Just finished up my new pool heater, sits on top of a propane burner and is inline after the filter. Pretty proud of the soldering, would have done another row but ran out of fittings.
>>1010908
it's all in a closed off area so I wasn't too worried about insulation, no kids are gonna be able to mess with it. was just going to try it as is for now and see about improvements later. still not sure how well it's going to work.
>>1010905
Why do the ends stick outside the box?
>>1010931
Because it made it a hell of a lot easier to build, and it doesn't really matter.
>>1010931
>Why do the ends stick outside the box?
Cuz it's badass.
How big is the pool?
>>1010904
Do you have any mechanism in place to prevent this from ever running dry?
>>1010931
maybe because they look like a nuclear reactor cooling system
Should last well. Too bad it doesn't have internal fins like a radiator.
>>1010904
Question: Why not braze instead of solder?
>>1010949
obviously soldering is easier. let me head off your next question- no it wont melt because running water through it is enough cooling. boiling water is not hot enough to melt solder and the water wont even get that hot
>>1010953
What about the flames on the outside though? Not saying your wrong, I don't know anything about the subject, just a question.
>>1010957
So long as there is non-pressurized water in the tubes it really shouldn't get much above 100C. Same way water-cooled anything works. Just have to make sure it never runs dry.
>>1010969
I guess some sort of thermal cut off should do
>>1010970
Bimetallic strip?
>>1010970
You NEED a flow sensor with a cutoff switch. The flow sensor on our old heater went bad and when the pump stopped the heater kept running. It boiled our filter and pump
>>1010904
Where do your T&P valves going?
>>1010944
It won't need that at all. There's so much pipe in the that thing it had better be a low temp or high flow rate situation or it will blow out steam.
>>1011000
Pool pumps are pretty damn good flow rate.
>>1010904
nice work. post burner and pool
I'm thinking about making a rocket stove pool heater. I was thinking about using an old copper car radiator that I have and basically making a frame to stick that on top of the flue of a basic rocket stove. Basically replacing the frying pan in this picture with a funnel-shaped frame for the radiator. Good idea? Bad idea? I live in the sticks and kindling/scrap wood is basically free and infinite, whereas propane costs money.
>>1011028
I'm thinking the smoke would clog the fins up pretty quickly. Not a lot of space between them on a car radiator.
>>1011036
Rocket stoves are supposed to be pretty cleaning burning though.
The other option is small diameter copper tubing wrapped around the chimney, but I doubt there will be sufficient conduction of heat between the chimney pipe and the tubing. Very small surface area actually touching.
>>1010936
Around 75K gallons
>>1010937
Other than being careful about things, no. I might rig up a flow sensor and solenoid at some point down the road but for now I just want to see how well it works.
>>1010998
Right on the outlet tube, still waiting on it though.
>>1011028
That was my original idea but the fin density was too high for enough heat to escape out the top on the own and it sprung a leak almost immediately.
>>1011114
>That was my original idea but the fin density was too high for enough heat to escape out the top on the own and it sprung a leak almost immediately.
Was that with propane or wood? How close was the radiator to the heat? I mean, with a steady flow of water being pumped through it you'd expect the radiator to be able to cool itself below the melting point of solder. Maybe it really does need to be brazed.
>>1011135
Propane and about 4ft. Maybe the radiator was just junk because it had been sitting for so long. It was an older triple core that I had custom made for a project car.
>>1010904
here is some other ways you could have done this op:
1. use tee pieces to run the pipes in 'parallel'
2. just used a bender and not actually required all those fittings and soldering.
personally i quite like fitting copper pipe so i would have probably done it this way but i know a few guys who really like bending who would say you should have bent it.
p.s. you used a little too much solder, you need to have more trust in yourself when you wipe that its going in and you should have cleaned the flux off with a damp rag while it was still warm because the pipes are now clearly green and shitty and thats why.
>>1011028
So long as the heating coil is above the original rocket stove flue., yes. The instant you stick it down into the flue below where the skillet is, it will cool the flue gases, ruin the efficiency, and soot up everything. The same thing will happen if you coil it around the flue.
Also consider using a wood gas stove. They are more efficient, but much the same. You'll be able to load it with biomass and have a controlled burn. Rocket stoves on the other hand don't have a controlled burn like that since you are always feeding it a bit differently each time and they need refilled often.
You will also need a very high flow pump if you have lots of coils. Those things get pretty hot very quickly. Less coils = less flow needed. Inside diameter of the pipe you use plays a big role in how it will perform. The larger a pipe you can us the better off you'll be to prevent steam blowoffs and it will flow much better. It won't heat up super fast either, but the net effect of heating the pool will be the same.
Don't use a radiator or fins. Just use a straight pipe up above or a coiled pipe the heat existing the flue will flow through.
>>1011154
Continued....
>>1011062
They are clean burning, but initial starting does create a good bit of smoke until the flue has reached optimal temperatures. After that, they are really good.
>small diameter copper tubing wrapped around the chimney
Never do this. You just end up with steam problems. Use large diameter instead. Remember, any time you cool down flue gases, soot and creosote will build up and cause problems.
So consider using a cleaner burning gas or a wood gas stove like a "Natural Draft Top-lit gasifier (ND TLUD)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-lit_updraft_gasifier which are pretty amazing.
Are planning a bypass and way of isolating the hot box incase things go south?
>>1011036
I would say this is a certainty. For wood you want larger gaps than a radiator or it will clog up with soot in no time. Old wood fired hot water services had vertical pipes around the fire box and a chimney. heat exchange.
Rocket stoves are ok if you are prepared to sit there and load small wood into it very regularly but if you want less regular loading you need a larger slower burning fire.
They make heat exchangers for pools....copper is a poor choice.
>>1011424
This is /diy/ friend, so fuck that overpriced garbage. All together I spent less than $50 on this so if it doesn't work, oh well.
>>1011430
How many hours you waste on it? 5 or 6? Is your time worth less than $50 an hour? I hope not...
>>1012157
>implying someone pays you to beat off to anime porn
>>1012157
people also like making shit, hence the existence of this board, you gigantic faggot
>>1011438
>Radiators
They are common in instant gas / tankless hot water units.
>>1012202
Nice work OP. I've built heat exchangers for a living before and this looks pretty good for a DIY.
My advice, exchangers work better when used in a cross flow arrangement. In your case, make sure the water goes in the top and out of the bottom port. In this arrangement the cold inlet begins to be preheated before it makes its way closer to the heat source. Typically cross flow gives you >= 20% increased efficiency.
>>1012202
We are talking about wood fired using the rocket stove.
I'm so jelly, copper must be cheap in Burgerland to be able to do shit like this. In new Zealand a single copper fitting is like 30-40 dollars, let alone copper pipe.
It sucks because I love copper, it's so fucking sexy.
>>1012220
Not in OP's case.
