Wood Burner problems

[Normsthename]

Following on from my Wood Stove pictures, I have a couple of problems..... :-

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=187882#post187882

I have given the wood stove its first burn, but it was not very successful
First problem was the hinges that I used quickly gave in to the heat, so I have been out and bought some heavy duty gate hinges, so that should sort that.
The next problem is there is no 'Draw' on the fire.
I had to have the door fully open for it to start to burn at all.
At first I thought the top baffle plate was too big and restricting the air flow, so I removed it completely but it made no difference.
The air vents I put in did'nt seem to make any difference to the fire.
If I shut the door the fire goes out very quickly and it then generates a lot of smoke.
So, any ideas where I need to place some more air vents.
I was thinking lower down???

Andy

 

[the snooper]

when i looked at the pictures yesterday of your burner i thought then you air intake was very small mine is at least 4 inch square
they do need to be lower down as they are now the air has to flow down where as the flue will try to take away before it reaches the flames

 

[chrisgod]

Looking at REAL (Costing LOADSAMONEY!!) wood burners here in France the air intake is below the actual grate itself? So yes I would say you are on the right track!

 

[grandads_shed]

you need to be able to draw air from under the fire. also it helps alot if you can seal around the top door.

controling the fire is done by the bottom vent (the one below the hight of the fire, but once the fire is burning well then you can fine tune the burn useing the top vent.

used to have these on a boat for several years. they really do get hot they will easily glow red.

if you need to stop the heat getting to anything near to it, like a wooden wall or table etc then use a sheet of alloy at least 2mm thick, fix this to the wall but make sure u leave a gap between the wall and the alloy of at least 5mm and at least 5 inches from the fire

the alloy will stay cold to the touch even if the fire runs red hot

 

[rtbcomp]

Burning wood requires air from above, not below.

I just leave the door open on my pot belly stove.

 

[Normsthename]

Thats why I designed mine like this.......
But it definitely does need another air vent lower down.
I am going to cut a 6" x 1" slot below the door and fit a sliding strip over it to adjust the air flow
Hopefully it will be all ready for tomorrows 2nd test burn

Andy

 

[pedrobedro]

Our multi fuel has a vent in the top in it's own chamber, like a false roof below the top with a rod to open and close the vent. Wood fires burn well on a closed bed with ash under them and air fed from above the fire to create a venturi effect. According to the book that came with it you should not be able to supply enough air to get the stove hot enough to burn the coating off the outside. It is made of 1/2" boiler plate though so if it ever got red it would probably burn the house down

 

[Arsonista]

I burn smokeless coal on my home made one. It won't draw at all until the flue is quite hot.

 

[Normsthename]

I have modified the stove tonight
Fitted some meaty garden gate hinges to the door, one problem solved
I have also cut a 6" x 1" slot underneath the door, hopefully this will be large enough to get a good draw
There is a rolled strip covering the slot so I can slide the strip left and right to get the required airflow.
I will be giving it another test tomorrow

Andy

 

[white van man 2]

Burning wood requires air from above, not below.

I just leave the door open on my pot belly stove.

i've read that said by a few people on here regarding these home made stoves. that being the case, how come most "proper" wood stoves have the vents under the grate?

 

[rtbcomp]

i've read that said by a few people on here regarding these home made stoves. that being the case, how come most "proper" wood stoves have the vents under the grate?

To allow them to burn coke &c as well.

 

[Justme]

i've read that said by a few people on here regarding these home made stoves. that being the case, how come most "proper" wood stoves have the vents under the grate?

Proper ones will have TWO vents one under & one over the grate. The one under is for solid fuels for the full burn & to get wood fuels going then you open up the top air. Wood needs to sit on a base but coals etc need the ash to be riddled away.

 

[Normsthename]

Today I knocked a hole thru' the brick wall and fitted the stove in its final position.
I then lit the fire, and with the Mods I did yesterday it now draws like a goodun
If I fully open the bottom slot the fire roars away and generates a lot of heat.
Once I got the fire burning well, I closed the bottom vent so there was approx. 1" x 1/4" slot
With that much slot open the fire just ticks over nicely.
There was zero smoke coming out of the chimmey, just a heat haze
The pyrex dish stayed clear all the time, I ran it for about 6 hours
Pictures to follow

Andy

 

[runnach]

Sounds like a good job all round, lots heat, you'll be sleeping there

For the record and, according to my stove manufacturer operating booklet, bottom vent does what many have already stated. Two top side vents on mine are for "secondary burn" this pushes heat back down into firebox of stove also over glass, this heat helps keep glass clear and clean, evident when closing all vents for slow burn, glass goes black with flue gas. bottom vent closed and top open, or nearly open, again keeps glass clean.

HTH?

 

[Normsthename]

Here are some fitted pictures

The new door hinges are working really well.
The new air vent below the door works a treat, Here I have had to open it up a bit so I could take a picture with some flames in!

As you can see in this picture, the bottom air vent is closed almost shut.
With it set like this, the fire ticks over really nicely
If you open the vent up, the fire really starts to roar and puts out a huge amount of lovely heat

This is a picture of the chimney (and my Reliant Kitten ) I have fitted outside.
The top length of chimney is made from aluminium and once again I managed to scrounge it
In this picture the fire has been burning for a couple of hours and as you can see there is no smoke at all
All you see is a heat haze like a jet engine coming out of the top of the chimney
My unit is really cold in the Winter, but today it was warm as toast in there.
I have a thermometer on a First Aid Kit and at one point it was showing 25°
Final jobs to do are to weld a round disc onto the hob, I could not find a Hob Kettle anywhere,
The Kettle I bought is designed for a gas ring and has a lip around the edge which stops the kettle reaching temperature, so the disc will allow the kettle to sit flat on the hob, and then I might be able to have a cup of tea
Once I have ran the stove for a few days I will clean the outside and give it a coat of Stove Black Paint.

Total Build Cost
£5.70 2 x Gate Hinges
£1.85 1 x Gate Catch
£7.99 Stove Black Paint
Total £15.54

Dam cost of living.......

Andy

 

[grandads_shed]

This is a picture of the chimney (and my Reliant Kitten ) Andy

the kitten wouldnt be fore sale would it?

 

[Normsthename]

the kitten wouldnt be fore sale would it?

Not at the minute, could be in a couple of months time......
I have spent a lot of time and money to get it roadworthy
It has loads of mods to bring it into the 21st century and make it more reliable, these include :-

Electronic Distributor (No points or condenser to replace)
Electric Fuel Pump
Removed mechanical fan, and fitted a Kenlowe thermostatically contolled electric fan
Weber ICH34 Carburettor fitted onto a ported manifold
New radiator
New Water Pump
Plus loads of other things.

Andy

 

[rtbcomp]

My stove has a removeable lid so I put a kettle where that fits. I also have a pan that sits in the hole the lid covers.

I find the kettle heats up quicker if I reduce the air so that the roaring noise just stops, this gives a softer flame that actually touches the kettle.

 

[Bullyterrier]

Andy just keep an eye on your plastic window sill, it might get pliable.

 

[Normsthename]

Andy just keep an eye on your plastic window sill, it might get pliable.

I checked the plastic window sill, and it only gets warm if I really get the fire roaring.
If the fire is just ticking over, it does not get warm at all.
Better to be safe than sorry, so I am fitting a piece of folded metal to protect it
I will hold it down with double-sided sticky pads

Andy