How to build a potbelly stove on waste oil: instructions in photographs and drawings
How to heat an unheated garage in the winter? The simplest answer: make a potbelly stove. This unit has a simple design and works great on wood, coal, sawdust, etc. However, a motorist does not always have a sufficient amount of such fuel. But used engine oil is usually available. For many motorists, a do-it-yourself oil burner has become an excellent alternative to a conventional wood-burning stove. However, they use such a furnace not only for garages.
Content
The principle of operation and advantages of such a stove
The combustion of fuel in a waste oil furnace takes place in two stages. First, the fuel poured into the tank burns. The resulting gases are mixed with air. At the second stage, it is this gas-air mixture that burns, so the potbelly stove at the mining site consists of two compartments.
The device for working off the furnace includes two combustion chambers, one of which burns the used oil, and the other a mixture of oil vapors and air
The first compartment is the tank into which the used oil is poured. It burns at a relatively moderate temperature. Above is another compartment designed for the combustion of air-mixed products formed during the combustion of mining. Here the process takes place at a much higher temperature, it can reach 800 degrees.
An important condition for the construction of a potbelly stove for do-it-yourself mining is to provide air access to both combustion chambers. In the lower tank, a small hole is made for this, which serves to fill the fuel, as well as to adjust the air supply. The hole is closed with a special shutter. Secondary air usually enters the upper chamber through small openings (approximately 10 mm), which are drilled in a pipe connecting the tank and the second combustion chamber.
Read also how you can build a stove-stove for a garage and a summer house, which can be heated with wood, peat or waste:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/otoplenie/bani-i-garazh/pechka-burzhujka-svoimi-rukami.html.
In order to provide air access to the second combustion chamber of the potbelly stove for mining, it is necessary to make small holes in the pipe connecting this chamber and the oil tank
The ability to use almost free fuel from used oil is not the only advantage of such an aggregate. Due to the high combustion temperature working furnace Heats the room quickly and efficiently. If the device works correctly, neither unpleasant odors nor substances hazardous to human health are emitted from it, therefore, from an environmental point of view, a potbelly stove at mining is considered completely safe.
However, it may be dangerous to use flammable substances in such an oven, such as gasoline, a solvent, etc. It should also be remembered that some types of used transformer oil can release harmful compounds when heated.
Drawing of the simplest and most popular waste oil stove (click to enlarge)
Step-by-step manufacturing of the stove according to the drawing above
Owners of mining stoves are stocked up with fuel in the summer. To do this, put a container in the garage into which the used oil is poured. By winter, a fairly decent amount of fuel is accumulating in it. Cheap or completely free used oil can be obtained at car repair shops, service stations, etc.
In our next article you will find instructions for the manufacture of a gas cylinder furnace:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/otoplenie/documents/pech-na-otrabotke-svoimi-rukami.html.
We remake a potbelly stove to work on working out
Owners of an ordinary potbelly stove who decided to switch to heating with used oil can make some changes to the design of an existing unit. When figuring out how to remake an ordinary potbelly stove for mining, one should take into account the principles of operation of this unit, i.e., provide a secondary combustion chamber and air access to both chambers. Here is one of the options for such a rework:
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- Weld a waste oil tank out of sheet metal.
- Cut a hole in the stove for air supply.
- Install a valve that will regulate the flow of air into the fuel tank.
- Instead of a chimney pipe, put a pipe with holes for air.
- Make a secondary combustion chamber with a removable upper part.
- Connect the secondary combustion chamber to the pipe with holes.
- Install the chimney.
Of course, the blower of an ordinary potbelly stove during the transition to mining should be closed to ensure proper traction. If desired, it is also possible to blow out the stove hole through which firewood or coal are loaded, you can simply brew it. In this case, the oil will be fed into the furnace through the view. Through the same hole, oil is also ignited. However, a more convenient option for loading fuel is likely to be the ability to remove the fuel tank from the potbelly stove. In this case, it makes sense to think about creating a universal stove that uses used oil or firewood.
This diagram clearly demonstrates one of the options for the construction of a potbelly stove in mining. The more accurate the compliance of the finished unit with the recommendations of engineers, the better the stove will work
Universal option: firewood + development
Sometimes circumstances dictate the need to use different types of fuel. For this, there is no need to keep two units in the room at once. There are models of universal bourgeois that can easily switch from firewood and coal to used engine oil. The following video describes in detail the device and operating features of such a model.
Understanding how to make a universal potbelly stove for mining is not difficult. The lower tank of such a stove is an ordinary wood stove with grates, a compartment for collecting ash and a chimney. At the top of this compartment, a waste oil tank is installed and a view with a shutter is made.
The upgraded lower compartment is connected to the secondary combustion chamber with a special pipe in which openings for air are provided and the ability to close them if necessary. A chimney is discharged from above.
If you want to use such a unit as a potbelly stove, you need to remove the oil container and close the view, as well as the holes on the pipe. After that, in the stove you can burn firewood, coal, sawdust, etc. To switch to heating by mining, the actions are performed in the reverse order:
- Install the oil tank.
- Open the view.
- Openings for secondary air intake.
After that, spent fuel oil can be used as a fuel in a potbelly stove.
For the operation of such a potbelly stove to be safe, it must be regularly cleaned. For this, the upper part of the secondary combustion chamber is made removable. It is cleaned in accessible places, and a chimney pipe is tapped to remove accumulated soot. In addition, accumulated dirt should be regularly removed from the oil tank.
You may also find useful material about the general principles of operation of furnace equipment in used oil and safety rules:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/otoplenie/alt_otoplenie/otoplenie-na-otrabotannom-masle.html.
A few useful tips for last.
When operating a homemade potbelly stove in mining, some owners of the unit face a number of problems. For example:
- space heating occurs unevenly;
- mining during boiling and splashing out of the tank;
- the smell of smoke appears;
- fuel burns too fast, etc.
The problem of uneven heating of the room when it is hot near the stove and cold in the opposite corner can be solved by adding a special “labyrinth” to the secondary combustion chamber. From this labyrinth a pipe is brought out, on which a small fan is placed. This design allows you to direct a stream of hot air in any suitable direction. Thus, it was possible to increase the air temperature in the garage to 15-20 degrees of heat at an external temperature of -35 degrees.
If the do-it-yourself kiln at the test site does not warm up the room evenly, you can attach a special “labyrinth” to it, which will allow you to correctly distribute heat by supplying a stream of air in the right direction
In many ways, the work of a potbelly stove in development depends on the correct traction and the size of the unit. Therefore, it is recommended not to make the oven “by eye”, but to use accurate drawings and try to comply with the established dimensions. It should be remembered that the higher the capacity of the fuel tank, the faster the oil will burn, that is, its consumption will increase.
So that mining does not hiss, does not boil, but burns quietly, it is necessary to use engine oil, which was previously settled, but was not drained a couple of hours ago. In addition, it is recommended that the fuel tank be filled with no more than two-thirds.
