I'm building a two drum wood fired heater for my shop. I have two sections of pipe 20" in diameter and about 48" long I will use to hold the wood and capture the heat. I've seen several of these and have seen kits to build these, but have never done it myself. Anyone have some advice on what to do or not to do? My main concern is the door. I plan to use 1/8 material to seal all the ends of the pipe and I'm thinking the door may warp from the heat. I'd like to make the door seal as tight as possible so I could control the air getting to the fire, in turn having better control of the heat. Just thought some of you might have built one before and know a trick or two. Thanks.
Building a wood heater need advice
- Thread starter JFoshee
- Start date
Torque1st
MEMBER EMERITUS
It has been many years. Buy the kit for the two drum model, the kits have a door that works. Line the lower third or half of the bottom drum with firebrick. Run a piece of pipe thru the upper drum with gaskets where it goes the the drum. Mount a small fan on the cool end to push air thru the pipe. Run the fan off a thermostat on the flue pipe. A snap type thermostat from a dryer will work. They are available from appliance parts stores. I forget what the temperature should be tho but you can probably find that info with a web search. A fan will help the area heat up faster. You must control the stack temp or the stove will fill with creosote and will not draw properly. You can also burn waste oil with a drip tube setup.
