How I converted a Wood Stove to a Pellet Rocket Stove DIY Easy

[@samgould9930]

Finally a real world solution to home conversion. Genius

[@ecophage]

Thank you yeah it still works great a decade later nearly

[@rich7332]

That is freaking genius! I would never have contemplated retrofitting the door.

[@ecophage]

Rich thank you sir! I love the stove and the $800 pellet stove price tag wasn’t going to happen easily

[@rich7332]

@@ecophage Do you find ash cleaning reasonable? It seems it might be messy when you open the door. I love the idea that you can quickly swap between pellets and wood. If you made more, would you use lighter gauge metal for the hopper tube and possibly increase its volume? I have a Lopi Freedom stove insert, will give some thought to designing something similar for it. I have a MIG and a plasma cutter.

[@ecophage]

Rich I have since made a modification so ash will dump further into the fire and will be putting a pan in there to catch it. The biggest issue with the ash is it’s plugs up the air flow. Part of my ash catch system was to make a way to jiggle the burner plate to free it of ash. This action also works the ash out of the bottom into the pile where a tray will be. Stay tuned!

[@ecophage]

Also I’d probably keep the 1/8” wall tubing occasionally the fire burns to the bend and I see to reason the reduce the wall thickness but am definitely experimenting with a bigger hopper tube too

[@rich7332]

@@ecophage I look forward to your updates. The only thing else I could see to clear ash is to use some compressed air into an access hole to blow the ash further into the stove. I'm currently looking for some meshed/perforated sheet metal to make a basket for pellets. Can't seem to find it. Maybe I don't know the proper name to search on. I live in New Hampshire.

[@ratherbefishing4225]

Exactly what I was looking for, wanting to try this in my deer hunting box blind instead of propane. A wood stove would be simpler but trying to avoid the noise.

[@ecophage]

I'm not sure it would be any quieter than a wood stove, but good luck!

[@ashleysovilla2037]

Really cool! I like that you can switch between doors depending on which fuel supply you’re wanting to use.

[@ecophage]

Thanks! ive only switched back for a day or two one time when i didnt want to run into town for pellets. Its running right now! I am having to clean it often though

[@EZLogikal]

Damn spiffy, clever in so many ways. I may borrow from this, but only for my own DIY I promise!

[@alidalavezzari4103]

You did a great job, I don't have the tools to do it. I have an allburnet stove to transform, I create a pellet cilindric container but too small (1 kg pellet) and I will do another experiment and I'd like to may use a rocket stove sistem. Great video, thank you very much. Good karma to you.

[@jameshupalo]

Great design and efficiency. Takes a wood stove to a new level with just a door swap. Love the prototype stage developments you showed.

[@Highnz57]

Pretty nice. I can't legally operate a "wood burning stove" but I can use a pellet burning stove. The more easily and readily convertible, the better. Thanks for the upload.

[@clifford1875]

Sorry you live in a crap democratic town ..

[@denisrozon8588]

excellent idea and design

[@ecophage]

Thanks!

[@niklar55]

😊👍 I have a derelict wood stove that I could convert. Thanks.

[@ecophage]

Nice, totally try it!

[@danielk8149]

Excellent fab skills I'm gonna copy you 👍

[@ecophage]

By all means, just be careful! This thing takes off like a rocket when set up right!

[@DIYJIM]

very cool, I would like to have one of those.

[@wanderingbox7971]

very cool thanks for the info

[@ecophage]

NP probably my favorite project. Its fun being inside on a cold day and hearing it run and fill itself

[@davekauffman8727]

The only thing that prevents me from building my own is my living arrangement, I know my landlord won't let me have a pellet stove of any kind. I'm thrilled for those who already have a chimney, and can have a stove of some kind.

[@ecophage]

Can always start tinkering with one outdoor like a patio chiminea then if you get a place with a chimney convert it to a stove

[@dixee6498]

I am lovin' this! A good friend and I just might try it for giggles! The only thing I'd do different is put a "lid" on top. Can't wait to see the rest. Subscribed. Thank you for sharing 😀

[@ecophage]

dixee6 there is a little 2x2 lid I used to use. I since have upgraded to a large hopper with a big top lid. Thanks for watching, and subscribing!

[@user-wk2zf2rn7x]

Что я заметил сделанная своими руками создаёт уют тепло , купленная не тепла не уюта

[@ecophage]

@@user-wk2zf2rn7x ну выразился!

[@abeboulley4801]

I think you could add a big pellet hopper of to the side and have a flex pipe to allow you to still open and close the door. I viewed a few gravity feeds. This is the easiest way awsome thank you for you post .

[@ecophage]

Did you check out my update video? I have added a hopper that keeps it running overnight. Better yet it’s still just attached to the door so I can open the door while it’s running! It’s running right now!

[@lancerudy9934]

Very nice !

[@mikecondoluci53]

great video. i would like to convert my wood stove to pellet , gettin to old for firewood, can you make a video that explains the burn chamber in a little more detail, thank you

[@ecophage]

I have several check the description or the pellet stove playlist on my channel

[@ecophage]

Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWTHh2uNicd9d9Usi=gZxI9vxiTTW_fevu

[@kdb97tj]

Wish i had the tools and skills to do this. Would you consider getting hired to build one.

[@ecophage]

@@kdb97tj yes I’m a fabricator for hire ecophagefabrication.com

[@_positivethinking8900]

Hi~new my friend It's so good video and nice stove!!

[@ecophage]

Gyver Park-가이버 박 why thank you! Worked perfectly, heated my house all winter!

[@jameshupalo]

Well done!

[@ecophage]

jameshupalo Thanks, it runs great, running right now. Usually about 14 hours a day!

[@walterforsiethe2567]

Great design. I'd like to retrofit my own stove. It looks like I need to get my everlast welder out and draw out some designs.

[@PainterD54]

I did that same thing to my wood furnace about 10 years ago, which worked quite well, actually too well. It burned so hot I had to shut it down after about 4 hours because it would cook us out! Mine was a 4" burn tube with about 6" of tube going into the furnace. so the flame would blow out to the back of the stove, then to the front of the stove so it could go over a baffle and back out the back of the furnace. The flame path had a long way to travel and burn up all the smoke. I've since just ended up making a smaller furnace so the mass of heat isn't as big now. I now get 10-12 hours out of a 40 lb. bag of pellets and completely heat my home with it. It's amazing how a stove, that's only 2 ft. long, 14" X 14" can put out so much heat! And I can touch the pipe going into the chimney it's so efficient. My stove will run 600 - 700 degrees no problem! Using thin mesh like in this video will not work for more than a week before it completely burns up and falls apart. I had to use at least 1/8" to 3/16" metal and 1/4" stainless rods for my burners to withstand the intense heat. Mild steel starts to flake off at around 700 degrees or so.

[@ecophage]

David Regnier that’s awesome!

[@mikkveere1409]

Rest of the world uses metric system. So, instructions for us?

[@PhillipOReilly]

I was wondering why you replaced the door... then it dawned on me, you can go back to wood stove by putting the orginal door on - I'm a little slow on the uptake! Smart idea. . Will it maintain 400° F at the 8 to 10 lbs per hour?

[@ecophage]

Yes if it’s wide open damper and intakes and you jiggle the handle every hour or so to help with ash it does great. If you do any choking back like right now as I write this it’s half closed damper open intake and it’s like 250 but keeps going out relighting itself, but I’m ignoring it really as it’s 68 in here because it’s only 28 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Overall though less interaction than wood stove for sure. I used to be flipping logs gathering embers every hour or so. I largely light this and forget about it half the time it runs out of pellets because I forget to check it every few hours. Pretty ideal use for me luckily

[@Patriot3]

I’m putting this on my project list. Seems simple enough and a guy can add a large hopper. Tell us if your using a damper on the flew. Not to control air flow but to hold the heat in the box longer. A video on operation would be very helpful.

[@ecophage]

Trust your Government check out my update video to see my hopper. And yes I choke back the glue and shut the intake holes part way. I can put it out if I do too much but yes I could get my stove too hot for comfort but never out of control and no chimney fires like I had burning wood

[@winstonbelisle3560]

i think you should double, even triple the hopper depth fcr longer burns.

[@ecophage]

Keep watching, my update videos show me doing just that

[@ecophage]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHrVl6ehr6x_fsUsi=lryQt9gBs_OQbMHL

[@thomasstrandbergsrensen3220]

I llike and I am inspirered. How many kw or BTU?

[@tonystone3397]

Brilliant

[@ecophage]

Thanks, bought pellets today. 42 degrees f at night now, about time to fire it up!

[@michaelflora375]

great build. My question is the length of your feed tube and how long will it burn on one fill of the tube Thanks

[@ecophage]

About 12"" and an hour to an hour and a half. Not too much difference from when i burn logs. Also this is just my first step i already have forced air currently, and designs and parts for a hopper to feed the tube constantly, also a large hopper box on top of the tube would gravity feed as well. BUT i will be powering the augured hopper with batteries so the stove will remain off grid functional! Thanks for watching and the questions.

[@seoulkidd1]

Genius

[@ceefiveceefive]

Can this somehow be made into a stove that gravity feeds Wood chips?

[@ecophage]

Yeah certainly, I’ve considered trying that, if the chips were small coin sized probably no problem and bigger like acorn size you might need a bigger chute. Like 3”x3”

[@ceefiveceefive]

@@ecophage I have an endless supply of woodchips, I'd love to give this a try. Besides a bigger chute, what other changes would you make from your Pellet conversion?

[@ecophage]

@@ceefiveceefivewoah that’s cool, maybe a bigger basket, they might not be as dense and require a bigger pile. I’d play around with basket size

[@countryboy199187]

Want to start by saying this is a really cool build very nice job ! I would like to do this myself so I was wondering what grade and thickness steel did you use for the door

[@ecophage]

I used 3/16” and the square stock it like 1/8th. Stoves running right now, and I was just heading out to weld on my newest project

[@countryboy199187]

Thank you so much for the quick response I am currently trying to burn pellets in my wood stove in a basket that I put together today it's working but have to constantly feed it I came across this video and have watched like 10 to 15 times trying to catch every detail again very cool and awesome idea

[@ecophage]

@@countryboy199187 yeah i tried the basket first, then needed air flow directed into it, and it evolved into this. make sure you check out the update in the off chance you havent yet. With the hopper addition I can get it to run overnight. This all started when i wanted to drop over a grand on one of those gravity fed pellet stoves from tractor supply and not only couldnt really afford it but i couldnt find one. To my understanding those are not 100 % reliable as is this. occasionally ash builds up and the pellets stop feeding. but i still have wood from 3 years ago sitting in my shed. I now use that for the Cabin woodstove i built (another video on here) Thanks for the interest and questions. Happy to clarify and workshop ideas

[@countryboy199187]

Yes I have watched the updated video as well as other videos on the channel since I have stumbled across it I think you have some great videos and ideas and look forward to more great content keep up the good work

[@oldbikerbear]

What did you use for steel for the door build? Grade and thickness please.

[@ecophage]

Standard cold rolled 3/16” thick plate. I think it was 8” wide. I welded two pieces together, one obviously not as wide

[@HighDollarHobo]

Awesome stuff! I want to build something similar for my tiny camper build! Love the candle jar lid port hole! Just great!

[@ecophage]

HighDollarHobo Thank you! Yeah it worked out great!

[@HighDollarHobo]

@@ecophage I will subscribe I saw in another comment that you're building a hopper with auger I want to see that

[@Jay-ye1up]

This is so awesome.wish you could make me one

[@brmelectric]

Well i am totally impressed with your idea and build. Great idea. How is it working for you. Have you installed your Hopper yet if so can it maintain its burn continuously .

[@ecophage]

Brian Moore I built a box on top of the tube 2x8x8 that feeds in by gravity and is removable. It’s increases burn time to over 2 hours. The stove works flawlessly so long as the pellets don’t jam up in the tube or ash doesn’t block the intake holes. So I just tap the tube every half hour and it runs like a top.

[@Patriot3]

ecophage There must be a mechanical way to tap that tube with heat. Not powering it with electric is just such a KISS system., I’m thinking a bimetal spring maybe directly in the feed hopper or connected to something in the hopper.

[@jasonperry70]

awesome! I love it.

[@ecophage]

Thanks!

[@donaldduncan5723]

What do you think about doing the same thing only just taking the glass out and making your rocket stove attached to insert in the glass pocket of the existing door?

[@ecophage]

Absolutely, I actually considered this but I wanted enough space for a window. And the rocket stove, and wanted to be able to swap back and forth instantly

[@MattyDemello]

What type of wire mesh did you use as the basket? The one I tried melted the metal.

[@ecophage]

I used 1/8th thick expanded metal it does eventually degrade in certain areas but usually up high in the flame I create the base of the box with 1/8+ steel plate

[@paulhegreness4865]

I would love to build this do you have a sketch of this?

[@ecophage]

In my video “how gravity fed pellet stoves work” (link in description) I show a sketch of it cross section and explain it enough that you should be able to recreate it. Just watch my pellet stove playlist so you can see my updates like forced hot air. Got another update dropping in a few days too. Thanks for watching

[@gregskowron8951]

I like the see trough glass

[@greggoryleblanc1024]

What keeps the fire from going up the gravity tube?

[@ecophage]

There’s no oxygen flow from there, in the description is links to a video showing diagrams on how it functions. Make sure you check that out!

[@greggoryleblanc1024]

Think it would work with wood chips?

[@ecophage]

@@greggoryleblanc1024 I was thinking about that, during my research I found people running these off of dried corn! And recently I had someone comment under on of my videos that they were in fact burning wood chips. I would assume they’d need to be small and would still jam easier might just need agitating more frequently.

[@markzirkel9244]

Is it the air flow that keeps it from burning up into the hopper?

[@ecophage]

It’s also gravity, once the pellets in the burn chamber are gone there’s nothing to hold back the pellets in the hopper so gravity refills the hopper any embers fall down with the pellets and restart the basket. If the chute into the basket gets clogged it can smolder into the hopper. Then I smell smoke and have to jiggle the hopper and it all falls down. This indicates there’s a build up of ash on the angled feed tube into the burn basket

[@dmurillo]

This is a great idea you can have both wood burning and pellet . Would you weld a door for me ?

[@ecophage]

Disney Murillo I might be able to figure something out. Contact me through my Etsy ChrisBCritters for further correspondence

[@abeboulley4801]

After doubling the size did you get 400 degrees. Of heat out of it ?????

[@ecophage]

yes 5:12

[@paulritchie4174]

looks like a really good idea, i have a wood stove in garage and want to burn pellets instead,less messy & takes up alot less space, does it produce a pretty good heat

[@ecophage]

Paul Ritchie yes I can get the wood stove into the burn zone (300+ degrees) easier with this set up than when I burned logs. Just keep it full and shake the burn plate every hour or so to keep the fresh air going and it runs somewhere in the 300s all day!

[@paulritchie4174]

@@ecophage great thanks for the response.

[@lancerudy9934]

The hoper tub when full how long will it burn for?

[@ecophage]

Lance Rudy that tube about an hour and a half but I have an update video I’m posting tomorrow about a new hopper I made that keeps it running for more than 4 hours, even overnight!

[@WildManDanWMD]

Pellet stoves are noted for hopper clogs. This looks like a likey issue for this design

[@ecophage]

You should keep watching, I address this issue in my update videos

[@vicarofrevelwood]

I have an old Russo coal stove, anybody have any idea of how much something like that would cost to have put together for you?

[@ecophage]

Send me a picture to @ecophage on instagram, id suggest pulling a door or something

[@Xxradar007xX]

You could patent this and make a killing!

[@lancerudy9934]

Make me one thanks.

[@Patriot3]

Do you think that burn chamber surface having fire brick on it would make a difference in life capacity or a better burn being insulated. This is such a great idea.

[@ecophage]

i think fire bricks would add to the thermal battery effect. Mine is already lined with them. yes its a bigger space but i suppose the smaller space would just allow the thermal mass to heat up quicker. Though i suppose it would probably take longer for the outer steel stove to reach a good temperature. Thanks for watching and again check out my update video so you can see the forced air I added!

[@RyanKeenan-c7y]

Wish the sold a kit lol😂😂

[@ecophage]

i was going to put one together

[@thomasstrandbergsrensen3220]

Aprox

[@alextrezvy6889]

1. The term "rocket stove" was invented by Ianto Evans. It means the stove contain a "heat riser" and a low temperature steampipe, where steam is pushed by the heat riser. 2. There is no heat riser in your stove, so it is NOT a rocket stove.

[@ecophage]

1. You made two bullet points for what is genuinely the same point 2. Let’s review the definition according to google: A rocket stove is an efficient and hot burning stove using small-diameter wood fuel. Fuel is burned in a simple combustion chamber containing an insulated vertical chimney, which ensures almost complete combustion prior to the flames reaching the cooking surface. (Weird I don’t see the term “riser” there) don’t get mad about me! 3. Any reasonable person would conclude looking at all the “rocket” stove builds out there’s that the terms been changed to mean NOT exclusively what you think it does. 4 even by your definition my stove chamber functions like not super efficient heat riser. (Heat risers allow the heat time to dissipate into the thermal mass before exciting. My burn box is 16” or so from the chimney and has NO direct line of sight. Effectively turning the stove box into a heat riser on its side. Thanks for watching and engaging

[@alextrezvy6889]

@@ecophage "terms been changed to mean NOT exclusively what you think" // The concept of the so called "newspeak" was ostracized by 0rwe11 in 1948. There was no term "rocket stove" before I.Evans's book "Rocket Mass Heaters". So let this term be what it meant to be initially. Or we may end up with 50+ shades of "gendar", true is false, and so forth.

[@ecophage]

@@alextrezvy6889 bro keep your Orwellian straw man double talk BS to yourself Seriously got nothing better to do than fact check descriptions of stove function on YT You need to get out more Stop watching newsmax

[@tonyelstone3003]

Brilliant

[@ecophage]

thank you! running right now!