I'm now starting my first retort and this is pretty much the way I'm going with my build . I like your idea with the gas pipe in the middle of the cooker barrel so I'm going to try that . Great video !
About to start work on the updates version. Will try to include the answers to all questions I have gotten over the years. For the trash can lid problem I would wire it shut for the burn and it worked like a charm. Next version I’m going to use a 30 gal steel drum with a ring lock with inside handle. Will be in the new video. Keep a look out and thank you for watching.
I agree with Mike Lysic, great design and build, wish you showed more on the actual build to help us better understand how it's put together, and when watching my first thoughts were the use of the galvanized can and toxins. ( It's True )
Michael K thanks for your comments. I am working on an upgrade to the inner barrel. I’m going to use a 30 gal steel drum and will make a video of the build to show how i made the wood gas burner. Again thank you for your input and for watching
Love this. Looking forward to your update. I saw comments about replacing the barrel- is there an issue with the trash can, or just want something heavier duty?
Lalrin Ralte that is exactly the purpose of the holes. They create a burner so I don’t have to burn as much scrap wood and keep the exhaust as clean as possible
Just saw your video I’m a little late to the show. Awesome I can’t see a lot of the must see? The pipes on the side of the galvanized can do they dump back into the galvanized can or are they just capped off?
Looks awesome. Using a TLUD right now but would like a smokeless retort. I will give your design a try. I am making charcoal for fireworks so not worried about the galvanized can. I think I have a video of my TLUD if you want to check mine out.
I will make a follow up on how I solved the lid issue. Sorry been really busy with work and don’t have much extra time. Thanks for the positive comments and will give y’all an update soon.
Great build Kevin other than the gal can, but you know about that now. Just wanted to clarify after the gas off pipe turns the elbows and comes up the side of the can does it go back into the can at the top or just terminate with end caps? I hope that makes sense to you. Just wanted to know if it gets circulation happening or just relies on the holes in the pipe to reduce the pressure. Great job anyway, Look forward to the upgrade video.
It appears to me that he used a length of pipe that is open ended on the top in the center of the trashcan (mounted vertically). On the bottom of that length of pipe he used a threaded coupler, 2" long pipe nipple, and then a tee (the purpose of the nipple is to hold the vertical pipe inside the trash can). Then he used whatever length of pipes needed to get from the center of the tee to the outside edge of the trash can plus ¹/² the o.d. of the pipe, screwed on a 90 degree ell to those lengths of pipe, then ran lengths of pipe up the sides with 90 degree ells screwed to them. Im guessing that he also used 2" long nipples and couplers threaded into the 90's through the sides to also retrieve wood gas, as well as provide more support for the piping. He then drilled holes in the pipe on the bottom of the trash can to allow the wood gas to depressure thus also providing fuel to the fire under the can. Not sure what size the holes drilled in the pipe were, but maybe just a tad bigger would help with the lid situation.
Hi Kevin! Greatly appreciated the upgrading in the retort with the incorporation of the galvanised iron (GI) pipes in your design,which i assume helped in bringing the efficiency of the system to much more than 50%. I still have two querries: I) how does the inner drum/trash can rest at the bottom of the bigger outer drum with the tee-piece and GI pipes welded underneath? 2) don't you have to fill the space between the two drums with woodchips to "ignite" the fire? Thanking you in advance for a prompt response, warmest regards from Mauritius!
I) 0:46 - 0:48 You can see the iron bar or profile on which the inner drum/garbage bin stands. 2) When a fire is lit, it heats the inner drum/garbage bin and as a result of the heating of the wood in it, flammable gases are created that escape through the small holes and become a fire, thus the inner drum/garbage bin ignites/heats itself and no need to add additional wood to burn. Kind regards from Sibenik, Croatia, Europe!
Love the design, do you think the pipe would be needed if the burner holes holes were just drilled into the bottom of the trash can and maybe a few up along the sides, say about 1/4 up from the bottom of the trash can.
Designs like that can work but you will get a lower yield of charcoal at the finish. I use the pipes to keep oxygen from entering the inner can. The way to tell if air is getting in is you’ll have ash.
If you drill through the lid and barrel downward at an angle you could probably just use long bolts. The weight of the shaft will keep it in position. The head will keep it from falling through the hole and it will probably be easier to inert when the can is in the barrel.
I am in the process of building my own and am wondering if the charcoal will burn inside the retort while the cooling period? Will the gas exhaust pipe let enough air inside to get the coal lit? You did a good job with yours. Thanks for sharing.
yveskc1 the way I did it I haven’t had any ash in the retort chamber which would let me know if there was any burn. I did have to use wood stove gasket and wire to seal the lid due to the gas pressure generated. I’ve done 5 burns with the same results. I did drill out the outer holes at the bottom to increase air to the fire and has cut down the overall time to 4-5 hours and cut the wood consumption in half. I still have to use the door to fine tune the air once the gas starts to burn off. Once the gas starts to burn well the whole drum glows red and still have to feed the fire under.
yveskc1 I usually burn at sunset and lt cools overnight. I’ve been able to open the next morning and the inner can is cold to the touch. The colder it is outside requires more wood to fire unless you make a heat shield around.
Lalrin Ralte I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. The temp needed for pyrolysis would be the same for whatever organic material used. The cooking time may be lengthened though. I’m working on an upgrade to the inner can due to a comment that raised a potential toxic issue with the galvanized can. I will be doing a video on that upgrade to a 30 gallon drum for the inner chamber.
The lid of the inside chamber should be held tight not the outside chamber. Wood gas is leaking from the inside chamber and escaping through the chimney.
Lennard Kong I used a threaded coupling at the hole on the inside of the inner can with a 2 in threaded pipe going to the outside of the bottom to a t-connector.
I would not be using the charcoal that came out of that first burn and I'm specially concerned of using a galvanized containment barrel for your charcoal
Tim Antrim yes the holes go up both sides as well. At the peak of wood gas let off...those burners are working well. I usually have to use the door to allow more air in so they burn.
@@feveredfisherman1727 once all the gasses have cooled off I just let it all cool down. I don’t do anything to prevent o2 from traveling back in. It doesn’t create a vacuum so doesn’t pull anything back in. The pipe inside that collects the gases is almost to the lid of the can.
@@kevincarnahan9859 Cool. Thanks for the reply. Think I'm going to make one pretty much like yours real soon. I appreciate you answering these questions. Also definitely one of the best designs I've seen out there.
Aren't you worried about galvanize poisoning? That zinc peels out at about 400F, wouldn't it bury itself into that charcoal and end up with tainted charcoal?
I used threaded pipe with a T fitting, two more threaded pipes to elbow fittings. Above the T fitting is a 2in threaded connector to a straight threaded connector. That way I could connect the longer section of threaded pipe. Had to cut the pipe inside the can because it was taller than the inside height of the can. Ended up having to wire the lid shut from the pressure created from wood gas. Also had to open up the air holes around the outside can to get a cleaner burn.
The dryer the faster it will carbonize. I use wood that is between 4-6 months time drying. I use old pallet wood to fire it. Usually takes about 2/3 of a 30 gal trash can with pieces no longer than 9 inches. Just be sure to keep the fire hot because it will keep the run time of the process to about 3-4 hrs. Once you stop getting the wood gas burning out of the pipes your done. I usually start about sun down(around 6pm )and it’s done around 9-10pm depending on temp and wind. I have better luck on calmer days with the consumption of scrap wood. Be sure to secure the top on the inner can. I used heavy wire from the handles to secure the top down. May want to wire the pipes to the can as well. With the high heat they get loose. Everything is good to go by the next morning. Make sure the can is cold to the touch so you don’t get any flash ignition of your newly made charcoal. Good luck and let me know how yours turn out. I’m probably going to upgrade the inner can to a unlined 20 gal drum with lid. Don’t think the trash can is going to hold up for that many burns. I’ve done 4 runs so far and made about 40 gal of charcoal
The smaller the diameter the pieces the faster it will convert. I use little sticks broken up to about 2-3" in length and none bigger around than my finger. Takes 1 hour to do 8 quart stainless steel put full. I lose about 75% though but no ash. Smash your up to granule size and you will see what I mean.
@@kevincarnahan9859 to save money does anyone think it would be OK to use something like Nickel Anti-seize on the pipe fittings? Just thinking after all the work of drilling holes and cost of pipe fittings it would be nice to save these parts and transfer them to new retort once the can collapses. The concern would be of coarse toxin getting it to the lump.
Here's the one I made, I noticed that the single hole in the front, combined with the smoke stack at the far side of the top of the burn barrel, that the draft seems to go straight to the back, then up, would like to incorporate a way to get a vortex spinning around the retort: th-cam.com/video/6CtIOXRXVqc/w-d-xo.html
I made a vortex burn barrel once. I cut these sideways U's but cornered the curved part of the U. These are basically tabs that i press inward to force the incoming air in a certain direction(all tabs were cut in the same direction). I also drilled holes like in this video but, o angled my drill in the same direction as my tabs.
I cringe every time I see someone using galvanized anything in combination with heat for food purposes. I’m assuming none of the charcoal absorbs anything from the galvanized trash can? And whatever you do don’t breath the fumes when that’s burning off.
Best design I’ve seen. Using the gases was a great idea. Looks very efficient
This looks awesome. I really wish I could see how the T pipes are installed.
I would clamp the top on the inside barrel so it forces the gases more through the pipes. Great build!
I'm now starting my first retort and this is pretty much the way I'm going with my build . I like your idea with the gas pipe in the middle of the cooker barrel so I'm going to try that .
Great video !
That was a good video ! One of the best ones I've seen.
Nice build Kevin. Thank you.
About to start work on the updates version. Will try to include the answers to all questions I have gotten over the years. For the trash can lid problem I would wire it shut for the burn and it worked like a charm. Next version I’m going to use a 30 gal steel drum with a ring lock with inside handle. Will be in the new video. Keep a look out and thank you for watching.
Wait for the next video, and show me the manufacturing process.
i haven,t seen a new video i,m wondering are there holes drilled in the vertical tube outside the aluminum tubes
Did a new video ever come out?
Great design, just need to fix that lid problem on the trash can and it’s a winner
Waiting
That's the perfect design. Fantastic!
I agree with Mike Lysic, great design and build, wish you showed more on the actual build to help us better understand how it's put together, and when watching my first thoughts were the use of the galvanized can and toxins. ( It's True )
Michael K thanks for your comments. I am working on an upgrade to the inner barrel. I’m going to use a 30 gal steel drum and will make a video of the build to show how i made the wood gas burner. Again thank you for your input and for watching
Awesome design. I’d love to see your solution to the lid problem. Part 2?
Love this. Looking forward to your update. I saw comments about replacing the barrel- is there an issue with the trash can, or just want something heavier duty?
Great stuff!
Thank you very much for showing your well-thought design. I guess the holes in the T-joint pipe are to carry hot gas to help carbonization faster.
Lalrin Ralte that is exactly the purpose of the holes. They create a burner so I don’t have to burn as much scrap wood and keep the exhaust as clean as possible
Just saw your video I’m a little late to the show. Awesome I can’t see a lot of the must see? The pipes on the side of the galvanized can do they dump back into the galvanized can or are they just capped off?
Looks awesome. Using a TLUD right now but would like a smokeless retort. I will give your design a try. I am making charcoal for fireworks so not worried about the galvanized can. I think I have a video of my TLUD if you want to check mine out.
Kevin, have you tried putting fireclay bricks on the lid of the inner drum/garbage?
Kind regards from Sibenik, Croatia, Europe!
I will make a follow up on how I solved the lid issue. Sorry been really busy with work and don’t have much extra time. Thanks for the positive comments and will give y’all an update soon.
Pro trick : watch movies on KaldroStream. Me and my gf have been using them for watching loads of movies recently.
@Pedro Julius definitely, I have been watching on kaldroStream for years myself =)
Great build Kevin other than the gal can, but you know about that now. Just wanted to clarify after the gas off pipe turns the elbows and comes up the side of the can does it go back into the can at the top or just terminate with end caps? I hope that makes sense to you. Just wanted to know if it gets circulation happening or just relies on the holes in the pipe to reduce the pressure. Great job anyway, Look forward to the upgrade video.
It appears to me that he used a length of pipe that is open ended on the top in the center of the trashcan (mounted vertically). On the bottom of that length of pipe he used a threaded coupler, 2" long pipe nipple, and then a tee (the purpose of the nipple is to hold the vertical pipe inside the trash can). Then he used whatever length of pipes needed to get from the center of the tee to the outside edge of the trash can plus ¹/² the o.d. of the pipe, screwed on a 90 degree ell to those lengths of pipe, then ran lengths of pipe up the sides with 90 degree ells screwed to them. Im guessing that he also used 2" long nipples and couplers threaded into the 90's through the sides to also retrieve wood gas, as well as provide more support for the piping. He then drilled holes in the pipe on the bottom of the trash can to allow the wood gas to depressure thus also providing fuel to the fire under the can. Not sure what size the holes drilled in the pipe were, but maybe just a tad bigger would help with the lid situation.
Hi Kevin! Greatly appreciated the upgrading in the retort with the incorporation of the galvanised iron (GI) pipes in your design,which i assume helped in bringing the efficiency of the system to much more than 50%. I still have two querries:
I) how does the inner drum/trash can rest at the bottom of the bigger outer drum with the tee-piece and GI pipes welded underneath?
2) don't you have to fill the space between the two drums with woodchips to "ignite" the fire?
Thanking you in advance for a prompt response, warmest regards from Mauritius!
I) 0:46 - 0:48 You can see the iron bar or profile on which the inner drum/garbage bin stands.
2) When a fire is lit, it heats the inner drum/garbage bin and as a result of the heating of the wood in it, flammable gases are created that escape through the small holes and become a fire, thus the inner drum/garbage bin ignites/heats itself and no need to add additional wood to burn.
Kind regards from Sibenik, Croatia, Europe!
The flames in my retort doesn't come up. It stay at the bottom in my burning chamber. Any advise?
How did you connect the smoke stack to the lid of the 55 gallon drum?
Well done!
Love the design, do you think the pipe would be needed if the burner holes holes were just drilled into the bottom of the trash can and maybe a few up along the sides, say about 1/4 up from the bottom of the trash can.
Designs like that can work but you will get a lower yield of charcoal at the finish. I use the pipes to keep oxygen from entering the inner can. The way to tell if air is getting in is you’ll have ash.
Nice job mate.
Did you dump the side pipes into the galvanized can?
pics a very confusing where you piped the woodgas to reburn
Question how long did your trash can last before burning though
You could drill holes through the rim of the lid and upper rim of the barrel and thread the long stem of a "J"-shaped piece of rod through.
If you drill through the lid and barrel downward at an angle you could probably just use long bolts. The weight of the shaft will keep it in position. The head will keep it from falling through the hole and it will probably be easier to inert when the can is in the barrel.
Hello, is this an open source design? can I use this a s a guide to build mine?
Looks like you made a gasafire furnace. Just don’t use galvanized anything in the future when using heat. Poison/cancer possibilities.
Super great Job
Nice set up
I am in the process of building my own and am wondering if the charcoal will burn inside the retort while the cooling period? Will the gas exhaust pipe let enough air inside to get the coal lit? You did a good job with yours. Thanks for sharing.
yveskc1 the way I did it I haven’t had any ash in the retort chamber which would let me know if there was any burn. I did have to use wood stove gasket and wire to seal the lid due to the gas pressure generated. I’ve done 5 burns with the same results. I did drill out the outer holes at the bottom to increase air to the fire and has cut down the overall time to 4-5 hours and cut the wood consumption in half. I still have to use the door to fine tune the air once the gas starts to burn off. Once the gas starts to burn well the whole drum glows red and still have to feed the fire under.
yveskc1 I usually burn at sunset and lt cools overnight. I’ve been able to open the next morning and the inner can is cold to the touch. The colder it is outside requires more wood to fire unless you make a heat shield around.
One more clarification please. Whether your retort is equally good for bamboo?
Lalrin Ralte I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. The temp needed for pyrolysis would be the same for whatever organic material used. The cooking time may be lengthened though. I’m working on an upgrade to the inner can due to a comment that raised a potential toxic issue with the galvanized can. I will be doing a video on that upgrade to a 30 gallon drum for the inner chamber.
Is that Teflon thread seal tape on those pipe fittings?
When are you going to do part 2 showing the method used to keep top from blowing off? Great build.
Mel 4theTruth why would the top blow off? Nothing is sealed
The lid of the inside chamber should be held tight not the outside chamber. Wood gas is leaking from the inside chamber and escaping through the chimney.
Neat idea
Could it also be biochar?
Can you show how the inner drum pipes are connected out ? I see some pipe in the bottom of the outer drum. thx
Lennard Kong I used a threaded coupling at the hole on the inside of the inner can with a 2 in threaded pipe going to the outside of the bottom to a t-connector.
Cool video. Great design. Can't wait to see the update. Sub'd
We're still waiting for the update video Kevin! :)
看過 日本傳統泥土窯 ,俄國大型雙筒燒窯,泰國簡易石油桶製炭,馬來西亞覆蓋悶燒製炭....etc.你的 木氣燃燒2次利用 高明多多 ,非常棒 !!
I would not be using the charcoal that came out of that first burn and I'm specially concerned of using a galvanized containment barrel for your charcoal
How big are your city lots? 75 foot width?
Stay far away on that 1st, 2nd and 3rd burn! The off gassing of the zinc coating the trash can is DEADLY!
I see that you put holes in the horizontal piping below the retort. Do you also have holes in the risers?
Tim Antrim yes the holes go up both sides as well. At the peak of wood gas let off...those burners are working well. I usually have to use the door to allow more air in so they burn.
@@kevincarnahan9859 How do you cut off air to inside barrel once wood gasses are burned off?
@@feveredfisherman1727 once all the gasses have cooled off I just let it all cool down. I don’t do anything to prevent o2 from traveling back in. It doesn’t create a vacuum so doesn’t pull anything back in. The pipe inside that collects the gases is almost to the lid of the can.
@@kevincarnahan9859 Cool. Thanks for the reply. Think I'm going to make one pretty much like yours real soon. I appreciate you answering these questions. Also definitely one of the best designs I've seen out there.
One more question. I was planning on using 1" pipping for the burner and off gassing. Think this will be and issue? Maybe help with pressure?
I will also address how I attached the exhaust stove pipe.
What was hole size and spacing on the pipe.
I used a 1/8 drill bit and I believe they are about 1-1 1/4 inch apart on both sides.
Wow great design, and great results! I might have to copy you. Maybe for the trashcan lid, a series of pins would help out
Aren't you worried about galvanize poisoning? That zinc peels out at about 400F, wouldn't it bury itself into that charcoal and end up with tainted charcoal?
Have you tried making lump charcoal with pecan?
That is pecan wood in the video.
@@kevincarnahan9859 how did you mount the stack (stovepipe) to the lid?
Could you maybe show how you made the black pipe come out from the inside can. Just pics or maybe a little more in depth detail. I'd love to try this.
I used threaded pipe with a T fitting, two more threaded pipes to elbow fittings. Above the T fitting is a 2in threaded connector to a straight threaded connector. That way I could connect the longer section of threaded pipe. Had to cut the pipe inside the can because it was taller than the inside height of the can. Ended up having to wire the lid shut from the pressure created from wood gas. Also had to open up the air holes around the outside can to get a cleaner burn.
@@kevincarnahan9859 thx. Gonna build mine today. I'm guessing you can only do this to seasoned wood. Correct?
The dryer the faster it will carbonize. I use wood that is between 4-6 months time drying. I use old pallet wood to fire it. Usually takes about 2/3 of a 30 gal trash can with pieces no longer than 9 inches. Just be sure to keep the fire hot because it will keep the run time of the process to about 3-4 hrs. Once you stop getting the wood gas burning out of the pipes your done. I usually start about sun down(around 6pm )and it’s done around 9-10pm depending on temp and wind. I have better luck on calmer days with the consumption of scrap wood. Be sure to secure the top on the inner can. I used heavy wire from the handles to secure the top down. May want to wire the pipes to the can as well. With the high heat they get loose. Everything is good to go by the next morning. Make sure the can is cold to the touch so you don’t get any flash ignition of your newly made charcoal. Good luck and let me know how yours turn out. I’m probably going to upgrade the inner can to a unlined 20 gal drum with lid. Don’t think the trash can is going to hold up for that many burns. I’ve done 4 runs so far and made about 40 gal of charcoal
The smaller the diameter the pieces the faster it will convert.
I use little sticks broken up to about 2-3" in length and none bigger around than my finger.
Takes 1 hour to do 8 quart stainless steel put full.
I lose about 75% though but no ash.
Smash your up to granule size and you will see what I mean.
@@kevincarnahan9859 to save money does anyone think it would be OK to use something like Nickel Anti-seize on the pipe fittings? Just thinking after all the work of drilling holes and cost of pipe fittings it would be nice to save these parts and transfer them to new retort once the can collapses. The concern would be of coarse toxin getting it to the lump.
This must have took 5 hours and more.
Thats primitive.👍
Here's the one I made, I noticed that the single hole in the front, combined with the smoke stack at the far side of the top of the burn barrel, that the draft seems to go straight to the back, then up, would like to incorporate a way to get a vortex spinning around the retort:
th-cam.com/video/6CtIOXRXVqc/w-d-xo.html
I made a vortex burn barrel once. I cut these sideways U's but cornered the curved part of the U. These are basically tabs that i press inward to force the incoming air in a certain direction(all tabs were cut in the same direction). I also drilled holes like in this video but, o angled my drill in the same direction as my tabs.
I love rookies
I cringe every time I see someone using galvanized anything in combination with heat for food purposes. I’m assuming none of the charcoal absorbs anything from the galvanized trash can? And whatever you do don’t breath the fumes when that’s burning off.
Never go “full retort”