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Post by dirtdevil on Aug 24, 2019 2:59:40 GMT -8
How long will the average 55 gallons drum last as a heater bell and would it be better to put some sort of clay cap on top of the barrel?
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Post by wiscojames on Aug 24, 2019 6:46:52 GMT -8
I don't know this via experience, but I suspect a clay cap might cause more degradation, as it would interfere with the top's ability to shed heat.
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Post by gadget on Aug 25, 2019 9:51:00 GMT -8
How long will the average 55 gallons drum last as a heater bell and would it be better to put some sort of clay cap on top of the barrel? I would think a sacrificial metal component like a steel plate, placed above the riser just under the top of the barrel should help extend its life some.
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Post by Dan (Upstate NY, USA) on Aug 30, 2019 12:16:10 GMT -8
Got a stainless steel 55 gallon barrel. Gets red hot during each firing.
Been used for 8 seasons now. I have a 1/2 inch plate all ready for the day it fails but it hasn't yet.
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Post by dirtdevil on Aug 31, 2019 4:46:07 GMT -8
Since this is my first build I have no experience but it seemed to me that if the heat out of the top of the riser is enough to disintegrate a metal core after a short time it would have to burn through the top of the barrel just two inches above the riser. I think, as Gadget suggested, that I'm going to cut several barrel lids I have so that they will fit inside the bell barrel and bolt them up through the bell to act as sacrificial lids Unless someone thinks this is a stupid idea. A stainless barrel would be great. However no money.
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Post by peterberg on Aug 31, 2019 6:19:34 GMT -8
The heat low inside the riser is capable of eating a metal core away, that's true. At that spot the heat is confined to a small space and there's a lot of oxygen around. A good recipe for rapid corrosion, that's what it is.
At the top of the riser the hot gasses spread out, the more space above the riser the larger the spread. The temperature of the barrel above the riser also depends on how fast heat is dissipated. Anything on top of the barrel that lowers down heat shedding at that spot will shorten the life of the metal.
I'd recommend a larger top gap, more space above the riser lowers the temperature of the steel at the hottest spot. A larger top gap won't hinder the workings of the system, rather the contrary. Nothing on top of the barrel ensures the heat is dissipated the quickest.
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