David, I need to remind you that your truck ran great in Argos. I know you expected more power but it is a 2.2 liter in a fairly heavy pickup. I don’t think you had advanced the timing yet. I seem to recall you have a good puff lid on the hopper so I wouldn’t worry too much about the ash end. I forget exactly what failed there and was letting air into the hot gas below the grate but I just figure the cleanout was too big and hard to seal. Aluminum foil is cheap and I have used some on almost any project I have worked on. Just crunch yourself up half of a dollar roll and stuff and pack it into the cleanout plenum you have now before you seal up the door and the big heat will never get near the cleanout. Keep it simple … Too bad the season is over for GB. We don’t have to suffer any more except for those stupid Ford commercials etc. Stay warm, Mike
I haven’t had a problem with that set up, holds just fine,when the engine is running I can’t hardly pull them off because of the vacuum. You want any of your pop off’s to relieve easy, that’s why some of the guys are having those loud/hard booms because the pop off’s are to hard to pop off. That explosion is going to go somewhere, the harder the pop off the louder the boom.
Yes that is a 1/4" aluminum door, I glued emery cloth on another piece of flat aluminum and sanded the opening to be sealed until it was shinny all the way around opening so I knew it was flat. Then applied a very generous bead of sealer on lid, put the dullest side of wax paper down on that and with another piece of flat aluminum pushed it down until it spread out making it as thick as possible, let it set at least over night and trim, if you have to do it again go right over the top, it is very forgiving and easy to work with. herb
David, I didn’t comment on not using a grate shaker, I think the only reason I am getting by with that is because of that expanded metal grate, that is the only thing I know of that leaves no flat area at all, even round bar leaves a flat place on the very top and all the way across the top of that bar. This expanded metal leaves a slippery slide both ways with a sharp edge on top. There is no place for ash to gather, I think that is the only reason I am getting along without shaker. Remember I am working with a very smooth ride, well it rides like a Caddy!!!
Thanks Herb, I really need to decide what to do with my grate. I should just do something similar. Things get bounced around in my truck quite a bit so I am thinking if it works in your Caddy it should work in my truck.
David S
Hey Herb, do you know if they make that expanded metal in Stainless steel or not??
Denny
I don’t know, I’m sure it’s out there. One thing I would do if I had it to do over is use expanded metal with smaller holes in it. I have my lower section back in or I would measure what I used, I found that no matter how I would turn those three pieces I used it would leave holes that looked pretty big to me, on the other hand the ash that comes out of my unit looks about like pics I’ve seen of the other guys that know what they are doing, maybe a little less of the larger black pieces and more white ash which I would think is a good thing. Sometimes I think I should have used one more piece, I think that would have taken care of those little bit to big places but that is all I had, I think that would have been one notch better!!! Check out the at least three holes that are a bit large in pic. herb
Hi Denny
yes they make expanded metal in stainless I have a peace with 1/2’’ holes make good bq grills.
I done know what it might cost. jim g.
I don’t know what size the Steel Mart in Dubuque said their expanded steel was. I think I had to buy a 4X8 sheet that they cut in half for me. It is the rear part of my trailer. It is pretty standard stuff and I like Herb’s use of the stuff. I may try it myself the next time I use a swinging grate. It might work as a fixed grate as well. They used a shear to cut mine. I suppose I would have to use a “grinder” to cut up the other piece I have into foot +/- squares. I like using a solid poker to clear my grate. I don’t like thinking I might damage something when I’m running a rod through hot charcoal or a pile of wood chunks. I would have to weld a wire or something to a rod to clean this type of grate … ML
Yeah there are two different types of expanded metal, I don’t know what they call them but one is smooth and the other is jagged. The jagged is what i used and is the only one that doesn’t have flat areas on it. I wish I knew the name of it but one side sits on top of the other. I know that doesn’t make any sense but I wouldn’t use the smooth type, it wouldn’t be strong enough, the jagged wouldn’t be either without using at least three layers, it’s pretty strong one way but not the other but if you rotate three or even four of them it is pretty stout, I know I bang on mine pretty hard sometimes and it has taken it so far. Another reason I like it I think the pieces of char would have to keep falling down, tumbling though until they get so small they turn to fine ash and fall out the bottom, I get mostly fine ash out of my unit, I will take a pic of it next time I take ashes out. herb
Here you go guys,
Garry
Perfect Gary thanks. Raised, the one in the center is the one I used. Thanks
Excellant developement on your grate system HerbH.
You get a gasifer developers Gold Star for proving this.
A “Herb Grate System”. Or “Hartman Grate System” as you prefer.
Best Regards
Steve Unruh
Here is what I used here
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/fuel-deck1.jpg
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/fuel-deck2.jpg
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/fuel-deck3.jpg
There is a different cooler and cyclone on the trailer and also a railing and steps to get me up to the hopper and also a filter and condensate trap.
I checked my tax records and I paid $59.54 on 3/3/11 for a 4 by 8 sheet that I had cut in half at the store. I had pneumonia at the time so have forgotten many details. It has very sharp edges and you do not want to kneel on it in shorts or walk barefoot on it which I do. I just hiked up through the snow and ice to look at the piece I have left. It is the same as that center picture and has openings in the diamond of roughly 1.5 inch by 3/4 inch. I am able to stand on it OK in the back of the trailer. I think the joist spacing is around 2 feet. I have a pile of rebars for new grates but I think 3 layers of this may work well and I can bolt it straight to the hearth. Thanks Herb. I welded up one of my grates without a shirt on a few years ago in the heat of summer. I got the worst sun burn of my life on my belly from that and even peeled. I didn’t know about all that UV from the arc. My right eye is getting foggy so I try to stay away from arc welding right now. Cataract time … Mike
Yep I agree, Herb, I think you really got something here on the grate development. That’s at least two improvements I’ve seen in your design! Your a regular R&D man!
Denny
I’m just happy to contribute! Thank you very much!
I expected to see more deterioration when I took it apart, I didn’t see any signs of serious heat except for up around nozzels and down about 4". Metal around nozzels was warped in and white-ish looking. I put a band or skirt of 16ga.SS from right under nozles down to where it looked like the metal was taking it ok, The rest of the way down looked like when I put it together, had some black crape on it, didn’t look like it had gotten very hot to me. The grate had the black crape on it too so I know it hadn’t been getting very hot or it would be white hot clean wouldn’t it? herb
Finished getting Caddy back together today. I’m like a 8 year old kid riding a go cart for the first time with this thing. I put the char back in about half way up to nozzles and then did the “power start” thing. I shoveled red hot contents of shop stove in it, then quarter way up with wood chunks, closed the lid and hit the switch. Started it on gas, began to run rich right away, switched off Fuel Pump, then injectors, 100% woodgas before I put it in drive. Took it outside of town, seems to run pretty good. Fresh air intake control pulled open more then ever so I guess I must have fixed some air leaks in the process. Seems to be more responsive, to early to tell if nozzles, restriction and height change helped but I know it didn’t hurt. herb
Good on ya Herb. It is fun to riding for pleasure and not buying gasoline. BBB
Garry
I’m trying to order new suction fans, would someone help me with IDing them, best place, best price now etc, thanks, herb
Herb, the best we’ve found is the Seachoice (aka Delmar) model #41851 3" bilge blower. Normally around $20. You’ll have to shop around for the best price. Beware the pictures can be mismatched, it’s a round body tapered end blower.
Amazon link (picture is good): http://www.amazon.com/SeaChoice-In-Line-Bilge-Blower/dp/B000HA9HB6
Herb, ours were 4" dia. part # Seachoice 41841 4" Inline Bilge Blower.
http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Seachoice_41841_4_Inline_Bilge_Blower.html
3in.
http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Seachoice_41851_3_Bilge_Blower.html