Wood stove heat

Treeaddict said:
Don’t forget soapstone/ steatite!! My favorite rock is the king of absorbing and radiating heat! I’d love a soapstone stove.
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That's a choice we rejected because the soapstone doesn't get hot enough to cook on, if you wish. Also, quite fragile, like if you accidentally bounce a piece of firewood off it.
 
Treeaddict said:
Never heard of that one. Details please?

Edit: Kero is Aussie for Kerosene?
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yes, Kerosene, they have a burner, typically an alladin type, with small glass chimney.
One is an early 50s, the other is a late 60s made, use them for spill over space when making up large plates of food that require more fridge space than the normal elec offers, or chilling beers etc.

see previous post with added pics

freezer temp on a 25c day, not bad delta there.
 

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Burnham said:
That's a choice we rejected because the soapstone doesn't get hot enough to cook on, if you wish. Also, quite fragile, like if you accidentally bounce a piece of firewood off it.
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I’m surprised it can’t be a cooking surface on a wood stove. I made a soapstone griddle for use on our gas range and it worked great. I suppose the natural gas is hotter than a wood fire. Yeah, hard impacts aren’t great. Probably easy to replace a stone panel though, if need be.
 
Being off grid, we have a propane fridge, not as cool as kerosene, but still really helpful. We've got it set up on the front porch, because in the summer, nobody wants the extra heat I'm the house, but in the winter, the damn thing freezes everything. I've got a gallon of milk that gas reached glacial maximum overnight.
We run it off standard 20lb BBQ tanks, go through one a week in the summer, a tank per month in winter. Cold drinks are vital to morale.
 
IMG_5438.jpeg IMG_5439.jpeg Might have found a clue to chimney crud…?

Today I burned a bunch of long dead branches that may have had some moisture from rains a week or two ago. I burnt them in a holey barrel to heat water for the redneck hot tub. The coil ended up coated with some crusty tarry stuff. Never has before with eucalyptus firewood and a more open setup. An open bottom drum set up on rocks. I wonder if the moisture and cooler metal of the coil caused stuff to adhere to it?

Maybe certain burning conditions in a stove (like a gasifier) and a cool stovepipe or chimney cause “condensation” of vapors?
 
davidwyby said:
View attachment 136309View attachment 136310Might have found a clue to chimney crud…?

Today I burned a bunch of long dead branches that may have had some moisture from rains a week or two ago. I burnt them in a holey barrel to heat water for the redneck hot tub. The coil ended up coated with some crusty tarry stuff. Never has before with eucalyptus firewood and a more open setup. An open bottom drum set up on rocks. I wonder if the moisture and cooler metal of the coil caused stuff to adhere to it?

Maybe certain burning conditions in a stove (like a gasifier) and a cool stovepipe or chimney cause “condensation” of vapors?
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Does it work/look like this one in the picture? If so, that's pretty baller, my friend.

Redneck Hot Tub.jpg
 
Yup, just creosote forming on the cold coils, pretty much expected unless it's had time to burn completely before it hits them. Pretty much why they used gasification for boilers, the tars are cracked into co and h2 so they burn clean.
 
davidwyby said:
View attachment 136309View attachment 136310Might have found a clue to chimney crud…?

Today I burned a bunch of long dead branches that may have had some moisture from rains a week or two ago. I burnt them in a holey barrel to heat water for the redneck hot tub. The coil ended up coated with some crusty tarry stuff. Never has before with eucalyptus firewood and a more open setup. An open bottom drum set up on rocks. I wonder if the moisture and cooler metal of the coil caused stuff to adhere to it?

Maybe certain burning conditions in a stove (like a gasifier) and a cool stovepipe or chimney cause “condensation” of vapors?
Click to expand...
yep, the cooler water takes out the particulate in the smoke, that would normally be burnt and it builds up.
With our Rayburn stove, with water jacket around the left and back of the firebox, no matter how dry you have your timber, creo just builds up as the surface is never over 100c, and you need over that to burn cleanly, so you have to sweep it every 4 or so weeks, more so if you get some wet wood, that will block up the back boiler flu way in a matter of hours.
Its just the way it is, and normal. So you plan ahead, and sweep when needed, or more than needed if the weather is favorable ;).
 
Trains, possibly a brick layer to let the fire burn hot/clean against the brick, maybe the heat transfer works out the same at 100 degrees at the steel face (?)
 
I managed to get a makeshift grate in the wood stove. Seems to be working, so far. Warmer weather, some locust slabs from the sawmill, and no oil make it tolerable, but not the greatest. This house is not set up for wood heat. Chimney is at one end, so the other end is freezing. Fluorescent lights in the kitchen don't even have full output, but the upstairs is tolerable. No hot water from the wood stove, either. At least I won't freeze to death while I figure out how I'm getting some oil. I should probably build an Earthship for next winter. :lol:
 
Locust doesn't seem to make any ash. Or not much. Getting the job done, if you don't mind being a slave to the stove.
 
You're feeding it a lot? I don't remember that, but I haven't burned a ton of locust. I do remember liking it, and the way it smelled. Smelled burning that is. Kinda stinks just sitting around cut.
 
Yes, I can't go all night on a load. This house is something like a half a billion btus per winter. I told this German guy who was peddling PassiveHaus building materials that and he was speechless. He sort of stuttered a little and walked away. :lol:
 
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