Plenum plumbed

[Prescott]

Hey gang!

Very excited to show you the next level

I made another batch of my IRC and had enough to slap the barrel in too. Struck the hammer while it was hot!

I don't have a picture of the new heat riser top, but that's not very exciting anyhoot!

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Now my gentle frustration... I am a little concerned about flow, she's not roaring the way I would like, need. I am getting some smokeback and fire creep. I am going to wait for things to dry out first before I get into the piping and what not. Some of my segments aren't really clean, I hand made some sections so know I can clean up/smooth out some of the transitions, but I need more pull!

It's fun though, a cherry red spot on the top of the barrel, pipes are warm (starting at about 180* right off the plenum and around 135 next to the chimney, give or take, I am not in front of it right now...)

Do you folk think the two nineties by the chimney are slowing things down? You can't even see the plenum and the T that has a 45 on it for the clean out. I had to really monkey things around to squeeze things in there!

Lemme know what you all think. I am not taking anything apart yet, and going to bring in some stones and see how things progress.

Anyone else had to increase their draft?

I think the lid to my barrel is a bit close to the HR, I measured from the top of the barrel and the lid has some depth I didn't account for. It would be easy to shave the HR down a little...

Can't wait to get home and put the fire to it, temps in the 20s up here in Maine!

Keep it rockety gang~p

[matt walker]

Prescott, almost for sure it's top gap too small or the transition from barrel to flue is choked a little. You can get a bit more top gap by just building up the barrel landing a bit with more mix, and that's what I'd do first if I were you. I know you've heard otherwise, but in my opinion based in a lot of experience, there's no such thing as too large a top gap, so make it generous.

Take a picture of your transition area for us while you are in there please.

They also tend to not run as well with exposed flue pipe in the horizontal section since that equals a whole lot of radiator that hyper cools the gasses and makes everything more dense, so harder to push. It will for sure get better with mass, but please do use something for the mass that you can pack around the pipes, not just large stones. For testing purposes insulating the flue pipes like it appears you have done to that one section will help things along so you can rule out that section while you work on the gap and transition. It's looking good man.

[Prescott]

WHOOT, thanks Matt! Fiddling a little already (and currently past my self prescribed bedtime) but brought in mass (just stones at this point) and tucked some Roxul into the pre-water heater portion.

Tweaking the barrel won't be easy, but when I hear you my immediate thought is "Why in tarnation would one of the RMH tribe SHORTEN a heat riser?!" and thus my thoughts shift as the mass heats gently and I force myself to bed.

[Prescott]

Hey Matt, what sort of height adjustment would you recommend?

I'll measure the gap tonight (in 13 hours) and consider raising it after that. Or I might make the healthy choice and sleep...

[matt walker]

I'd give it 3" at least, remember that the top will move when you heat it so that gap will vary with temperature. Leave room for that. Also, i know you said it was gonna be a pain to get the barrel up, I would recommend that, at least for now, you just seal it down with clay/sand, no hardening cement or anything. You may be back in there before your done.

[Prescott]

I bumped the barrel up an inch and a quarter (thin fire bricks) and its better.

I'll bump it up more tomorrow for some more better...

Phew, a relief to have a simple-ish fix.

Fire's going well (not awesome but well enough to keep tonight's chill at bay) dinner in the belly, BEDTIME!