Among the options for heating a private house, a special place is occupied by waste oil boilers. They appeared relatively recently and caused a lot of controversy about the practicality of their use. However, despite criticism, they are increasingly used as the main source of heat. How to make effective home heating using waste oil with your own hands: boilers, reviews and a description of the specifics of operation will help solve this issue.
The principle of operation of waste oil boilers
It is possible to equip a full-fledged air heating on waste oil only after getting acquainted with the specifics of the design of the boilers. This type of fuel is similar in its technical characteristics to diesel, but it has a greater number of additives. They arise due to the specifics of the operation of the oil - in a car, an industrial promise, etc.
Therefore, many factory waste oil heating boilers are in fact diesel. Their principle of obtaining thermal energy is similar to that of a car engine. With the help of a pump, fuel is supplied to the nozzle with a simultaneous injection of a large amount of air. This mixture ignites, generating a large amount of heat energy.
An alternative option is a do-it-yourself waste oil heating boiler. It burns fuel as in a conventional solid fuel. However, the efficiency of the system is much lower. Therefore, experts recommend installing factory models.
This is due to their advantages:
- Accurate calculation of fuel consumption and air supply to the injector;
- Reliability and safety of work;
- Organization of a carbon monoxide removal system;
- Preheating fuel to improve combustion efficiency.
But at the same time, heating a house with waste oil using factory boilers is characterized by high initial costs. You can slightly reduce them by purchasing a burner that is installed in a solid fuel boiler.
The diameter of the waste oil nozzle must be larger than that of diesel fuel.
Feasibility of installation
Is it really profitable to heat a country house with waste oil? This heating option can only be applied if relatively cheap fuel is available. Otherwise, it will be economically impractical to install complex and expensive equipment.
Heating a country house with waste oil, in addition to the boiler, must include a tank for storing fuel. Special requirements are imposed on it. The use of open drums is strictly prohibited, as the used oil gradually evaporates. This requires closed containers. In addition, pumping equipment will be required to supply fuel to the combustion chamber.
Summarizing all of the above factors, we can highlight the main requirements for the feasibility of heating with waste oil for a private house:
- Access to cheap fuel... For a house of 150 m² with 9 hours of heating, about 22.5 kg of oil will be required per day. For the heating season, this figure will be about 2200 kg;
- Special storage container... Its capacity should be at least 2 months of consumption, i.e. about 500 kg;
- It must be remembered that the amount of soot near the waste oil heating furnace will be an order of magnitude higherthan diesel or solid fuels. In this regard, the frequency of cleaning the combustion chamber and chimney will increase.
Also, do-it-yourself waste oil heating is done with the installation of a fan, not a turbine. This reduces the flow of air, which affects the composition of the combustible mixture. This technology leads to rapid clogging of the nozzle and its frequent failure.
You can negotiate with the nearest car service on the purchase of used oil. This is best done 4-5 months before the start of the heating season.
Security measures
The most important question for the consumer remains - is waste oil steam heating safe? All complaints about the unpleasant smell and combustion of fuel are related to non-compliance with safety rules.
It is important to select the correct composition of the used oil. It must not contain waste gasoline, acetone and other flammable products. You should also pay attention to third-party impurities inherent in automotive mining. They are the reason for premature burner contamination.
For air heating with waste oil, the following safety measures must be provided:
- Chimney with a minimum diameter of 100 mm. It is best to use a sandwich chimney, since the least soot is formed on its surface;
- Storage of containers with fuel in the immediate vicinity of the boiler is not allowed;
- Used oil tanks must be sealed. If water gets into them, the fuel will be splashed during operation. This could lead to a fire;
- The temperature effect on a waste oil heating boiler is much higher than that of solid fuels. Therefore, the wall thickness of the heat exchanger and the combustion chamber cannot be less than 2 mm;
- In order to avoid smoke pollution, the boiler room is equipped with a forced circulation system. Recommended air exchange should be 180 m³ / hour per 1 m³ of area.
Only after meeting these requirements can we talk about a safe heating system for a country house using waste oil.
Fan or turbine operation can draw a large volume of air from the boiler room. Therefore, the capacity of the ventilation system in the room should be 1.2 times higher.
Review of manufacturers of heating boilers for mining
Reliable waste oil heating, reviews of which are mostly positive, is impossible without a factory burner. It is on it that the safety and efficiency of the heat supply at home will depend. Currently, the market is dominated by foreign manufacturers of this type of equipment. This is due to the labor intensity of production and the relatively low demand among Russian consumers for heating boilers for working out. Most of the models are designed for heating large rooms, and their power exceeds 60 kW. But despite this, it is possible to organize waste oil heating in a private house using less efficient burners.
Clean Burn boilers
The American company specializes in the production of powerful waste oil boilers. Its products are in demand in boiler houses for heating 2-3 apartment buildings. The minimum boiler power is 200 kW. A special feature is the unique shape of the heat exchanger, which provides 95% efficiency.
Kroll burners
The German manufacturer specializes in the manufacture of waste oil burners. It is important that the company's engineers took into account the specifics of heating a house using waste oil - the burner can be installed on almost any type of solid fuel boiler.In addition, it has a unique fuel heating system so that its viscosity is close to ideal.
A special feature is the mandatory presence of compressed air, which can be generated using a compressor. This is a prerequisite for organizing waste oil heating with your own hands.
Boilers Heat
This Russian manufacturer is one of the few who was able to make a truly unique waste oil heating equipment. Their heating boiler "Zhar-20" with a rated power of 30 kW can be installed in a private house. It does not take up much space, and at the same time all safety measures for steam heating with waste oil are taken into account.
The price of equipment from the above-described manufacturers depends on the power of the boiler (burner), its design features.
| Model | price, rub. |
| Kroll KG / UB, 75 kWh | 270000 |
| Clean Burn SV-2000, 200 kW | 580000 |
| Heat-20 | 170000 |
Before purchasing a specific boiler model, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the reviews on waste oil heating. They will help to form an objective point of view on the efficiency of specific equipment.
Homemade waste oil boiler
Waste oil heating stove is not always necessary for heating the house. In some cases, it is made for heating the garage, utility rooms. Then it is almost impossible to choose a factory model of a burner with a capacity of up to 10 kW. The only way out is to do it yourself.
The principle of operation of this device is based on the combustion of a mixture of oxygen and oil. During the combustion of this composition, the water tank, located in the upper part of the structure, is heated. To make such a waste oil heating boiler with your own hands, you will need to choose the right raw materials. The temperature in the combustion zone can reach + 700 ° C, so it is best to use heat-resistant steel grades.
A small compressor is required to supply air. The hose from it is installed in the branch pipe located next to the used oil reservoir. For ignition, a piezoelectric element or a similar device is installed.
Unlike factory burners, waste oil steam heat supply has its own specifics of work. It consists in the principle of obtaining thermal energy. Consider the stages of waste oil heating using a handmade boiler:
- The oil heats up to + 40 ° С, as a result of which vapors are formed, falling into the upper chamber;
- In the combustion zone, air is mixed with the fuel mixture, as a result of which a large amount of heat is released;
- The resulting energy can be directed to heating water in the upper heat exchanger or directly into the room through the walls of the combustion chamber.
For this homemade waste oil boiler, it is important to make the correct chimney system. It must freely remove the combustion products outside the room. Consideration should also be given to the high oxygen consumption during fuel combustion. Therefore, for heating a country cottage with waste oil, an autonomous air supply system is made.
To adjust the boiler output, a tap is installed on the air supply hose. With its help, it is possible to reduce (increase) the flow of oxygen and the composition of the combustible mixture.
Waste oil heating reviews
How can you determine the relevance of installing a waste oil heating furnace? There are many criteria - the calculated efficiency factor, operating comfort. However, the most effective way to find out about possible problems is to read reviews on waste oil heating:
- We decided to make air heating in our car service for testing. Fortunately, fuel is always abundant. They installed a homemade boiler and conducted "field tests".The first problem is the mandatory cleaning of the oil before filling. Even a small amount of antifreeze (which is often the case) will significantly increase the amount of soot. After revision of the system, everything functions normally;
- We've heard a lot about heating a private house with waste oil - efficiently and at low cost. My husband works in power grids and managed to negotiate the sale of transformer oil at a good price. We installed a German burner on an old boiler, made a competent fuel supply. The system works like a clock. The only drawback is high consumption - in winter up to 25 kg per day;
- For the garage I made a homemade boiler for testing. Works fine - installed a good chimney in advance. The walls of the boiler become red hot and therefore have to be blown off with a fan. He also noted that the firebox needs to be cleaned often.
Based on operating experience, it will take from 1 to 3 years to compensate for the primary costs of installing equipment using waste oil. This only applies to boilers with a capacity of 60 kW and above.
The video material shows an example of the work of a homemade boiler:
