Used Elec h2o heater?

[Goldfish]

Goldfish~ mind sharing the plans? That could be might handy in my garage.

Got them from here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/the-amazing-500-wood-burning-stove-that-you-can-build-for-35-or-less.aspx#axzz2kI4Njnlt

All I've seen for barrel heaters would be too big for a fish house. Honestly, this might be too, but it'll be smaller than a big barrel. I can get all the rest of the metal at my work for next to nothing so this would end up costing me about $15 at most. I can cut it down too and weld it back together shorter if need be and what I take from this is that the tanks are thicker than barrels so it's more durable (and a heck of a lot easier to weld back together if I do want to shorten it).

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[THe CRiPPLeR]

if you would of asked a week ago i could of had a 20 gallon for you. probley be a real good size for a fish house. I think the next time we get rid of one of our 20 gal tanks Im going to make one of these up.

Any body know if the modern day tanks are still made out of the thick metal linings? I will be replacing my 50 gal in my house as soon as I have time to put the new one in,

[Bill Gilbertson]

I would think 30 gal would be way too big for a fish house.

[Goldfish]

How big are they?

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[maplelakeduckslayer]

Sorry I didn't get back to you work has been crazy I will swing by the office tomorrow and see how big that one is and let you know...I gotta run around to some jobs anyway

[Goldfish]

No prob. Thanks for taking the time to check

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[h2ofwlr]

I've never been a fan of top load wood stoves as too much smoke gets into the room. I preffer that a wood stove sits vertically as it takes up less space.

Frankly unless you have a 8x24 fishouse, a 30 gal tank is waaaaaay too big. And if you have spent that much $ on such a rig, why not just use LP? The 30gal tank may be a good shop/garage stove though.

For a horizontal fish house stove, consider using an old 30 or 40 lb LP tank that has the old valves. It is a much better size and has thick walls. That is what I'd use if trying to build a small horizontal wood stove. Heck even a metal 5 gal bucket stove would work too.

Also--some of the newer water heaters use foam for insulation--the heat will melt it and you have to contend with the toxic fumes too. And if FG insulation--would it not prevent as much heat from entering the room? Just saying that maybe a water heater tank is not the best option.

As for fish house heating, I have tried wood (did it for many years) and its blasting hot or too cold and the constant mstoked the wood and messing with it. Kerosene stoves are smelly but easier to control the temp. And then there is LP, which is by far the easiest to use and the best to regulate the air temp well. I would not go back to wood or kerosene based on my experience with LP.

[Bill Gilbertson]

Water heaters are often replaced when they start to leak, so I would be careful with any used heater as the metal may be thin and have minute holes. I would just look for a real stove on Craislist. Actually, there is an old stove in the shed we are going to demolish on my son's property. I check it out next time I am there.

[Bill Gilbertson]

I've never been a fan of top load wood stoves as too much smoke gets into the room.

A well-designed top loader will not smoke. We have an much older version of the one below in our family room. I love it. It does not smoke when adding wood. We have a fire almost every night in the winter.

http://vermontcastings.com/family/Stove ... e-Acclaim/

[Goldfish]

I can cut it down if need be or patch any cracks/holes. It wont be holding any pressure any more so no worries about that. The fish house we are building will be something like 8x16 give or take. It's going to be disposable (made with scrap wood) so it's not going to be very warm without pumping it full of heat. Not unless my buddy decides to drop some money for some insulation.
As for the tank insulation, I will be using just the inside tank, so all insulation inside the case wont matter.

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