Barrel Stove Kits

[SgtRauksauff]

Finally took some photos this morning before leaving for work. So, Here's Tortoise, the woodburning barrel stove, built in 1978:

A closer up view of the front. The barrel kit was a SOTZ brand. The two pipes in front are where the hot air comes out of. We've got the one closest to the wall blowing directly across the stack, so it helps with convection. The box fan against the wall helps too.

Back view of the unit. you can see the blower motor at the bottom. My father originally put in the pipe in case he wanted to do some sort of hot water thing. Never really got around to that, though.

And a closer picture of the door. Sealed with fireplace cement I believe. There used to be a nice round vent flap, but we had a thermostatic vent on it at one point in time. Until the thermo-spring inside broke, and we couldn't find the original flap. so a square of 1/8" steel works for now...

the inside of the door. You can see that the air has a channel to move down the front of the door, so when you get a good draft going, there's a nice blowtorch effect going through the wood inside, rather than just over the top.

And here's the chimney. Straight stack, no bends. The top is even with or a little higher than the roof's peak. Plenty of room under the double-wall section to add the heat exchanger.

--sarge

 

[klogan121]

Sarge,

Does the weight of that entire vent stack rest on the stove? If so, it must not be too heavy on the barrel. Also, the stack going thru the roof-- is it a simpson dura vent triple wall or a double wall pipe?

Thanks for the pics, gives me ideas when I get my barrel stove together.

Kevin

 

[Barrel Stove]

Here is a video of the secondary air tubes operating.

You can see flames shooting from the area close to the holes on the bottom and top tubes. The hot air is being drawn into the fire box without any input pressure.

Outside temp is 15F....30-gallon unit keeps a 90 year old brick bungalow warm. Room with stove got to 86F before I turned on the forced air furnace motor to mix up the air.

Wish I had the vertical room to add the second drum. I've BBQ'd chicken breasts, hot dogs and a nice porterhouse to perfection. My wife thought I was nuts until I made dinner for her.

 

[97Tahoe]

You guys should check with your homeowners insurance , 99% of em will not cover a garage with any kind of wood burning stove.

 

[Barrel Stove]

Sarge,

What is the temperature range as the hot air exits? Your stove looks very functional and efficient

Ernst

 

[SgtRauksauff]

Sarge,

Does the weight of that entire vent stack rest on the stove? If so, it must not be too heavy on the barrel. Also, the stack going thru the roof-- is it a simpson dura vent triple wall or a double wall pipe?

Thanks for the pics, gives me ideas when I get my barrel stove together.

Kevin

Currently, Yes the entire weight is on the barrel. When we put in the heat extractor, we'll actually be putting in a support between the rafters.

The through-the roof part is insulated double-wall, not triple-wall with air between the layers.

Sarge,

What is the temperature range as the hot air exits? Your stove looks very functional and efficient

Ernst

Today, the thermometer on the short vent read 155°F. This was when the fire had been burning for awhile, right at the 300°C (~575°F) mark on the stack. The coldest part of the building, the entry door on the opposite wall, has a thermometer in the garage door opener control, and that read 62°F.

24x24, no insulation except for the overhead door and one front corner.

I was in the "hot" corner, mounting/balancing some snowtires, and I was down to just a shirt and pants. it actually felt refreshing to go outside into the ~30 drizzle/sleet/snow to get the rims.

I can't WAIT until we get the insulation tacked up to the rafters, that's going to keep so much heat down, and useable, that I might just have all my projects done by springtime!!!

--sarge

 

[therealwormey]

my dad has a stove i built from the oil drum that used to feed the old orginal oil furnace that they had in the late 60s.that drum was out of service but in the air off the ground till about 10 years ago. i used a single barrell kit for the door and dampner,didnt use the kit legs.the legs are pipe that screw into the original holes.its not a round barrel,its the tall one,its about 6-8 inches off the floor and comes to my chest,its been burning for over ten years at least and hasnt rusted out.no wood is too long,if you can carry it then it will probly fit,the other cool thing is the chimney is a 18'' road colvert like you use for your driveway,its 20 feet tall so it drafts like a vacuum cleaner,its shows a little rust on the opposite side from where the stove pipe comes in,i used a colvert as well for mine,they work great,galvenized so they dont rust.if they stay in the wet ground for years, then standing in the air it should last for many more years.i think i paid 150 bucks for mine,4-5 years ago.only drawback is they're heavy and hard to stand up. if you live in a ritzy neighborhood it might not fit in

 

[sealer]

My 40 X 40 pole barn shop isn't insulated, and only has a partial concrete floor for now. With a nice supply of free wood out back, it only made sense to burn wood. I used to work for a trucking company that had the "oil tank" barrel stove in their shop. That thing really cranked out the heat. Sooooo, since I had 2 oil tanks, I figured this is the way I was going to go. After scoring 18ft. of double wall pipe and the "T", wall thimble, and cap for $125 (I had to remove and patch the hole in their wall), I ordered 2 barrell stove kits.

I have this approx. 12ft from the wall due to the loft, so I had a lengthy horizontal run with a slight rise to the outside pipe. I didn't use all the double wall pipe, just through the wall and outside. Just like to mention, on any horizontal run, make sure you have a rise, so any creosote will run back into the stove. Also, make sure your pipe is attached so the creosote stays inside the pipe. You don't want it running down the outside of your stove pipe. The only thing I had to fab was the outside wall support. I just didn't care for the store bought supports......

I did fill the entire bottom of the tank, up to the bottom door, with stone to insulate it. I think that's the key to prevent "burn-outs" with barrel stoves.

I do have a fan sitting on the edge of the loft and angled downward toward the stove, just to pull the heat down from that stove pipe run and to circulate the stove heat. It works nice.

Anyways.....Here's some pics:

 

[sealer]

I did add another 3 ft. section of pipe outside after these pics were taken. Just wanted to be sure and get a good draft. Also would like to add, that my messy shop is now cleaned up, lol...

Some more pics:

 

[klogan121]

Nice setup, what is the upper door for? What temp does your building get up to with the stove going?

 

[sealer]

Didn't really need 2 doors. I just wanted 1 lower so it's easier to remove ashes, and 1 higher so I can throw wood further back in the stove easier.

As far as temps go, I was out there a couple days ago and my therm. read 13 degrees f., I walked out 5 hrs later and it read 50f.

Wasn't really paying much attn. to the therm while out there, so I couldn't say how long it took to reach that temp.

 

[6768rogues]

I knew a guy who built a stove from a barrel kit used on a fuel oil tank. Then he burned tires.

 

[klogan121]

I knew a guy who built a stove from a barrel kit used on a fuel oil tank. Then he burned tires.

I'm not a greenie, but burning tires? WTF? I wonder if the cops were ever called on him with all that smoke burning tires gives off!

 

[xd_45er]

I love mine.

The thermostat is about 10' away. The stat reads HI when the temp gets above 100*

 

[klogan121]

Xd, what size barn you heat with that?

Nice setup!!

 

[SgtRauksauff]

Sealer, I like that oil barrel setup!

My father and I are actually in the process of setting up a similar unit for my uncle. Our tank just barely fits between the wheel wells in the back of his pickup, so it's about 46 inches tall, barrel only). One of the welded-on leg supports got bent at some point in the past, with a tear in the tank right along the weld. That'll get patched up, and I think we're planning on using some regular barrel legs that we have. maybe fix it up with some pipe for legs, though, maybe not. I'm pretty sure we'll only be doing one door, though.

--sarge

 

[sealer]

Only one door is all that's needed. It just makes it easier to get some wood towards the back. And having a door down low makes it easier to remove ashes. Just watch where ya put it. It really puts off the heat!

 

[xd_45er]

Xd, what size barn you heat with that?

Nice setup!!

Thanks, its a 24x30 with 10' walls. Im in the process now of studding up between the posts and insulating and covering with OSB.

 

[SgtRauksauff]

We did a little bit more to Tortoise last weekend. Went and got a "heat reclaimer" from Menards, the small-size one, just to see how good it would work. It was pulling about 200° out of the stack! it was about 550° just below the box, and 350° above it. The built-in fan doesn't blow a HUGE amount, only about 80cfm, but it's definitely enough to get some air movement and push some heat into the air, and still keep the rest of the stack from getting too cold.

We also braced up the upper part of the stack, so the full weight is no longer resting on the barrel. I just used two of the clamp-type holders, with 2x6's between the rafters to hold them in place. One may have worked, but two makes it that much more sturdy.

Finally got some decent lighting in there, some "High Output" T8's, so pictures show up better.
Backside:

Frontside:

Hopefully, we'll get to finally putting up the insulation this weekend, and will be able to keep that place cookin'!

--sarge

 

[klogan121]

We also braced up the upper part of the stack, so the full weight is no longer resting on the barrel. I just used two of the clamp-type holders, with 2x6's between the rafters to hold them in place. One may have worked, but two makes it that much more sturdy.

--sarge[/QUOTE]

Were those clamp-type holders purchased from Menards? Thanks for the photo, good reference as my stack will go up the roof at the same spot yours is!

 

[SgtRauksauff]

yep, Menards it was! i don't remember how much they were, I'm pretty sure less than ten bucks each.

-sarge

 

[walrus]

Backside:

Frontside:

Clearance to combustibles isn't an issue with that stove a few inches from the wall?

 

[AndysMBgarage]

Clearance to combustibles isn't an issue with that stove a few inches from the wall?

A piece of cement sheeting would fix the heat transfer to the stud frame.

In my old garage I had an old car LPG bottle welded vertically on to a steel car rim with a flue on the top. A door is cut into the side half way up with a ring of 20mm holes about 200mm up around the bottom to let air in. The grate was rods of bar through the 20mm holes #. I had it in the corner flued out to a rotating cowl top. Being in the corner the walls had to be lined in cement sheet.

I left it in the garage when I sold the house but I have a couple of similar ones down the side of my house I use for chilly nights after a BBQ. Unfortunately the salt sea air has given them a rusty appearance but the metal thickness means they are still quite usable.

 

[SgtRauksauff]

^^^ I like those! easy to make, easy to use. Gotta use pretty small pieces of wood, though. Perfect for someone with a wood shop!

Clearance to combustibles isn't an issue with that stove a few inches from the wall?

Keep in mind, the white sheetmetal wrap (16ga if I remember correctly) around the stove does not touch the barrel itself, and is about 2" away on the sides. So there's already a pretty thick metal shield between the barrel and the studs, and nowhere for flame to go other than out the stack, or the door. You can hold your hand within an inch of the surface at full burn and not feel uncomfortable, and with the air circulation going through the inside, and the distance away from the wall, I'm absolutely not worried about starting a fire that way.

However, wall insulation will be going in soon, with probably some corrugated metal siding, so everything should be fine at that point.. We don't light the stove unless we know we're going to be out there long enough to burn what's in it down, and we don't leave the fire un-tended during that time.

--sarge

 

[Nick M]

My 40 X 40 pole barn shop isn't insulated, and only has a partial concrete floor for now. With a nice supply of free wood out back, it only made sense to burn wood. I used to work for a trucking company that had the "oil tank" barrel stove in their shop. That thing really cranked out the heat. Sooooo, since I had 2 oil tanks, I figured this is the way I was going to go. After scoring 18ft. of double wall pipe and the "T", wall thimble, and cap for $125 (I had to remove and patch the hole in their wall), I ordered 2 barrell stove kits.

I have this approx. 12ft from the wall due to the loft, so I had a lengthy horizontal run with a slight rise to the outside pipe. I didn't use all the double wall pipe, just through the wall and outside. Just like to mention, on any horizontal run, make sure you have a rise, so any creosote will run back into the stove. Also, make sure your pipe is attached so the creosote stays inside the pipe. You don't want it running down the outside of your stove pipe. The only thing I had to fab was the outside wall support. I just didn't care for the store bought supports......

I did fill the entire bottom of the tank, up to the bottom door, with stone to insulate it. I think that's the key to prevent "burn-outs" with barrel stoves.

I do have a fan sitting on the edge of the loft and angled downward toward the stove, just to pull the heat down from that stove pipe run and to circulate the stove heat. It works nice.

Anyways.....Here's some pics:

Any issues with the sides glowing red hot? I am about to make one, and am thinking about cutting the whole thing open to line it with firebrick. Also, are those US Stove Company doors? Do they provide enough draft?

Thanks! I really like your stove.

 

[sealer]

Nick, I've had it filled with wood, and an awesome fire going. Never got red hot. When I do get it goin real good, I usually turn the box fan on that's behind it, just to move some air by it. You could see how well the stone on the bottom works, the paint is still untouched all the way around it, up to where I stopped. I'm sure the fire bricks wouldn't hurt if you wanted to go that route, but I've worked at a place years ago that has one of these, and except for it getting a little wavy, it never got cherry red or burned through. Oh, and they burned lots of wood like pallets and stuff that burned really hot.

Another thing.....With the stone on the bottom, you could pretty much touch that part with your hand, and just feel some warmth. If you lined it with the fire brick, would you get the heat transfer that you'd really like? I'm no expert, so not sure about that one.

As far as draft goes, The little vent on the bottom of those doors keeps it going once I have a nice fire. But, I usually have the bottom door cracked open a bit. The wood burns faster, but hotter. And don't forget about the pretty long horizontal run I have, too. You might not have to do what I do to get it that hot.....

 

[Nick M]

Good point regarding the temp of the bottom with the stone. I may just run it this season without the brick and see what its like. I could always add later.

Thank you for originally posting your stove up Sealer, it was real motivation for me to make one, and it looks great! After looking for a big enough stove and not finding much, and having an empty tank to use, it seems like the best way to go.

 

[goodwithtools]

I'm looking to make a barrel stove kit ASAP, as I already spent more than I want to on oil.

I'm trying to make this a semi-green project by re-using as much material as possible. Used barrel, stove pipe (if I can find it) etc... But I'm also thinking green as in money to!

Can I used regular 'red' construction bricks to line the barrel with, instead of 'fire bricks' (or what other materials would well also?)?

How far from the top of the barrel is the baffle plate to make the secondary combustion?

Anyone know or have and GOOD write-ups on making these barrel stove and improving the kits as well?

Thanks in advance!

 

[nocoldhere]

Here is a forced air furnace built out of a DB drum stove. The blower is set up as a 2 speed fan it changes automatically. The blower automatically kicks on at 110 and high speed kicks in if the temp in the outlet vent gets over 210. This cools the building back down and drops back to low speed and eventually off as the fire dies. Its heating a 3500sq ft house built in 1929 with 12ft ceilings and no insulation. It has cut the light bill $250 to $350 a month. We are still working on the efficiency and the cosmetics.

 

[madeinwales]

I wish I could have a barrel stove kit, but they do not ship to the UK, tried Northern tool and others but with no success.

 

[sealer]

Make a friend in the U.S. and have him send it to you......

 

[tdevlin]

Has anyone put a barrel outside and ran the piping inside? Curious about this.

 

[Dragster Racer]

Did I see a post a while back with a greenhouse being stored inside next to the barrel stove? I would think that would melt when the stove started running hot.?

 

[terrydk]

Looking for some input on my double barrel stove's 6" stove pipe exiting through the metal siding of my shop. Does anyone know of a wall thimble for this application or is it needed if the combustible (wood) wall studs are at least 6" away from the hole and pipe? Right now I have a hole cut in the metal siding that just accommodates the 6" pipe. Not sure how much heat transfer I will get if any from the stove pipe through the metal siding to the wood framing.

 

[theoldwizard1]

My Dad had a regular wood burner in his 30x40 uninsulated garage. The problem was when it was near zero and the wind was blowin' and the stove roarin', your **** felt like it was on fire and your hands were still freezing.

He just gave up working in there in winter ! Finally got a place in FL for the cold months !!

 

[goodwithtools]

TerryDK-

Just put in a stove in my Live/work space.
Vented through the wall/window.

The window was modified to fit a large AC unit. Where the pane of glass above the AC was removed (due to the size of the AC) and replaced with a particle board panel. We wanted to go through the particle board rather than losing another window pane.

We trimmed out the center of the panel where about an inch of board was left on the boarder. I had a piece of aluminum cut to fit where the panel was (about 28x18). I used this as my 'thimble' where a section of Class A double walled chimney pipe passed through and connected to my black single wall stove pipe inside the building. I used that inch board to attatch the aluminum to. I used plenty of caulk along the boarder of particle board and along the edge of the aluminum. Then to secure it even more, used sheet metal screws to tighten everything up.

The Class A pipe has to have a 2" clearance from combustibles. Class A pipe is supposed to enter inside a minimum of 2" and mine comes in about 6". From the aluminum panel, there's a good 4+" to where the particle board panel is and the aluminum works as a heat sink to absorb and dissipate and excess heat. This also faces the outside, so if any heat is absorbed into the aluminum it's lost very very quickly.

To sum this up to make even more sense.... imagine an aluminum 'window pane' where Class A pipe goes through. I wasn't about to spend another couple hundred of dollars on a thimble when this does the same thing for next to nothing!

(the first pic is the before and the other 2 are afters... there's silicon caulk around the aluminum panel. then the black caulk around the Class A pipe is Rutland's RTV500 caulk, can take temps up to 500degrees. You can also see an aluminum shield on top of the AC unit.)

 

[okiereb]

Great forum! Just got my double barrel stove kit and am ready to get started on it. Have read all the past posts and am gonna make use of everyones good and bad experiences. Also think that I will put piping thru the top barrel with a blower on back to use it as a heat reclaimer as seen on a lot of exhaust plenums. Thanks for all the great info and I'll post back with pics on my results.

 

[terrydk]

I just went ahead and picked up a 6" trim collar so I can enlarge the hole in the metal siding, center the pipe in the collar so the pipe isn't touching the siding, that should give it enough clearance to the metal that it wont get too hot. I also picked up some 1/2" Wonderboard to put on two sides of the stove to protect the near by wood studs and help reflect some of the heat back into the shop. I realize this isn't going to 'heat' the shop but will be a place to 'warm up' when it is cold.

 

[Barrel Stove]

I had the chance to take some pictures of the 30-gallon barrel stove with an IR camera. You guys might get a kick out of them. I ordered a SS barrel and will be working on a REV. A model.

Can you tell where the fireplace is located inside the house?

 

[Charles (in GA)]

there's silicon caulk around the aluminum panel. then the black caulk around the Class A pipe is Rutland's RTV500 caulk, can take temps up to 500degrees.

When I installed my waste/used oil furnace, the instructions for the Simpson chimney said to use 500°F sealant to seal the double wall to the outside of the thimble. I called several places that should know, fireplace stores, etc, finally called Simpson, got the same answer everywhere, they could not recommend a brand or product, just that everyone used typical RTV and it worked fine. It seems no one had ever heard of Rutlands (at least they did not mention it) and I did web searches for 500 degree RTV and the like and could not turn up anything. I finally settled on a 425 degree RTV in a caulking gun tube from Home Depot and it seems to work OK, however, I have bookmarked the Rutlands web site and will keep it in mind if I have to remove the existing RTV and reseal the pipe.

Thanks for mentioning it.

Charles