Pellet stove modifications

[Birdman Jack]

Just wondered if anyone else has modified their pellet stove to do more. I have modified mine to heat the water in my boiler. I made a couple of saddle bag heaters to mount on the sides which keeps my water pipes at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit to stop them from freezing. I did no actual mods to the stove just mounted these on the outside to pick up the excess heat. I was worried that the utility room would freeze because the boiler was not running. Keeps the room at about 45 degrees. Was just wondering if there are anymore tinkers out there.

 

[BJN644]

birdman, we need pictures!

 

[Birdman Jack]

you need pictures Will add them in a few.

 

[jtakeman]

Sounds cleaver!

 

[Birdman Jack]

birdman, we need pictures!

 

[Birdman Jack]

Side view.

 

[Birdman Jack]

Better view of how it was done.

 

[caledoniacars]

that's why i keep coming back here. great idea!!

 

[timjk69]

Very nice! So what kind of heaters were those?

 

[BDPVT]

Nicely done! Curious about how hot the water gets? How do you circulate the hot water through your utility room?

 

[Birdman Jack]

Very nice! So what kind of heaters were those?

The heaters are nothing more than short pieces of baseboard heating tube I soldered together with elbows. I cut three short runs for both sides then shoved the fins together like you would a deck of cards. I figured the tighter the better for heat transfer. I am in the process of making metal boxes to cover them. The boxes will be insulated so they should bring the temp of the water up to around 80 degrees. It may even be better than that. I turned on my circulator pump for the furnace and it keeps the water moving around the house and back thru the hot water coil of the furnace. It only took two days to get the furnace up to 70 degrees. The radiation from the furnace and the pipes keep my utility room around 50 degrees so I know nothing will freeze. I was afraid I was going to have to have an electrict heater down there and this would cut into what I was saving. Be glad to answer any other questions you might have or help in any way I can.

 

[imacman]

Birdman, that's a great way to keep the pipes from freezing. What do you think the whole thing cost to build?

 

[hossthehermit]

Fine idea, as long as you remember that your stove is putting out "x" BTUs. They can warm the water, OR, they can warm they air. They're YOUR BTUs, do with them as you wish. BUT, that's just MY opinion. I'm not real sure where the "excess heat" comes from, anyway.

 

[littlesmokey]

I, too, think that is a great idea. Just wish you would have chosen a better title for the thread. Stove Addenda, Stove use Upgrade, Improved Usage. Modifying Stove on this part of the forum will bring out the worst in all of us.

I think I will try an adaptation on one of my stoves like that. Great idea.

 

[Birdman Jack]

Birdman, that's a great way to keep the pipes from freezing. What do you think the whole thing cost to build?

The build cost for me was zero. I had the elbows and the pipe with the fins was scrap someone brought me home. But if I had to guess I would say about fourty bucks with everything new. I am a scrounger.

 

[Birdman Jack]

Fine idea, as long as you remember that your stove is putting out "x" BTUs. They can warm the water, OR, they can warm they air. They're YOUR BTUs, do with them as you wish. BUT, that's just MY opinion. I'm not real sure where the "excess heat" comes from, anyway.

My stove puts out more than enough heat to do both. I have about 1400 sq feet to heat and the stove is rated for fifteen. The utility room is part of the 1400. The sides of the stove get up over 300 degrees and it is strickly radiant on the two sides. That is where my heaters are mounted. The stove is in a room that is 10 by 15 so the radiant heat just makes the room real hot. I have big openings on two walls to circulate the heat that the pellet fan pushes out the front. There is no loss and all the heat is used and I can still use this room without sitting here in my underware. We keep it at about 73 in most of the house. Makes it real cofortable for us older folks.

 

[Birdman Jack]

I, too, think that is a great idea. Just wish you would have chosen a better title for the thread. Stove Addenda, Stove use Upgrade, Improved Usage. Modifying Stove on this part of the forum will bring out the worst in all of us.

I think I will try an adaptation on one of my stoves like that. Great idea.

I am not done yet. I am going to make an extension for the hopper. Right now it holds almost 40 lbs. Literature says it does but I have never been able to get a full bag into it. Will go straight up so it will hold about 80 lbs. The way the lid is put on I just have to unbolt it and use it on the extension. Just have to make sure everything is sealed good. Another thing I want to do is put a sight glass in the extended hopper so I do not have to open it to check it. These are all simple mods that can be done on the cheep. It does help to know someone who works in a machine shop. My son in law does so he will be bending the hopper extension fo me out of 1/8 steel which is what the stove is made of. As for the title it was all I could think of at the time. :cheese:

 

[summit]

I had a customer who put a hot H2O coil in his P38 once...

 

[GVA]

I installed a clutch on my auger motor.... Got tired of replacing them

 

[Birdman Jack]

I installed a clutch on my auger motor.... Got tired of replacing them

I would like to know what you used for a clutch just out of curiosity. You must burn corn.

 

[MCPO]

That`s a good example of ingenuity. Might not be the best looking stove in a finished room but if it works and you are happy, that`s all that matters.
I modified my blower fan wiring so it didn`t turn off automatically when runing on the lowest setting. It was a bit involved since the modified fan wiring has to be isolated from the control board to prevent ruining the board.

 

[Birdman Jack]

I had a customer who put a hot H2O coil in his P38 once...

I thought about a coil but did not want to alter the stove by drilling holes in it. My second thought was if the power went out the coil would become super heated and could become dangerous with not enough time to cool the water down enough. The way it is now I put a battery backup on my circulator that lasts for about 15 minutes which should be enough time to really cool the water down.

 

[Birdman Jack]

It is -3 degrees here in central ny and the pellet stove is going full bore. House is around 70 degrees and my utility room is at 41 degrees. this is the first real test and everything is doing great. Thought I was going to have to turn on the oil guzzeler if it got this cold. Temps must be down on most of the east coast tonite. A bag or two of pellets a day will keep the fuel trucks away. :cheese:

 

[maglite67]

A guy at work took a harman p68 drilled two 2" holes and places a heat exchanger inside the stove and metered the water throught so he would not cool down the stove to much and heats his hot water with it. He still gets alot of heat out of it also.

 

[maglite67]

A guy at work took a harman p68 drilled two 2” holes and places a heat exchanger inside the stove and metered the water throught so he would not cool down the stove to much and heats his hot water with it. He still gets alot of heat out of it also.