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Post by closertothehearth on Feb 12, 2021 9:31:55 GMT -8
Hey All!
Has anyone experimented with using alternative fuels in a batch box? I’d love to hear what folks have tried burning, and their results. The two that came to my mind were wood pellets and waste motor or fryer oil.
I’ve read the majority of the batchrocket.eu site (special thanks to everyone that made that possible!), and I’m planning on building a 5” batch box for auxiliary heat in my condo.
Thanks! Cory
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fuegos
Full Member
not out of the woods yet
Posts: 177
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Post by fuegos on Feb 13, 2021 11:21:18 GMT -8
Hello Cory where i live pellets are about 2 x the price per KG of firewood .You live in an apartment so i guess you're thinking about the bulk of firewood ? There was a waste oil burner where i worked part time as a student - a car repair shop - & the smell outside was bad , not to mention the danger and pollution . Also any horizontal run on a RMH chimney is problematic to say the least.Here in Spain you can buy a sawdust burner stove for about $100 at any hardware shop , they also can burn almond or walnut shells but they're very crude , not recommended for a living space.I guess you're looking at cost savings -auxiliary heat ?
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Post by closertothehearth on Feb 13, 2021 13:12:40 GMT -8
You make a great point about the cost of pellets vs firewood; I just did the math, and it's about 3x the cost per lb here in Indiana, USA. I initially started off down this path for cost savings and to warm our often chilly first floor. After adding up all the costs to build and install any sort of firewood heat, I realized there wouldn’t be much cost savings over our natural gas furnace at least in the short term, so I decided to label it as a hobby. I grew up with a wood stove in the house, and there’s nothing like that radiant heat on a cold winter’s night. Naturally when I stumbled on RMHs I was enamored with their efficiency, and set out to build one.
By way of chimneys, I’m getting an estimate on having one installed, but I won’t be surprised if there’s not a way to make it work in a multi family building like this. If the chimney is a bust, I may just end up using a draft inducer fan of sorts to go chimneyless. Though I don’t love that idea, so I may just give it up at that point. We’ll see.
As for the alternate fuels, I was honestly just curious what folks have tried given the high efficiency of RMHs, specifically the batch box. I know it’s been optimized for firewood, but it would be an interesting experiment none the less. Maybe I’ll just have to build one and give it a try.
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fuegos
Full Member
not out of the woods yet
Posts: 177
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Post by fuegos on Feb 14, 2021 9:34:52 GMT -8
Go for it Cory , what have you got to lose ? I'M a beginner with this but my understanding is that when the firebox is hot small fuel will tend to produce over fuelling =lots of smoke.I did see somewhere a long time ago a micro J tube build for heating a coffee pot .This tiny thing ran off splinters , not sure how it was vented but maybe an extractor hood and ducting ?
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