Herb,
Are you using a single 2" vacuum hose to supply gas or two hoses?
Hi Wes, I have one 2" line running from each hay filter all the way up to bottom of engine then goes into one via rubber Y that fits perfect around outside of the 2" vac hose then up firewall about 18" to woodgas butterfly valve to intake runner, very tight area. It’s so tight there because engine setting sideways takes all the room w/header and all. I don’t believe I could have done it with pvc.Herb
Looks like a good idea Herb, if it’s that spiral looking stuff, it might collect a little soot after a while. Would it be hard to flush out? Where did you get it?
Hey Carl, yeah it’s what many car washes use for their vac’s, 2 " inside. I don’t know about soot collection but they could be flushed out by dropping the engine end at rubber T/boot and running water in the rear PVC T coming out of unit. I know I am collecting water in the hoses, I will have to vac them out sometime. latter, Herb
PS I got it at a place called Sanitary Supply. They have it in boxes of 100 ft. It was about $1.50 per ft.
Herb, how far apart do you have to space the hangers or whatever you use under the car to keep the hose from bellying and making water traps? Is that stuff substantial enough to run a screw in that can be removed for draining?
Don, The water traps usually just filter some crap out and eventually the water and crap will get up to the sling filter and drop into it before the up-pipe to the engine. The rest runs the engine :o). I have a real droopy pipe under the 98 but we will see this winter if it freezes up before it plugs shut … I have had several plug shut.
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/98-sling-trap.jpg
Mike
Hi Don, I just used nylon plumbers tape w/self drilling screws about every 16", it’s still as tight up against floor as it was. It’s not as thick as pvc, don’t think a screw type drain would work very good. I dropped a small socket down into that 2" pvc valve and it went down into the hose, way down, had a heck of a time getting it out. Ended up wiring a small magnet to the end of garden hose and fished it out. That’s when I found out that the hoses have water in them, when I pulled the garden hose out it was wet. I have to figure out a good way to drain mine too, going to vac them out tomorrow.
Hey Mike, do I see some green vac hose under your car? Do you run it all the way from trailer/gasifier?
I was under Caddy fixing brake lines and took some pics.
pic 1 woodgas butterfly control arm and cable, also fresh air control shaft and arm
pic2 both vac lines from rear, my head under drivers side hay filter
pic3 both vac lines from rear, my head under drivers side in front of back wheel
pic4 2&1/2 rubber conector at bottom of engine going up to butterfly valve, perfect fit around OD of vac hose
Herb, That was a length of 2" suction hose that I bought in 1988 (severe drought) to suck creek water to my old truck for our gardens. I have a 5HP gasoline water pump. I had to cut the fittings off both ends as they were actually 1.5" ID which I figured would be too small and they would be in the way anyway. That hose was on the 97 cavalier and is now on the 98 S-10. It works perfect with the 2.2 liter motors. Mike
PS, Herb, It runs from the rear bumper to the front stablizer bar on the truck … Perfectomundo … M
Hey Mike, was that a awesome Gunsmoke for the last 3 days or what?
Hi Herb, I saw it within the last year. I missed it yesterday because I was out working. Yep, I still have to do that. Caught today’s episode. Nothing like surgery on a hijacked train … Mike
OH, they were chopping wood to get things going again. Where did they get the wood (or water) ?? Looked like birch ??? I didn’t see any trees anywhere in that area and remember they were “hostages” …
That’s the magic of tv, I’ve seen it in the last couple years too but I’ld watch it again today if it was on! Mainly because it’s on when I come in the house for dinner but I do really enjoy it, it’s put together so well.
Still fighting the brake thing. latter, Herb
I started making a “Hotbox” for drying fuel. It’s 6’ x 10’, I started by laying down 1" styrofoam with corragated roof tin on top of that. It’s on a sight downgrade,about a foot high on the bottom end, where I will shovel out dry fuel to hopper on Caddy, and 6" on the end where I will shove split wood coming from stump where we split the 3" long cow patties. Planning on roofing with roofing tin and painting it flat black, may even put a small ceiling fan in there to move a little air. It’s in full sun, what else could I do to make it dry wood/fuel for the Caddy? Most of the logs I get aren’t very dry. I appreiate your imput. Herb
Herb, Paint the tin on the bottom black and put clear fiberglass on top and leave the sides open. Keep a good pitch on it so the condensation runs downhill and drips off.
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/solardryer.jpg
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/buzz-solar-saw3.jpg
I have since put a 2 HP motor on that saw but I can still run it directly off my solar panels on the smaller motor. I just switch the belt from one to the other. Main reason I posted the link was so you could see the solar dryer.
These are just a couple of examples. Lately I do my cutting up at the trailer and let the chunks lay on the concrete there and sun dry for a day or more and then I put them in 50 pound onion sacks and put them in the cars I have parked here and let then dry in the cars.
I need to burn up some of my stored wood before I cut any more chunks.
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/buzzin.jpg
is a picture from one of our get togethers at Bruce J’s place way north. From left to right is Andy S, myself, Bruce J, Mike A, Mike’s friend Randy I think his name is. Bruce was running a tilt table on his saw and just cranked out the chunks with it and then we would load some of the chunks into the gasifier and he’d buzz up more. He also made plenty for his cook stove as well. It was an International H with flat belt. We were running on one nozzle. It has 3 but he just plugged 2 for the buzz saw.
Mike L
Hello Herb,
I use tin on the ground for drying the wood . It doesn’t dry much in the piles but if I pull some of the pile down and spread it out one or two layers thick it will dry in a few days. I bag it and pull more from the pile and spread to dry…
I also have a small trailer I follow the same process with but park it in the shed and use from it in rainy weather.
Good info, thanks. So I would want to paint the floor tin black, where the wood sits, and put fiberglass on the roof to make the most heat inside? Do I have that right Mike?
Thanks Wayne, your chunker makes fuel and it makes it fast! I like it!
Herb, We will have snow in a few more weeks. Also the leaves are almost off a lot of the trees so there will be sun getting through. The wood will heat in the sun and the empty areas will heat up as well. You may want to crawl into it yourself and warm up on a January day :o) … I wonder what the sheets of fiberglass cost now ?? I think the ones I got were 10 feet. I did the whole lower part of my shed in them. I have a lot of passive solar going on for a pole shed. I had a few chunks left over and they get used elsewhere. Mike
Farm Show Magazine showed these simple to make dome shelters that could be covered with plastic for wood drying and storage.
http://ziptiedomes.com/
Don: That is awesome! I think I’m going to make some of those for my garden area.