Do-it-yourself waste oil boiler: making a home-made boiler for testing

Types of homemade stoves in development

Engine oil contaminated with impurities does not itself ignite. Therefore, the principle of operation of any oil potbelly stove is based on the thermal decomposition of fuel - pyrolysis. Simply put, to obtain heat, mining must be heated, evaporated and burned in the furnace furnace, supplying excess air. There are 3 types of devices where this principle is implemented in various ways:

1. The simplest and most popular design of direct combustion with afterburning of oil vapors in an open-type perforated pipe (the so-called miracle stove).
2. Waste oil drip furnace with closed afterburner;
3. Babington burner. How it works and how to make it yourself is described in detail in our other publication.

The efficiency of heating stoves is low and amounts to a maximum of 70%. Note that the heating costs indicated at the beginning of the article are calculated based on factory heat generators with an efficiency of 85% (for a complete picture and comparison of oil with firewood, you can go here). Accordingly, fuel consumption in home-made heaters is much higher - from 0.8 to 1.5 liters per hour versus 0.7 liters for diesel boilers per 100 m² of area. Consider this fact, taking up the manufacture of the furnace for testing.

The device and disadvantages of an open-type potbelly stove

The pyrolysis stove shown in the photo is a cylindrical or square container, a quarter filled with used oil or diesel fuel and equipped with an air damper. A pipe with holes is welded on top, through which secondary air is sucked in due to the chimney draft. Even higher is the afterburning chamber with a baffle to remove the heat of combustion products.

The principle of operation is as follows: the fuel must be ignited using a flammable liquid, after which the evaporation of mining and its primary combustion will begin, causing pyrolysis. Combustible gases, getting into a perforated pipe, flare up from contact with an oxygen stream and are completely burned. The intensity of the flame in the firebox is regulated by an air damper.

This mining stove has only two advantages: simplicity with low cost and independence from electricity. The rest are solid cons:

• stable natural draft is required for operation, without it the unit begins to smoke into the room and fade;
• water or antifreeze that gets into the oil causes mini-explosions in the firebox, which causes fire drops from the afterburner to splash in all directions and the owner has to put out the fire;
• high fuel consumption - up to 2 l / h with poor heat transfer (the lion's share of energy flies into the pipe);
• one-piece housing is difficult to clean from soot.

Although outwardly the potbelly stoves differ, but they operate according to the same principle, in the right photo, fuel vapors burn out inside a wood-burning stove

Some of these shortcomings can be leveled with the help of successful technical solutions, which will be discussed below. During operation, fire safety rules should be followed and used oil should be prepared - defended and filtered.

Pros and cons of a dropper

The cardinal difference of this furnace is as follows:

• the perforated pipe is placed inside a steel case from a gas cylinder or pipe;
• fuel enters the combustion zone in the form of droplets falling to the bottom of the bowl located under the afterburner;
• To increase efficiency, the unit is equipped with forced air by means of a fan, as shown in the diagram.

Scheme of a dropper with a bottom supply of fuel from a fuel tank by gravity

The real disadvantage of a drip stove is the difficulty for a beginner. The fact is that you cannot rely entirely on other people's drawings and calculations, the heater must be manufactured and adjusted to suit your operating conditions and properly organize the fuel supply. That is, it will require repeated improvements.

The flame heats up the body of the heating unit in one zone around the burner

The second negative point is typical for supercharged stoves. In them, a jet of flame constantly hits one place of the body, which is why the latter will burn out pretty quickly if it is not made of thick metal or stainless steel. But the listed disadvantages are more than offset by the advantages:

1. The unit is safe in operation, since the combustion zone is completely covered with an iron case.
2. Acceptable waste oil consumption. In practice, a well-tuned potbelly stove with a water circuit burns up to 1.5 liters in 1 hour to heat 100 m² of area.
3. It is possible to wrap the body with a water jacket and remake the furnace for working out into a boiler.
4. The fuel supply and power of the unit can be adjusted.
5. Undemanding to the height of the chimney and ease of cleaning.

Pressurized air boiler burning used engine oil and diesel fuel

We make a heat generator from a cylinder

First of all, prepare gas cylinders for welding - remove the spherical parts (do not forget to fill it with water beforehand!) And cut one vessel to size so that together they make up a body of the required height (1 m).

Prepare the rest of the materials, considering the following recommendations:

• the combustion chamber and the flame bowl are best made of stainless steel 1.5–3 mm thick (for example, grade 12X18H12T);
• if it was not possible to find a stainless steel, use black steel grade St3 - St20 from 4 mm thick;
• pick up a stainless steel waste oil supply pipe;
• the thickness of the walls of the flame tubes is not less than 3.5 mm;
• to seal the top cover, select a steel strip 40 x 4 mm (rim) and an asbestos cord;
• prepare sheet metal 3 mm for the manufacture of an inspection hatch;
• on the heat exchanger, take pipes with a wall thickness of at least 4 mm.

The manufacturing process of a two-way boiler for mining looks like this:

1. Cut the Ø32mm flame tubes to size and weld the heat exchanger using one cylinder as the outer casing and the Ø150mm tube as the combustion chamber walls.
2. Attach the inlet pipes of the water heating system to the heat exchanger.
3. In the second cylinder, cut holes for the inspection hatch and the chimney. Weld on a Ø114 mm fitting and make a neck with a cover from sheet steel.
4. Weld both tanks into one body. From above, make a shell from an iron strip - it will serve as a seal for the lid. Fill the gap between the edges with asbestos cord.
5. Make an afterburner according to the drawing. Make holes in the hemispherical cover (in the past - the end of the cylinder) for the viewing window and the installation of the afterburner (in the center).
6. Equip the lid with handles and a shutter on the window. The afterburner pipe can be welded to it tightly or screwed with bolts sealed with an asbestos cord.

From the lower end, the perforated pipe is closed with a plug, where 4 holes are made - one in the middle, the remaining three - radially. An oil pipe is led into the central hole and scalded. The last step is the manufacture of a fiery bowl of the boiler, where the waste oil will burn.

Upon completion of the assembly, weld an elbow with a flange to the afterburner pipe and install the “snail”. To ensure that the outer metal wall of the water jacket does not lose heat in vain and does not heat the boiler room, insulate the body from non-combustible basalt wool.The simplest way is to wind the insulation with twine, and then wrap it with thin-sheet painted metal.

More clearly, the manufacturing process of a liquid fuel boiler is demonstrated in the following video:

Heating at work: profitable or not?

The waste oil heating system is in great demand. And this is no coincidence, because it has many advantages. First of all, it is the affordable cost of devices and operation.

Given that the price of fuel for such a boiler is very low, it will pay for itself in the very first heating season. In addition, if you do not buy equipment, but assemble it yourself, it will cost even less.

A properly adjusted boiler burns waste oil completely. No toxic combustion products are formed, so this device is environmentally friendly. The design of the device is very simple, it uses a minimum of parts. Thus, the risk of failure of the device is reduced and its reliability is increased.

The boiler quickly heats up and raises the temperature in the room, which is facilitated by forced convection.

The device also has disadvantages:

• The rapid burnout of oxygen in the room where the device is mounted requires the arrangement of an effective ventilation system.
• The need for regular cleaning. Waste boilers quickly become dirty, and therefore their maintenance must be carried out more often.

Any waste oil or a mixture of several oils can be used to operate the equipment.

For a mining boiler, natural and synthetic oils can be used as fuel, as well as mixtures in any proportions.

The heterogeneity of the raw materials used and the high probability of the presence of a wide variety of impurities in it requires a special filter. It is placed at the site of oil supply to the boiler. During operation, the filter becomes dirty quite quickly, so you will have to change it often.

Do-it-yourself waste oil burner - manufacturing features

The easiest way to make a burner is using a small gas bottle or blowtorch. To work, you need to prepare:

• the above capacity;
• welding machine;
• grinder;
• a piece of 1.5-inch pipe;
• a round plate equal to the inner diameter of the pipe;
• a piece of wire 6 - 8 mm;
• a bolt with a through internal hole for the oil supply nozzle;
• thick round blank for the lid.

Beginning of work

1. Two holes are drilled tangentially in the cylinder: from the bottom (for the entry of a mixture of air and oil), and from the top for the exit of the flame. Welded pipes with a diameter of 1.5 inches. One is a continuation of the other, only a little higher; so that the fire swirls inside, and does not immediately fly out into the street.
2. A hatch for ignition is made on top and is equipped with a heavy lid so that during operation it does not open with the pressure of incoming air.

Waste oil is a cheap fuel and for some types of premises it makes sense to install waste oil stoves. , pros and cons of using.

You will find instructions for making a heat pump for heating a house.

Once upon a time, steam heating was widely used in our country? Why has it lost its relevance now? In this article, you will find the answer to this question and find out how the steam heating of a private house works.

Air flow control

The pressure and amount of air supplied for combustion is regulated by a homemade damper (it is made according to the throttle principle, as in a carburetor).

The damper is installed in the supply pipe up to the fuel injector as follows:

• A hole for the rotary axis is drilled strictly according to the diameter of the existing workpiece.
• A round plate is cut along the inner diameter of the pipe, which in the closed position can completely cover the hole.
• A rotary axis is made in the form of the letter "G" and a damper is mounted on it with small bolts.
• A hole is drilled in the supply pipe in front of the damper or a slot is cut to remove “excess” air (in case there is a lot of it for the burner).

The principle of supplying mining to the burner itself

To supply oil, a diffuser is arranged in the intake pipe immediately behind the damper. The diffuser is a turned annular insert, slightly narrowing the flow area. Thanks to it, a vacuum is created and oil (or other liquid fuel) enters through the nozzle and mixes with air.

For the supply pipeline, it is preferable to use metal pipes. A freon tank is well suited for a fuel tank, and a needle valve allows you to fine-tune the oil supply.

A simple homemade burner

Oil must be separated from water and filtered.

Principle of operation

Fuel is fed by gravity to the nozzle and is sucked in by air passing through the diffuser. The resulting mixture ignites inside the cylinder, and the torch is blown out into the street. Thus, the heat source is the burner itself (it heats up to a crimson glow) and the torch.

The flame can even be used to melt certain metals such as copper, aluminum and others that have a lower melting point.

How to make a waste oil boiler with your own hands

The simplicity of the design of such heaters allows you to make them yourself. In this case, it is necessary to have locksmith and welding skills.

Tools and materials

To make a boiler with your own hands, the following devices are required:

• Bulgarian;
• welding machine;
• a hammer.

To make a waste oil boiler with your own hands, do not forget the grinder

As a material for the heating structure, you must purchase:

• refractory asbestos cloth;
• heat-resistant sealant;
• steel sheet 4 mm thick;
• metal pipe with a cross section of 20 and 50 centimeters;
• compressor;
• ventilation pipe;
• drives;
• bolts;
• steel adapters;
• half-inch corners;
• tees;
• reinforcement with a cross section of 8 millimeters;
• pump;
• expansion tank.

The body of the boiler for heating small rooms can be made from a pipe; for a device with a higher power, it is best to use steel sheets.

Manufacturing process

The waste oil unit can be built in any shape. To heat a garage or small agricultural buildings, it is best to make a small boiler out of pipes.

The manufacture of such a heating device consists of the following steps:

1. A metal pipe with a large cross section is cut so that its size corresponds to one meter. Two circles corresponding to a diameter of 50 centimeters are prepared from steel.
2. The second pipe with a smaller diameter is shortened to 20 centimeters.
3. In the prepared round plate, which will serve as a cover, a hole is cut corresponding to the size of the chimney.
4. In the second metal circle, intended for the bottom of the structure, an opening is made, to which the end of a pipe of a smaller diameter is joined by welding.
5. We cut out a cover for a pipe with a cross section of 20 centimeters. All prepared circles are welded as intended.
6. Legs are constructed from reinforcement, which are attached to the bottom of the case.
7. Small holes are drilled in the pipe for ventilation. A small container is installed below.
8. In the lower part of the case, with the help of a grinder, an opening for the door is cut out.
9. A chimney is attached to the top of the structure.

To operate such a simple boiler in mining, you just need to pour oil into the tank from below and set it on fire with a wick. Before this, the new design should be checked for tightness and integrity of all seams.

Construction of a more powerful boiler

Two boxes are made of strong sheet steel, which are connected using a perforated pipe. In the design, it is used as an air vent.

The subsequent manufacturing process of the heater has some features:

1. A hole is made in the lower body of the boiler to supply oil to the evaporation tank. A damper is fixed opposite this container.
2. The box located in the upper part is complemented by a special hole for the chimney pipe.
3. The design is equipped with an air compressor, an oil supply pump and a container into which fuel is poured.

Do-it-yourself waste oil boiler

If water heating is required, then an additional circuit is connected, which requires the installation of a burner. You can build it yourself:

• half-inch corners are connected by spurs and tees;
• a fitting is fixed to the oil pipeline using adapters;
• all connections are pre-treated with a sealant;
• a burner cover is cut out of sheet steel, corresponding to the nests on the manufactured boiler;
• two different sizes of steel plates are used to install the burner;
• the inside of the tube adapter is tightly covered with an asbestos sheet, which is fastened with sealant and fixed with wire;
• the burner is inserted into the housing intended for it;
• after that, a smaller plate is fixed in the nest and covered with four layers of asbestos;
• a large plate is mounted as a mounting plate;
• holes are drilled in it for fastenings, and an asbestos sheet is applied on top;
• two prepared plates are connected with bolts.

To prevent the burner from disintegrating during the operation of the boiler, all parts should be carefully and tightly fastened. The device is ignited by a glow plug.

Waste oil boilers are considered economical and practical appliances. They can be purchased at a specialized store or built independently. When using such heating devices, it is necessary to remember the safety rules, which include the mandatory installation of a chimney, the presence of a ventilation system and the proper storage of liquid fuel.

General principle of operation

If we want to get high-quality heating based on mining, the oil cannot simply be taken and set on fire, because it will smoke and stink.In order not to experience these unpleasant and dangerous side effects, you need to heat the fuel so that it begins to evaporate.

The volatiles obtained as a result of heating will burn. This is the basic principle of operation of the heating unit during mining.

Application of perforated tube

To implement this principle in the design of the stove, two chambers are provided, which are interconnected by a pipe with holes. Fuel enters the lower chamber through the filler hole, which is heated here. The resulting volatile substances rise up the pipe, being saturated with atmospheric oxygen through the perforation.

The schematic diagram of a two-chamber stove with a connecting perforated pipe allows you to understand exactly how a simple unit works at mining

The resulting combustible mixture ignites already in the pipe, and its complete combustion occurs in the upper afterburner chamber, separated from the chimney by a special partition. If the process technology is properly observed, soot and smoke are practically not formed during combustion. But the heat will be enough to heat the room.

Using the Plasma Bowl

In order to achieve maximum efficiency of the process, you can go a more complicated way. Recall that our goal is to release volatile components from the fuel by heating it. To do this, a metal bowl should be placed in the only chamber of the unit, which must not only be heated, but heated.

Through a special dispenser from the fuel tank, mining will come into the chamber in a thin stream or drops. Getting on the surface of the bowl, the liquid will instantly evaporate, and the resulting gas will burn.

The efficiency of such a model is higher, since the fuel supplied by the drip burns better, and the problem of topping it up during the operation of the furnace disappears by itself.

If everything is done correctly, the combustion of gases should be accompanied by a bluish-white flame. A similar flame can be observed when a plasma burns, so a red-hot bowl is often called a plasma bowl. And the technology itself is called drip supply: after all, fuel with it must be supplied in exceptionally small doses.

With all the variety of designs, the operation of all waste fuel heating units is based on the principle described above.

A few words about processing

Waste oil is a waste of fuels and lubricants, it is a dark oily liquid that has a strong specific smell of petroleum products.

Mining contains metal microparticles, therefore, it is not recommended to use it as a lubricant for the engine or transmission. However, mining burns as well as ordinary mineral oil, so it is widely used as heating oil. Waste burning can be called one of the ways to reuse fuels and lubricants. Due to the low cost of mining, the boiler operating with its use is environmentally friendly and economical.

What furnaces can be built independently according to the drawings

A waste oil stove with a water circuit can have a different design:

The furnace is round in shape, welded from a steel sheet. The fuel tank is combined with the combustion chamber.The afterburner is a perforated pipe and an upper chamber equipped with a dividing wall that cuts through the flame. A hole is cut out in the cover of the lower chamber, where mining is poured, and air will also flow there. The principle is this: the wider the damper is open, the better the oil will burn.
Two barrel oven. In one (bottom) there is a fuel tank, there is an opening for its loading. The upper combustion chamber consists of a pipe that passes through the upper barrel filled with water. It has fittings for supplying water-coolant. Externally, the model is very similar to a samovar

Its body heats up quite strongly, so you need to handle the stove with care. Such a "samovar" is installed only in those rooms where accidental contact with the body of people or animals is excluded. This design has a big plus: a large tank acts as a heat accumulator.
Compact mini-oven from a square profiled pipe 18x18 cm and 10x10 cm

Simple in design, it is very easy and quick to assemble. You can cook food on it.
A practical model of a mining boiler with a water circuit from a gas cylinder with a cut-off top. Here you can provide an automated supply of mining. The oil line is located in the combustion chamber. The water circuit looks like a boiler through which a chimney channel is passed. Or it can be a copper coil-heat exchanger, which is wrapped around the furnace body.

This design has a big plus: a large tank acts as a heat accumulator.
A compact mini-oven made of a square profiled pipe 18x18 cm and 10x10 cm. Simple in design, it is very easy and quick to assemble. You can cook food on it.
A practical model of a mining boiler with a water circuit from a gas cylinder with a cut-off top. Here you can provide an automated supply of mining. The oil line is located in the combustion chamber. The water circuit looks like a boiler through which a chimney channel is passed. Or it can be a copper coil-heat exchanger, which is wrapped around the furnace body.

Sizes may vary. But the location of the main nodes is unchanged.

Advantages and disadvantages of the unit

A device that runs on engine oil is especially popular at car services, where this raw material is always in excess.

Advantages of the heating device in development:

• as a result of burning engine oil, soot and fumes are not formed;
• the device is fireproof, since it is not the oil itself that burns, but its vapors;
• the raw materials for the operation of the furnace cost nothing, it can be obtained at any service station.

Oil heater device

Cons of using mining:

• before use, mining must be cleaned of impurities of water and alcohol, otherwise the nozzles of the unit may become clogged;
• mining cannot be stored in the cold, so it will have to be kept in a warm garage or in a specially prepared bunker.

Waste after draining should be stored in closed containers

How exactly does oil evaporate?

There are 2 main ways of burning fuel and evaporating oil:

1. Ignition of a liquid substance. This releases steam. For its afterburning, a special chamber is used.
2. Pouring over a hot surface. A white-hot "white-hot" bowl made of metal is used. Mining is dripping onto its surface. When the fuel comes into contact with hot metal, it evaporates. The "cooperation" of air and steam is called "diffusion".When air enters the tank, the steam flares up and ignites. The result of this is the generation of heat.

Fuel consumption is quite economical. From ½ to 1 liter is used per hour.

European boilers, despite the excellent efficiency, do not allow such a principle of operation to be possible. This is true only in the case of boilers of a domestic manufacturer.

The easiest way is to soak the wick with gasoline, set fire to it and throw it into the tank. When the bowl warms up well, you can start serving oil.

It is important that the oil is supplied evenly. It is recommended to use a drip approach. To ensure the desired level of extraction filtration, an automotive filter should be used.

It is put on a tube, one of the ends of which must be lowered into a container with working out

An automotive filter should be used to provide the desired level of extraction filtration. It is put on a tube, one of the ends of which must be lowered into a container with mining.

The filter should be replaced at least once every 30 days. If the fuel cannot be called clean, then it is recommended to do this 1 time / 15 days.

The amount of oil dripping onto the bowl should be optimal. The most important thing is to ensure that it burns evenly. It shouldn't choke.

If the owner of the boiler has decided to change the fuel, the frequency of drops must be adjusted each time.

The installation should also be given maximum protection. Do not allow the oil to boil - this can lead to unpredictable consequences. The same applies to fuel overflow.

If the level of fuel in the tank is higher than in the stove itself, a fire may occur. The only way to deal with it is with a fire extinguisher.

Do not pour oil into the boiler when the unit is running - this can be very dangerous. It is best to mount an additional container. It will be possible to place the main supply of fuel in it.