Used Oil Shop Heaters

tomplum · Dec 2, 2017

I used to work in car dealership and the service department was mostly heated by it. It was a great way to use the old oil. Now, my oil goes to local engine rebuilder shop for heating. I was thinking that I should heat my shop with one, but I don't seem to find the ambition to make one. This guy is brilliant, 2jeffs1 on the ewe tube. Here is his deluxe model for inspiration! Homemade Waste Oil Burner Heater for Daily Use DIY - YouTube

tjkubota93 · Dec 2, 2017

blackrams said:
I already know that I don't get out much and when I do, they make me wear a helmet.

Have no idea what a minion is much less "despicable me" is but, I can recommend a good therapist if you need a little ego building.

I have a 4 year old. Anyone associated with a 4 year old knows minions, cause if the kid sees one on TV they won't shut up!

Train · Dec 2, 2017

Well here's mine.

mikester · Dec 3, 2017

blackrams said:
Anyone ever built one? Seriously considering doing this. Have access to a lot of used engine oil and used transmission fluid. Seems a shame for me to be out in my shop cold and let the local waste truck hall this energy/heat producer off to the recycler.

Anyone on here ever built one? Only a few caveats, 1) I'm not cutting any holes in my roof. Will fabricate some kind of stack/exhaust out one of the windows.
2), This must have some sort of fan for circulation of the warmed air. 3) I need it to be as small as possible. Shop space is valuable. I'm not sure if there is such a heater but, one that mounts on the wall up high would be great. 4) Can't cost an arm and a leg. If I could afford and expensive heater, I wouldn't be trying to build something. Thanks in advance for any ideas or suggestions.

I know this is going to need a filter prior to being pushed or pumped into a fire chamber. Kind of hoping I could do some kind of gravity feed but, that might not be feasible.

Rams

I thought about it...there are a lot of old oil furnaces on the market around here because insurance companies are forcing home owners to get rid of their oil furnaces or lose insurance coverage. Put in a good filter and/or blend with regular fuel oil in a tank.

Environmentally it's a really bad idea due to all the additives (i.e. heavy metals and other nasty chemicals) in motor and hydraulic oils. After considering this and the mess of handling old oil, I went with propane on the furnace and continue to send my used oil for proper recycling and disposal. We get free hazardous waste disposal days at our local township office so its just the hassle to haul the stuff to get rid go it.

blackrams · Dec 3, 2017

Code54 said:
View attachment 530375

I know nothing about waste oil heaters but having kids I know Minions!

minion:
"a follower or underling of a powerful person, especially a servile or unimportant one." AKA - the little yellow creature above. The whole thing is based on a few kids movies - sort of funny little creatures.....

I can now say honestly that I learned something on the forum. Not that I didn't expect to learn something, I just didn't realize it would be this kind of information. :drink:

DJ54 · Dec 3, 2017

I have a '74 model Reznor waste oil furnace, and it has paid for itself many times over. Actually paid for itself the first year. I bought it used off of one of the guy's I worked with. It needed a new heat exchanger, and a buddy built me a new one, for $450, at the place of his employment, that does sheet metal work, and builds this type of thing. I love this thing..!!

That being said, don't let the horror stories of filtering oil scare you too bad, although, I have had some problems, but you learn how to get around that.

Most people bring me their oil in the container they bought it in. I store it in 275 gal. fuel oil tanks. All of those were given to me, when many people converted to natural gas around here. Water an anti-freeze will settle to the bottom, and opening the valve on the tank, into a container will take care of that. I seriously doubt I've gotten 2 quarts out of all 3 tanks, in the last 12 years. However, last year was the worst, when a buddy of mine put his used oil in a Thompsons Water Seal 5 gallon can, that was not completely empty. It gave me fits for a month an a half, until I purged the storage tank for the furnace, and filled with new, used oil.

For filtration, I've got a NOS upright 30 gallon air compressor tank. I made a large funnel on top, out of a used water tank. Inlet is 1-1/2" pipe I think. Necked down to 1", and a ball valve, for when tank is under pressure. Came out of the bottom with a street el, and used a 3/4" hydraulic hose, up to a filter head, that uses a 200 mesh washable filter. Beyond that, a home heating oil filter. Both filter heads were bought at auctions, that were in junk boxes. Filters were bought on ebay, for next to nothing, so I have very little in them. Beyond that, a 1/2" hydraulic hose, with ball shut off valve, and 4" nipple, to stick in the furnace storage tank.

I plumbed in a air quick coupler at the top of the tank. I just keep putting oil in the tank, until it is full. I then hook the shop air compressor up to the tank, and regulate the pressure to around 20 psi. I'm usually puttering in the shop, so in no hurry filtering oil. It takes about 10 minutes to push 30 gallons of oil through the filters.

The mesh filter will catch the solids/debris that may have gotten in the oil. And the felt hho felt filter will catch the semi liquid blobs of "stuff" such as the Thompsons Water seal, that I need to refine. I mounted wheels on the filter tank, so it can be rolled back out of the way.

If you are planning on making your storage tank gravity feed, something like this would take a lot of work out of it, letting the air pressure do the work for you. Sure beats carrying container of oil, up a ladder.

Just thought I'd respond, and maybe you could use some ideas on filtering the oil, and getting it up to a gravity feed tank.

blackrams · Dec 3, 2017

DJ54 said:
I have a '74 model Reznor waste oil furnace, and it has paid for itself many times over. Actually paid for itself the first year. I bought it used off of one of the guy's I worked with. It needed a new heat exchanger, and a buddy built me a new one, for $450, at the place of his employment, that does sheet metal work, and builds this type of thing. I love this thing..!!

That being said, don't let the horror stories of filtering oil scare you too bad, although, I have had some problems, but you learn how to get around that.

Most people bring me their oil in the container they bought it in. I store it in 275 gal. fuel oil tanks. All of those were given to me, when many people converted to natural gas around here. Water an anti-freeze will settle to the bottom, and opening the valve on the tank, into a container will take care of that. I seriously doubt I've gotten 2 quarts out of all 3 tanks, in the last 12 years. However, last year was the worst, when a buddy of mine put his used oil in a Thompsons Water Seal 5 gallon can, that was not completely empty. It gave me fits for a month an a half, until I purged the storage tank for the furnace, and filled with new, used oil.

For filtration, I've got a NOS upright 30 gallon air compressor tank. I made a large funnel on top, out of a used water tank. Inlet is 1-1/2" pipe I think. Necked down to 1", and a ball valve, for when tank is under pressure. Came out of the bottom with a street el, and used a 3/4" hydraulic hose, up to a filter head, that uses a 200 mesh washable filter. Beyond that, a home heating oil filter. Both filter heads were bought at auctions, that were in junk boxes. Filters were bought on ebay, for next to nothing, so I have very little in them. Beyond that, a 1/2" hydraulic hose, with ball shut off valve, and 4" nipple, to stick in the furnace storage tank.

I plumbed in a air quick coupler at the top of the tank. I just keep putting oil in the tank, until it is full. I then hook the shop air compressor up to the tank, and regulate the pressure to around 20 psi. I'm usually puttering in the shop, so in no hurry filtering oil. It takes about 10 minutes to push 30 gallons of oil through the filters.

The mesh filter will catch the solids/debris that may have gotten in the oil. And the felt hho felt filter will catch the semi liquid blobs of "stuff" such as the Thompsons Water seal, that I need to refine. I mounted wheels on the filter tank, so it can be rolled back out of the way.

If you are planning on making your storage tank gravity feed, something like this would take a lot of work out of it, letting the air pressure do the work for you. Sure beats carrying container of oil, up a ladder.

Just thought I'd respond, and maybe you could use some ideas on filtering the oil, and getting it up to a gravity feed tank.

As Gomer Pyle used to say, GOLLY, GEE WHIZ!!
Sounds like precisely like what I'd like to have.

Hmmm............. Where are you located again? You wouldn't miss that old oil burner would ya?

Carroll, Ohio Hmmmm...........................................

the old grind · Dec 3, 2017

Still my favorite, so far:

Build a New and improved fantastic output Waste Oil Burner. - YouTube

the old grind · Dec 3, 2017

I mentioned a favorite example a page or so ago. This guy's details/simplicity impressed me. Just enough sophistication to offer good control, and not too many fittings and gizmos other than the jet pipe build-up. Wouldn't take much to tweak from here:

Build a New and improved fantastic output Waste Oil Burner. - YouTube

Old oil stoves are pretty close as found. Might take pan mods and/or a long warmup (kero/paper prime helps). Pan tilt helps collect drip in tight area, cokes up after weeks/months. One (three, actually) of the easiest conversions so far.

PJ The Kid · Dec 4, 2017

My dad and I have built a few of them. One for my shop, one for his shop, and one for the neighbors shop. We use a brake drum on the bottom, a deep brake disc on the top, thick walled (1/4"+) steel pipe up to a inner water heater tank with pipes ran thru the tank like a heat exchanger. Also drill holes in the upper brake disc for fresh air intake to the fire. and another for the regulated oil drip into the drum. We use a small peice of steel pipe brazed to copper coming from a raised reservoir to feed the oil into it and a regulator with a window to regulate the oil flow.