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Hey there everyone I am new to this site and have read many of the posts here and am very impressed with everyones projects and how you help one another. I am starting a project that I have researched very extensively and need some more insight to help start the process and do it right the FIRST time. I am planning on making a hopefully very efficient (as possible) outside wood boiler to heat my house (1400 sq ft) and garage (768 sq ft). Now I understand that Outdoor Wood Boiler and efficient really do not fit in the same sentence very good, but the problem is that my neighbor and I really don't see eye to eye on anything and I really want to keep the fight to a dull roar when I install this. So smoke quantity is a factor here, I understand that if you burn well seasoned wood that helps, stack temps are also a factor. Now we get to the design. I currently have a 500 gal propane tank, I also have access to a 250 gal tank, so my thoughts are to put the 250 inside the 500 and weld a plate in the end for the door and such. 500 gal tanks are 36" I.D. and the 250 are 30" O.D. Does this sound good so far??? I plan on lining the 250 tank with fire brick. I plan to put a baffle in the top of the 250 to try and contain "wood gas" to re burn, an reduce smoke emissions & creosote buildup, also that would involve placing a plate in the rear of the firebox to line with firebrick leaving the stack in the open chamber of the "dome" of the 250 tank. I plan to extend this down 1/2 way or a little more and this would be 6 or 8 well casing and will go straight up through the water jacket.Oh by the way this will be a non-pressurized system, I don't need a time bomb in the back yard. Any help, suggestions, or pictures would be a great help.
Reply:Welcome and Spark safe Why do you put two cents in when its only a penny for your thoughts? Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC Millermatic 150
Reply:With steam comes pressure.look to Kewanee for a similar type boiler design.Miller Thunderbolt 225Millermatic 130 XPLincoln HD 100 Forney C-5bt Arc welderPlasma Cutter Gianteach Cut40ACent Machinery Bandsaw Cent Machinery 16Speed Drill PressChicago Electric 130amp tig/90 ArcHobart 190 Mig spoolgun ready
Reply:Hey good luck with your project. I used to work in a shop that was a converted home. The original owner had instaled what for lack of a better term I would call a suplemental heater for his boiler. It was a comercial unit but I can't for the life of me remember the name. Basicaly consisted for running a series of pipes back and forth thru the fireplace above the fire but below the damper. A valve connected it to the conventional hot water heating system. When you built a fire in the fireplace, you opened the valve and turned on the circulator pump. It worked surprisingly well and kept the gas boiler from kicking in except when the temp really dropped. Since the fireplace was also inside you also gained all the radient heat from the iron fireplace insert. This sounds sort of what you are describing. You might also consider building a hollow outer jacket around the fire box that is sealed. install a fan and some ductwork and let the heat from the sides and back heat some of the air to pump into the house.I believe that large quantiites of smake are generally a sign of a fire that is deprived of O2. Some sort of forced air induction system may help, however with a coresponding increase in fuel use. I remember studing in my architeture classes about old factory chimneys. There is a specific ratio of dia. to height that induces the correct draft for a furnace. A chimney that is to short / fat will not draw enough air, and one that is to tall / thin will starve the fire as the gases cool to much and try to sink back down the stack.I also just looked in my architectual library. I can't locate the ratios but I did find a book that talks about building water circulating fireplaces. Title is Fireplaces by Ken Kern / Steve Magers. Just a small section of the book is devoted to them and I don't know if it's enough to justify buying the book. Shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can scan in the section and send it to you.
Reply:I think this is similar to what you have in mind, I didn't design it I just weld them together.I do a lot of welding for the Amish in my area and this is what they are using to heat their green houses. I have put together several different styles and designs they have come up with.This one wasn't finished when I took the pictures, that is the door lying on the ground beside it. I was by there yesterday and he had it in operation. Attached Images
Reply:Hey guys thanks for the input.Those pictures are exactly what I am talking about. I would put this in a small out building and wrap with insulation. Also I was planning on putting the stack on the top and down. Also the outer jacket will be filled with water / antifreeze mix. NON SEALED OPEN SYSTEM NO PRESSURE.  The thought of a steam boiler makes me scared, that is way to dangerous. Any more thoughts on a design like this would be great. Again thanks for the help guys.
Reply:I would think the stack on top would work just fine, I really don't know why they run the stack out the back like that, I would think it would cool it too much and cause a lot of creosote build up, but that is the way they designed all of them I have welded up.They run the water out the line on top  (hard to see in this picture) the length of the green house at a slight rise, then have an expansion tank at the end, then the water flows down the to a manifold and through lines laid on the floor and back to the tank. Seems to work well for their application.
Reply:69velle, I PMed you my contact info. but haven't heard back from you. (Maybe I did it wrong?) I've got those pages scanned, if you let me know your email address I'll send them to you.
Reply:DSW, Sent you a E-mail yesterday. Let me know if you rec'd it. Thanks for the help.
Reply:69velle Looked but don't see it. Please try again and pm the same info. I'll check again later.
Reply:Originally Posted by 69velle Hey there everyone I am new to this site and have read many of the posts here and am very impressed with everyones projects and how you help one another. I am starting a project that I have researched very extensively and need some more insight to help start the process and do it right the FIRST time. I am planning on making a hopefully very efficient (as possible) outside wood boiler to heat my house (1400 sq ft) and garage (768 sq ft). Now I understand that Outdoor Wood Boiler and efficient really do not fit in the same sentence very good, but the problem is that my neighbor and I really don't see eye to eye on anything and I really want to keep the fight to a dull roar when I install this. So smoke quantity is a factor here, I understand that if you burn well seasoned wood that helps, stack temps are also a factor. Now we get to the design. I currently have a 500 gal propane tank, I also have access to a 250 gal tank, so my thoughts are to put the 250 inside the 500 and weld a plate in the end for the door and such. 500 gal tanks are 36" I.D. and the 250 are 30" O.D. Does this sound good so far??? I plan on lining the 250 tank with fire brick. I plan to put a baffle in the top of the 250 to try and contain "wood gas" to re burn, an reduce smoke emissions & creosote buildup, also that would involve placing a plate in the rear of the firebox to line with firebrick leaving the stack in the open chamber of the "dome" of the 250 tank. I plan to extend this down 1/2 way or a little more and this would be 6 or 8 well casing and will go straight up through the water jacket.Oh by the way this will be a non-pressurized system, I don't need a time bomb in the back yard. Any help, suggestions, or pictures would be a great help.
Reply:Originally Posted by shortarcI would think the stack on top would work just fine, I really don't know why they run the stack out the back like that, I would think it would cool it too much and cause a lot of creosote build up, but that is the way they designed all of them I have welded up.They run the water out the line on top  (hard to see in this picture) the length of the green house at a slight rise, then have an expansion tank at the end, then the water flows down the to a manifold and through lines laid on the floor and back to the tank. Seems to work well for their application.