the Hotmail Heater and water heater

[rowerwet]

latest sketchup design with a hot water tank for the galley using the "waste" heat to heat the water.

[mikeschn]

This looks like an interesting heater. So you've already got the parts in the garage. Can you build it so we can see it in action?!

Can we see a picture of the parts? I'm curious to see the actual sizes of the parts relative to each other, and the size of your kerosene lantern.

And I'm also curious how much you spent for your mailbox and your lantern.

Mike...

[rowerwet]

I got the lantern at wallyworld and other cheapskate places

for something like $10 I think http://www.walmart.com/ip/FloraSense-Hu ... k/16783700 we use citronella oil in the lamps to keep the bugs down

the mailbox is a standard rural one, I bought an aluminum one to help the heat transfer. cost $20 or so. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gibraltar-Ma ... oe_xnBjvac

the lantern fits in the mailbox just fine. After a while of letting the idea roll around in my head, I see my self just mounting the mailbox inside the trailer somewhere. Instead of putting it in a jumbo size rural mailbox or building a plywood box around it. Both of those ideas would need to be mounted in the tounge box or galley, with a hole in the bottom of the trailer to insert the lantern.
This would also make it easier to control if you wanted a higher flame, or to shut it off.

[rowerwet]

the opposing thought, the lanterns seem to leak from the bottom seam (what I get for buying cheapo ones) the oil would drip into the tear off of the mailbox door.
the leak seems to be only if stored for weeks, normal use during camping, with the oil being filled and used each night, never left a ring on anything the lanterns were left on.
kerosene fumes are also not healthy to breath, putting the mailbox into a plywood box that had a fan blowing into it from the tear would cause any air leaks would be into the mailbox and then out the exhaust

[rowerwet]

brass, sink drain tailpiece I found to act as the intake and exhaust vents.

measuring the height the upper drain tube needs to be, it should be aimed at the normal height of the flame top, to check for a smokey burn, as this will soot up the glass, making it useless for camp illumnation

there is a "hair catcher" inside the drain tube, not sure if it can be knocked out or not, I don't want to ruin the tube, and it won't really stop enough airflow to be a problem.

since a mailbox is only meant to be water proof when horizontal, the bottom holes will need to be sealed with a plank, this would also be the area to mount the box to the wall of the tear.

[mikeschn]

Rowerwet,

Keep the information coming.

For the bottom plank, can you use a piece of tin from one of the big box stores? Maybe pop rivet it on?

Mike...

[Wild Idaho]

Rowerwet,

You've really piqued my interest in this. All the camping I do in Idaho is off the grid up in the mountains. I'm hoping a heater like this could take the chill off. I'll be keeping an eye on this.

Jeff

[rowerwet]

thanks for the interest, this is much more an idea and theory, for a proven design that is being refined check this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18902