Wood Stove with Custom 55 Gallon Barrel Heat Exchanger

Wood Stove with Custom 55 Gallon Drum Heat Exchanger

[@usonfire1016]

Wimpy, you knocked it out of the ballpark. Great work, simplicity displayed in a great design.

[@victoryfirst2878]

This heat exchanger is got to be one of the best on youtube. PERIOD. Nice work fella.

[@PainterD54]

Do yourself a favor and try to find a barrel with the removable top. They are usually alot thicker than the standard oil drum that everyone uses and will last you alot longer trust me. And another plus is you can always just remove the top (or front if you mount your door there) to remove and cleanout all the ashes and it's easier to install the grate instead of trying to fit it thru the door!

[@lavasiouxwindwater9789]

I l8ved 3 years full time in a Skoolie and a cool guy boiler welder, made me a heat exchanger for my fireplace, like yours. Wow! 30% more heat oit and faster too.

[@Reelphresh]

Wow youtube algorithm, saw the double barrel kit and was thinking the same thing pretty much. Was thinking of maybe vertical but horizontal would be easier without the curves. . And i was thinking so many 😅

[@bogywankenobi3959]

When you want to transfer heat . . . surface area! surface area! surface area! I worked for some guys who kept their shop warm with one of those and dripped used motor oil on a rag. 2 or 3 gallons of used motor oil a day and that shop stayed very comfortable. It was never hot. But it took the edge off the cold and you could comfortably work in shirt sleeves.

[@bennyhill3642]

Great job. I couldn't tell how big ur shop was but looks like you have the right idea to heat it..

[@bewimpy3392]

40' x 30'. Totally uninsulated but the wood stove on a full rip can keep at at least 30 degrees F over the outside temperature.

[@philliphall5198]

I like the idea of keeping as much heat in barrel to warm shop up

[@micmike]

Beauti, every cold weather garage need one

[@justme6621]

Good work on putting this together, I wouldn't spend that much time on a shop heater, but I like your dedication.

[@randyleiter8254]

Would you be afraid to use galvanized fence posts as heat tubes thru top barrel...great video btw. Thx

[@wendyharbon7290]

Like this heater exchanger, but I would add interlinked copper water pipes, running down the centres of each of the 9 air pipes or tubes, with drilled spacer disc's added welded to the copper water pipes. So heated air can still pass through these air pipes or tubes, while helping to heat up the water running through the newly installed copper water pipes. With these copper water pipes running along the bottom line of air pipes or tubes from right to left. With "U" shaped return water pipes at the front too, which provide an easy flow of water going through the heating water pipes. Then going up one level to the second line of air pipes or tubes, this time running left to right, again with more "U" shaped return water pipes. Lastly going up one more level to the third line of air pipes or tubes, this time running right to left. Finishing at the top with a hot water outlet pipe, to take the heated water away, to radiator or radiators and/or to an insulated hot water storage tank too. With just adding a water pump, which pumps the cold water through the heater exchanger new water heating pipes, at a necessary speed or rate of flow too. Maybe be adding a cold water feeder tank, so the system always has enough water in the water pipes too, also using a rainwater capture and recycling system on the workshop roof, plus large underground water storage tank. Then you could have both hot and cold running water in the workshop, which is totally off-grid as it were too! Just a suggestion, it would be something I would look at doing, for building a similar hot air and hot water heat exchanger, for a combination garage and workshop, plus greenhouse and potting shed too.

[@brentwall6959]

Cool build thanks for vid 🇨🇦

[@doneown503]

10:57 - YEAH! , nice little machinist job , ream a slot!, 11:40 - nice demo ! , thx for posting! , I'm thinking replacing your machined piece with a hollow round(or sq!) bar, and have a tightening assembly by drilling a side hole(s) in various locations, 👍

[@jonosada5555]

That's awesome been working on a super heat exchanger!!!

[@jameskniskern2261]

So now that you ran it for a while, how was the creosote buildup in the flue?

[@curve5746]

Excellent video. Exactly what I'm looking to build

[@RRaucina]

Nice but seems like welding the tubes in before mounting would have made life easier. No "overhead" welds. I did this with a 400 gallon oil drum. Takes a half pallet!

[@billkuehne2300]

With the remnant of barrel, have you considered putting a shroud on the back of the wood stove heat exchanger like on a V-8 in luck, mount a large fan blowing air through the pipes!

[@bewimpy3392]

Just posted a video showing that I did this!

[@trog.lodyte]

Nice, thanks for sharing.

[@JuanHernandez-wb2bo]

Nice 👍🇸🇻

[@ahilbilyredneksopinion]

I have ta wonder if this idea can be made small?for like a hot tent? That would be a neat vid,and concept.....

[@bewimpy3392]

Amazon sells small versions for camping usage.

[@ahilbilyredneksopinion]

@@bewimpy3392 but not so well made and thought out.ive looked.

[@travismoore7849]

Three barrel stove?

[@ernieseegers4747]

How would you remove carbon build-up inside the heat exchanger?

[@LostLeftyLimb]

So I’m building a fire barrel pool heater, and I’m wondering if, in theory, you could run a copper coil on the interior circumference of the barrel and capture that heat while also heating your shop?

[@RRaucina]

Just wind the copper around the outside of the tank and spot solder it on or use a iron powder cement to bond it to the barrel, looks good and preserves the copper from the fire.

[@paladain55]

You could run it on the inside or just look up an actual heat exchanger. As said above you don't really want to put it in the water as you can just tack it to the outside and wrap it in insulation (Like R20+)

[@bewimpy3392]

Yes this would work. "Wood boilers" are common ways to heat homes in rural parts of the world even today. And in the past oil or wood boilers heated most buildings, I'm sure you've seen old radiators in old homes. Those use heated liquid pumped through the home from a fire in the basement, usually. They don't use copper tubing but the concept is the same. I do feel obligated to mention that heated water, especially when it turns to compressed steam, is extremely dangerous. If you build something like this you will need temperature control and pressure blowoff to prevent any accidents.

[@oldsteamguy]

do you have a way to periodically clean out your heat exchanger to keep the heat transfer efficiency up?

[@familytraditiontransportat7951]

That'll depend on how clean you burn your fires. That close to the fire it's going to be so hot, I highly doubt there would be much build up.

[@bewimpy3392]

I'm going to eventually see how just blowing air through the openings blows the creosote out, but in the event that doesn't work super well I will cut and install a door for cleaning.

[@alisouzan1]

amazing

[@simonrickard6179]

Noice job but along with another I've seen, why would you have the hot air blasting at you when you want to tend to the fire?

[@bewimpy3392]

That's the best part of the day, standing directly in front of a roaring fire when it's 0 degrees out.

[@doneown503]

nice looking set up! , any clue as to codes for: roof penetration piece, & distance above highest roof elevation? , thx for your video. 6:07 - can you give out the schedule & size of those pieces?, thx!

[@billkuehne2300]

Depends on your local building code

[@michaelbard420]

I used 1/4 thick tube on mine. They were from pier foundations. 2” diameter. I would use a smaller diameter on the next one to get more heat transfer.

[@bewimpy3392]

If I remember correctly they're 2.5" diameter 16ga (0.063") wall. Codes will depend on your local authority.

[@seancostello387]

Wimpy is a flapper damper

[@bewimpy3392]

I'm a dapper flamper.

[@darunealbane]

@@bewimpy3392 i can see your exchanger paired with a waste oil burner being a beast For a total unpowered setup use plate burner and the exchanger do one side merge pipes into 1 bigger intake close to ground .. heat should create a natural blower

[@baohoainguyen]

That's an awesome idea! I was just wondering about a way to create air current through the exchanger without using electricity. I guess the natural rise of heat will cause the flow if you direct it upward like you said.

[@hyunkim4246]

고구마 구워 먹기 좋네.

[@philliphall5198]

Update, how is it holding up now???

[@bewimpy3392]

Still works great. I haven't peeked inside to see what the buildup looks like but I've been using it all winter. It easily keeps an uninsulated 40' x 30' shop at least 30 degrees F above the outside temperature.

[@enriquechavez5218]

How big is your shop?

[@bewimpy3392]

40' x 30' x 10'. No insulation or even interior finishing, just metal siding/roofing. This stove and heat exchanger keeps it warm even well below freezing outside.

[@darthgbc363]

I know it's a year too late. The drop from the barrel could be used as a shroud for the fan.

[@bewimpy3392]

Never too late to build something better. I just posted a short video about how I actually did this with an old air conditioner fan.

[@superresistant8041]

It’s not really helpful if you can give us an estimate of the improvement with/without and compare to other solutions.

[@preoco8241]

wear a mask when sanding things! metal and paint dusts are harmful！

[@wiredforstereo]

That's great, but your combustion efficiency is still crap.

[@northernfabricationllc2281]

Disposable heater. 55 gal drum heaters last for about 1 season of use

[@ObamaOsucksOass]

where did you find the main stove at? I typially see the 55 gallon stove conversions and they won't last as long.