Spike's Truck Drum Waste Oil Heater

[senojekips]

In my experience, a six inch flue provided that it's of sufficient length will provide all the draft and gas handling capacity that you can generate.

Black smoke, is carbonised fuel that has not completely burnt, and is always due to lack of secondary air.
White or Grey smoke is fuel vapour that has not burnt, and is usually bought about by too much secondary air which cools the secondary burn area and then blows the unburnt vapour up the flue.

 

[dngspot]

The changes made since I last updated.
1. Installed a flue rain cap. When I installed the new flue, I had to order the rain cap because I live in the black hole of the U.S. Seems like I have to order everything. Coming from So. Cal. it has been a real peeve of mine.
2. I came home and plugged the primary holes.
3. I added a row of 18 3/8" holes, four rows.
4. Changed oil from new 30 wt to used motor oil.

I lit the thing up today and gave it a small amount of oil during warm up. When the pot reached 500, I opened the valve to a steam just above a drip. I ran it like this until it gave a white flame. The pot hovered at 600 deg. I opened the valve to a harder stream and no change in temp or burn. I knew I was really low on oil so I figured it did not take much. I added more oil to my bucket and there was still no change. The flue was very clear at all times. I called it a night and shut off the fuel at 5:15 p.m. and the thing is still burning at 6:28 p.m. I could not check the level of the pot because I plugged the primary holes but, I bet there was well over a quart of oil in the pot when I shut off the oil.
Next move; check the operation with the primary holes open.

Spike, I can only believe I have an air leak around the pot and lid or secondary burner and lid. I ordered a better quality pot. I did not use the lid that came with my pot because it was so warped and ill fitted, it was useless. The brand I ordered is Lodge. I will surface that pot on the flatest surface I can find. Then I will cut another cylinder and do more testing.

 

[senojekips]

That sounds great David. The fact that you are building up a large quantity of oil in the pan, and the temperature refuses to go higher would seem to indicate that you will certainly need to open up your primary air holes. Air entering through these holes is far more effective than any air that may leak in around the edges of the lid, as they direct the stream of air and flame down accross the surface of the pan which heats the oil far mor efficiently than radiated heat from a flame across the underside of the lid.

I would do this cautiously, perhaps only doing two at a time and noticing the difference in performance.

 

[spruce Deere]

Here is my start on my spike style waste oil burner dgnspot This is the secondary burner assembly start. I have failed to get an absolute clean burn from my sanders soot maker. But at present time, its all I have for heat in my garage/shop as I build its replacment:laughing:

A feature I have discovered by sheer curiosity with the cylinder liners I salvaged from and old 640D JD skidder is I am able to weld them with beautiful looking beads with my lincoln wire feed welder and the flux core wire that it came with

I have something in common with ol' spike, I'm a full quarter aussi also....

 

[dngspot]

Looks good.
I received the new pot but have been busy with other projects. I hope to return to the heater next week.

 

[LetsRoll]

Any updates?

 

[senojekips]

Not here,.... it's 42deg C. here and i have the air conditioner on most of the day.

 

[spruce Deere]

Had some days off so I hit this project with full throttle. Got so caught up in the project a camra was last thing on my mind. Missed a few points in-between, here it is. Of course these things are always a work in progress so its not all the way done.

The only thing special is the baffle inside right above the secondary burner. It incorporates the first cylinder liner that I messed up with that sort of makes a third burn chamber by suspending it above the secondary like a church bell with inch plate steel.

My burn pot is the bottom of a freon canister and my lid cut from an old coulter wheel, A baler pick-up sping tooth holds pot-lid to the liner, a disk from a jd mulch tiller, An old water heater tank instead of break drums, 1/2 inch iron pipe frame and legs and various sizes of re-bar used.

The results have been outstanding, massive heat with little smoke and clean burning after warmed up.

My design incorporates many different ideas from gathering info from many other places.....more info out there now with better designs compared to five years ago.

Seem to have lost the picture of the complete heater, I'll post it soon as I can

 

[spruce Deere]

Full throttle... I added more 1/4" holes, around 55 or 60 now, at the bottom and covered the big ones 3/8 inch size at the top of the liner, Hotter and cleaner was the result. Going to add possibly few more rows of smaller holes of 3/16 inch or so...

My pan or lid did not glow like the rest of it at peak temp. I did open up three holes to around and inch with the neighbors plasma cutter that helped the choppy sucking air sound that had the same resonance of an idling v-8 with an open exhaust system, to loud for my liking for the shop/garage.

Been more involved than planed, started with some "plans" but its by the seat of my sooty pants now. Its free heat, and so far I am out nothing monetarily, just time. Which the wife has reminded me

 

[dngspot]

I have not done anything with my heater since early January. Now that we have had a break in the weather and out of the below 0 temps I did some more today.
I think I am getting closer to a workable heater. Today I took the pot, lid and cylinder to work to do some work. I made new brackets for the cylinder and lid. I noticed when I took them apart one of the brackets was holding the cylinder above the lid about 1/16 inch. I also obtained a large piece of sand paper that had an adhesive side and stuck it to a flat bench. I then took the pot and surfaced the top edge. That sucker is flat now. I took a light around the lid and pot from the inside, and could not see light from the out side of the pot. The biggest problem was actually my spring and hinge design. I noticed when I put the freshly surfaced pot into place I could pull the handle up and the front of the pot would lift about 1/16 inch before it would make contact to the lid. I placed a 1/2 inch spacer on the front of the hinge assembly under the pot and that did the trick. I will weld a proper spacer to the hinge later.
I lit the thing and brought it to temp. It made a couple of humming noises, this is what it did before it would throw flames out the secondary burner, and there were no flames this time. This may be because of the larger holes I made in the lid for the pot air intake. I will eliminate 2 of the holes until I have the time to weld them and re-drill to ¼ inch.
The hottest I could get the thing was 380 degrees at the top plate near the flue. The drums reached 300 and the pot was hanging around 800. All temps were taken at the top burn with a 1/4 inch pool of oil in the pot.
It was tough to light and this may be due to the amount of holes in the secondary burner, as per Spike. I plan on buying bolts to fill the 50% of the holes.
The exhaust was very clear, all I could see was heat waves, no smoke during all burn levels.
Over all I think things are moving in the right direction.