Hey there, your video was very good, I especially like that you put a bowl in the pit, so the pellets would scatter around instead of pilling up in the middle. I recently bought a cheap knockoff pit off amazon,(OutVue 15” stainless pit $44.99) and put a bowl in mine. As far as lighting the pellets I found that you can just pour a little 91 percent rubbing alcohol on the pellets and light. In exactly 1-2 minutes I got a ragging fire. Also tractor supply sells hardwood sawdust bricks that burn extremely well when you get tired of adding pellets and want a longer burn. The bricks burn very good and gives you some time to walk away without having to babysit the pit. I always start the pit with pellets and rubbing alcohol for a clean startup and then about 45-50 minutes later start adding in the sawdust bricks.
I have the same firepit and I also have the 19 in. by Outvue. I usually just fill them up just below the top holes and light er up! 2.5 to 3 hrs. Of hassle free secondary burn 😊
What a great idea for an alternative to a wood fire while camping. It can be cumbersome hauling firewood and having to store it inside the van while traveling. I also camp in my Odyssey minivan “Odessa” Wood pellets are much more space efficient and I also use them already for the portable toilet. So this is a win-win 😊
Great idea, Rob. I'm currently building out a Dodge Grand Caravan as a mini-camper based on a lot of the features from your build. Hope you have a wonderful Summer!
Loved the cut at 1:57 where the bag of pellets seamlessly appeared. 👍That was great! Your videos provide so much useful info. Looking forward to your next one. Thanks for sharing!
I just stumbled upon your videos and I’m hooked. I love the way you explain things in a calm and insightful way. Your ideas and designs have me wondering if you’re an engineer. I love your van and may be doing one myself. Keep up the good work Rob!
Great video and presentation. I wanted to do this and you provided the solution, I was lucky enough to watch your video first. The only question I have is what size grid did you use for the stainless steel mesh? SS Mesh is on the expensive side so I would nice to have a maximum grid size and a minimum would be cool too. Thanks for the video. NEVER MIND - Saw the link (8 Mesh) after making the comment)
Great video! Thanks for sharing. I do have a question tho…what’s the longest fire 🔥 you have been able to maintain with this system? Do the burned pellets “choke” out the air flow eventually? I have the small table top version and after the initial burn of pellets it really doesn’t help to add more. Thanks for doing this!
I have found that loading with a deep bed of pellets is very inefficient. It leaves a lot of ash and partially burned pellets, probably because the airflow through the bed gets blocked with ash as the pellet bed burns, so I never load a lot of pellets at once. As I show in the video, I start with about an inch of pellets, then continuously add scoops for as long as I want a fire. I have burned for as long as two hours with good flames in this way, and it only leaves a tiny amount of ash
@@travelswithrob4970 I think this point on the initial amount of pellets is key. I have a fire pit (blue sky ridge - roughly the same dimensions though not as deep as the East Oak), and I just haven't got the right process yet. The few times I've used it I've always started with about 2 inches of pellets and what happens is that the fire starts off great and you think: waahey! now we're cooking. But you're just burning the top inch or so. Then the fire starts to go down, so you think "more pellets", but now you're adding new pellets on top of the ones that have just burned but they have unburnt pellets underneath. And now the pellets at the top don't have enough airflow to get them going quick enough. Then you're into a cycle of smoke/flame/smoke/flame all night long. And nothing kills a party quicker than the kind of smoke that a smothered pellet fire generates (much worse than wood!). So I think initially starting off with fewer pellets must be the way to go to avoid the vicious cycle. I'm also going to try the trick with the bowl in the middle as I think that would also help. Thanks for the vid.
Did you have any more success with keeping the fire going for a long time? I'm finding it hard and the the smoke is an absolute buzz kill for a party. Everyone's thinking "he said this pit has less smoke, but this is the most smoke I've ever seen!"
Hey Rob, commenting on this video since it's your latest. I've just watched almost all of your videos. Best build I've seen so far. I love how everything has a place! Do you keep the van like this? Or do you convert it back to a driving minivan after camping? If you convert each time, would love to see a video on you converting! Also wondering why you removed the head rests? Looking forward to more videos. You have helped me out with my thoughts a lot!
Thanks for your comments. I always keep the van ready for travel, even when I’m home, and I only convert it back to seats as necessary. More often than for additional passengers, I use the van to transport bulky cargo; for that, I usually only remove the bed and frame, which takes ten minutes. This van is useful for so many purposes, I plan to keep it running and enjoy it as long as possible
I like the idea to use the pellet wood on the firepit. Do pellets burn at the same rate as wood? I see that you did the analysis of cost, but what about time? Do both burn at the same rate? Btw, great videos with enough details. Thanks.
Great question. It was difficult to compare burn time because the flame characteristics are so different between pellets and split wood. Pellets have more surface area and therefore burn with a larger flame considering the small amount of fuel per load, so it seems that pellets burn faster. Wood lasts longer but the flame is less consistent and probably not as hot. Ultimately, for the same weight of fuel, the total amount of heat output should be about the same for pellets or wood, but the flame from split wood seems to last longer
Hi rob, what brand is your 5 inch stainless steel mixing bowl? My husband and I are trying to do exactly what you did for our stove, and we're curious on which brand you got..
Hey there, your video was very good, I especially like that you put a bowl in the pit, so the pellets would scatter around instead of pilling up in the middle. I recently bought a cheap knockoff pit off amazon,(OutVue 15” stainless pit $44.99) and put a bowl in mine. As far as lighting the pellets I found that you can just pour a little 91 percent rubbing alcohol on the pellets and light. In exactly 1-2 minutes I got a ragging fire. Also tractor supply sells hardwood sawdust bricks that burn extremely well when you get tired of adding pellets and want a longer burn. The bricks burn very good and gives you some time to walk away without having to babysit the pit. I always start the pit with pellets and rubbing alcohol for a clean startup and then about 45-50 minutes later start adding in the sawdust bricks.
I have the same firepit and I also have the 19 in. by Outvue. I usually just fill them up just below the top holes and light er up! 2.5 to 3 hrs. Of hassle free secondary burn 😊
Dryer lint makes a good fire starter and it's free. I bought a small wood chipper for the fallen branches on my property. More free pellets.
What a great idea for an alternative to a wood fire while camping. It can be cumbersome hauling firewood and having to store it inside the van while traveling. I also camp in my Odyssey minivan “Odessa” Wood pellets are much more space efficient and I also use them already for the portable toilet. So this is a win-win 😊
Just wanted to say that your video is an exceptional demonstration of a modded east oak stove. Well done
From Maine and we burn pellets Nov-April to keep warm. Can’t wait to try this smokeless system. Great idea and innovation👍
You're a genius. Thanks for sharing!
More videos please!
Great idea, Rob. I'm currently building out a Dodge Grand Caravan as a mini-camper based on a lot of the features from your build. Hope you have a wonderful Summer!
i love your videos Rob!! You have such a cool easy demeanor and really great ideas explained thoroughly and clearly.. keep up the the great work!
Thank you! This is what I've been dreaming of; A perfect smokeless fire using pellets.
Loved the cut at 1:57 where the bag of pellets seamlessly appeared. 👍That was great! Your videos provide so much useful info. Looking forward to your next one. Thanks for sharing!
hello from Canada! Rob
I just stumbled upon your videos and I’m hooked. I love the way you explain things in a calm and insightful way. Your ideas and designs have me wondering if you’re an engineer. I love your van and may be doing one myself. Keep up the good work Rob!
Thanks for your comments! I’m a chemical engineer by training, but I’m always learning and looking for creative ways to have new experiences
From Québec city, this will be useful almost year round ! Thanks!
New subscriber, this is the second video of yours that I've watched, but both had my undivided attention 👍
luv it when vids are practical, functional and makes sense. I def getting one of this.
Very nice informative video. Thanks.
Excellent video, well explained. Thank you!!
Why aren’t you on TH-cam. I really enjoy all the info you gave us.
great video, thank you
Ingenious
Great video and presentation. I wanted to do this and you provided the solution, I was lucky enough to watch your video first. The only question I have is what size grid did you use for the stainless steel mesh? SS Mesh is on the expensive side so I would nice to have a maximum grid size and a minimum would be cool too. Thanks for the video. NEVER MIND - Saw the link (8 Mesh) after making the comment)
Great video! Thanks for sharing. I do have a question tho…what’s the longest fire 🔥 you have been able to maintain with this system? Do the burned pellets “choke” out the air flow eventually? I have the small table top version and after the initial burn of pellets it really doesn’t help to add more.
Thanks for doing this!
I have found that loading with a deep bed of pellets is very inefficient. It leaves a lot of ash and partially burned pellets, probably because the airflow through the bed gets blocked with ash as the pellet bed burns, so I never load a lot of pellets at once. As I show in the video, I start with about an inch of pellets, then continuously add scoops for as long as I want a fire. I have burned for as long as two hours with good flames in this way, and it only leaves a tiny amount of ash
@@travelswithrob4970 I think this point on the initial amount of pellets is key. I have a fire pit (blue sky ridge - roughly the same dimensions though not as deep as the East Oak), and I just haven't got the right process yet.
The few times I've used it I've always started with about 2 inches of pellets and what happens is that the fire starts off great and you think: waahey! now we're cooking. But you're just burning the top inch or so. Then the fire starts to go down, so you think "more pellets", but now you're adding new pellets on top of the ones that have just burned but they have unburnt pellets underneath. And now the pellets at the top don't have enough airflow to get them going quick enough.
Then you're into a cycle of smoke/flame/smoke/flame all night long. And nothing kills a party quicker than the kind of smoke that a smothered pellet fire generates (much worse than wood!).
So I think initially starting off with fewer pellets must be the way to go to avoid the vicious cycle. I'm also going to try the trick with the bowl in the middle as I think that would also help.
Thanks for the vid.
Did you have any more success with keeping the fire going for a long time? I'm finding it hard and the the smoke is an absolute buzz kill for a party. Everyone's thinking "he said this pit has less smoke, but this is the most smoke I've ever seen!"
New subscriber here. Smart idea and clear presentation/explanation! Are you a teacher or instructor?
Hey Rob, commenting on this video since it's your latest. I've just watched almost all of your videos. Best build I've seen so far. I love how everything has a place! Do you keep the van like this? Or do you convert it back to a driving minivan after camping? If you convert each time, would love to see a video on you converting! Also wondering why you removed the head rests? Looking forward to more videos. You have helped me out with my thoughts a lot!
Thanks for your comments. I always keep the van ready for travel, even when I’m home, and I only convert it back to seats as necessary. More often than for additional passengers, I use the van to transport bulky cargo; for that, I usually only remove the bed and frame, which takes ten minutes. This van is useful for so many purposes, I plan to keep it running and enjoy it as long as possible
Awesome ideas to improve the East Oak!! Where can I find an affordable stainless screen like you used?
Thanks for your comments. I added an Amazon link for the steel mesh to the written description under the video
@@travelswithrob4970 oops, missed that!! Thanks again!!
I like the idea to use the pellet wood on the firepit. Do pellets burn at the same rate as wood? I see that you did the analysis of cost, but what about time? Do both burn at the same rate? Btw, great videos with enough details. Thanks.
Great question. It was difficult to compare burn time because the flame characteristics are so different between pellets and split wood. Pellets have more surface area and therefore burn with a larger flame considering the small amount of fuel per load, so it seems that pellets burn faster. Wood lasts longer but the flame is less consistent and probably not as hot. Ultimately, for the same weight of fuel, the total amount of heat output should be about the same for pellets or wood, but the flame from split wood seems to last longer
Hi rob, what brand is your 5 inch stainless steel mixing bowl? My husband and I are trying to do exactly what you did for our stove, and we're curious on which brand you got..
I got the steel bowl from IKEA
Great advice. 👍