Or…a quick fix…bolt on a tiny angle iron 90° across the bars, under the grate. If not enough, bolt on two of them…or three…
I wonder how it really works, I usually put a layer of larger charcoal on top of grate before I top up with small charcoal.
The big coals are still there when I clean underneath, so it should not flow through the grate?
Wondering if the gas stream does not drag the coal out towards the edge of the ashtray.
@JO_Olsson , I asked Leksand’s manometer factory, they would have 1470kr for meters.
@JO_Olsson is your fan full of tar?
Mine gets very sticky, wondering if my wood is still too wet.
Jan, it surprises me those coals don’t get consumed. Are you sure they are the same? You could be right - maybe the by-pass gap is enough to handle the flow and oxygene never reaches the center.
Wow! Expensive. The ones in your link are only 1/3 of that price.
No tar, only soot buildup. If I bang on it, there’s a cloud of soot leaving it. If they get to loud I take them apart and clean them with compressed air. But the one I’m running now hasn’t been cleaned for a full year. Still OK.
Can’t tell, but dry wood is important for sure. The easiest way to stay out of trouble is using dry fuel.
Ok, regarding the fan, then it should be that I have too wet wood or that my gas has gotten colder than yours when it reaches the fan, my fan has stopped due to tar.
Sorry but I don’t feel like going back and reading 370 postings but I do seem to remember giving you several suggestions— one being test your wood for moisture. Without making any of these changes, you keep expecting different results. TomC
Thanks Steve, it’s been easier to find Tom’s advice.
I hope you do not think I’m boring not following your advice directly Tom, but trying to do a bit like Don, suggested, do one thing at a time, then I do not know if it’s me as a driver is clumsy or if it’s me who constructor that is clumsy.
But anyway, tested some wood pieces that you suggested picture on the scales before and after in the oven about 1 hour 150 degrees c.
Mr. Steve; Your suggestion worked fabulously!! That needs to be framed and placed somewhere permanetly. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone back through actually 100’s of postings looking for something I thought I had read or said. Again, good job. TomC
Jan; Thank you for testing the moisture in your wood. I like the gram scale that you used.(pound scale have to large of dinominations) OK; you had 107 grams “wet” and 90 grams “dryed”. If I did it correctly, that shows about 16% moisture. That would be good. I like the 150c temperature (about 300 degreesF) just at about the start of pyrolasis. You cooked it for 1 hour. It may have gotten fully dried out in that time— or it may not. If not then your moisture rate is higher than 16%. I would suggest that you try again and this time with that handy dandy scale–every 1/2 hour take the block out and weight it then put it right back. When the weight reaches the point where the weights remain the same, you are now ready to calculate your moisture.
Now as far as the other suggestions; I’m going out on a limb and say," you will never get a good running engine until you make these changes!" SO, take it apart and make ALL of them at one time. Afterward, you may have to go back and make adjustments to these, but I feel you will be much closer to where you need to be.
In one of your pictures I thought I saw 10 nozzle holes. Please tell that is NOT so. TomC
Now I have driven a few days since I cleaned the jumper and the cyclone, travel an average of about 30-40km a day on firewood.
I have driven as fast as 80kmh, and the car usually shifts at 2300rpm when it is cold.
This is what the ash looks like in the cyclone today, it seems like you are right @JO_Olsson , as long as there is space left in the ash hatch, there will only be dust in the cyclone.
@TomC , I only have 5 nozzles, what you saw were the holes in the conan I tried before, have removed it, do not see that it does any good.
What do you do with the ignition when there is a lot of wood left in the container, I usually pick up some pieces so I can see the charcoal.
Exactly that, but are you not afraid to bump fresh wood into the bottom and get tar in the engine?
NO , With my tube or punch rode I can feel and know I have plenty of char.
Before the woodgas goes to the motor I make sure there is no smoke in with the gas . No smoke No tar .
Thanks Wayne, I’m wondering if that’s why my throttle gets stuck sometimes, because I start the car too early after lighting the coals in the car.
I should keep my nose out, but this is my thinking:
Our small Imbert hearts store a very small amount of charcoal. Any problem with uncharred wood, lack of heat and tar making will straighten out quickly as soon as the motor starts pulling on the gasifier.
However, running hard for a long period of time, consuming the fines and in addition a little bridging in the heart or suddenly slipping too much char will allow tary fumes to sneak by.
Also, once tar entered the system and get warmed up again it can start releasing fumes. Hard to tell then if a sticky throttle is because of the latest or an earlier ride.
I hope you continue to get involved, we have pretty much the same things.
However, I have not experienced that the throttle gets stuck when I only travel by road, but it seems to be when I drive slowly in the woods.
Our things are right in size in addition to the size of the fire tube, right?
The dimensions between the nozzles and the dimensions of the constriction are probably quite correct, and it is well in that cone that the coal is consumed, I would probably have a slightly larger constriction in my car, but I dare not do this yet.
I think I should try to preheat the air first.
So, anything that will increase the heart temp will help:
-Running as rich as possible at idle
-Air preheat
-Less steam (dry fuel and better hopper condensation)
-Adding waste char to the fuel
-Smaller restriction
-Insulation
…whatever is easier to achieve
Hahaha when Wayne pointed the camera down the tube i admit it i moved my head backwards and felt my glasses were fully on ! what a muppet
I lost an engine . Frozen intake valve . Less then 4 hours use with gas from charcoal . I used two socks . no hay no wool .