Originally Posted by .338lapua_magnum

These wood burners are no different to other solid fuel fires. They are easy to build and pretty good for heating. The carbon monoxide issue is true of all boilers/ burners. Common sense when installing them will ensure that you have no problems.

Not quite true, but the difference is important. Oil and gas burners will normally only emit carbon monoxide (CO) if starved of oxygen. The products of combustion should normally be carbon dioxide and water vapour, with minor traces of CO. A solid fuel burner (wood or coal) generates CO in huge concentrations ( and other gases and vapours) as a part of the combustion process by heating the fuel. The CO and other gases are then burned in a gasifier boiler, but not necessarily in a conventional burner. In effect, it is a CO generator.

Some of the horror stories recounted were quite appalling. CO can't be smelt and will incapacitate within a minute or so, the casualty leaving a trail of body fluids in a desperate effort to reach clean air.

I never had any trouble with mine gas wise, it was in the back of a converted BFA camper, kicked out so much heat I always slept with the windows open no matter what the weather, I did add a heavy duty flue/chimney top to it though which seriously sucked air up

One tap thats all a bit overdramatic innit?

This chap made a lot of money from them, was featured on BBC2 a couple of years ago

Hotpod limited edition multifuel stove recycled art award winning design st ives cornwall

Originally Posted by thegimp

One tap thats all a bit overdramatic innit?

No, not at all, just the simple facts about how solid fuel fires work.

I've worked in building services for decades and knew a fair bit about conventional gas and oil boilers. The solid fuel courses were fairly recent and gave me an appropriate respect for, or fear of, solid fuel burners. They will work fine under most conditions. However getting Mr. Average DIYer to weld up something from old gas bottles and then sharing your sleeping accomodation with it is fcuking scarey.

The gas produced by heating solid fuel is largely CO plus allsorts of tars and vapours. This is burnt in gasifier boilers or in those WW2 contraptions that powered the buses. In a conventional fire the air flow is by convection, upwards, so the toxic gas produced by heating the unburnt fuel is carried away from the hot fire bed and does not get burned.

A variety of nifty and cheap designs here:

Wood stoves | The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy

BioEnergy Lists: Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves | This site exists to help people develop better stoves for cooking with biomass fuels in developing regions.

Originally Posted by tich23

This chap made a lot of money from them, was featured on BBC2 a couple of years ago

Hotpod limited edition multifuel stove recycled art award winning design st ives cornwall

Fucking hell, three grand for a gas-bottle burner?
Good luck to him - very nice they are as well.

I built a chimnea a couple of years ago from a 14Kg calor gas bottle and a 5' length of 5" pipe. It was pants to be honest as the wood piled in and the fire was against the back wall so you got some heat but the fire was pretty ineffectual.

This summer I sawed it up and tried it with the bottle horizontal and it was much, much better. The fire bed is much wider and probably about twice the area of the vertical one. I made three legs from 40mm angle iron and it seems to be stable enough.

Can't say I like the idea of having it indoors though.

Originally Posted by brettarider

These look good fun and cheap to make has anyone made one or capable of making one?

Check out south20101/rohajamagic's efforts well smart!

home made wood burners

Ukhippy.com

I have an Ozpig and it does well outdoors, I call it boris and it works for me.

my mate the blacksmith in Wisbech made one... burn anything, but when really hot it glows red ! kicks the heat out though. I think they are close on 3mm steel, but they might be zinc coated which will need to be cleaned off, cos when hot it burns off as a yellow powder... which is not ideal. also you dont want to weld it galvanized the fumes are nasty.