Outdoor wood burner project

[bullydogcj]

I started this project around the first of September. Im build a 3'depthx3'widthx4'tall firebox with a 4'x4'x5' water jacket here some pictures from the first day I started working on it. Im stick welding everything with 1/8th 7018 electrodes



The main door is 18x18 the ash pan door is 6"x18"
It took 6 4'x8' sheets of 1/4" a36 steel plate to build
the bottom has a 36"x26" grate made out of 3/4" hr round bar, there is fire brick on the sides of the grate on an angle.

 

[Dr Dave]

Nice job! thats a lot of welding. What do you think this will cost to build? What do you have for a heat exchanger in your home, radiant floor or forced air? Keep us posted on the performance of this unit.

 

[LazySusanFarms]

I am also very interested in your design and projected cost. That is some very nice work and welding.

 

[snowjoker]

looks good ! only think i would have done to make the build easier is, not worry about a ash collector. We have a Taylor outdoor burner piece of junk . that i plan on replacing with a custom built one... once i find the materials . cheap lol

 

[bullydogcj]

I hooked up the burner to 2 90000 btu heat exchangers one is in my attic and one in my basement. I bought a Taco 0013 stainless circulating pump which I installed in my basement, which is around 70 feet from my burner. The 1" pex then goes to my attic heat exchanger, back down to my basement through another heat exchanger then back to the wood burner. The pump is pushing water through 180 feet of 1" pex. The burner is 15 feet above the pump so it is not having to suck water.

I have been running it for a couple of days, and I'm filling I once a day, with about a wheel barrow load of wood. I am mixing green and dry wood, because I dont have enough seasoned wood this year.

 

[bullydogcj]

looks good ! only think i would have done to make the build easier is, not worry about a ash collector. We have a Taylor outdoor burner piece of junk . that i plan on replacing with a custom built one... once i find the materials . cheap lol

I put my blower through the ash pan door. I also wanted a grate and needed the door to get the ashes out without taking the grate out. the grate weighs about 150 pounds, it has 40 feet of 3/4 round bar in it.

 

[bullydogcj]

Cost of unit broken down
Steel plate 1/4" 4x8 sheets $1000.00
2 Heat exchangers $268.00
300 feet Pex 1" $214.00
Taco 0013 stainless pump $348.00
75 cfm fan $68.00
1 " stroke solenion $44.00
5 3/4 weld in bungs $25.00
6 shut off valves $54.00
4 3/4 stainless 90* street $24.00
2 1" pex t $12.00
4 1" sweat x 1" male pex crimp $15.00
15 1" pex elbows $36.00
1" pex crimp tool $30.00
50 1" pex crimp rings $29.00
4 1" pex crimp x 3/4 npt male $13.00
Circulator pump flanges $17.00
Reflective bubble insul $87.00
concrete $50.00
flashing $28.00
pipe insulation $80.00
metal roofing Free
frame to put on siding $100.00
Firebrick $20.00
Foam insulation $114.00
14 feet 1 inch firerope $65.00
firerope adhesive $18.00
Smoke stack 4 1/2 pipe Free
2 electronic thermostats $40.00
Digital temperature controller Free
100 ft 10/2 $110.00
water treatment $40.00
Welding rods, grinding wheels $50.00

So with the cost of gas and electricity that I also used I have close to $3000.00 in it

 

[rancher3]

You have a good looking heater for a cheap price.

 

[vwnotrunning]

Excellent job! I keep thinking I will get around to a project like that but stuff always gets in the way

 

[bullydogcj]

I took 8 years to plan it and 3 months to build it. I stopped working on my backhoe project to do this one. I'm glad that I built my logsplitter first though.

 

[Paul N]

Congratulations! You now have a quality outdoor wood burner for less than half the cost of buying one. You also have the bonus of gained knowledge, skill, and self reliance. I built one back in 1993, still using it today. The difference in mine is that I used round firebox and round water jacket.

 

[bullydogcj]

Well after the first season Im estimating that I saved around $1000.00 on my electric bill

 

[Dr Dave]

Congrats, its better to have that $1000 in your pocket, than your utilities.

Dave

 

[ericher69]

Well after the first season Im estimating that I saved around $1000.00 on my electric bill

bullydog;

I hope your numbers are accurate!

I have a coworker that has an outdoor burner and he buys a truckload of wood at least once a year plus whatever he can collect from his property.

Point being he does not consider the following;
1. Delivered wood bought
2. Time to cut and split/stack etc
3. Time to collect cut/split/transport/stack
4. Cost of gas/ chains/oil/chainsaws
5. Cost of electricity for blower
Etc etc

Point being he is kidding himself by saying he is saving money!

I know personally my time is worth $25/hr cash or $40+ taxed

Beautiful work! Did your son help at all? You seems like you could teach him a thing or two and he obviously seems interested though still a little young.

 

[bullydogcj]

I cut a years worth of wood in three days, hauled it and dumped it in a pile. I don't split anything I put in my OWB. I sell firewood so I have everything on hand to work with. I pretty much burn all the poplar and pine I don't sell.
My son is an automatic rod dispenser, I get twice as much work done when he helps me out

 

[yomax4]

Funny how wood heats you so many times. Cutting, stacking, hauling and at last in the house. I have an outdoor wood stove and I burn a dozen cords or so a year. I do have 5 pumps running to heat 2 buildings so there is an electric adder to my bill. I have not used a drop of Propane in 4 years so there is a savings. I just enjoy the exercise and even if the stove was a wash in savings, I would still do it. Good luck..

 

[Slickheadhunter]

Nice stove!
Is the foam insulation what you used to insulate the firebox?

My Father was a very good welder by profession, and believe it or not I never learned to weld very well. I also heat my home with wood and haven't had to buy oil since 1994, I use a soapstone wood stove in my house and burn about four cord a year. There's nothing like wood heat in my opinion!

 

[bullydogcj]

I insulated the water jacket with the rigid foam sheets of insulation.