d.i.y wood boiler discussion

[rev. chuck]

so last week i decided to convert my outdoor wood stove, which wasnt heating my garage at all. into a wood boiler system. after wasting a bunch of money for only partial success i decided i needed a much better design.
i spent some time googling looking at pictures watching youtube. and i came up with this basic idea for a down draft furnace. which i seen on google

my hope is to get a second burn under the fire box and a hotter exhaust through the first boiler. which will have 2 2inch pipes running through it. and the 2nd burner being heated by the fire in the fire box.

im not too keen on these things trying to learn as i go here. the boiler i have now is just some copper coils inside my wood furnace. the wood furnace i have now simply isnt efficient at all in fact its a real p.i.t.a to keep it burning for some reason.. however when i do have it burning well it provides a nice heat through my radiator which is inside the garage.

looking for all advice tips tricks . any help im not dumb by any means but i know nothing about this area i can do all the fabrication myself though

 

[GENECOP]

Hi Rev, most people here are of the opinion that building something like a wood boiler is not a project for someone who has to ask basic questions about it's design and construction on the Internet.....They are pressurized systems that can cause injury and death....People are reluctant to enter into that conversation without knowing the skill level of the person...Not sure I agree entirely and I definately don't think anyone should be ignored, but there you have it...

 

[Clarkbug]

Just to add, I dont think that the folks here in the boiler room ignore people with the fortitude to build their own boilers. Its just that there isnt the same level of knowledge here. Just like the wood stove forums, most folks buy one instead of building one.

Rather than post about what they don't know, they just move on.

Best of luck Rev., wish I had some insights for you!

 

[Snail]

Hi Rev,

The most impressive DIY wood furnace I've seen is the one made by Hobartian. Just search for "Hobartian" in this forum. He gives very a clear description of his construction, with photos and links to the original design. Read the whole thread as he has made modifications to his original design based on his experience inusing it. I have seen the furnace in operation and it is very impressive. Good luck!

 

[stee6043]

Just to add, I dont think that the folks here in the boiler room ignore people with the fortitude to build their own boilers. Its just that there isnt the same level of knowledge here. Just like the wood stove forums, most folks buy one instead of building one.

Rather than post about what they don't know, they just move on.

Best of luck Rev., wish I had some insights for you!

I think you could argue either side of the "competence coin" in this case. Either the long timers here don't know enough about fabbing boilers so they ignore DIY'ers or, equally as plausible, they know enough about these units to understand the complexity and potential dangers of trying to build one from scratch.

Either way, I don't think either of the above is why these threads rarely get much attention. The real reason is the thread count conundrum (in my opinion). As you see here the OP has, and holds, a single post to his name. Over the years we've seen a slew (that is a metric gaggle) of people drop in, ask for help, not get the detailed how-to list with diagrams, cost quotes and instructions they hoped for and never come back again.

It seems to really ramp up about this time of year. How many posts have we seen in the last two weeks where folks don't even take the time to say "Hello, I'm new here, hoping for help" or even use the magical word "please"? They just lead in with demands, expectations and very little appreciation for the folks that have been around here for a while. To me that is the real issue. It has nothing to do with the level of skill amongst the hearth regulars.

 

[Clarkbug]

All excellent points Stee.