Warm winter

[julianf]

Its been a while since I've had a rough vehical for dragging around stuff, and today was the first pallet harvest in the defender.

(I'm aware there is some chipboard corners in there - the blue one was confirmed out of the network also)

Weekly offer from a local company.

I'm now thinking again of my previously dismissed idea of a burner that can just take whole pallets. It would save a lot of bother in processing.

I've even "dreamt" of one of those shredders, like you see on YouTube... But, realistically, probably couldn't justify the space, even if I had the motivation to build one!

Most of this will go on the Rayburn, but some sort of dedicated burner down in the garage, with the hot water just piped up to the house is a bit of a pipe dream of mine!


One of the builders yards arround here once offered to even do me a weekly delivery, but I had to turn them down as I just didn't have the space to process them quickly enough. Again, youtube shredders and an auger feed... The stuff of dreams.


I hate being cold. Almost as much as I hate paying (much) for heating.

Ps the above is not much of a haul at all. That's maybe 5 days on a Rayburn when its proper cold? So better than nothing but the sheer volume and time is the issue.

Suggestions on a postcard?

 

[ostosix]

Hi bud, have you made one those pry bars for seperating pallets? Ive made a rough one which makes light work of it using 40mm box.

I’ve got a design in my head which would be adjustable for different pallet designs but just looking fof some material which slide inside each other for the different gaps

 

[MoreWellie]

I once used a volvo 240 when you aren't used to the brakes it sometimes felt like you were about to be plastered over the windscreen. Good job you only have land rover brakes with that lot piled up like that

 

[gaz1]

yes i do know

but are you prepared to put your money where your mouth is no point talking all the talk and then dont do it

so what do you want small and cheap to run vs large and constant filling

your using soft wood so fast fire

i use soft wood and 4x2s 5x2s 6x2s 4x4s 12x4s of coarse they cut up a bit

volume vs time cutting it up

volume vs burn times which equals mass

then theres the mass of wood burner that you need

 

[fizzy]

Do NOT burn the pressed wood pallet blocks. They truly stink. The fumes are not good for you or your neighbours!
Beware of pallet burners that take the whole lot. You pretty much can't open the door until the fire is out.

 

[fizzy]

My plan is to build my own woodburner. I get the side bearers from 2 way pallets. They are basically the same size as a pallet block but in 48" lengths. I have a pretty big woodburner now but have to cut them in half or into 3. I will build something that will take them whole.
Also emptying the ash and nails out is a pain so I would design the door to be flush with the bottom with a smaller door inset for loading.. Roll a wheelbarrow underneath. Open the main door and just rake it all out.

 

[gaz1]

My plan is to build my own woodburner. I get the side bearers from 2 way pallets. They are basically the same size as a pallet block but in 48" lengths. I have a pretty big woodburner now but have to cut them in half or into 3. I will build something that will take them whole.
Also emptying the ash and nails out is a pain so I would design the door to be flush with the bottom with a smaller door inset for loading.. Roll a wheelbarrow underneath. Open the main door and just rake it all out.

then your dealing with a big build and also a height issue

however saying that i know of a few builds that would be near

 

[fizzy]

then your dealing with a big build and also a height issue

however saying that i know of a few builds that would be near

I was thinking of using a section of flange pipe - something like this

With a large opening door the same size as the flange and with an inner door with a glass window in it. Think steampunk

Or train boiler.

Perhaps 10 or 15mm wall thickness.

 

[julianf]

The I've looked at the (often) tilted feeds if rocket stoves and wondered if whole pallet sections could be fed into those, but I'm sure that rocket stoves without the whole "thermal mass" attachment are massively wasteful.

The air on oil boilers, for example, is tuned down until the emissions start to rise. Ie to find the point of complete combustion without just pumping through a load of excess (cooling) air.

The whole "rocket" name implies a whole load of air. I don't know, maybe they can be balanced but then it's probably more human intervention than I really want.


Really I just want somthing that converts pallets to hot water with as little bother as possible!

 

[julianf]

I was thinking of using a section of flange pipe - something like this

View attachment 360277

View attachment 360278


With a large opening door the same size as the flange and with an inner door with a glass window in it. Think steampunk

Or train boiler.

Perhaps 10 or 15mm wall thickness.

View attachment 360279

Are you wanting to heat air or water?

I don't want to heat the air at all. I want some unit down in the garage out of the way, and then duct hot water back to the house.

 

[fizzy]

Are you wanting to heat air or water?

I don't want to heat the air at all. I want some unit down in the garage out of the way, and then duct hot water back to the house.

Both.
Hoping to buy an old church with a very high roof. Making the woodburner the centre piece. Will feed a heatstore - along with an Aga or Rayburn oil fired and an oil boiler.
Times when I have been too ill to get wood the oil has literally been a lifesaver!

 

[gaz1]

@fizzy

forget church they are so restrictive due to there grade listed status

too big no need for them and that fire well not worth the build

the best way is via water then you have to choose between a boiler build or an air build

air is quick heat but it will cool down quickly or if too warm on a long burn open windows

water takes a bit of time however it can and does heat rads up rather well to transfer to air you also gain the thermal mass of those

 

[fizzy]

@fizzy

forget church they are so restrictive due to there grade listed status

too big no need for them and that fire well not worth the build

the best way is via water then you have to choose between a boiler build or an air build

air is quick heat but it will cool down quickly or if too warm on a long burn open windows

water takes a bit of time however it can and does heat rads up rather well to transfer to air you also gain the thermal mass of those

I have never done anything sensible!
Plenty of old churches around here going cheap. A lot of them not even listed.
There are some stunning church conversions around.

 

[gaz1]

The I've looked at the (often) tilted feeds if rocket stoves and wondered if whole pallet sections could be fed into those, but I'm sure that rocket stoves without the whole "thermal mass" attachment are massively wasteful.

The air on oil boilers, for example, is tuned down until the emissions start to rise. Ie to find the point of complete combustion without just pumping through a load of excess (cooling) air.

The whole "rocket" name implies a whole load of air. I don't know, maybe they can be balanced but then it's probably more human intervention than I really want.


Really I just want somthing that converts pallets to hot water with as little bother as possible!

yes they can but really they are better off being stacked into a chamber

or in your 2 cases via the chopped up lengths

its the air inside of them too much mass of air compared to stacked enough to burn off and gasiffie

2 types of rocket stove the type that full flows or the type that burns the gas off the wood the better type being the type that burns the gas

as goes for your last comment you dont want to put in the work chopping it up but throw it in as one but that has trade offs

mass needed
too much air within the burn chamber
fast heat and fast flow through the system
burns alot of wood

whilst i prefer

very little to collect
a bit of work chopping it up
plenty of heat
smaller mass

 

[gaz1]

Are you wanting to heat air or water?

I don't want to heat the air at all. I want some unit down in the garage out of the way, and then duct hot water back to the house.

as goes for built it would affect your insurance

whilst a bought one can be insured but some places can be an issue best to check your insurance on wood stoves

mines heater and cylinder room then duct pipe back to the property a little bit safer but comes with costs

 

[julianf]

Sure. Garage is not connected to any other building and, well, if I burn it down, that's my problem.

House is terraced. I wouldn't dare have some strange burning device in there. So piping hot water from the disconnected building seems a much better plan.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I was hoping the thread title was a weather forecast.....

 

[gaz1]

size is not everything with rocket stoves

original air heater 4 cords of wood used



rocket heater 1.3 cords of wood used


vs boiler

so gives you an idea of wood usage

i have a boiler rocket stove in test at moment ( not released ) testing for ware and tear of parts as i do expect certain parts to destroy themselves

but the wood usage is great and also the heat output is powerful plenty of water heating

so the loss of a certain part so far is exceptable for the water heat gain i get

 

[armalites]

I totally get the whole free wood thing but pallets can be a lot of work. I would bet if you took the time fuel you spent collecting/processing them and did paying work in that time you could probably buy way more heat with heating oil(admittedly it's expensive at the moment)

Pallets burn too fast and it gets very tedious keep feeding the burner when a couple of decebt seasoned hardwood logs would burn for hours.

 

[fizzy]

I totally get the whole free wood thing but pallets can be a lot of work. I would bet if you took the time fuel you spent collecting/processing them and did paying work in that time you could probably buy way more heat with heating oil(admittedly it's expensive at the moment)

Pallets burn too fast and it gets very tedious keep feeding the burner when a couple of decebt seasoned hardwood logs would burn for hours.

The blocks are often hardwood.
Stack a few planks together and they take longer to burn.
The big heavy bearers I get though are just as good as logs.
And I wonder how many people realise you actually get more heat out of softwood per ton than hardwood.