Cooking oil fired workshop heaters

[Graham Orm]

Having just paid a frustratingly high gas bill, I am loath to put any heating at all in my new 5m x 5m workshop. I have been foraging around on YouTube for an hour or so trying to find 'free' workshop heating systems and this is the best of many that I came up with.

http://www.spicrosoft.com/Heater/Heater1.htm

This guy has YT video's of it working, instructions on how to make it including drawings all free as long as you don't try to make money from them.

Most of the YT video blogs were based on burning old oil of various types. The guy in the link has heated his house with one for the last 12 years. He claims there is virtually zero smell or smoke. Interesting reading. Worth a go do you reckon?
I reckon lots of take-away's would be grateful of somewhere to get rid of their old oil for free.

 

[marcros]

i think that used cooking oil may be harder to come by than you realise. firstly, they have to prove that they dispose of it to a licensed carrier, and secondly, it now has some value. I also doubt that it wouldn't smell.

I would look at wood burning stoves instead, ideally those that will burn sawdust and shavings as well.

 

[Graham Orm]

i think that used cooking oil may be harder to come by than you realise. firstly, they have to prove that they dispose of it to a licensed carrier, and secondly, it now has some value. I also doubt that it wouldn't smell.

I would look at wood burning stoves instead, ideally those that will burn sawdust and shavings as well.

I'm in a smokeless zone so that would be a non starter. The do smell and my back garden is surrounded by houses so someone would bubble me. Thats why the smoke & smell-less oil burner attracted me.

 

[dickm]

Quite a lot of the newer wood stoves are certified for use in smokeless zones. But they'll cost you; a new Morso Squirrel is about £700 now.

 

[Graham Orm]

Quite a lot of the newer wood stoves are certified for use in smokeless zones. But they'll cost you; a new Morso Squirrel is about £700 now.

You missed where I wrote the word 'free' several times :lol: I can think of lots of nice shiny tools I could buy for £700. :wink:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Follow a vehicle running on used cooking oil with your windows down and see whether it smells!

 

[MARK.B.]

10 years ago you couldnt give used cooking oil away nowadays there are people that will go to great lengths to steal it :shock: for making bio diesel, friend of mine owns a chippie and the waste oil storage area has been broken into on a number of occassions. I believe that you would notice the smell quite a lot (unpleasant is a understatement) . If you want to make your own heater then have a look at making one from a used gas cylinder ( if done correctly and the proper precautions taken this is a safe and cheap way to do it).
Saying that though if you do make one and it works and you can get the used oil for it then please update this post or better yet do a WIP in the metalwork forum

 

[Steve Maskery]

My brother runs his car on used chip oil. He's very happy with it.
S

 

[Wildman]

I came across rocket stove mass heaters, I must say I have never heard of them before and am well impressed. they are a clean burning stove giving lots of heat over a long period of time for a short burn period superb for a house or workshop. Or is it surely just a matter of size and materials. plenty of room for experimentation, would make a fantastic greenhouse heater as well. Exhaust is water and CO2 as the secondary burn removes smoke. Have a look and see for yourself.
http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp

 

[DrPhill]

The first picture below represents the most thorough rocket mass heater design I have ever seen. Followed by the rocket mass heater that was created from that design. These are both the products of the leaders in rocket mass heater innovation, Ernie and Erica Wisner, who have built more than 700 rocket mass heaters.

"You said that without moving your lips"

Bold mine.

 

[Graham Orm]

My brother runs his car on used chip oil. He's very happy with it.
S

Is there a smell Steve?..............from the car.

 

[Graham Orm]

10 years ago you couldnt give used cooking oil away nowadays there are people that will go to great lengths to steal it :shock: for making bio diesel, friend of mine owns a chippie and the waste oil storage area has been broken into on a number of occassions. I believe that you would notice the smell quite a lot (unpleasant is a understatement) . If you want to make your own heater then have a look at making one from a used gas cylinder ( if done correctly and the proper precautions taken this is a safe and cheap way to do it).
Saying that though if you do make one and it works and you can get the used oil for it then please update this post or better yet do a WIP in the metalwork forum

I'd be interested to know how to do it with an old gas cylinder.

My workshop is only just built and I'm still in the process of securing it and insulating it so it's unlikely I'll get to it this year as there's a queue of jobs to do that take priority. However, it's a must for next year so once everything is sorted it'll be on the to do list well before winter as I am sure there will be an experimental phase before it's useable.

 

[Graham Orm]

I came across rocket stove mass heaters, I must say I have never heard of them before and am well impressed. they are a clean burning stove giving lots of heat over a long period of time for a short burn period superb for a house or workshop. Or is it surely just a matter of size and materials. plenty of room for experimentation, would make a fantastic greenhouse heater as well. Exhaust is water and CO2 as the secondary burn removes smoke. Have a look and see for yourself.
http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp

Yes I've seen them too, the oil burner looks easier to build. I'll be considering both I reckon.

 

[Steve Maskery]

If there is a smell, he's not mentioned it. I'll ask him next time we speak.

I have to say I've thoroughly enjoyed watching those rocket mass heater videos. I want one! It makes so much sense.
The challenge, I guess, is to build them in such a way as they also look acceptable in a domestic or workshop environment. It's one thing building one in your yurt, but another building one in your 3-bed semi on an estate...

I think I really should grow my beard again...

S

 

[marcus]

Is there a smell Steve?..............from the car.

My friend has one and it smells quite nice. A sort of gentle fried food smell — really!

 

[RogerBoyle]

I had one, it was an old volvo that was 10 years ago LOL
While driving it I didnt really notice any smell as such other than a slight fried food smell but i was repeatadly told it stunk of badly burnt chip shop food changed it for a jeep that was converted to run on LPG and I now on my 4th one

 

[DrPhill]

Having read through the rocket-stove stuff, I am still a little puzzled. Many seem to feed the fuel in downwards. I guess it is not neccessary but it seems like a neat trick. However:
- Does this make it difficult to remove the ash? Or does the ash get drawn through the system and out?
- If the draw is created by the fire itself, how do you get the fire going, as there is no initial draw?

I like the idea, but I am not yet convinced......

 

[Graham Orm]

Having read through the rocket-stove stuff, I am still a little puzzled. Many seem to feed the fuel in downwards. I guess it is not neccessary but it seems like a neat trick. However:
- Does this make it difficult to remove the ash? Or does the ash get drawn through the system and out?
- If the draw is created by the fire itself, how do you get the fire going, as there is no initial draw?

I like the idea, but I am not yet convinced......

I too wondered about ash, if you watch the video's it shows several different rocket heaters, none have a facility to remove ash so it must get burnt in the secondary burner along with the smoke.