Converting an oil fired AGA to a wood burner

[difflock]

OSM

The image above is the exact same model as our AGA, which I took a look at last night.

Quite unfeasible to convert to wood firing, so I shall merely strip her down and palletize for a future rainy day when my back starts telling me heating oil is cheap.

Regards all,

m

PS

wtf did AGA not do a Timken "wall flame" oil burner, instead of a wick, totally silent, and as I understood from Dad 45 year ago, reasonably efficient.

Edited April 21, 2016 by difflock

[Woodworks]

OSM

The image above is the exact same model as our AGA, which I took a look at last night.

Quite unfeasible to convert to wood firing, so I shall merely strip her down and palletize for a future rainy day when my back starts telling me heating oil is cheap.

Regards all,

m

PS

wtf did AGA not do a Timken "wall flame" oil burner, instead of a wick, totally silent, and as I understood from Dad 45 year ago, reasonably efficient.

 

There was a conversion for a more efficient oil burner something like snugburner which was apparently far more economic to run.

[difflock]

I had looked at the Snugburner as an option, BUT , since discontinued production, prob sommat to do with ce approval costs, advertised as being due to inability of AGA engineers to service a pressure jet installation, and normal pressure jet trained guys "feart" of touching an AGA.

They still offer parts and support though, seemed like a genuine bloke/firm to my mind.

cheers

m

[Woodworks]

This any good?

 

Prejet Cookers for Aga conversions to oil pressure jet or 13 amp electric.

[openspaceman]

OSM

The image above is the exact same model as our AGA, which I took a look at last night.

Quite unfeasible to convert to wood firing, so I shall merely strip her down and palletize for a future rainy day when my back starts telling me heating oil is cheap.

 

Much as I thought too.

 

These Agas are high mass low power things, so run constantly, a 10kW pellet burner running on dry woodchip would average out around 3 kW but the hopper and auger would need to sit either to the side or in front of the Aga, In retrospect there would be no need to cut into the Aga. The only advantage apart from cost is in being able to use existing plumbing and heat exchanger.

 

My boss sold an aga or rayburn when he bought a new house about 30 years ago, got a good offer for it but it basically fell to bits internally when it was moved so it went for scrap.

[openspaceman]

Did you cut through the boiler to convert it like that, then? I have an old oil burning Rayburn sat in my workshop and although I've stripped the innards out, because the water jacket surrounded the combustion chamber, there's no hatch to put logs in. I was thinking of fitting a rocket stove inside with the feed box in the lower oven, leaving me with one oven working should I fancy some impromptu baking...

 

Picture?

 

I still have some pellet burner bits and pieces but a rocket elbow is easy, the thing is it needs much more attention than a wood burner because you are effectively metering in the wood regularly. Also excess air is difficult to control.

[difflock]

Took a long hard look at a Clearview Pioneer oven model today, burning very very old dry hardwood in/on a display stand caravan, very very impressed I must say.

A pity the flue can only be top mounted on the oven model rather have it going out the back to allow a larger top surface.

hmmm!

[spandit]

Picture?

 

I still have some pellet burner bits and pieces but a rocket elbow is easy, the thing is it needs much more attention than a wood burner because you are effectively metering in the wood regularly. Also excess air is difficult to control.

 

Not much past planning stage yet but a rocket stove burns quick and hot, to get the mass up to temperature - some test burnings I did left it warm for hours. The main issue is trying to get a vertical section in for a J chamber without it sticking out the front, which is why I'm planning on building it into the lower oven. Even then, I'll be very limited with the length of stuff I can burn although planning on using willow sticks which can just feel cut with secateurs, like the Black Mountain stick stove

[Scotty38]

Took a long hard look at a Clearview Pioneer oven model today, burning very very old dry hardwood in/on a display stand caravan, very very impressed I must say.

A pity the flue can only be top mounted on the oven model rather have it going out the back to allow a larger top surface.

hmmm!

 

When I bought my pioneer 400 I looked at the ovens just out of interest and thought the flue could be either. Just checked their site and the blurb and diagrams would suggest rear or top is possible.

[difflock]

Indeed, per my own appreciation of der blurb, but contradicted by him wot is supposed to knoe, the Co Down dealer.

Fingers crossed.