With the onset of cold weather, a caring car owner is looking for an opportunity to warm up his "iron horse". Being left without a vehicle due to low temperatures is an unpleasant pleasure. The room intended for car parking must have a stable temperature all year round. Otherwise, the equipment may simply rust. Today we will talk about how to make a garage oven from a gas cylinder.
Features, types and functionality
There are several ways to achieve an optimal climate in a car box - from elementary thermal insulation in the walls, ceiling, roof and floor to the supply of central and natural heating systems. An autonomous heater - a stove from a used gas cylinder - will become an average in terms of labor intensity and budget option.
Particularly handy car owners have long thought over the design of such ovens to the smallest detail. The idea of this garage heating itself is not new, but it has a number of features, which are detailed below.
Garage heaters from gas (usually propane) cylinders are much more economical and functional than other homemade stoves. Their main advantage is that they are convenient for thermal decomposition of fuel. The elongated shape of the gas cylinder is optimal, therefore it meets the basic requirements of the firebox without additional alterations. Only two holes are enough - for the access of oxygen and the emission of carbon dioxide into the chimney.
Such "potbelly stoves", as a rule, are divided into two types - vertical and horizontal. They can be combined if desired.
Advantages and disadvantages
The positives of homemade stoves include:
- excellent thermal conductivity (it is provided by the thick metal walls of the cylinder);
- convenient dimensions (you can make it to the size of your garage);
- ease of manufacture and maintenance;
- availability of consumables and fuel.
Among the few shortcomings, one can single out only the ability to use a limited number of types of fuel (firewood, coal, fuel briquettes), and with a vertical design - also the need to adjust the size of the logs to the length of the furnace.
Design features and principle of operation
The "potbelly stove" does not have any special structural differences from its relatives in terms of solid fuel consumption. It consists of three sections:
- directly the furnace with a grate (the fuel burns in it);
- blower (provides oxygen access and a place for ash);
- chimney.
To make the operation of the stove convenient and safe, the firebox and the blower are equipped with doors with a bolt. These additional structural elements improve ignition, reduce the risk of coal falling out and unintentional ignition, and by adjusting the size of the gap in the door, you can reduce or increase the rate of oxygen supply to the furnace.
Doors can be of absolutely any shape. It is only important to take into account the standard size of the logs, as well as the convenience of laying them.
An important element of a home-made stove from a gas cylinder is a grate. Its function is to hold firewood, as well as convenient sifting of bulk pyrolysis elements. Firewood is burning on the grate. Consequently, the material from which the grate will be made must be as strong and heat-resistant as possible. For manufacturing, fittings with a diameter of more than 10 mm are ideal. The rods are connected by welding.
You can install a potbelly stove where there are no problems with the convenience of bringing the chimney pipe to the street. For fire safety purposes, it is better to pound the adjacent wooden walls with metal sheets so that no fire occurs when heated. This type of stove heats the room very quickly, so they are convenient in emergency situations that require instant heating.
Materials for making
In addition to a propane cylinder (it is better to choose an all-metal cylinder for fifty liters and three decimeter diameter - this volume is enough for waste-free pyrolysis), you will definitely need support corners as legs, a grate for a grate, steel sheets (4 mm), a door and a chimney of optimal length … Of the necessary tools you will need to purchase:
- grinder;
- welding;
- scissors for metal;
- screwdriwer set;
- puncher.
Algorithm of actions
Before starting to manufacture the oven, provide yourself with all the necessary accessories for safe operation. When working with a grinder, be sure to use protection. Create drawings with your own hands.
- First, it is worth unscrewing the bezel with a tap, which are placed on top of the cylinder. If it doesn't give in, you can try to knock it out with a hammer.
- For stability and safety of work, pour water into the cylinder, or bury it halfway in the soil. So, you will provide yourself with comfortable working conditions and completely free the cylinder from the accumulated gas.
- At the top, you need to cut a hole to the size of the future stove door.
- Weld the door frame from metal corners, and then attach it to the front wall of the cylinder.
- Attach the door to the frame exactly in the position in which it will be convenient for you to open it when firing the stove. Drill holes for the bolts in the corners of the door. Screw the door onto the frame.
- Decide on the opening for the grate and the size of the blower. Cut a hole in the bottom for the grate. Weld on the grate.
- Place walls made of steel sheets on the slot on three sides (it will look like a box without a lid). Weld it at the bottom of the cylinder, placing it open against the door - this way you can remove ash without any problems. Try to keep the box free of holes. The tightness will provide excellent traction.
Do not forget about the metal shutter, which will dose the portions of oxygen used during combustion.
- Add steel legs to the bottom of the cylinder. The quantity and shape depends on the quality of the floors.
- A hole for the chimney must be cut at the back of the cylinder. By the way, it is better to make the latter multi-stage, so that the oven retains heat longer.
For more information on how to make a garage oven with your own hands, see the next video.