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Smudge Pot

Kinda hard to start with just red diesel so I mixed some kerosene and she fired right off. Putting off a good amount of heat but not glowing red hot. How long until they get up to max temp?


20211017_152234.jpg
 
Mike Honcho said:
Kinda hard to start with just red diesel so I mixed some kerosene and she fired right off. Putting off a good amount of heat but not glowing red hot. How long until they get up to max temp?


20211017_152234.jpg
Click to expand...
Needs way more vents in the stack. Actual smudge pots have close to 60 vents in the stack.
 
It's been running for an hour or so and the entire thing is about 900 F.

I'll try more louvers and a hood see if I can get some more heat out of it.
 
Takes mine about 20 minutes to start chugging like a train and shoot flames 15' out of the top and turn bright red.

I have a hard time starting mine on just used oil. I've had to pour about 20% diesel in and hit it with the MAP torch for a bit to get it going. Luckily I got about 25 gallons of contaminated diesel from work that is perfect for this.
 
bgaidan said:
Takes mine about 20 minutes to start chugging like a train and shoot flames 15' out of the top and turn bright red.

I have a hard time starting mine on just used oil. I've had to pour about 20% diesel in and hit it with the MAP torch for a bit to get it going. Luckily I got about 25 gallons of contaminated diesel from work that is perfect for this.
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Right, but when I want minimal run time? 1/2 gal used oil, splash kerosene? Run time?
 
Java230 said:
Right, but when I want minimal run time? 1/2 gal used oil, splash kerosene? Run time?
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I have no idea what the minimum to run it is, but it's more than a 1/2 gallon. The tank holds about 10 gallons and from the few times I've run mine, I'd guess there's at least a gallon or two left in the bottom when it starts to die down. It'll supposedly burn 7+ hours on a full tank. You can always just snuff it out so you don't have to worry about loading just enough fuel for whatever run time you need.
 
bgaidan said:
I have no idea what the minimum to run it is, but it's more than a 1/2 gallon. The tank holds about 10 gallons and from the few times I've run mine, I'd guess there's at least a gallon or two left in the bottom when it starts to die down. It'll supposedly burn 7+ hours on a full tank. You can always just snuff it out so you don't have to worry about loading just enough fuel for whatever run time you need.
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Sorry should have been more specific, I want to chill in ski lots, fire out in 3hrs or less is ideal. Cant strap that thing on my back bumper if its burning and hot.

SmudgePotDirect
how big around are the bases?
 
Java230 said:
Sorry should have been more specific, I want to chill in ski lots, fire out in 3hrs or less is ideal. Cant strap that thing on my back bumper if its burning and hot.

SmudgePotDirect
how big around are the bases?
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It's really not meant to be portable and from what I've seen it doesn't necessarily burn out all the fuel so you're going to need to dump the remaining fuel back in to a container. (Admittedly, I'm not sure if I've actually tried to let it burn all the way down. It seems to start sputter out with an inch or two left in the bottom and I usually just shut it down.) It's really not portable-friendly. I'll be bringing mine to a 4-day wheeling/camping trip next weekend, but we'll be able to set it up and leave it all weekend and it'll have plenty of time to cool down before we pack out. I'd look for something else for what you're wanting to do.
 
Java230 I would make a scaled down version with the stack removable with 3-4 bolts into a flange and have a flat plate that bolts in place of the stack for transportation
Then it can break down into smaller pieces to fit into/onto your truck.

Aaron Z
 
Need better pics of female in chair,sans clothes.
Mike Honcho said:
Kinda hard to start with just red diesel so I mixed some kerosene and she fired right off. Putting off a good amount of heat but not glowing red hot. How long until they get up to max temp?


20211017_152234.jpg
Click to expand...
 
bgaidan said:
It's really not meant to be portable and from what I've seen it doesn't necessarily burn out all the fuel so you're going to need to dump the remaining fuel back in to a container. (Admittedly, I'm not sure if I've actually tried to let it burn all the way down. It seems to start sputter out with an inch or two left in the bottom and I usually just shut it down.) It's really not portable-friendly. I'll be bringing mine to a 4-day wheeling/camping trip next weekend, but we'll be able to set it up and leave it all weekend and it'll have plenty of time to cool down before we pack out. I'd look for something else for what you're wanting to do.
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They take about a half hour to cool off enough to pick up and move. It’s just thin sheet metal, it doesn’t hold the heat for shit once the fire is out.

Mine will burn all the liquid out of it if you let it, like you said though once you get to that last gallon/half gallon in the bottom of the pot it does kinda just fart along.
 
bgaidan said:
Had mine blazing at camp last night. It was probably putting out more heat than our giant camp fire.

aEZ2F80i1k81TzFZUtgpZIe-7H=w660-h880-no?authuser=0.jpg
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So how do you make one of these spray fire everywhere? I am debating getting one. I would like one for using on my patio instead of a fire pit....but not quite sure how safe they are
 
Clemson13 said:
So how do you make one of these spray fire everywhere? I am debating getting one. I would like one for using on my patio instead of a fire pit....but not quite sure how safe they are
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I still haven't totally figured out exactly the patterns on how it works. I do know that when used "properly" they should only have flames just barely kissing out the top. But that's not fun. :laughing:

That pic was taken with the damper completely off. In that situation it makes lots of flames, but also doesn't burn nearly as clean and will pretty much roll coal. With the damper on and all 3 holes open, it'll make a nice rocket flame a couple feet out of the top and make almost no smoke.

I have a little miniature cordless leaf blower that I usually bring camping to help stoke the fire (i.e.: turn it in to a fucking forge) and we played with blowing a little air in the damper hole as well as the vents on the side of the chimney. It would completely change the flame pattern, even long after you stopped blowing. I think the pic above was after a "turbo treatment". :laughing:


Edit: as far as safety, assuming a stone or other fire resistant-ish surfaced patio, I wouldn't worry about it. Not sure if there's a way to make them blow up, but I haven't figured it out yet. It's has plenty of vent holes and not real way to turn it in to a pressure vessel so I can't see much going bad.

Byro said:
Make sure there is no water in it. Run straight diesel or kerosene.
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Funny, I had a 2.5 gallon jug of mixed used diesel oil and gear oil and whatever else went in to my oil drain over the last few months. I could NOT get it to light with just that. I also had a 5 gallon bucket of slightly contaminated red diesel. The first night I just poured about a gallon in and it lit in a matter of minutes, but only burned the diesel for about an hour or so and then puttered out. The second night I poured in about 3 gallons and then thoroughly mixed it with the oil and it lit right away and burned until I eventually shut it down when we all crashed. That's what's burning in the pic above. Seems like it needs at least 25% or more of thinner fuel to work well. I need to burn out what's left and experiment a bit more with straight diesel and other shit I may have kicking around.
 
bgaidan said:
Funny, I had a 2.5 gallon jug of mixed used diesel oil and gear oil and whatever else went in to my oil drain over the last few months. I could NOT get it to light with just that. I also had a 5 gallon bucket of slightly contaminated red diesel. The first night I just poured about a gallon in and it lit in a matter of minutes, but only burned the diesel for about an hour or so and then puttered out. The second night I poured in about 3 gallons and then thoroughly mixed it with the oil and it lit right away and burned until I eventually shut it down when we all crashed. That's what's burning in the pic above. Seems like it needs at least 25% or more of thinner fuel to work well. I need to burn out what's left and experiment a bit more with straight diesel and other shit I may have kicking around.
Click to expand...
I'd bet it just needs wnough of the lighter oil to get the heavy oil boiling hot
maybe try preheating the bucket on the bottom with the weed burner torch if you can't get the heavier oil lit
 
bgaidan said:
I still haven't totally figured out exactly the patterns on how it works. I do know that when used "properly" they should only have flames just barely kissing out the top. But that's not fun. :laughing:

That pic was taken with the damper completely off. In that situation it makes lots of flames, but also doesn't burn nearly as clean and will pretty much roll coal. With the damper on and all 3 holes open, it'll make a nice rocket flame a couple feet out of the top and make almost no smoke.

I have a little miniature cordless leaf blower that I usually bring camping to help stoke the fire (i.e.: turn it in to a fucking forge) and we played with blowing a little air in the damper hole as well as the vents on the side of the chimney. It would completely change the flame pattern, even long after you stopped blowing. I think the pic above was after a "turbo treatment". :laughing:



Funny, I had a 2.5 gallon jug of mixed used diesel oil and gear oil and whatever else went in to my oil drain over the last few months. I could NOT get it to light with just that. I also had a 5 gallon bucket of slightly contaminated red diesel. The first night I just poured about a gallon in and it lit in a matter of minutes, but only burned the diesel for about an hour or so and then puttered out. The second night I poured in about 3 gallons and then thoroughly mixed it with the oil and it lit right away and burned until I eventually shut it down when we all crashed. That's what's burning in the pic above. Seems like it needs at least 25% or more of thinner fuel to work well. I need to burn out what's left and experiment a bit more with straight diesel and other shit I may have kicking around.
Click to expand...

[486] said:
I'd bet it just needs wnough of the lighter oil to get the heavy oil boiling hot
maybe try preheating the bucket on the bottom with the weed burner torch if you can't get the heavier oil lit
Click to expand...
Yeah, I may give that a shot at home. With the thinner stuff I drop a piece of flaming paper in and then hit it and the surface of the oil with the mapp torch for 20-30 seconds and it takes right off. Couldn't get that to work with the straight oil.

Fortunately I got about 25 gallons of red diesel that got a little dirty when one of my employees ran our water truck off the road and through a berm and ripped the tank off. So I don't mind using that to dilute it for now. :laughing:
 
bgaidan said:
Funny, I had a 2.5 gallon jug of mixed used diesel oil and gear oil and whatever else went in to my oil drain over the last few months.
Click to expand...

I got the same thing and have been wondering what all will and wont burn.


I've always wondered if you could hook up a chimney flue to the top and run it in a shop ... or if the flame would actually go 20' up the flue
 
Austin said:
I got the same thing and have been wondering what all will and wont burn.


I've always wondered if you could hook up a chimney flue to the top and run it in a shop ... or if the flame would actually go 20' up the flue
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We run ours in a shop, but it's actually a grade b redwood dairy barn.
 
It's funny hearing that you guys can't get em lit with just oil.


All we ever burn is waste oil.

The only time we put diesel in it is if there are a bunch of people around it.

I use map gas and put it right on top of the oil until it ignites.

2-3 minutes at the most.

Leave the flu cap open all the way until it flames up. 5-10 minutes.

Close the flu and throttle it to where you want it.

On waste oil it will burn for more than 12 hours.
 
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