Sand for insulation

[schuetz79]

Build homemade barrel evap. last year. I am thinking of building a cider block wall around it and filling the void between evap. and cider block. Any ideas or concerns?

[1badsapper]

I built a masonry evaporator, and filled the cores with sand. I still lined it with fire brick. Block will not hold up without a lining. Arch board behind the fire brick is a good idea. We learned the hard way.

[SeanD]

Sand is not a good idea for the barrel. Sand holds a ton of moisture. It will wick moisture from the air and ground and it will rust out your barrel in a year or two. You could use Perlite. It's fireproof, light and moisture resistant. You'd need a lot, though if you are insulating around the outside of the barrel.

Check out this thread:

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?15228-efficiency-from-a-barrel-evaporator&highlight=perlite

Sean