reach about 160F before it allows the pump to come on.  It also has another tube that comes out of the bottom that empties into a small pot.  If that pot become full it presses on another switch that will shut off the pump, I assume that is a safety.  It also has a electrical box, the same as a regular oil furnace, that has a place to wire in a CAD cell and a Thermostat.  Both of those have been jumpered.  It has a cast iron pan that goes in the bottom of the heater that the oil burns in and it has a grate that sits on a ledge about 6 inches above the burn pan.  That grate is round and dome shapes with various holes in it.  Currently that grate is broken but I have enough that I can make a pattern.  After I got the pump working and verified the thermocoupler and safety switch worked I fired it up using old cast flat grates from a grill that I had.  Everything seems to work fine and it shut down twice without a problem.
First Question, how critical is it that I have a dome shaped grate?  I have a few of these flat grates that I can use and the flame seems to be a nice lazy yellow flame with no smoke at all coming out the chimney.
Second question, can I use the thermostat on a system like this?
Thirdly, How often do I need to shut it down and clean it?

stubborn66:
Well, I took a ginder and a wire wheel and thouroughly cleaned the inside and the plates.  I will start using it and see how long it takes to get the dirty again.

Still not sure what to do about the grates, getting a couple made to match the original will cost a few hundred dollars and I am not sure if it is worth it.

Does anyone have a model similar to this or are they all home made on this site?

Thanks

Russ:
Greetings Stubborn66,

I think most are working with home made units, or modified residential systems, but maybe as it cools down and the board becomes a little more active, someone will have some ideas for you.

Good luck with your heater!

stubborn66:
Well, I found out this is a KROLL heater, made in Germany in 1979.  It was distributed by a company in NY that no longer handles them.  Kroll is still in buisness and sold through an Australian company.  They actually still make the same unit to this day.  there is no longer any distribution in the US.  The value seems that it will burn may types of oil and is fairly water tolerant.  It is undoubtedly durable given it's age.  The down side is the vaporizing pans need to be cleaned daily.

I have modified a grate to fit as the original did.  I have burnt used motor oil, veggie oil and now even strait Glycerin.  The glycerin needs to be burnt with the pump on high and the valve fully open to keep it hot enough to produce heat and keep the flame going.  The BTU rating is 120K btu at .68gpm.

If anyone has one of these old units I would be interested in spare parts.

Thanks
Tracy

Cmdr. Ron:
That be a really great find ya got there, STUBBORN66.

A 7-Gallon tank in the heat?  Cool.
  1 cu ft = 7.48 gallons
I agree with your supposin' 'bout the safeties.  There be a ton of good reasoning there.
 That switch in the second pot - is that a float switch of some sort?
 I likes the thermocouple to on/off the pump.
  Can you tell anything about the relay to which it would connect?
 Would you share the rough dimensions of the cast iron burner pan in the bottom?
 What's the fuel consumption on that puppy?

Thanks

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page