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Post by chronictom on Aug 22, 2008 23:04:47 GMT -8
Okay... Although I wouldn't swear to it, I think I have read every thread on here.
I will order your book shortly, but we are heading out to the house on monday and I am going to start playing, so I was hoping for some quick tips..
I mentioned part of this in another thread, but I think it was the wrong one.
I have plenty of old red chimney bricks, and want to set up just a basic dry system to check it out.
I've seen the various pics of people doing this, and getting the J shape, but with no insulation on the outside of the bricks, or them being sealed, how accurate is such a test? Not as in by numbers, but as in does it accurately show how it works?
I won't have access to the computer from monday til friday while we are there, so any suggestions of things to try for the week would be really welcomed.
Tom
Oh, and I will come back with pics of anything I do with this there, and likely a million questions... lol
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Post by Donkey on Aug 24, 2008 2:01:57 GMT -8
Works fine. Get yer wok ready, it's a stir fry paradise!  Advise: Mix a bit of clay rich soil with water to make a thick pudding, add a goodly amount of sand . It should be about the consistency of stucco. Schmeer all the seams, seal everything up well. The better sealed it is the happier it'll be. The wet can present a slow startup on the first go but once the moisture bakes off, you should be grinnin'. Build the heat riser up to a good working height (no sense stooping to cook). You will need an appropriate gap between the bottom of the wok and the top of the heat riser. Stones, chunks of brick and such can be used. I like to make 3 blobs of sand/clay mixture and place them on top to cradle the wok. Getting the gap right is important for proper combustion below AND efficient heat distribution to the cooking surface. There are various math heavy ways to figure it out to the exact millimeter, but I like the flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants method. Start the stove, get it going well, hold the wok (pan, pot, etc) over the heat riser. Lower it till the fire changes tempo, a noticeable slowdown in flow. Raise it again till the fire "sounds right". Try it a few times, up down, up down. Listen closely, you want the wok as close to the fire as possible without slowing it down even a little. Place your blobs, make 'em a little too big, piled too high. Squish the wok down into the blobs till it's at the "sweet spot". Remove the wok for a bit, stoke the fire and let it all dry a little before putting any real weight on it. If you don't own a wok... Borrow a neighbor's or substitute cast iron. This little toy makes a great addition to any BBQ scene or out door kitchen. |
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Post by Donkey on Aug 24, 2008 2:12:32 GMT -8
Well heck..
Should I move this thread to the cooking area, or what??
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Post by chronictom on Aug 24, 2008 8:43:17 GMT -8
It's your forum, move it where you want... lol I do want to point out though, that I never mentioned cooking...
I am talking about doing a dry setup just to see it work... which is the lead up into build a bench heater...
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Post by Donkey on Aug 24, 2008 10:20:02 GMT -8
Sorry.. It was late and seems like my rant belongs here..
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Post by chronictom on Aug 24, 2008 10:30:49 GMT -8
lol, np...
I will be going to pick up some vermiculite for my 'playing this week, I'll see if they have some cheap stove cement too... so much for me doing it all with stuff laying around... lol
Tom
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Post by chronictom on Aug 24, 2008 12:19:34 GMT -8
Unbelievable.... Not one store in this town sells vermiculite besides 1/2 cuft bags...
We will be passing a commercial greenhouse as well as a country supply store on the way tomorrow, hopefully they will have some stock there...
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Post by chronictom on Aug 28, 2008 16:08:14 GMT -8
err.. I do have a couple of pics now...
lol, but they aren't worthy of being shown...
I did get the basic action working, but came to the conclusion that unless you want to make sure you have some form of seal all around it, it isn't what a person would call very demonstrative...
Never did find any verm. or such, gave up on it... On the bright side, I did get the pot bellied stove hooked up and we had fires in the fire pit every night, so when we head out next time I have a lot of ashes to use....
Also took some time to look around and visualize what I want to do.
The area I want to cover with the stoves (one for cooking, one heating) is sorta a zig-zag (or L with added leg pointing left, at the top). The feed areas and cooking part will be in the lower 'L' part, which is 3 feet wide by 9 feet long. The bench are will be the upstroke and top left leg. The upstroke is 3' x 16', the left leg is 3' x 3'.
So, question... is a run of 38' too long for the bench, or what would be required to make it okay?
Tom
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Post by Donkey on Aug 31, 2008 13:12:08 GMT -8
I have seen a 35' run using a six inch system.
38 should be a go in an eight inch system..
If in doubt, increase the heat riser height and improve insulation.
I recommend firing it as you build. Lets you know instantly when something goes wrong.
Are you building in a primer box? I would. If you choose to, make sure it's in a convenient place, otherwise you won't be inclined to use it, even if you should.. Human nature..
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Post by chronictom on Aug 31, 2008 19:56:17 GMT -8
see, now I have two threads going about this... sorry about that...
I didn't even think about a primer box when I did the sketchup pic... If I had, I would have made one just at the base of the chimney. Although, I don't think I would need it in starting up the cookstove part if the heater part was already going. Just use a damper system (yes I know they bother you... lol) to close off or open either or both sides.
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