cough, cough, cough !!!

[smallhagrid]

Helllllpppp ?!?!?!?

Got the heater all built - piped up and tight enough - BUT:
My only option is to use a window for it's exhaust.
This was 100% fine when I just dangles the flexible tube out onto the roof - no backdraft at all.

To make it more permanent I made a window blocker thingy and ran a short stovepipe through it so as to connect the flex.
I also built a little box open at the top & bottom to encourage drafting.

The backdrafting commenced immediately.
Woof.

Removed the screws and let the box drop off - and it works OK - until there's a gust of wind.

This window sits above a small roof - points north and the wind is usually very much out of the west, right across this window.

Due to neighbor problems I cannot erect even a small stack and there is no chimney nearby to connect to either.

Any ideas how I might salvage this effort ?!?
(I've even considered putting a small fan into the out-pipe, but that seems a bit silly, yes ?!?)

I'd really hate to scrap this entire effort on account of this problem.
Thanks in advance for any helpful ideas !!!

[pa_friendly_guy]

Try a 90* piece of pipe on the end of your flue pipe, point it away from the prevailing wind. [ or in your case west ] Don't know if it will work, but its worth a try.

[matt walker]

Dang man, that's tough. Without a little vertical stack going above the roofline I fear you will always have problems when the winds are not favorable, unless as you suggest you settle for a powered system. What about the side of the house away from the neighbor? Can you get above the roof line there?

[smallhagrid]

It be done, burnin' & makin' nice heat right this very second.

Sometimes it's just time to push one's way to closure and that happened here with me today, sort of like=>


Just so happens the perfect fan was on hand and the box I'd removed was right where I could grab it...and so on.
(After all - my nice old car is turbocharged as well as highly efficient on fuel, so why shouldn't this be ?!?)

Changes got made...:


The new plumbing was finalized:


That is stovepipe bits=> hard flex=> soft flex=> and OUT IT GOES !!!

As you can see, I likes loops:


This loop has a nice cushion of reflectix insulation taped on where it is held up by just some strong string on a screw; it weighs very little. (Notice the paper label on the barrel's right side in this shot...)

For the proverbial 'just in case', I stuck up a small sheet of that same reflectix on the wall closest to the barrel - and it does not show in this shot but there is a paper label on that side of it that has not even turned brown (yet...?)despite some good, hot burns already made a bunch of times:


Almost done in this shot - just before some cleaning up & the final connection:


If you look closely, the 2 porcelain tiles I used to space the loop from the wall can be seen as well as the plumber's tape I used to secure the loop to the wall.
(This may be the best boot/shoe dryer I've ever had !!!)

Finally - here 'tis, last connection is made, openings stuffed to prevent drafts for now, and all nice & tight - and already burning quite nicely=>


Some small factoids...:
- The fan it uses is a high volume & speed, metal 120VAC model and is actually outside in the box part
- The box is just 3 sides made of plywood - open top & bottom.
- The flex tube at the last joint is merely nice and warm even with a big chunk of oak burning hot.
- The 1st section of stovepipe is too hot to rest a hand upon.
- The 2nd section of hard flex is hot, but not burning hot.
- The 3rd section of soft flex starts pretty hot and cools alot before it's end.
- The horizontal opening is what I'm using at present with the vertical one capped.
- When I burned softwood sticks earlier both were open and that worked quite well too.
- There is no further back drafting.
- The barrel (even with a hot fire) is not burning off it's outside paint a'tall.
- The black drips on it started out quite clear and are slowly darkening & vanishing.
- The only smoke smell is a tiny bit getting in through small window leaks via the wind outside.
- It's been about 2 1/2 hours of burning now and the firebrick/mortar final stage is not even hot yet at it's bottom.

At present it is a balmy 38F outside - and in this front room (without the box stove burning a'tall...) it is 70F - and about as far from the RMH as one can get in this place - a very good start I say.

Of course if my fan gives out I'll be quite happy to have caps for both openings !!!
As it stands, if this holds together for a couple of months, as-is, I will be delighted indeed.

In a perfect world I'd make the burn tunnel bigger and about a foot higher off the floor so that me olde knees could take it easy.
As I'll mostly be burning oak - when it stands up it tends to be OK for a time, then catch all at once - and though the flames are kind of cute to see, I'll pass on that idea and keep that part closed instead.

Also - it is making nice coals when used horizontally and so it's easier to start whatever I put in next that way.
All told, I am very happy that I made that tee as Id have been bummed out now if'n I had not done so.

When heating season is done I'll consider whatever mods to make next - but for right now I say:

[matt walker]

Ha. Love the wrap up there at the end SH. Thanks for the update. Stay warm and be safe man.