V2.0, play it again Jim. Little bit louder this time!

[millerized]

Picked up more steel to build V2.0 since V1.0 is working so well.

4" square for this attempt vs. 3.5" on the first build. Bigger is always better, right? ;-) Just a new prototype, see if it's possible to make it bigger AND still have it work this well

Unfortunately I have to order a minimum of 24' of burn chamber from my local folks, or I can order exactly what I need online. So...minimum purchase of $281 local for 24', or $132 for 3' online. Crap. I love/hate living in a 'small' city. The 4" tube I will use that much of....not the 3.5" for the baskets. Yet.

The sheet metal has been rolled to 15" diameter for the pellet hoppers. Square just doesn't work as well as I'd hoped 100% of the time. The bridging of the pellets on the bottom corner has been the source of over 80% of the stoppages so far. Tap the side, and it refills instantly. The round will keep the pellets out of the corners. Hopefully. More on that when I get it fixed. I have a whole new stove to build before I get to the new hopper.

Build #1 heats my whole house, seemingly regardless of what basket I build and stick in it. Basket V4.0 is in there right now, with little to nothing catching on the burn tray while maintaining a 450-500F stack temp at 1/4 fresh air opening. Most of what falls through the initial burn basket passes straight through to the ash bin. Thinking I'm really 'close' on that design.


My baby is getting a big brother here shortly! Progress will be reported as I make it.

 

[gfreek]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully this thread stays for awhile

 

[Big papa]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully this thread stays for awhile

Yep very interested keep updating us

 

[hossthehermit]

Unfortunately I have to order a minimum of 24' of burn chamber from my local folks, or I can order exactly what I need online. So...minimum purchase of $281 local for 24', or $132 for 3' online. Crap. I love/hate living in a 'small' city. The 4" tube I will use that much of....not the 3.5" for the baskets. Yet.
.

View attachment 151047 View attachment 151048 View attachment 151042 View attachment 151041
My baby is getting a big brother here shortly! Progress will be reported as I make it.

8 times as much for only about twice the price ?????????????? No brainah, Bubba ............ woohoo ..............................

 

[millerized]

8 times as much for only about twice the price ?????????????? No brainah, Bubba ............ woohoo ..............................

If it were a guarantee that it would work, then it would be an easy decision. That's the bad part about prototyping....you always are forced to buy way more than you need, at costs you really can't afford, and always end up with a pile of crap that no one but the scrapper can use.

Of course, I've been looking to build a bambi bumper for the truck...3.5" thickwall would do just that.

I guess I really have no choice on the purchase if I want to proceed. Need to spend money to make money to spend money. Somehow I'm rarely out of the 'need' phase.

TIG'd the hoppers yesterday. One hopper needed, uh, um...repaired when I was finished 'welding' it. Not sure why, but one second I'm forming a puddle, the next I'm looking at a dime sized hole in the 20ga. Understand I've got about an hour or 2 TIG experience. (Seriously expanding my skillset with my projects) No matter what I tried, I just couldn't get that piece to well well. I moved to the second piece, and for some reason it welded near perfect with absolutely NO holes in it. Pretty damn happy with that. 3rd one did almost as good as the second one. Took the plasma to the first one, cut out the 'weld' and tried it over again. STILL didn't weld well. Guess it might be something with the angle of the sun at that point? Oh, well...one of the hoppers will be a bit smaller than the other 2. We'll be cutting and welding ends on them as well as getting the slope for the feed put in there as well. I'm guessing about a bag and a half capacity when I'm done.

 

[millerized]

First hopper mostly welded. I've got to clean up the plasma 'spew' before I go any further as it's messing up the welding. I'll roll a cover for it tomorrow as well, and weld on some hinges a bit later in the week. 15" diameter, 16" long...should hold a pellet or 3.

 

[millerized]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/does-the-world-need-another-pellet-stove.138723

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Looking real good.

Been a while since I did any TIG work, but it can be tedious.

Next time, try cleaning the adjoining edges well with Acetone.

Do both inside and out of both edges to remove any oily residue.

This will eliminate any crap fouling the inert gas shield.

Good luck and keep them stoves coming.

 

[millerized]

Looking real good.
Been a while since I did any TIG work, but it can be tedious.
Next time, try cleaning the adjoining edges well with Acetone.
Do both inside and out of both edges to remove any oily residue.
This will eliminate any crap fouling the inert gas shield.
Good luck and keep them stoves coming.

Freshly ground and cleaned before I welded the edges on the ends. Then I cut it completely out, ground and wiped again. Still didn't weld very well. We'll cut it, grind it and clean it again...someday.
The insides of that hopper need soaked heavily, as the plasma spew was definitely not kind to the once clean inside.
But, I got the corners tacked in place (it was a compound bend, and a real PITA to get in place) so I could get the clamps out of it. It was getting dark out when I was doing it. "Needed" to get it done.
I'll hose it out and do some better welding inside it tonight. Layer of bondo, sand smooth and spray something inside to keep it from rusting.

 

[millerized]

For what it's worth, the one in the basement ran 22lbs in 11hrs, keeping an average of 600F stack temp. 5:30 this AM I pulled the secondary tray out to dump last nights ashes and filled the hopper. Came home a bit ago, dumped the ashes and refilled the hopper. 2 buckets, approximately 11lbs each, filled it back to the top = 22lbs. Heat pump timer shows "0" runtime in the past 24hrs. Around 36F average temp today.

 

[millerized]

Yeah...I need to oil the hinge

 

[Snowy Rivers]

The squeak adds class and realism

 

[millerized]

The squeak adds class and realism

No class here, but realism we got by the bucket load.

That was running about 625F stack at the time the video was shot (about 40" or so above the door)
There are times it looks like it's gas fired and not burning pellets.

 

[millerized]

Get that sucker working and I will sell a shipload of them downunder.
No a-hole legal system here.

It's working, I just need to make #2....then #3...then #4....

"Caught" weekend work Saturday....so nothing happens at the house at least half the weekend.
BUT, that day working means a day off sometime soon.
Possible 'big' snow as well Saturday, so working outside on the table wouldn't be much fun.
Really need myself some inside welding space.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Looking real good.

Been a while since I did any TIG work, but it can be tedious.

Next time, try cleaning the adjoining edges well with Acetone.

Do both inside and out of both edges to remove any oily residue.

This will eliminate any crap fouling the inert gas shield.

Good luck and keep them stoves coming.

Just what HAVEN'T you done, Snowy! You continue to amaze me Have you ever ridden a submarine on a spy mission to Russia? Read 'Blind Man's Bluff'

 

[Threerun]

I used to live in Inwood WV- off Sulphur Spring Rd across from St. Leo's Catholic Church. I miss my old neighbors... You could prob sell those local ya know?

 

[millerized]

I used to live in Inwood WV- off Sulphur Spring Rd across from St. Leo's Catholic Church. I miss my old neighbors... You could prob sell those local ya know?

Old St. Leo's, or the new one?
Old one was up near Dollar General.
New one is back the road about 2.5mi. HUGE 'complex' with geothermal heating, cemetery and 'me' as an across the fence neighbor.
Yup, I live off Sulphur Springs as well. On Platt Mt.
Small world, ain't it!

 

[Threerun]

Across from the new St. Leo's. There's a small development back there and my house was back up against the confluence of the Opequon and Threerun creeks (hence my screen name). I know Platt Mtn. Friend of mine used to live back there. Very small world indeed!

 

[millerized]

Yup...very small world. Back Lamplighter, right?
Been here since 2001...miss the 'old' days.
You heard Inwood is getting a Sprawl-Mart? Redoing the 51-11 interchange to include 5 or 6 round-abouts starting nearly next year.
Yeah....small world. Just wish it would have stayed that way.

In accordance with 'original post rules and unrelated subject tangents' ... we're cutting the 4" tube today. Might get to some welding a bit later, but the 4" and the plasma are calling my name today!

Across from the new St. Leo's. There's a small development back there and my house was back up against the confluence of the Opequon and Threerun creeks (hence my screen name). I know Platt Mtn. Friend of mine used to live back there. Very small world indeed!

 

[Bioburner]

In accordance with 'original post rules and unrelated subject tangents' ... we're cutting the 4" tube today. Might get to some welding a bit later, but the 4" and the plasma are calling my name today!

Magic word "Pellet". If it were me I would be tuning up a wire feed. The newer ones can be scary good at laying down a bead. Couple summers ago after I got a new Thermalarc and I was able to glue back together a Chinese metal framed gazebo that was pretty tore up by a storm. Got a lift tig with the setup but never seem to need it.

 

[millerized]

Decided on 24" sides, and a 20" firebox group.

I'll get the center "X" cut and welded in place tomorrow. I'm going with 3" tubes for the "X" this time, instead of the original 2". I need to plasma cut out the center vents yet as well. Tempted to put one of those circular butterfly vents in the center of the "X". I can do that later if I feel the need.

Bit different feed in mind for this one. Along with the round hopper, it'll feed into the back instead of the top. Square tube instead of the round. Hidden behind everything instead of visible from the front. Steeper drop should give me less bridging and feed issues. Only issues I've ever had with the whole gravity concept is the feed on the original sucks. No idea what the hell I was thinking.

More tomorrow.

 

[millerized]

Good job!
So is the idea of the "X" just as an additional exhaust path to improve heat exchange?

Yes. The 2" carbons up a bit too much, and it's hard to get the brush into. 3" should be a bit easier to get into

What would be the point of the butterfly vent?

Draft (more draft than what I use now...not sure if it's needed though)

Is the primary air intake below the firebox? Could it be rigged for an oak as these natural draft stove suck a ton of air. Wont matter in your shed but will in my customers houses.

Yes, right under the primary burn, right 'above' the secondary tray. Need to move that up a bit as it partially fills with ash on occasion.

Not that it is important at this point but I reckon clean out covers at the corners. WE have grub screws in our standard stove heat exchanger tubes where we poke in air nozzles or a piece of wire to free up the build up. You have room for poking in a decent brush which would be easier and better.

I'm tempted to put an access door at both ends, but I can get into each side of the stove from the one door. A flexible brush, and it slides up/down into each tube. Cleaning is 30 seconds of your day, a full clean 30 more.

Can you control the temp output? I see the Wiseway has some kind of damper after the burn pot, what is your approach?

By throttling either or both the fresh air (OAK) ( I have a 2" gate in it) and the 3" damper just below the barometric damper. I can run very, very hot (650F+)with both at 1/2 open, or run 400-450F with the OAK at 1/4 and the top full open. Closing the 3" to 1/2 produces so much more heat, I'm tempted to ignore the butterfly vent....really no need for it.
More as we learn.

 

[BigCephus]

Is a small world finding another Inwood guy (at one time ) here.

 

[Wilbur Feral]

Just chiming in to let you know how much I'm enjoying this thread. Learning something, and cheering on your experiment. If you decide to sell these "en masse" and need funds for all the testing, etc., you should consider a Kickstarter campaign. Position this as a good way to use a renewable resource - without depending on electricity - and I think you'd have something.

 

[millerized]

THe barometric damper is on the flue?
Would it be possible to only use the oak and do away with the damper?
Why do you need the damper? We never have them on elec stoves.
I would not be adding any extra controls (ie butterfly), the simpler the better, but it still needs to work obviously.

Most of the requirements came from my design or mistakes that hopefully will be reduced with V2.0. The ability to slow down airflow through it, otherwise it turns into a rocket stove. A rocket stove that doesn't have much in the way of heat output. Fuel consumption heads into the 1.5 - 2 bags per day range running full intake air. It will run 40+lbs in 12hrs, and not heat the house much at all....all of heading up the chimney.

The 3" damper holds that heat long enough to transfer it through the walls of the stove into the house. The 2" OAK throttle is what actually controls the amount of feed/burn. 1/4 - 1/2 intake open will give me a 450-600F stack temp with great heat transfer into the room, with full open only giving me about 350-400F stack temp and the room cools off remarkably. Yeah...assbackasswards... The more air you feed, the less heat it produces but the more fuel it burns. The less air you feed it, the hotter it burns with less fuel used. Close the chimney damper down about 1/2, you get to keep that heat in the stove and it transfers to the room temp. Odd as hell, but I'd expected odd.

I also have an issue with smoke coming back through the pellet chamber with this current design IF the vacuum in the house gets too much. Throttling back the intake air (OAK) and opening the output (damper) helps keep the smoke going up the chimney. V2.0 should take care of this except in very rare instances.

The barometric was added because I'd read it (while researching Wiseway installs) was the 'key' to several installs getting them to work. Also, a creosote study gave a barometric high marks for preventing creosote buildup. I haven't noticed any benefit to having it, and it probably won't be used on the next install. The things ain't cheap, but at least I know and I have it if needed.

Lots of little things, and they are all seemingly different than what anyone else out there experiences with 'normal' installs. More air usually = more heat...but it actually reduced both stack and stove temperature in this thing. Less air, hotter temps, but they flow right out the top if you don't slow them down. It's purring right now at 550F, with 3/8 open OAK and 3/4 open stack damper. Barometric is fully shut (screwed down to not operate).

Learning, trying different things. That's what "it's" all about. Right now it's heating my house, hasn't burned it down, and gives me something to experiment with to make it better. Hell, even if it's a lawn ornament or shed heater, I got to play and have something cool to talk about.

My engraving customers are gone now, so I can get back to playing with the welder and mill.