Indoor gasifier

I’ve been wanting a better wood stove for my garage. Currently I’ve been using a Barrel stove and not happy with how it works. It’s inconsistent and it can get smokey in the garage. Plus when it’s this cold, it does a poor job warming up the garage. I’ve went to Fleet Farm to look at the floor models to see the difference with the air jets. First of all, I don’t care for the prices they sell them at. Secondly, they don’t appear to have a big enough fire box.
So I came across a video from Engineer 775 on you tube. He was testing out an ‘Indoor Gasifier’ called SILVERFIRE HUNTER. It’s an updraft system. What I don’t care about it is, that he didn’t show if it has a sealable top for it. But I like the concept and it seemed to make sense. I want it to be safe indoors. I don’t think this model is that.

So here’s my interpretation. I think this may be a safer version. I used stuff I had laying around the shop. It will be a small version to proof it. I used a 10" tube 16" tall for the fire box. I drilled 8- 1/8" holes 1" off the bottom of the tube around the perimeter. 10" above the bottom, I drilled 8 more holes for the secondary air. This tube is only 1/8" thick. I have a 12" diameter plate welded to the bottom 1/4" thick. I cut slots in it for the ash to fall through. I then welded a 12" tube about 13" tall to the 1/4" plate to produce a sleeve around the 10" tube. I welded a ring around the top to seal it up.
I plan to weld a ring in the bottom of a 16 gallon drum I plan to place the fire tube on 8" off the bottom. I will weld an ash door under the ring. A 1" pipe will penetrate through the 16 gallon drum into the 12" sleeve to feed the air. Atop the 16 gallon drum I will weld a 1/4" plate with a 10" hole through the top to place the wood. I have a 10" removable plate to seal up the unit. A stove pipe will exit out the back of the unit.

Here’s a picture of the fire tube with sleeve and grate welded on. Also the 16 gallon drum it will sit in.

Bill S


I saw that stove vid… looks interesting from a cabin or cottage perspective. Let us know how your heater turns out… just be careful please

Arvid, my company also does confined space entry. this means we have a gas meter that we can put around our neck as we go down into a manhole. It checks for all gases. I will use it while I have to stove in operation at first. It will be for the garage which can easily draft through with the doors open.

Bill S

Hi Bill
Yes very interesting, will love to see it in operation.
Just be careful of any CO leaks!
Thanks patrick

Thanks Patrick,
It should be a completely sealed unit. I may even put a small fan on the air inlet for start ups. When it’s this cold it can take a lot of heat to push the smoke up the chimney when starting a wood stove. I think that will keep things flowing the right way. Too much going on at work today so I didn’t get any time to work on it.
I’m liking the metal fab work. After just starting to weld this summer, I think I’m getting good at it. I would like to finish this stove before the weekend.

Bill S

heat your flue pipe a bit with a torch before lighting your fire should get your draw started

Thanks Arvid. I had a cabin up north and that was always an issue when we went up there to snowmobile and ice fishing on weekends. I wish I knew this little trick then. Makes perfect sense.

Bill S

When I saw this topic my first thought was carbon monoxide poisoning. But if this gasifier is built well it should be no different to any other wood burning heater. It’s not like running a flare indoors which can be very dangerous without sufficient ventilation.

Gary,
Yes, basically it’s a top loaded wood stove. I will use a 1/4" lid for the top to hopefully keep it down tight. If not, I will design something to lock it down. At $2000 for an efficient burning stove,I still wanted an efficient wood stove. I’m hoping my thinking is right. That is why I put it up here. I guess I’m assuming this is still gasifying. Maybe I titled this wrong?

Bill S

So I mounted 6" legs on the fire tube and it sits just a couple of inches below the lid I welded to the top of the 16 gallon drum. I cut an 8" opening in the lid and use a 10" cover to seal it up. The 6" chimney attaches to the side of the 16 gallon drum. I drilled 8- 1/8" holes 1" off the bottom of the fire tube and 8 more 10" up from there for secondary air.
It wasn’t staying lit when I put the cover on so I installed a fan for the in coming air. I ended up with the same results. If I leave the cover off to the side slightly to allow more air in from the top it burns good, even with the fan off.
With the cover on and the fan off, I put a lighter near the air inlet and it draws the flame in the inlet. Also with the fan off and I put the light to the crack I leave with the cover, it draws the flame in. Do I just need more or bigger holes for the secondary air? Do I add holes higher up to light the smoke? I hoping for a more complete burn than with my old barrel stove but am also looking to use that heat for the garage and not just go up the chimney.

The first photo is the temp of the stove pipe after the magic heat. The second is before the magic heat. The third picture is the lid of the fire tube. the last is the whole unit.
I set a 30 gallon oil can over the top of the 16 gallon can. The white pipe is the air inlet and the fan assembly. I have a booster fan coming in from the right side and exiting the left. My theory is to strip the heat off the 16 gallon can before it exits to the stove pipe.
By the temps can I assume It is running efficiently and just need to figure out the top air inlets?




Here’s a video of my shop set up. It definitely is too small for my garage, but I like the set up. I think I need another set of air inlet holes because they’re 1" off the bottom. With all the char sitting on the bottom, I believe it constricts the incoming flow of air. Now I just need to find a drill small enough to fit inside the tube to put another row of air inlets. And due to another DOW member of who I respect his knowledge, I will also make the holes bigger. Or just more of them.

Bill S