Anyone Attach Aluminum or Steel Heat Sinks to Your Stove?

63roundbadge · Post by **63roundbadge** » Sat. Oct. 20, 2012 9:20 pm

It's a new heating season, and I'm here to report that I'm really happy with the addition of the heatsinks last year.

I realize the winter was 20% warmer than normal, but I'm happy to say that I primarily used the coal for heat, using only 130 gallons of oil to supplement for the whole year. (Hot water heater is electric)

Normally I use:

2.75 tons of pea coal. In 2011- 2 tons. 300 gallons of oil . In 2011-130 gallons.

So, I'm happy to say that the myth of the heatsinks was not 'busted'.

Post by **Lightning** » Sun. Oct. 21, 2012 11:22 am

Thats cool man, yeah watched this post last year and thought it was a great idea. Anything to improve surface area for heat transfer will make it more efficient, and that looks good

I'm surprised there isn't something after market that is like that.. If you could fashion these cheaply and timely, it might make a good seller

63roundbadge · Post by **63roundbadge** » Thu. Nov. 22, 2012 9:05 pm

My newest addition in my quest to pull heat from the box-

I added a muffin fan to each side to force air through the heatsinks. They are 230v fans running on 115v, so they're virtually silent and are moving just enough air to propel 200 degree air away from the stove. This keeps the heatsinks around 50 degrees cooler than the base, so I know that heat is being removed.

I think my work here is done...

63roundbadge · Post by **63roundbadge** » Fri. Jan. 30, 2015 8:27 pm

I actually wasn't done yet, I have since changed the muffin fans back to 115v fans and replaced the humming Lutron dimmer with a Variac to control the AC voltage to all 3 fans, allowing any speed from 0-full without electrical hum.

It's amazing how much heat is available via convection rather than just radiation.

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Fri. Jan. 30, 2015 8:29 pm

BUT--how do they do if you lose power? That would be my big concern with that set up. Fellow FORUM member Oliver Power is working on that idea on a HITZER 50-93 or 30-95 with purely radiation.

63roundbadge · Post by **63roundbadge** » Fri. Jan. 30, 2015 9:05 pm

freetown fred wrote:BUT--how do they do if you lose power? That would be my big concern with that set up. Fellow FORUM member Oliver Power is working on that idea on a HITZER 50-93 or 30-95 with purely radiation.

That'll be interesting to see the results.

I thought of enclosing the heatsinks to box them and create convection like a baseboard radiator, but I had to mount mine horizontally on the side to please my roommate. Hence the muffin fans to move air.

After calculating the surface area of the fins, anywhere they are mounted (the footprint size) I now have 4 times the surface area of that footprint available to radiate. Even without power and fans, I'm that much better off than without them I feel.

With my IR gun, the base of the heatsinks are the same temp as the side right above and below the mountings, and the temp drops 15 degrees at the tip of the fins with the muffin fans removed. (I believe this is heat given up to the room)

When the muffin fans are on and running at medium speed, the temp drops about 40-50 degrees in a spread outward from the airflow (left and right of the fan).

I've done a bunch of airflow checks with toilet paper taped in different areas. It all turned out logically like I expected. No surprises, exiting air under the cover relative to fan speed. Also some movement with natural convection at the front with fans off.

At bedtime I crank up the variac to 3/4 speed, and I can feel hot air coming out under the top cover in front about 4 feet away.

We were without power for 6 days last year, I heated the whole house and we cooked on it albeit slowly.

Any questions I'd be more than glad to help this effort.

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Fri. Jan. 30, 2015 9:17 pm

Thanx for the comeback RB--nice:)

Anyone Attach Aluminum or Steel Heat Sinks to Your Stove?

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