Thread: Oil burning shed heaters

If you want to sell your old heater it is illegal to do so if it doesn't have the AS4013 compliance plate and whoever buys it won't be able to legally install it, good luck, Regards Frank.

I understand, Frank, but there are a heck of a lot of old wood burning heaters on eBay. I can only find references to selling new complying solid fuel heaters, not used heaters (in NSW).

Well, I tried my new heater on oil tonight. It wasn't a great success.

There was a lot of smoke and the heater didn't really get very hot. At one stage, the casing was at about 250 deg C around the burner height.

For the test I was dribbling the oil down the central feed pipe to the burner pan. Maybe I'll have to set up the feed with the needle valve.

I'm not sure if I have sufficient chimney flue height (see pics in a previous post).

I'm testing at night to hide the smoke.

Originally Posted by rovercare

People like cash for things they don't know about and I like bargains!

Anyone want my old Sanders? I think to alleviate the soot problem all you need is baffling for the flue to settle the fly ash, stop it heading directly out and it would work fine..............now I realise after i strip down a Commercially made unit

You will need to do this

Also they are tedious to get running, dribbling oil down will not cut it, you need to sort your oil supply properly

Re baffling, my flue has a bend through the wall. That may impede airflow.

Originally Posted by rovercare

Also they are tedious to get running, dribbling oil down will not cut it, you need to sort your oil supply properly

I think you are right. Probably too tedious for my application. I can easily convert it to a wood fire.

The two attempts at firing it have left a thick goo in the burner, not a dry ash.

However, as I have the needle valve, I might as well give it a bit more testing.

I'm starting to think the Sanders design in my modified smaller format isn't going to work.

I set up the oil supply and needle valve but the fire doesn't get very hot and it is very easy to have it blow out and stop burning. In the end I had a pool of oil in the firebox and had to change over to a wood fire to burn it all out (after removing the aluminium burner). The burner is left with quite a bit of gluggy sludge, not clean ash.

The system is rather messy as one works on it and spills oil.

I can only test it at night as the smoke from the chimney when burning oil is a bit too obvious.

The max temp I measured on the heater casing (with the oil burner) was 110 deg C. With wood, it's over 300 deg C.

Considering what I have spent so far, I would have been better off to have just bought an LPG patio heater for the garage.

I really hoped I could use cheap old oil.

Thank goodness I haven't yet chopped a hole for a flue in my garage's new roof.

Matt, looking at the amount of soot in the heater and flue, I wonder how much is due to low temperature burning? I think you are right about the baffling but I don't know how I'd fit them. The flue is stainless.

Perhaps by making up a steel box (with internal baffling) mounted between the heater and the flue?

However, what affect would it have on draw? Would I need a much longer flue?