Cheap But Effective Hobby Forced Draft

[Mac]

This is a 12V "inflator for air mattresses and the like $7.00. I took a piece of scrap 1/2" emt and drilled holes in it... then a hose clamp to a brick and hooked it to my battery charger that has two settings 6 amp and 2 amp , so I have two speeds..... took me 20 minutes.... WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!! You guys with the real stlye will get a chuckle but you also know what it does for my 2 x 3..
DO IT>>>> This is just enough air to really get a good burn and yet not throw heat out the stack!!!
Mac

[Mac]

Sorry here is the pic

[maple sapper]

Its safe to say that depending on the size of your evaporator and stack pipe, it will dictate the amound of air you need to keep wood roaring. I have a barrel stove arraingement. My wife is a hair dresser. I took one of her old hair dryers and removed the heating element and piped it so its not near the extreme heat and just put it on full bore. It works great. But, now you got me wanting to try more air and see what happens.

[MapleME]

mac, where do you stick that pie with the holes in it? In your ash pan under the grates?

[Mac]

Maple ME
Yup in the ash pan under the grate, also put some 1/2 fire brick under the red brick to get it right smack under the grate,,,,,, It's an inferno!!!!! The stack looks the the COG railway going up Mt Washington..... got another 3 GPG at least.>>> Just Do IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MapleME]

Mac, Thanks. I actually have a Coleman inflator at home with no air matress (long gone with too many holes). If I can find some copper pipe around the house, I may just try this tomorrow. I bet I have the same size ash pans and grates as you- Mason took your evap design and just extended it to 6 feet for me.

I will report back. PS what are you doing for a pre-heater? The mason pre heater pan works well, but Im thinking of adding 15 or 20 feet of copper coil (1/4 inch supply line for refrigerator water) in a bunch of coils just to add to the unit. May work well.

MapleME

[steve J]

On your 2x6 mason how many gallons are you able to boil per hour? I have his 2x3 and if I can ever scrap together the cash I like to buy a bigger rig from him. I noted that yours does not drop the ash on the floor which is what I want since I have a wood foor. Also does it have any features for leveling it. My building constantly shifts from day to day as frost leaves the ground thus having to relevel the evaporator daily.

[MapleME]

Steve, the 2x6 is great- similar to the 2x3 hobby arch's Bill makes but just extended out and it has a nice ash pan. Its been fantastic. Im going to try your idea for the blower this weekend, I have more sap than I know what to do with and the weekend isnt even here yet!

How is the blower working out for you????

[KenWP]

Now I have to watch garage sales for a inflator now. I have to watch for pots,jars,buckets and spiles and now I have to watch for inflators. I have wondered if I could hook my air compressor up some how to blow air into the firebox. I could put a valve on it so that it only blows so much at a time. Have to think on this one a bit.

[MapleME]

I just thought I would put in my plug for this great idea. Made up pretty much the same thing today. We named it "THE MAC" as in, turn on "THE MAC"- t his little puppy, which cost all of 20 bucks total, was a CHAMP today. I had a boil like I have never had before. Granted I had a sh$t load of black smoke coming out of the stack, which Im not sure means it was that efficient.... in any event, it seemed to do really well. I used the identical set up described below with 6 small holes drilled. Besides the loud noise, its the best 20 bucks I spent on sugaring this year

Thanks MAC. Your now famous in the MapleME household.