Wood fired boiler test run!
Wood fired boiler test run!
So I've been working on a larger boiler, but with price of fuel decided to make a woodfired boiler. Pallets are everywhere and burn well!
Recipe
1 Oil drum from the garage up the road.
1 71L Vevor XL stockpot.
1 Stainless tap/hose barb from my shed.
1 very old battered gas bottle chopped up to make a firebox. Couple of hinges from the shed on the doors, bit of grinding and welding action.
1 bag perlite, 1 bag cement and 2 bags sharp sand to make refractory/insulating concrete to fill the drum.
Bit of castable refractory clay mix that was again in the shed - from pool heater project last year.
Finally a couple of bits of flue pipe from eBay.
And here it is...
And here with FIRE!
Recipe
1 Oil drum from the garage up the road.
1 71L Vevor XL stockpot.
1 Stainless tap/hose barb from my shed.
1 very old battered gas bottle chopped up to make a firebox. Couple of hinges from the shed on the doors, bit of grinding and welding action.
1 bag perlite, 1 bag cement and 2 bags sharp sand to make refractory/insulating concrete to fill the drum.
Bit of castable refractory clay mix that was again in the shed - from pool heater project last year.
Finally a couple of bits of flue pipe from eBay.
And here it is...
And here with FIRE!
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- IMG_20230421_133338_616.jpg (4.66 MiB) Viewed 9482 times
Re: Wood fired boiler test run!
So I cleaned out the mash tun/Herms setup that's been out by the shed all winter. Put 60L of water in the boiler and timed it. Went from 21.7 degrees C at 1146 to 65.8 at 1227. I approximated that using an internet calculator to be putting 4.5KW of heat in.
Once that was at 65ish I mashed in my grain for the current BUMPA23 recipe.
https://share.brewfather.app/0VxbzAynJdWXP2
Originally had some sugar in, but that got adjusted post mash as the pre boil gravity was high enough without.
HERMS kept the mash bang on 65C... Lovely clear wort
And apart from forgetting to start the mash timer, it was all going well. Heated up another 40L of water in the boiler for sparging etc, then dropped it into some containers to empty the kettle.
Sparged it all in and fed the fire, was boiling in about 30 minutes.
Does it boil properly?? OH yes it does...
End of boil I squirted the fire to calm it down and ran the worth through the counterflow cooler I made last year, it still leaks so will have to fettle it a bit.
I had a downspout thing inside the kettle that pints at the bottom of the pot to reduce dead space, worked really well. Mainly hop debris , very little liquid in there.
Once that was at 65ish I mashed in my grain for the current BUMPA23 recipe.
https://share.brewfather.app/0VxbzAynJdWXP2
Originally had some sugar in, but that got adjusted post mash as the pre boil gravity was high enough without.
HERMS kept the mash bang on 65C... Lovely clear wort
And apart from forgetting to start the mash timer, it was all going well. Heated up another 40L of water in the boiler for sparging etc, then dropped it into some containers to empty the kettle.
Sparged it all in and fed the fire, was boiling in about 30 minutes.
Does it boil properly?? OH yes it does...
End of boil I squirted the fire to calm it down and ran the worth through the counterflow cooler I made last year, it still leaks so will have to fettle it a bit.
I had a downspout thing inside the kettle that pints at the bottom of the pot to reduce dead space, worked really well. Mainly hop debris , very little liquid in there.
- Attachments
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- IMG_20230421_133203_840.jpg (3.29 MiB) Viewed 9473 times
Re: Wood fired boiler test run!
Pics going potty so I'll add them separately.
Re: Wood fired boiler test run!
More pics
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- IMG_20230421_134628_814.jpg (3.76 MiB) Viewed 9468 times
Re: Wood fired boiler test run!
Anyway you get the gist of it!
Came out at 1042 and is now settled into the new 60L Speidel fermenter with two packs of Crossmyloof Five yeast.
Came out at 1042 and is now settled into the new 60L Speidel fermenter with two packs of Crossmyloof Five yeast.
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- Falling off the Barstool
- Posts: 3914
- Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:07 pm
- Location: South Wales UK.
Re: Wood fired boiler test run!
drjim,
Great looking bit of kit!
I can see in pic 1 that you have made a Hot Tub with a ladder.
Is that a plastic downpipe next to your roaring fire?
WA
Great looking bit of kit!

I can see in pic 1 that you have made a Hot Tub with a ladder.


Is that a plastic downpipe next to your roaring fire?

WA
Re: Wood fired boiler test run!
It is an upside down IBC hot tub with the pool ladder next to it!
Plastic pipe indeed, this is temp location, good news is that the insulated concrete filling keeps the bit near the pipe cool enough not to melt it, but now you've pointed it out I'd better go and move it!
Plastic pipe indeed, this is temp location, good news is that the insulated concrete filling keeps the bit near the pipe cool enough not to melt it, but now you've pointed it out I'd better go and move it!
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- Falling off the Barstool
- Posts: 3914
- Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:07 pm
- Location: South Wales UK.
Re: Wood fired boiler test run!
Just in case innit!
You don`t want Mrsdrjim saying `I told you that pipe would melt, why don`t you listen to me, you know I`m right,
you just don`t listen to me do you, you know I`m right, oh, go on then do your bloody beer thing, you never
listen anyway`.
WA

You don`t want Mrsdrjim saying `I told you that pipe would melt, why don`t you listen to me, you know I`m right,
you just don`t listen to me do you, you know I`m right, oh, go on then do your bloody beer thing, you never
listen anyway`.



WA