Wood Fired Hot Water Heater

[patricimo54]

I picked up an unique wood heater about 10 years ago I thought it might come in handy someday.



As you can see it has two burner plates so it will come in handy as a cook top.



It also has a built in ash box



and shaker grate



As well as an inlet and outlet for water. The firebox is surrounded by a water jacket. There doesn't appear to be any internal plumbing just a reservoir with two ports.

Because this thing is cast iron it gives me doubts that it was intended to be used for bathing or heating washing water. Maybe more like it was connected to a radiator or something similar.

I have yet to do an exhausted search, but what little time I have spent looking on the web I have found that the "Oakland Foundry" of Belleville, Il. is out of business. I had hopes of getting a replacement leg for the one that was busted.



I may opt to remove the other 3 and mount the thing on an angle iron frame that I can store wood underneath.

I had a place in the late 70's that was off the grid that had a wood fired hot water heater, but it was a much different design. That one had inner and outer walls with a coil of copper pipe between them which heated water for bathing.

Just wondering if any of y'all have any insight to my little heater?

[TRAPnHUNT]

Nice little heater Pat! ;D

[rhyla]

interesting... hope you're able to find out more about it and come up with a solution for that leg (sounds like you already have something in mind)

[knifesmith]

wow i was surprised to see that stove because we have the exact same little stove in our barn. I believe the legs were a poor design because ours has two broken legs. . . . I was figuring on heating the workshop with it, i had no idea it was for heating freakin water

[Admin]

Pat, That's a dandy. ;D I bet there's a way you can hook that pipe directly to your domestic hot water instead of using the internal tank of the stove. Here's the Kitchen Queen wood burner that I bought a while back. This one will be replacing my Crawford. Not nearly as pretty as my Crawford but better functioning. It has a huge firebox plus a large baking oven. The best part is that it has a pipe running in and out of the firebox much like what you described. There's a 24 gallon stainless steel water reservoir on the back and the water circulates through the firebox. I can bypass the reservoir and run the line directly to my regular water heater so I bet you can do the same with yours. I have to make some changes in the house before this one comes in though.

[patricimo54]

Dec 30, 2011 11:40:35 GMT -5 downhome said:

you could cast that you self pat.

be a little work, look up cupola. its a Iron smelter.
I can educate you on how to run it,if you felt like building one.

I can also tell ya where to find Iron for free to cheap.

the next thing is a mold.

look up lost foam. pretty nifty. most guys are pouring Aluminum and brass but it will work for Iron also.

the other option is search some of the metal working forums and you may find a little guy willing to do it for you.

Thanks for the idea and the offer Chris, but I have too much going on. Like knifesmith said it must be a bad design. When the time comes to put it into use I will probably weld up some sort of an angle iron platform

[Seldom]

Unless the cast is heavy with graphite you can easily weld the leg back on with mig(not flux core) or if you have a stick machine, a nickel-based electrode and you'll never know it had been broken.

[Seldom]

How are you guys circulating the hot water? During the first energy crunch of the early 80's I built wood burning stoves and furnaces that had a hot water coils incorporated. What I found worked better and more efficient was a tiny circulating pump that utilized an external thermo-switch as you see in the pic that just clamped onto the piping immediately downstream of the stove. You can set by dial the kick in temp and the kick out temp as you desire.

[fishleclair]

Pretty cool things right there fellas.......Good way to cut on the $$$

[patricimo54]

That could be some handy info there Chris. Karma to ya.

[patricimo54]

Dec 30, 2011 22:38:09 GMT -5 Seldom said:

Unless the cast is heavy with graphite you can easily weld the leg back on with mig(not flux core) or if you have a stick machine, a nickel-based electrode and you'll never know it had been broken.

My little Hobart is mig adaptable, but I don't have the gas bottle to hook up to it. I have thought of brazing to the heater, but then I've considered removing the other three legs and mounting it on an angle iron base.

[Seldom]

Dec 31, 2011 1:24:37 GMT -5 downhome said:

Dec 30, 2011 22:48:14 GMT -5 Seldom said:

How are you guys circulating the hot water? During the first energy crunch of the early 80's I built wood burning stoves and furnaces that had a hot water coils incorporated. What I found worked better and more efficient was a tiny circulating pump that utilized an external thermo-switch as you see in the pic that just clamped onto the piping immediately downstream of the stove. You can set by dial the kick in temp and the kick out temp as you desire.

themo siphon should be all that's needed. heat rises.
very much like a modern coffee pot works.

with those water coils you never want any valves on them.
Steams Dangerous.
any tanks you attach to should have pressure release valves also.

As the website you posted stated there are limiting factors with thermo siphon which a lot of folks found out decades ago. Back then there was no Internet but there was loads of info both good and bad being sold on newstands and in libraries. Many of the applications touted and used today were engineered and proof-test during that era.

The circulating diagram is what I used and the thermos switch was clamped on the SS pipe coil just outside the stove. It kicked the little pump on and off. Worked absolutely great and ever stove I built for folks that wanted a water coil loved the setup as well.

Hell, back than it seemed as though everybody was trying something they engineered-up. Copper or plastic coils on roofs, in attics, tempering tanks in attics and whichever yard faced the sun, etc., anything and everything seemed to to be fair game in trying to cut energy cost.

I built and sold by order 56 wood burning stoves in four years(after my workday welding for Dow) some decorative free-standing and forced-air furnaces. They were super efficient for the time with a finite air control, brick lined, and moveable baffle. These stoves were pre-cat- converters that we're coming out just as I quit building stoves. I had folks on a waiting list for my stoves and literally had/have my stoves stretching completely across the State! Every once in a while I'll hear about one of my stoves still being used or being removed from an owners house because the house had been sold and the stove moved to the new house.

Women loved my ornate scroll work that I made for decorating the free-standers. They also requested different designs of scroll work and would bring all kinds of ornate nick-backs and ceramics to have mounted on their stoves. The husbands wanted the efficiency and the women wanted them attractive since most were being installed in living rooms.

I've received word many times over the years that this has occurred often. In fact, just this week I drove past the house I sold 23 years ago and my 1st and original stove I built is still being used today!!!! I did hear from an old neighbor that the owners of my old house love the stove so much that if they ever sell the house the stove goes with them and won't be included in the sale! Quite a testimony i think for a 36 year old stove!!!!

[Seldom]

Dec 31, 2011 6:32:23 GMT -5 patricimo54 said:

Dec 30, 2011 22:38:09 GMT -5 Seldom said:

Unless the cast is heavy with graphite you can easily weld the leg back on with mig(not flux core) or if you have a stick machine, a nickel-based electrode and you'll never know it had been broken.

My little Hobart is mig adaptable, but I don't have the gas bottle to hook up to it. I have thought of brazing to the heater, but then I've considered removing the other three legs and mounting it on an angle iron base.

Yes, you need the gas shielding Pat in order for the mig's short-circuiting transfer. Mig is one of the best processes for welding cast iron when you haven't the ability for a good preheat or post heat. Because short-circuit transfer has such lack of penetration into the base metal that the graphite and carbon doesn't mix with the puddle which is ideal for welding cast iron due to post weld cracking !!!

[Admin]

Quite a testimony i think for a 36 year old stove!!!!

I'd say so. ;D

Hey Pat, That stoves got a nice flat top for cooking and one of those cheap Coleman ovens on top of that baby would bake anything you want.

I'd clean that sucker up and get it in the house. ;D

[watershedman25]

Neat little stove for sure! I thought I had one just like it till I saw the pipes sticking out of it. Looking at the front ours looks just like it, just no pipes. I would have the leg fixed if it were mine and then build my wood box under it. JMO

[patricimo54]

Dec 31, 2011 12:57:04 GMT -5 Seldom said:

Women loved my ornate scroll work that I made for decorating the free-standers. They also requested different designs of scroll work and would bring all kinds of ornate nick-backs and ceramics to have mounted on their stoves. The husbands wanted the efficiency and the women wanted them attractive since most were being installed in living rooms.

I've received word many times over the years that this has occurred often. In fact, just this week I drove past the house I sold 23 years ago and my 1st and original stove I built is still being used today!!!! I did hear from an old neighbor that the owners of my old house love the stove so much that if they ever sell the house the stove goes with them and won't be included in the sale! Quite a testimony i think for a 36 year old stove!!!!

Mike I'd love to see some pics. of your design. Do you have anything that you can post?

I have plans to build a heater/stove similar to this one for our Ozark home.

www.lehmans.com/store/Stoves___Cook_Stoves___Wood_Burning_Cook_Stoves___Baker_s_Oven_Wood_Heat_Cook_Stove___17120600?Args=

Dec 31, 2011 18:16:06 GMT -5 Admin said:

Hey Pat, That stoves got a nice flat top for cooking and one of those cheap Coleman ovens on top of that baby would bake anything you want.

I'd clean that sucker up and get it in the house. ;D

I have plans of incorporating it into my Ozark plan. We are torn between a loft apartment above the barn or a garage with an apartment as our first structure on the property. Either way we go I have hopes of utilizing this unit in either structure. A Coleman oven will be a very positive addition to that plan.

I have tried to locate the old style ridged box type ovens from the past, but all I can find are the collapsible type. Is it possible to buy the old type anywhere?

[Seldom]

Since this was before digital cameras and the Internet I had an album of pics for customers to choose from as well as the prototype in my house. God knows where they are but if I can find them, I'll scan them in and post some for you Pat.

All stoves and furnaces were entirely of 1/4" steel and the firebox was lined with 2" firebrick. The stoves were rectangle shape with an end door and the air control was manual located directly beneath it. My doors were so air tigh that regardless of how hard you had it burning, you could instantly snuff any fire out with a twist of the air control!!

All stoves/furnaces were of a two-level design so that you had a re-burn chamber above the movable baffle. On the free-standing units the re-burn chamber was set back from the top of the fire box so that you had a flat top over 2/3 the firebox then the re-burn chamber which was about 10" high and a 1/3 the widthnog the firebox. One of the impressive features for functionality and most certainly eye appeal was the face of the re-burn chamber was double-rolled by splitting a piece of 2" pipe and welding it into an "S" configuration. Folks loved the looks of the double-roll on top of and back 1/3 of the flat top of the firebox.

Hard to visualize I know and if I can find the old pics I'll post them. In 1978 my largest free-stander sold for $700 and I had a waiting list of customers for all the years I built them and for some years after I'd quit folks were still calling wanting a stove built like so-n-so's. Every stove or furnace I built and sold was by order and once a few got into homes every order came to me only by word of mouth.

It was a wonderful thing to have happened to me since welding was my life that folks would search me out and would pay me for my abilities to design and build something that worked great and was decorative enough to sit in their living rooms.

[patricimo54]

I have gone on line to see if it was possible to buy a glass paneled door for my future cooker/heater, but no luck.

How did you design your door Seldom?

[patricimo54]

Those are pretty cool, but pricey. I does give me some ideas though.

[Seldom]

Jan 1, 2012 7:13:57 GMT -5 patricimo54 said:

I have gone on line to see if it was possible to buy a glass paneled door for my future cooker/heater, but no luck.

How did you design your door Seldom?

Around the door opening I welded 1/8" x 1" flat stock on edge. The door was 1/4" with the outside edge wrapped with 1/8" x 1". On the inside of the door I welded 1/8" x1/2" flat stock all the way around 3/8"-1/2" in from the outside edge thus making a channel in which my heat resistant rope was cemented in. I made my hinges from 3/8" bar and were of the pin-type. The closer handle was what I call a lever & wedge type . All in all the door coupled with my air control made the stoves and furnaces extremely air tight.

I need to mention that none of my wood burners needed or required a damper above the stove. In fact I cautioned my customers not to install one and only use the air control on the stove itself.

[stickbowhntr]

Have you thought of making them again Mike? I for one woul dbe interested in one.....yea, if you find some pics that would be great!

[Seldom]

I found one pic that is pretty darn dark. I can see the double-roll of the secondary burn compartment but the door is on the opposite side. Some of you guys are old enough to remember the old Instamatic 100 cameras, so you'd understand that they degrade in time.

After my wife died I must have thrown away the catalog of pics. I did have a handful of other pics with the stove in them but I allowed both my sons to take whatever pics they wanted for remembrance, so those apparently are gone.

I'll scan the one pic I found and see if in can't lighten it up.

Nope Bill, once I'd made enough $$ to buy some vacation acreage up north I turned folks down and sold my mig machine. My goal from the start was to supplement my regular job's income to buy acreage. Many, many times I'd fabricate and weld all day at Dow, come home have a quick supper with the wife and kids than weld until 1:00am and than do it all over again.

[stickbowhntr]

If you ever hear of anyone wanting/needing to sell one you built...I am in line for it...L.O.L....I know what your work etchic and skills are like and would be interested sight unseen for one...just let me know!!! ;D

[Seldom]

This is the best I could do with editing the photo.
This was the prototype stove I built for myself and once visitors saw it in operation word of mouth just carried it.

I built it on two SS pedestals instead of legs and added a SS window frame. Also I thought i needed air movement so I made a 1" air shroud that came up the back of the stove and over the the secondary burn chamber and installed a 180 cfm blower. If you turned the blower on it'd roast you out of 1/2 the house so we really never used it.

You should be able to see the profile of the double-rolled face of the secondary burn chamber. Every single person, man or women who saw the "S" shaped roll had to have one on their stove! It was a huge ornate addition but very time consuming to build. I told folks I could just do an offsetting break to the top and it'd look similar to a roll-top desk. Nope, nobody would allow me to take the short and less $$ path because they all loved the unique roll.

I made my window frame such that the Pyrex glass free-floated so it wouldn't"t break and it never did. the problem was it dirtied-up badly so you could only see a dim glow inside.

Not one person wanted four legs once they saw the double pedestal. It was either a double or a large single. even one with three pedestals but not a single stove had four plain legs! LOL

I can only see one scroll on the firebox top but there was one on each side and two small ones on the stove face. I had one gal who had to have "the little squiggles" all over the face and top of the stove. One gal brought over a brass eagle that covered the entire front of the stove.

The door and air control is sorry to say on the opposite side of the stove from the camera. Since this was the prototype, every stove after this one(mine) the decretiveness and finish got better. Every weld was ground smooth with two grits as was all the SS. Each stove received two coats of paint and of course the 2" firebrick with a schematic of how to set the brick in the firebox. There were three sizes of stove/furnaces I built and the size was based on fire brick size.

The little shiny thing just under the top and above the center of the window frame is the movable baffle knob/rod. To light the stove you pulled the baffle all the way forward and once burning good the baffle was pushed to the back forcing the heat, smoke and unburnt gases to the front of the stove and than up through a 1-1/2" space, back over the firebox and into the secondary reburn chamber before exiting up the chimney. damn, it actually worked better than I'd originally figured. When the glass was clear you could see what looked like a miniature tornado on it's side laying across the front of the firebox just about 1/2 way up the firebox. Those were the gasses being forced into turbulence due to the 1-1/2" angular space. I remember at the time I first watched this thinking I'd really hit on a helluva design idea.

[stickbowhntr]

THAT IS NICE !!!!

[patricimo54]

Thanks for the info on the door construction and the photo of your heater.

You are a wealth of knowledge. Karma to ya.