Blower

[backyardsugarer]

Thinking of putting a wood stove blower that I can get for $120 and mounting it on the front (where the draft door is) of my 2 by 6. I know it is not as convenient as ones mounted underneath but the ones made for a 2 by 6 run about $450. Anyone have any input on this idea? Thanks

Chris

[Bucket Head]

Hi Chris,

Yeah, go for it. Many guys have done that. Browes through some of the photo albums people have posted and you'll see quite a few of them.

Anything you can do to get a little more oxygen in there is beneficial.

P.S.- I'm glad to see you did'nt throw the towell in after losing your trees.

Steve

[backyardsugarer]

thanks, No, I am too stubborn I guess. I will have about 300-400 taps so I can still have some fun.

[PARKER MAPLE]

Im just finishing up my custom 2x6 arch and designed a new front to accomedate a front monted blower, the front is 3/8 steel plate with a air tight firing door, the bottom will have an opening thats 4x 14 cut out to except an home wood furnance blower. just set it up with a reostate and way we go. these things move some serious air, probably could melt something if im not carefull.

[Father & Son]

Check e-bay for dayton blowers. I picked up a 265 cfm 110 volt a few years back for my 2 x 6 and now use it on my 2 x 8. Check the following info from an old thread


(The blower size is based on stack size.

The formula to figure stack area is pi x radius squared, pi = 3.1416, so the area of my 7" stack worked out like this

3.1416 x 3.5 x 3.5 = 38.48 square inches

38.48 square inches x 3 cfm/square inch = 115.44 cfm's

Correct me if my math is wrong but this gives you a way to figure what size blower you need.
I bought a 265 cfm blower just to give me some flexability for later improvements.)

With a blower that is oversized you can either put it on a rheostat or put a damper in the duct work to adjust your flow.

Jim

[farmall h]

Chris,
instead of putting it in the front of the draft door, get your self some used galvanized duct work and set it up in back. I als would add a dimmer switch to control the speed of the blower. I found that my blower was too much and my "carpenter" brother added the dimmer switch to adjust airflow.

[Bucket Head]

I'm no electrician, but be careful with the dimmer switches. Not all elec. motors are designed to run on reduced current. Those that do not will be damaged from it.

The simplest way to reduce air is to restict what goes into the blower. Thats what I do. The motor is free to turn as fast as it needs to and you control the draft air. The motor will actually turn easier, and faster, with the ingoing air reduced. The load on the blower is eased with the restrictor.

Try it, you'll see. I doubted it too.

Steve

[farmall h]

Steve I never considered that. It has been working like that for a few years now. We tend to run wide open 99% of the time anyway so might as well remove it. Thanks

[Brian Ryther]

I tried a reostat on my blowers last year. I had to take it out of the system within the first ten minutes of using it. It was the one that Leader offers. If any wants it let me know. 100% blowers all of the time. I have to wear a face shield and apron to feed the fire other wise I would not have any eyebrows.

[tessiersfarm]

I use a bathroom exhaust fan with 4" pipe for a blower on my 2x6. works real well and only cost $25 or so at Home Depot. I put in a reostat but I find I either run it full on or off. Made a real big difference.

[briduhunt]

Chris
If you know anyone that does HVAC work ask them to save for you a mobile home blower motor or a regular furnace blower from a furnace they are changing out. Then that same HVAC guy can fab up the proper duct work.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Ebay has JenAir blowers for exhast sytems that will take the heat and 2 speeds.

[Smitty]

Bucket Head is correct. Restricting the air at the fan blower intake works very
well. it is also cheap and easy to do. Mine has been running that way for 15
years on the same blower. I also installed mine on the front of my draft door,
but later moved it to the back to ease loading wood. Its hotter than hell there
in the front.

good luck Chris

[Grizz747]

How many cfm should a 2x4 have for adding forced air? Home depot has a bath fan at 50 cfm for $14, is that enough? I am using a block arch, 2 x 4 pan and 15' of 6 " stack.

[KenWP]

I am going to use roughly the same fan. If you take 2x4 x the depth of your fire box and divide it into 50 it will tell you how many times a minute the fan will fill the fire box.That plus the natrual draft should be more then enough to get a fair fire blazeing.

[Bucket Head]

How air tight is this block arch going to be? I think your going to need it to be pretty tight to take full advantage of the blower.

As far as cfm, I'm not exactly sure. I can tell you I know a few folks with 2x6 evaporators with blowers in the 250-300 cfm range and they are pleased with them.

You might want to shoot for that size so the extra cfm will help make up the "loss" from a "loose" block arch??

Steve

[Grizz747]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll go with my leaf blower and get a rheostat for it.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Go to the local heating and air supply house when the trucks roll in thy drop off the scrap ones and get a draft inducer fan of a hot water heater or furnace they are small compact and can take the heat.........FREE and more CFMs

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I run just under 800 cfm blower at full speeed on my 2x8.

[Haynes Forest Products]

What do you have for a blower. I think a bath fan is a desperation set up when you can get some nice Squirel cage blowers that are cheap and are all metal or high heat plastics

[Haynes Forest Products]

Just go to Ebay and type in blower motors and for under $25.00 you will find the last blower you will ever need. Do you want square or round duct work 110 or 12 volt metal plastic free shipping Buyit now there are a few dandy ones one there.

[KenWP]

If I get really desparate for a really good fan I just have to use one of the fans that inflate the greenhouse roof. They are not used anymore since I don't heat all winter anymore. They are squirrl cage fans all metal and sitting there. Just seems like way to much fan for a small evaporator. All I need is enough to keep the fire hot and to blow a little extra heat past the flue pipes as it goes out the stack.

[Pete S]

Look for a cheap or used range hood. Some of them have squirrel cages.

[KenWP]

Okay what kind of reostat or speed control are you guys useing for the blowers on the evaporators. The one for a ceiling fan that I can find only takes 5 amps and I have blowen one up already. What eles can I use.

[Father & Son]

If rheostats are questionable run the blower full speed and put an adjustable damper in the duct work.

Jim

[tyrod2]

I found out if you mount it on the front it will work fine but it will get hot from the firebox, and if you extend it out away from the fire box it will be a trip hazzard. I finely mounted mine underneath. Good Luck