Diesel Heater Sand Battery Gas Bottle Waste Exhaust Store Heat Energy Oil Storage Off Grid Van Life

[@sdavis7916]

That's a great idea, it's definitely smart to have the exhaust coming in at the top spiral down and leave at the bottom because of condensation. If you did it the other way around you would get a buildup of fluid at the low point in the exhaust. Awesome build

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

great thanks andy

[@b0kken]

Now, get some copper rods that are long enough to stick about 6" out of the sand. Pinch both ends closed before driving them into the sand battery, then put a terracotta plant pot upside down over the rods and you will probably get extra heat dissipation.

[@curtisroberts9137]

I wonder about using a fan to blow the heat from the bottle out into the room, especially during an off cycle of the heater itself. I've also seen systems on woodburning stove where there is a set of pipes in the chimney pipe which are open to the room but not the smoke. They get hot from the fire below and the smoke traveling upwards and then a fan blows air through the open pipes which heats the room as a whole. Something like that could also be quite effective on your exhaust.

[@chassmith7303]

you could just run the pipe straight through instead of coiling so it doesn't block the exhaust so much

[@billyboozer8806]

I like your idea of making a way to save the great heat loss from the heater and making use of the more free heat. Since watching your video I want to see you add smaller odd shape scrap metal pieces into the tank mixed with with the sand to see if that would work to hold the heat even better. Could you try that out . I will subscribe to see if you may try that. Thanks!

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

thanks billy, did you see my other videos cheers andy

[@timpearson9913]

I have my diesel heater on top of a vented water tank, filled with sand. The exhaust runs downwards through the spiral 25mm water heating loop, and then out through the wall. Runtime of 1 hour raises the temperature at the top of the tank from 10 degrees c to 28 degrees c, which then radiates into the house. CO levels at the exhaust remain unchanged, no evidence of excess smoke. There is evidence of soot buildup in the spiral, but is not impeding the airflow after 3 months of daily usage..

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

cool thanks for letting us know cheers andy

[@urbangeeze1348]

If you decide to use it to heat water, then firstly, after you've cut the top off the bottle to coil the pipe, drill your entry & exit holes for the exhaust pipe in the shoulder, coiling it round & taking the pipe up the middle to the exit & drill a hole in the bottom & fit a 22mm full bore 1/4 turn valve, You can use this to fill & empty it, Then weld the top back on & screw in a pressure release valve where the original gas valve was ( Real important for safety). Finally, insulate the length of exhaust from the heater to the bottle, so you make use of max heat.....& Bob's your uncle, real cheap baths, though I'd say you'll need a bigger gas bottle. Obviously, once done it'll only be a water heater from then on. Good Luck me Suuuuun.

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

great comments thanks for your input, cheers andy

[@timsky99]

I think you need to measure how the room temperature changes with and without the sand battery. Just saying the exhaust pipe is cooler and the sand is getting warm doesn't really prove much.

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

just playing with it at the moment , but it a step in the right direction happy new year andy

[@philip_james]

Do you have an air intake from outside? If not then you are drawing air into the building for the combustion and therefore cooling the room with air it's replacing from outside.

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

this one is using air from in the room, but your exactly right there

[@ollimarkus7758]

​@@andyfirebladesadventureJotkut ovat ottaneet paloilman ulkopuolelta, en tiedä miksi, syökö tuo hapen tilasta jossa laite toimii? Ei varmaan kovin nopeasti..

[@Lardzor]

forcing air to change direction will cause resistance to the exhaust. Have you checked the efficiency of the heater after this modification? I wonder if restricted exhaust might have an effect on how efficient the heater performs.

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

true

[@twc9000]

Do you notice any difference in how the diesel heater runs with the exhaust pipe in a coil like that? I like this idea, but I wonder if the exhaust pipe is coiled would it increase the back pressure and cause problems with the machine?

[@andyfirebladesadventure]

Not that I know of, but you are right cheers andy

[@Chicken_Massacre]

I'm sorry, but you say ´both wasted and free when you have paid for it. Also when your are storing the energy you'd want some insulation. So I'd say that you are wanting to get the rest of the heat out. That's fine, but why not a radiator. You could instantly radiate the rest of the heat by convection in a household radiator. Then you'd get the exhaust temperature down to room temp, but also some acid water. Else if you'd want to store the energy you can use an automotive exhaust gas cooler to transfer the heat to a tall water tank and tall to have better stratification. The reason I say transfer to water is because. Water up to 100 degrees C has a higher energy density per mass than sand. It is only at temperatures up to a couple of hundred degrees that sand is better for storage. but at that point you'd be back at wanting to cool the exhaust. Also with water you could transfer stored heat.