Smudge Pot

[zxkevinxz]

I ran into some of y'all somewhere and there was a used oil fed rocket heater.

I think they are also referred to as orchard heaters.

Anyone got good info on these?

Seems pretty easy to build but I don't want to do the R&D.

 

[Clb]

We used a wick fed "smudge pot" out here not sure what you are looking for is a smudge pot...

 

[zxkevinxz]

It's a cylindrical canister about 18" in diameter and 8" high that has a fire on top of the fuel, that exhausts out the jet and is re-fed with fumes into the middle of the exhaust fire. They used to use them to keep orchards warm. very effective. I think it was at tackett creek challenge last year.

 

[Paragon]

choofa

 

[tracyb]

demon heater - Google Search

i've been wanting one for some time. outside of orchard country they are retarded expensive, and hard to come by. its the og waste oil burner

*and yeah i've only ever known them as smudge pots. my understanding is the first ones didn't have the exhaust gas return and made them very smokey/ sooty. what i want is a replacement for a campfire. clean, but no skeeters and no chasing wood.

 

[Pmedic920]

https://youtu.be/HSAKUtL-XyA

[youtube]HSAKUtL-XyA[/youtube]


the YT has some decent vids

 

[2Kan-_-]

They work really well we use them for winter camping trips when not everyone can be by the fire. I just use diesel in mine 5 gallons goes 6-8 hours. No bad fumes you can put you hand over the exhaust for a few seconds and not be burnt. Shutting it off seems kinda sketchy but really not after you do it a few times. Just shut off the air draft and flip over the lid.
edit: getting it started is actually harder then I would have thought, a few rolled up paper towels and a torch. Don't expect to light the fuel by it's self.

 

[IUsedtoBendCars]

25 years ago we used those on drill rigs in the winter. Really cold diesel is a trick to start. One driller liked to put a gallon of gas in when he filled it. That one always started easy
Another driller put a 6' long piece of pipe on his for a chimney. We could get the bottom 3' of the pipe glowing.

 

[welndmn]

So who has the proper way to use one?
A friend game me one, and the people that talk about them on Youtube seem stupid.

 

[Pony_Driver]

Now I apparently need to build a smudge pot.

 

[Byro]

So who has the proper way to use one?
A friend game me one, and the people that talk about them on Youtube seem stupid.

Flip carb open, flip top lid open, stick propane torch inside and let it get going, mine will sometimes smoke out of the top for a while until it “pops” Close carb lid and adjust to desired flow. I like to let the stack glow just at the bottom of the louvers a bit, any more and it seems like a waste of fuel.

I run a mix of say 5 gallons of diesel to 2 or so gallons used oil/tranny fluid. No gear oil! That shit smells worse when it’s burning.

 

[Clb]

Pic of the new age " smudge pot"?

 

[tracyb]

Pic of the new age " smudge pot"?

from link above

 

[zxkevinxz]

Prolly don't need the butterfly adapter. Y'all think stainless steel would work for the material of the whole thing?

 

[spareparts]

I've got one made by Red Cap, apparently they give Osha the fits when talking about them. They had a buy back of the things or something like that due to some law suits. They work good, but you have to start it in order, and shut it off in order. DO NOT TRY TO ADD FUEL WHILE ITS STILL WARM!!!! Start up is as previously mentioned. Shut down should be close the carb till it cools down, then close the damper, and cover the cap. I did it out of order once and it sounded like a shot gun. If you try to cap it while still hot, it will smolder for hours. I run 50/50 waste oil and diesel. It runs smoother and smokes less the more diesel you use. Wait till its cool to the touch before adding any more fuel

 

[Clb]

from link above

filedata/fetch?id=32835&d=1591657313 filedata/fetch?id=32836&d=1591657375

yup
that's an old school unit on the right.
Brb.

post one said rocket heater...
I thought of brb

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour..._t9pncRV7engne

Thanx fer the pic...

 

[Clemson13]

I want a couple of these things badly. Unfortunately they seem to be $$ to buy used in upstate SC. I would love to see some homemade designs, i know i can slap one together, but i suspect that there are some key engineering specs to make them work correctly.

 

[Byro]

I want a couple of these things badly. Unfortunately they seem to be $$ to buy used in upstate SC. I would love to see some homemade designs, i know i can slap one together, but i suspect that there are some key engineering specs to make them work correctly.

I somehow found one in NE OH.

My friends always talk about making one, “it’s just some flue with louvers” I think there is more to it though. The cone length, where the recycler tube is at, there is definitely some science to it.


Id like to find one of the shorties like this one.

 

[Lilyota]

Here in sunny Ca they aren't carb compliant.


So usually when you see them they are in huge piles.


I have one and got a warning from the local air guy that I couldn't use it...It was on a job site.

I use it to burn waste oils but it stinks like hell.

For get togethers I usually just put diesel in it.


It just takes a turbo torch to light it.



They all need a reinforced bottom corner though...Form rolling them around.

 

[Clb]

I run kerosene, when the girls are around..

 

[Stix]

We’d feed empty beer cans into ours. 100% vaporize em.

 

[Clb]

Oh
and carb can bite me!

 

[Sceep]

Use the hell outtah mine since wood fire only happens 2-3x a year here. Too windy and to dry to burn wood.

 

[IUsedtoBendCars]

Use the hell outtah mine since wood fire only happens 2-3x a year here. Too windy and to dry to burn wood.

Damn. You must have added some gas in the fuel to get that much flame out of it. Or my memory of how much flame you get is slipping.

 

[Sceep]

Damn. You must have added some gas in the fuel to get that much flame out of it. Or my memory of how much flame you get is slipping.

nah, gas is too expensive. nothing but used oil/atf just gotta run it wide open.

 

[Mr. Mindless]

I never saw one until I went to KOH. Still haven't brought one home with me but one of these years I will.

 

[TOMS97ZJ]

Of course I had to look in CL.
120$ doesn’t seem bad.


https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/snw/d/ramona-smudge-pot/7136859996.html

 

[GiS]

Ive had no problem adding to an already burning smudge, I use a flexible metal funnel like you'd use to fill your transmission or something similar. Never tried adding to a warm but extinguished smudge ... I brought a handful of them back to Canada after KOH this year.

 

[Arps]

I have no use for one of these, but much want!

 

[zxkevinxz]

I have some greenhorns that need to familiarize themselves with some of the equipment we use. So I gave 'em a project!

Homeboy "welding" the can together is struggling.