Pot-Bellied Stove Burns Waste Oil

Pot-Bellied Stove Burns Waste Oil ENERGY Waste Oil 30-5-19 "It's a cheap way to heat my shop," says Stephen Rothrock, Corydon, Ind., who burns waste oil in an old pot-bellied stove that he got for free. He uses the stove to heat his 20 by 32-ft. uninsulated shop. A small electric air compressor sends air through a 1/4-in. dia. steel tube that drops down 3 in. into the top of the stove. A 3/8-in. dia. copper tube runs alongside the steel tube, carrying oil from an 800-gal. boiler tank located outside the shop. The copper tube terminates right at the top of the stove, positioned so that a small stream of oil runs down the end of the air tube. When the oil reaches the end of the tube, it splatters and spreads inside the stove. Two valves control oil flow. One is an on-off valve and the other a metering valve. The oil tank is under about 10 psi of pressure to keep the oil flowing. "It really provides a lot of heat - the oil burns with a bright yellow flame," says Rothrock. "I started using this idea eight years ago and go through an average of 375 gallons per year. It's easy to start, creates very little ash, and no black smoke. All I see coming out the chimney is clear heat. When it burns three quarts per hour it'll keep the magnetic thermometer on the stove pipe at about 550 degrees. "It burns so hot I replaced the firebox with a 14-in. dia., 16-in. tall steel pipe. The top part of the stove also burned out because it's made from cast iron and contoured to fit the stove. I replaced it with a flat steel plate. "I plan to adapt the burner to an outside wood furnace and use it with a thermostat to heat my home, water and shop." He got the 800-gal. steel boiler tank for free from a neighbor. "I run the used oil through a screen to filter it and let the water settle out in a 275-gal. tank before pumping the oil into the boiler tank. In the winter the big tank is capped so I can add the pressure to push the oil into the stove. Gravity would probably work just as well, though. A heat tape attached to the oil line keeps oil flowing during the winter." The small diaphragm-type air compressor applies about 30 lbs. of pressure. He plumbed in a 1-quart reservoir to smooth out the air pulses in order to keep a steady supply of air going through the tube. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stephen Rothrock, 5160 Rocky Way, Corydon, Ind. 47112 (ph 812 952-2643 or 812 987-1000).

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