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SE MT | Wondering how many of you use a waste oil burner/furnace for your shops?
I built a homemade unit about 10 years ago that I used for about 4 winters- Was a great solution the the growing waste oil problem and free heat. Great stove, but with no safetys, I made myself upgrade it. Stuff you think about when you have your best equipment in the shop next door to an accident waiting to happen.
I upgraded to the Aaladdin Waste oil furnace Model 120-. I carries about 15gal in the tank below, has a built in thermostat to put itself into high or low mode. Even with only 120,000 btu, it keeps my poorly insulated 20x40 shop pretty warm. especially if I let it run all day. It takes a long time to warm up the shop and the tools in it after a cold night with no heat.
A couple feet from it I plumbed in an old saddle tank for a pickup (40 gal) and plumbed it into the factory tank. It was the same height as the factory tank when I layed it on it's side and on two cinder blocks.. That tank I built a small drain tray for my oil filters and is where I dump my waste oil to fill the two tanks. No pump between, the tanks just equalize with time.
Apologize about the mess, been a long spring/summer/fall- Getting ready to get the shop back in order for winter repair-
Anyone have any good ideas on how to do a temporary fix on the ceiling insulation? Planning a shop add on over the next few years, and might rip out all the old stuff and put spray in insulation in there. Birds have gotten into this stuff over the course of the last 50 years.
Edited by dieselfume1 10/7/2018 17:54
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west-byGod-Pa. | HIGHLY recommend that the wall to the right be overlaid with T-111 Hardi-board. Looks like asbestos board, but has some fire resistance , will tolerate heat. cannot stress this recommendation strongly enough |
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| Have two Lanair furnaces, biggest problem with waste oil furnaces is the mess that accumulates around them.
Edited by TD15 10/7/2018 18:05
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SE MT | TD15 - 10/7/2018 18:05
Have two Lanair furnaces, biggest problem with waste oil furnaces is the mess that accumulates around them.
Lanair are a waste oil type furnace aren't they?
Agree about the mess. Mine wasn't bad till I was transferring some oil over from a 55 gal drum and got busy in the shop on a side project.... Remembered just in time to catch 15 gallons of oil sweeping across the floor like the Exxon Valdez
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SE MT | teach84 - 10/7/2018 18:02
HIGHLY recommend that the wall to the right be overlaid with T-111 Hardi-board. Looks like asbestos board, but has some fire resistance , will tolerate heat. cannot stress this recommendation strongly enough
Thought about it, but the furnace recommends anything over 4 feet away does not need to be fireproofed. There's a 2.5 foot gap between the back and the tin wall, so I removed the insulation there. Thinking this winter I will re-insulate and put up cement board for protection.
If the heat is bad enough to catch the wall on the right on fire, I've already lost the shop anyway. |
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North east Iowa | Been using a cleanburn furnace for 15+ years. 70x90 shop, primary heat source, have a radiant tube heater for really cold days and backup. Only had to replace blower fan once, and heat plate in the furnace twice. Forgot to look when we fired it up last week, but pretty sure it has over 12,000 hours on it. Have an old 250 gallon fuel oil barrel that the furnace draws from all the time and store oil in 350 gallon totes and dump into main tank as neccesary. Last 500 gallon tank of lp lasted us 5 years. |
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east Dakota | I have a Clean Burn furnace for sale and a Aladin Eliminator for sale....my plans had changed years ago and have them both for sale...…………….. |
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ohio | I've had a reznor 150000 btu for over 10 years.Shop is 42x70. Never had a mess problem,but I have air and diapram pumps to move oil.I store it in shuttles and pump it into another one that feeds the furnace.
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| Yes made in Janesville WI. Works good for me the factory is 45 minutes away, easy to get parts for. |
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Central iowa | How much oil do they use? I would like get one to get rid of our waste oil and supplement Our in floor heat sitting on about 400gal of waste oil right now have a 40x60 shop well insulated
Edited by Flamme Farms 10/7/2018 19:31
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SE Nebraska | Been using a lanair about 15 years. It's been really good to use. Highly recommend |
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Black Hawk County, IA | Any concerns with burning synthetic oils ? Have heard some bad things can happen. J |
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SE MT | Flamme Farms - 10/7/2018 19:30
How much oil do they use? I would like get one to get rid of our waste oil and supplement Our in floor heat sitting on about 400gal of waste oil right now have a 40x60 shop well insulated
Can't speak for the others, but my Aaladdin Eliminator burns about 1 gph on low, and 2.5 on high. Don't know if it'd be big enough for your shop, but maybe it would if it was well insulated and you never let the pad freeze. |
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SE MT | Lone Wolf Picker - 10/7/2018 19:36
Any concerns with burning synthetic oils ? Have heard some bad things can happen. J
I think you might get a little more buildup, but haven't had any trouble. over half of my oils are synthetic. |
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NE ND | Do the furnaces filter oil well? I think our used oil is okay but inevitably it gets dirt/coolant/water mixed in when your dealing oil on dirty machinery. Never been around one just curious. |
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Ne Iowa | Clean burn is an excellent furnace. I use a converted house oil furnace that I converted to burn used oil with parts available online for about $350. Starting my 4th season with it, no problems and still has all of the safety devices. |
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central Wisconsin | I have a couple Lanairs and I cant see synthetic being an issue since most oil now synthetic blend and mine seem to work fine. |
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E Central NE | Lone Wolf Picker - 10/7/2018 19:36
Any concerns with burning synthetic oils ?
Thought I read something longer ago that burning synthetic oil was not recommended, but can’t remember the reason why. |
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S.E. Washington | I sure like the one I put in our shop. First one lasted about 25 years, if the replacement lasts that long it'll be somebody else's problem when this one wears out.
Made a little electric transfer pump to pull oil out of barrels and totes to keep the mess down.
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E.Central MN | Its convenient to put the waste oil containers close to the furnace, but a friend of ours that had a waste oil heater had his shop burn down and it looked like the fire started in that area. My advise is to keep all the surplus oil far away from any combustion source. Same thing applies to things like paint, tires, etc. If there is a fire it might give enough time for the fire dept to respond before the whole structure is on fire. |
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central Wisconsin | oil straight out of your tractor burns great, the dirt that falls into the pan of the bottom of tractor does cause issues over time as does water or coolant. it is like anything once you figure it out its fine. like how to coarsely filter oil and drain water out of waste oil tank. |
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| I filter the oil before I put it in the furnace tank. |
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central Wisconsin | I heat a 32 x 40 shop with one and 400 gallons is bare minimum on easy winter not opening big door more than once or twice a week and not turning it on when its above 50. I am north of you if that maters? |
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SE MT | Turbo 8820 - 10/7/2018 19:58
I sure like the one I put in our shop. First one lasted about 25 years, if the replacement lasts that long it'll be somebody else's problem when this one wears out.
Made a little electric transfer pump to pull oil out of barrels and totes to keep the mess down.
I like your filtering setup!
I know I'm going to have to clean my tanks at some point. That is the one nice thing about the Aaladin Elimator, it has a screen on the pump and filters out the rocks and beer cans. The oil can be much dirtier than on the overhead units. You'll only run dirty oil into them once from what I've heard. |
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S.E. Washington | When I took over the shop the heater barely worked. Plugged screens, nozzle, water in the oil, and other electrical issues. Settling the water out of the oil and filtering it has saved many headaches.
I built the transfer pump from used parts, wish I'd done it sooner! |
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NE NEBRASKA | Nice set up. I give my used oil to waste oil burner guys and they complain about running out of oil every winter. Heard a old guy was hoarding used oil in old military tanker trailers. |
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| We put 1 in the tire shop over 30 years ago, we also changed oil. It was great, but they need cleaning every other year. Only use the fiber cleaning tool they provide with the furnace. If you attempt to use a metal product the static electricity will knock you off the ladder. My employ experienced this. First 1 lasted 20 + years. |
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Northern CA | vhrapfarming - 10/7/2018 18:26
I have a Clean Burn furnace for sale and a Aladin Eliminator for sale....my plans had changed years ago and have them both for sale...……………..
How do I contact you? |
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| My son has a clean air one he would sell cheap. It is supposed to work well but was in abuilding he bought. Shop is on natural gaqs so radiant heat is cheap and easy when no one may be around. |
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| I purchased an OMNI portable unit about 5 years ago, gave like $ 5000 for it. I have floor heat, propane boiler and love it, but have a lot of waste oil from being an independent mechanic, so I thought I would try this unit to "help" out.
http://www.econoheat.com/waste-oil-equipment/radiant-oil-heaters/
1st problem...no venting...this is made for outdoor environments, so lots of ventilation, I could smell some fumes, but noticed I was getting sore throat, and different times when customers would come over, they would ask..how can you stand the smell ? So something had to be changed.
This unit is cheaply made, my opinion, the fire tube / housing and frame are nothing to brag about, and basically disintegrated in one year....DISAPPOINTED ! There was none around in my area to see for myself, and this one came from Oregon, I think...
I went to work and fabricated a double barrel style from 10 ga. This has been an experimental screwing around since I started, but I had enough money invested, did not want to spend a whole lot more, but wanted it to work.
I did not want to bore another hole in the side of my building, so I placed it near a sliding window, and took a piece of 1/4" aluminum plate, bored a 8" hole in it and fit it in the window hole for my exhaust then I have a stack out side for the smoke. This works ok, is safe. I have it sealed so there are no air gaps, and can be taken down quickly, and it is made so I do not have to worry about fire.
I used to use the original oil tank ( 20 gallon ) and fill it every day...PAIN IN THE BUTT, so I now have my waste oil dump tote and pan. about 6 ft away, its close enough where it will draw the oil from that tote.....again temporary, and still experimenting. The burner unit has its own filter and I have my draw tube about 3" from the bottom of the tote for the sediments and any water / coolant to settle to the bottom. I drain the bottom valve once a year, and rarely get any water, but I really watch close what I dump in the tank.
I burn engine oil, 90wt, hyd-trans oil, ATF, synthetics, diesel fuel, but its all mixed / blended in that 275 gallon tote. I have removable doors to clean the barrels annually, might get about 1 - 2" of ash in a years time, the barrels are 48" long and 24" in diameter.
NO solvents or reducers or gas !!!!
I am sick and tired of the NOISE and dust....I have 2 fans set up to blow the heated air out to the shop, and made up my mind that I am going to convert this to an outdoor SS boiler, then plumb it into my existing floor heat . The burner unit noise is just under the scale of being intolerable....especially when the floor heat is dead silence, so I am spoiled, I know that.
This ole booger will pour out tons of heat, I been setting the floor heat at 50, and let the waste oil heater take the main shop and wash bay ( 60 x 104 ) up to 70* F and I have had it up to 90* F when doing some painting, ( one time deal ) but I was exhausting fumes outside a lot too.
I only run it during the day or when I am there to monitor it.
I'll burn about or just under 1 ( 275 gallon ) totes per month from Nov to April. I am out in the shop a lot, and in the evenings too many times till 10pm or so.
I am running out of time to get my outdoor boiler made, so I am going to enclose this one with sides and use a large cage blower, and cage the sides of the burner and insulate with fiberglass batting to cut the noise down, I played with a few things last winter and have a game plan to fab something up for this winter.
The burner portion / pump / fan, now that has been decent so far but has got me for a few things under $ 100 each time, but it gets tiresome of dicking around with it too.
In the bottom pic, you will see I was playing with my exhaust, I rigged up a "draft inducer" but have since done away with it figuring out that it was how I had my outdoor stack not making enough draft to pull. That is a south wall and we get a lot of SW wind here.
Now....if doing it over I almost wished I had invested in a $ 15,000 boiler right from the start, and tied it in with my propane boiler..... but...I am getting close to making it work for my shop for about $ 6000 invested.....
Edited by hf213 10/8/2018 08:00
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Texas Panhandle | I have a converted fuel burner and boiler to heat water for my floor heat. Works well but took some trial and error as I did it all myself.
I have a 500 gal propane tank buried outside. A drainage pipe runs into it from my pit and from another drain in center of shop area.
In the winter I shut the drain valve and put 6 psi on the tank to feed the boiler siphon nozzle. I have a timer so it comes on at around 5 am.
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Eastern Nebraska | I grew up with waste oil furnaces as my folks had a service station with a unlimited supply of oil. We also would pickup oil from the county and state repair shops as we sold them fuel and oil. Started out with the old Lanair's that is like the Eliminator you have pictured. Had three units one in the shop with the oil change pit and two in the tire, repair shop. They worked good but took some work to keep going then we moved in to the hanging style that took compressed air to run them. We would clean them every fall and we always filtered the oil twice once when pumped into the holding tank that the furnace was mounted on and then there was a final filter on the unit. They take a fair amount of compressed air but worked good. When I left home 40 plus years ago and built my first shop I built one used a converted burner out of a fuel oil furnace it worked great if you keep the oil managed. I had a tank on a trailer and could get oil from were I mechanic at night. Then about 10 years ago when we got a new insurance carrier for the farm and they inspected my shop and found the non UL listed furnace so it get pulled. I had been heating my floor in my shop and my house with a wood boiler any way so the waste oil was a back up. I lost my source of oil as that company went out. I don't make enough used oil to have a furnace. I just take the 150 to 200 gallons a year I make, to another waste oil burner. |
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Waste oil furnace anyone?
