Anyone ever try this

[royalmaple]

I was just thinking the other night about setting up an evaporator with a space heater for the heat source instead of a oil burner.

Not that I am trying this, but just thinking about if that could be an option for someone looking to convert to something other than wood.

I wasn't sure if anyone tried that with any success?
Maybe the heat wouldn't transfer that well to the pans?

[mapleman3]

honestly I don't think it would work efficiently enough to get a boil, with an oil burner you are concentrating the flame IN the firebox and under the pan.. incredible amount of heat, a space heater/torpedo heater doesn't have that "flame" extending out of it.

[royalmaple]

Jim-

I think you are correct. Just came to me the other night, and thought it may be a workable solution for someone. But I don't think it would work well either.

[davey]

I wonder how it would work though if you removed the heat baffle plate from the end? I might worry about the force of the fan being too strong as well which might tend to push the heat out too quickly.

[mapleman3]

I just know that I'm sending 3gallons of oil per hour into my chamber on a 2x6, you would need a huge heater to get that fire

[royalmaple]

You would probably have to have a damper in the stack for sure, just so you don't throw the heat right out the stack.

I was thinking of them for the reason that they are pretty efficient. I have a 115,000 btu model and I think it holds like 5 gallons + - and I thought I could run that for most of the day on a tank, but maybe burnt 1 gallon per hour?

[davey]

My father is a factory service dealer for several of the different brands of them, I'll see what he thinks.

[maple flats]

I don't know what the efficiency of those are but a gal of fuel oil uncut #2 is 140,000 btu. Can't say what the transfer rate might be BUT if you burnt 1gal/hr the available heat would be much less than the wood is giving if you have dry wood and keep it fired hot I would think. You might need more like 2 or even 3 gal/hr. Just my guess.

[Fred Henderson]

Jumpin Jack Rabbits if you are going to use a torpedo heater why not just put the burner in the arch front. Has anyone ever seen an arch with a burner in the front and another on the side mounted at a 45drg angle a few feeet from the front?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You guys have way too much time you your hand and need sap bad! 8O 8O 8O lol

[Sugarmaker]

Fred,
My dad (rest his soul) had two small oil burners in the front and one stuck in the side at 45 deg about 3 feet back. (it was a 3 x 10 flat pan rig) This worked but they were really still to small and he finally got a 8-12 gallon per hour burner and the other ones were replaced with just one big one in the front.

Any oil burner experts out there? I still have this old oil burner and thought that someday if I cant cut wood I might convert back to oil. This unit was old when we got it in 1975 so may not be very efficient? It has about a 18-20 inch long 4 inch dia nozzle barrel. Price was right, Free.

Chris

[Fred Henderson]

Fred,
My dad (rest his soul) had two small oil burners in the front and one stuck in the side at 45 deg about 3 feet back. (it was a 3 x 10 flat pan rig) This worked but they were really still to small and he finally got a 8-12 gallon per hour burner and the other ones were replaced with just one big one in the front.

Any oil burner experts out there? I still have this old oil burner and thought that someday if I cant cut wood I might convert back to oil. This unit was old when we got it in 1975 so may not be very efficient? It has about a 18-20 inch long 4 inch dia nozzle barrel. Price was right, Free.

Chris

If you are going to oil someday the best thing to do is pay the up front cost. Buy yourself a fame retention burner that has a motor turning at 3450 rpm's. That way you can be air tight(all most) and your will get good fuel atomization.

[NH Maplemaker]

The other thing with torpedo heaters is that most of them us kero and not #2 fuel oil :!: The differance of about $305 for kero and $245 for #2 fuel a round here:oops: I guess some will run on #2 ,But not all. :cry: Jim L.

[royalmaple]

The one I have is multifuel, I can burn jet fuel, diesel, k1, heating oil, just about anything but gas.