DIY Barrel Stoves...

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Ok, so barrel stove is going to be a go. Buddy has a line on Stainless barrel's...Anyone have any reason to NOT use a stainless barrel? I cant forsee a problem, but want to ask.
A barrel stove with SS barrels would be pretty cool!
 
Years ago we would pick up the smaller old milk bulk tanks that were around some of the farms, those old bulk tanks were small enough and stainless steel so they made great barrrel stoves. My friend had a barrel stove made from a 60 gal barrel, some of those stainless would crack due to the changes in temps. Hard to beat a $5.00 steel barrel with sand and some Barn Lime in the bottom.
 
Years ago we would pick up the smaller old milk bulk tanks that were around some of the farms, those old bulk tanks were small enough and stainless steel so they made great barrrel stoves. My friend had a barrel stove made from a 60 gal barrel, some of those stainless would crack due to the changes in temps. Hard to beat a $5.00 steel barrel with sand and some Barn Lime in the bottom.

Ya beat me to it. Most stainless tanks and barrels are food grade therefore made typically out of 316 or 308. Neither is exceptionally well at high temps. 321 and 347 are much better but expensive as all out. As mentioned before, if wanting a large stove use a 300 gallon fuel oil tank.

You could use a 125 gallon propane tank. Obviously take proper precautions when cutting open tanks so you don't blow yourself up
 
You might could use an old fuel tank instead of a barrel. Like the oil tanks guys make BBQ smokers from.

Some years ago when I was teaching myself to weld, I built a shop wood heater out of a 40 gallon water heater tank. The steel on these is a lot thicker than barrel steel. The tank sat horizontal, on angle iron legs, and the air control was on the front. You loaded the wood in through a door on the top. The stove pipe connected on the top rear of the heater. I got the plans for the heater from Mother Earth News magazine. To build one quickly, you also need a plasma cutter, as you will be cutting curved and round shapes. We used it at my son-in-law's farm shop, it was a concrete floor and steel building. The heater was a monster, ate wood like crazy but could also get so hot that you couldn't stand next to it if you gave it too much air. I melted a number of plastic trash cans that I mistakenly placed too close to it. There was lots of easy to get firewood on the farm, so feeding the beast wasn't much of a problem. The farm was sold, and I still have the 40 gallon beast, sitting in the woods under a tarp. I don't have a fireproof shop to set it up in anymore, maybe one of these days. If I ever build another, I may try a double tank setup like the barrel stoves, for even more efficiency.
 
Dad's homemade has been in use for 40 years now.

MVC-001S_10.JPG


He used 2 old boiler tanks and attached an old coal furnace door. Simple slide for air intake but it's an on off thing. Open to start and closed the rest of the time. No fans as it's in the basement above the upstairs hallway. Register in the floor distributes the heat good enough that nothing else is needed.

MVC-003S_5.JPG


Only upgrade was I welded on a new ring to the top barrel as he wanted a 6 inch pipe as opposed to the 5 inch he originally put on. Got to say he pretty much nailed it as far as design goes because he uses about 6 cord a year to heat the house here in Ohio.
 
I bought a barrel stove kit a few weeks ago at NT. It said Vogelzang on the box, but the kit says barrel stove on the door. I know its not the same quality as my buddies volgzang stove. Even tho its in a Vogelzang box, it looks like a US Stove http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewpr...from=froogle&gclid=CMPguLKv-cICFVIV7AodoRQAiQ. Kind of pissed me off considering I bought it about 350 miles from home and it was just to far to take it back. With that said, if you are going to buy a barrel stove kit, make sure the door says Vogelzang on the door and Not Barrel Stove. Even with the difference in quality, (thinner cast iron), I put the kit together and it will run you out of the shop. I dont follow instructions to well. I placed the door as high as I could and covered the small barrel bung. I removed the 2in barrel bung and installed a 2in nipple. To cover the nipple, I just cut out a round piece of metal, welded a nut to the nipple on top and ran a bolt thru it to the round piece of metal. I just push or pull the round flap for draft control. I can fill the stove with wood, close off the damper and draft, and have fire 12hrs later.
 
I bought a barrel stove kit a few weeks ago at NT. It said Vogelzang on the box, but the kit says barrel stove on the door. I know its not the same quality as my buddies volgzang stove. Even tho its in a Vogelzang box, it looks like a US Stove http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewpr...from=froogle&gclid=CMPguLKv-cICFVIV7AodoRQAiQ. Kind of pissed me off considering I bought it about 350 miles from home and it was just to far to take it back. With that said, if you are going to buy a barrel stove kit, make sure the door says Vogelzang on the door and Not Barrel Stove. Even with the difference in quality, (thinner cast iron), I put the kit together and it will run you out of the shop. I dont follow instructions to well. I placed the door as high as I could and covered the small barrel bung. I removed the 2in barrel bung and installed a 2in nipple. To cover the nipple, I just cut out a round piece of metal, welded a nut to the nipple on top and ran a bolt thru it to the round piece of metal. I just push or pull the round flap for draft control. I can fill the stove with wood, close off the damper and draft, and have fire 12hrs later.
Is this one similar? Looks like good quality.image.jpg
 
For those of you that now or previously used a double-barrel setup --- Did you ever look into running some small diameter steel pipe through both ends of the upper barrel (and welding it in) and setting up a blower of some kind on one end to push cold air through and heated air out the other end? I am getting ready to start building a double-barrel and am debating on whether or not to try this trick. The second barrel is already intended to act as a heat sink; seems to me adding some forced air tubes through it would greatly increase the heat you can get out of the setup. Thoughts???
 
For those of you that now or previously used a double-barrel setup --- Did you ever look into running some small diameter steel pipe through both ends of the upper barrel (and welding it in) and setting up a blower of some kind on one end to push cold air through and heated air out the other end? I am getting ready to start building a double-barrel and am debating on whether or not to try this trick. The second barrel is already intended to act as a heat sink; seems to me adding some forced air tubes through it would greatly increase the heat you can get out of the setup. Thoughts???
Heck of an idea.
 
Did you ever look into running some small diameter steel pipe through both ends of the upper barrel (and welding it in) . . .
I think that it would work great as a heat exchanger - boilers use similar heat transfer pipes.
IF (and it's a big 'if') you are willing and able to do the welding. In my mind, barrel stoves are popular because they are cheap and easy. If you are going to invest this time and effort into a used, sheet metal barrel, maybe you want to design and build a stove from more durable materials? Either way, please post some photos!

Philbert
 
For those of you that now or previously used a double-barrel setup --- Did you ever look into running some small diameter steel pipe through both ends of the upper barrel (and welding it in) and setting up a blower of some kind on one end to push cold air through and heated air out the other end? I am getting ready to start building a double-barrel and am debating on whether or not to try this trick. The second barrel is already intended to act as a heat sink; seems to me adding some forced air tubes through it would greatly increase the heat you can get out of the setup. Thoughts???
I've seen them done that way, but I've never done it myself...

SR
 
I think that it would work great as a heat exchanger - boilers use similar heat transfer pipes.
IF (and it's a big 'if') you are willing and able to do the welding. In my mind, barrel stoves are popular because they are cheap and easy. If you are going to invest this time and effort into a used, sheet metal barrel, maybe you want to design and build a stove from more durable materials? Either way, please post some photos!

Philbert

I totally agree with you; however I couldn't justify the extra money right now. My hope is that this stove will get me through a couple years while I work on some other home/shop projects and then come back to revisit the shop heat issue with a fatter wallet. My dad is a decent welder and my uncle is even better than him, and both would be willing to work for a few beers and a couple burgers off the grill, so I've got that covered I think. It is going to be a slow process getting it all built due to being short on time and long on a list of hobbies, but I will try to document my process and post it up here when I get it all done and tested.
 
You might consider going to smaller diameter pipe inside the barrel so that you have a bigger heat transfer surface to really suck the heat out.
 
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