Recipe for a home built "Used Oil" Furnace?

[blackrams]

Youtube to the rescue!! waste oil burner - YouTube

I watched a bunch of these, and they all lead to more... Some really nice setups for very little money and trouble.

Will view all the information sources I can on this topic. Not sure what direction I'll take yet. I have more "fuel than I can store and simply hate to waste it. Gave two 55 gallons drums of clean used motor oil to a friend for his commercial shop heater today. Those drums will be full again in less than a month unless I start turning my friends down on taking it.

It may be smarter to just have a propane tank dropped and put up a wall furnace. I just hate wasting all that free fuel.

Rams

 

[Tractor Seabee]

In our county used oil burning is illegal, big fine if you are caught. Enforcement is by disgruntled neighbors turning you in. Out in the AG areas their are a lot of it done anyway as the neighbors either think the same way or are too far away to realize.

Ron

 

[3Lfarms]

After thinking about this and watching a bunch of YouTube vids, it seems to me that a pellet stove with a cast iron fire bowl would be great to add waste oil heat to.
I think one could start and run it on pellets and once warmed up, set the thermostat low, and open up an oil drip into the bowl. The forced air should give excellent combustion and the stove’s thermostat should slow the pellet feed to almost nil while the oil provides most of the heat..

 

[cphilip]

In our county used oil burning is illegal, big fine if you are caught. Enforcement is by disgruntled neighbors turning you in. Out in the AG areas their are a lot of it done anyway as the neighbors either think the same way or are too far away to realize.

Ron

Actually that varies greatly from state to state... and in many cases if your not commercial your not even regulated. In SC you can use an oil burner to recycle oil for energy recovery. You do have to use only on spec oil and, if a commercial operation, be able to prove that. In other words not contaminated with antifreeze, gasoline and or heavy metals.

Most of this is fairly recent relaxing of regulations on this. Last like 10 years or so.

Im a bit leery of this whole process and not sure why its even allowed... but many states run their own EPA programs and some of these do allow it. Without air permits even. Odd but true. You'll just have to check your state regulator. And still be careful even then. These regulations are always YOUR responsibility to comply with even if someone like the regulator tells you you can. They can be wrong and yet its YOU thats broken the law. Also things change with little notice. Environmental regulations are also retroactive. And they won't be there to help you once that happens.

 

[LouNY]

Most places there are not any restrictions on using used oil for heating, if you are accumulating large quantities use it.

 

[blackrams]

Most places there are not any restrictions on using used oil for heating, if you are accumulating large quantities use it.

I already know a few folks that have interior oil burners, have spoken with them. Some say they wouldn't do it again, others think they are great. Knowing I'm not going to get this done this year, other more demanding priorities on my financial resources, I'm looking at options. It has been suggested that I could utilize an outdoor furnace (similar to wood burning furnaces). So, I'm going to investigate that option. Would rather have the heat source anywhere other than taking up valuable floor space if the option was available anyway but, we'll see what I come up with. No, I won't be burning wood if I go that direction. I don't have a source for the fuel and I'm not about to buy firewood or coal. Still trying to come up with a way to use that used motor oil, it's free.

Anyone have any suggestions on exterior heat sources/fire boxes

Rams

 

[Ehanson]

I already know a few folks that have interior oil burners, have spoken with them. Some say they wouldn't do it again, others think they are great. Knowing I'm not going to get this done this year, other more demanding priorities on my financial resources, I'm looking at options. It has been suggested that I could utilize an outdoor furnace (similar to wood burning furnaces). So, I'm going to investigate that option. Would rather have the heat source anywhere other than taking up valuable floor space if the option was available anyway but, we'll see what I come up with. No, I won't be burning wood if I go that direction. I don't have a source for the fuel and I'm not about to buy firewood or coal. Still trying to come up with a way to use that used motor oil, it's free.

Anyone have any suggestions on exterior heat sources/fire boxes

Rams

My brother living in Fort Nelson B.C. , is running his first season with a Blaze King Wood Stove, he says he cannot believe how efficient it is. At -40 degrees, he is very happy with it.
Any way, alternate heat sources, Geothermal comes to mind. Has any one built a rotary drill attachment to drill a 3 or 4 inch hole into the ground and run a pipe to capture ground temperature through a loop.

 

[blackrams]

My brother living in Fort Nelson B.C. , is running his first season with a Blaze King Wood Stove, he says he cannot believe how efficient it is. At -40 degrees, he is very happy with it.
Any way, alternate heat sources, Geothermal comes to mind. Has any one built a rotary drill attachment to drill a 3 or 4 inch hole into the ground and run a pipe to capture ground temperature through a loop.

Looking at options, not sure what direction I'll go at this point.

Reference GEOThermal. The high school my kids attended used that. If I remember correctly, those drilled holes/pipes went several hundred feet down. Not sure my Ford 1210 could pull that off. Actually, such a heat source would be great but, pretty sure installation would be expensive.

Rams :drink:

 

[sixdogs]

Just for the record, how much do commercial oil furnaces cost?

 

[fried1765]

Looking at options, not sure what direction I'll go at this point.

Reference GEOThermal. The high school my kids attended used that. If I remember correctly, those drilled holes/pipes went several hundred feet down. Not sure my Ford 1210 could pull that off. Actually, such a heat source would be great but, pretty sure installation would be expensive.

Rams :drink:

The type of geothermal that you are referencing as "several hundred feet down" is using the actual groundwater for heating.

Depending on soil conditions, burying a horizontal water filled closed loop of pipe 3'-5' below ground level, is much less expensive than drilling two deep wells.