From whence all gasifiers have come!

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.
tom in maine

tom in maine

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Apr 4, 2008
941
Searsport, Maine
www.americansolartechnics.com
I finally got this up on the web.(check out the link below)

Dick Hill was the originator of all gasifier designs. I remember talking to Martin Lunde of Garn about 25 years ago and having him tell me about his contacts with Dick.
Some gasifier companies have probably never heard of Dick Hill, but he did the original gasifiers.

He is a good friend. I inherited his wood burner files when he retired about 17 years ago. We had done a lot of stuff together and I have been graced to spend a lot of time with him on the radio.

He is now 90 and still kicking. He is currently experimenting with a heat pump water heater like the one I recently posted on. He is using it to create a root cellar.

Last November, at age 90, he got knocked off his bicycle after getting hit by a truck. The EMT's arrived but he refused to go to the ER--it would take too long!
He rode his bike home!

Scared the hell out of me, but he was okay!

I want what he is taking!

Tom in Maine


(broken link removed to http://hotandcold.tv/wood) furnace.html

Oops! Here is the corrected post! Somehow it did not cut and paste right.

(broken link removed to http://hotandcold.tv/woodfurnace.html)
 
This is a really cool idea you have going on...is it possible to get some of your tv material on the web so that others (like Michiganders) could view. I'll have to spend some time navigating that web site.

Thanks...
Shannon
 
Tom,

I'd like to see your site but am getting an error message that the site cannot be found when I click your link.

Mike
 
Thanks Shannon. The program is on public access in many parts of the country(!)
It can be gotten by your local public access station at www.pegmedia.org.

It is a cross between "This Old House" and "Wayne's World".
There are several station in MI already carrying it.

I am not sure what to say about the link not loading. Maybe try again later?

Thanks,
Tom
 
Tom in Maine said:
Thanks Shannon. The program is on public access in many parts of the country(!)
It can be gotten by your local public access station at www.pegmedia.org.

It is a cross between "This Old House" and "Wayne's World".
There are several station in MI already carrying it.

I am not sure what to say about the link not loading. Maybe try again later?

Thanks,
Tom
Click to expand...

Just a little glitch in the link in your post Tom.

Here it is corrected. (There's a space in address that makes it a little wonky.)

(broken link removed to http://hotandcold.tv/woodfurnace.html)
 
The commerical versions of Dicks Stoves (Madawaska and Dumonts) still are running in a few spots but unfortunately many have been taken out as the dealers would use a couple of 275 gallon oil tanks for heat storage in an open configuration. After the tanks inevitably rusted out and drained their contents on the floor, a lot of them were shut down and listed on Uncle Henry's. Additionally most of the dealers went out of business and after a few yearsand there very few folks would work on them.

He later worked on a commercial unit that was installed at large greenhouse over in Greenbush Maine. I seem to remember it used 45 pounds of wood every 20 minutes while the 5000 gallon tank of water was heated up.
 
Yes, I had one of the big units in my shop for a while. Have bought and sold several Madwaskas and Jetstreams over the years. The boilers always survived, the tanks did not. That is, until we started making them! ;^)

Tom
 
Tom-- thanks for making this available-- I'd heard of Dick Hill and his work, but am glad to learn more details.

Anyone know more about the story of how and when gasification "caught fire" in Europe, where it seems to have been pursued the most? I remember the orange non-gasification Tarm boilers, and though I was impressed with their build quality, I wasn't that impressed with the technology.
 
A Sunshine Woodstove that was made in maine in the 1970's.
He installed a newer clean burning stove about five years ago and took it out. He likes the control of the older stoves.

He has tenants, who are Chinese students, they all have Jotul stoves.

Backup is oil and he still has his Axeman-Anderson coal stoker sitting there with coal, ready to go.
 
cycloptic pendulum said:
no mention of MAGIC HEAT like unit?
Click to expand...

Magic Heat like units are best left unmentioned in intelligent discussion of wood burning appliances.
 
My parents had a dumont, with a pressurized 1000 gallon tank. I ran it for many years, parts became hard to get. The tank never rusted out but the refractory eroded away, the fire bricks started to come apart and the heat exchanger was pretty warped but didn't leak. That thing would consume some wood. You could take a never ending shower with a 1000 gallons of 200 degree water:) Dick is a nat'l treasure.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom