firepot design

[GOATMAN]

I use a cast iron floor drain bowl. It's round, ~4" deep, ~12"dia. Looks somthing like this, without the grate: works well! No clinker breaker; I use a small piece of perf. steel to keep the coal from falling out the tuyer, and replace as needed.

[Feukair]

Originally Posted by geofthesmith

does it have to be more than one hole/slot or does it matter so long as you get teh airflow to the center? also does the air always have to come in from the bottom?

Dont assume the air has to enter the fire in the center. Lots of firepots are designed with a solid cast-iron clinker breaker that sits right in the center of the air inlet. When you rotate the clinker breaker it rotates and it's sides and corners break up the clinker. As air comes up through the ash tube it hits the clinker breaker and is diffused around it. Air is always more diffused by the coal and coke itself as it enters the fire.

I have a firepot with a three slot design in the bottom so air enters directly into the heart of the file. Recently i used a firepot design with a centered clinker breaker as described above. I like the centered one better. It seemed to create a larger area of heat in the forge due to the air being diffused throughout more of the firepot.

[ThomasPowers]

Some clinker breakers are shaped so you can have a flat up so air goes to the sides, or have a lobe up so it tends more toward the middle so you can adjust for the type of fire you need.

[Dan OHare]

Originally Posted by GOATMAN

I use a cast iron floor drain bowl. It's round, ~4" deep, ~12"dia. Looks somthing like this, without the grate: works well! No clinker breaker; I use a small piece of perf. steel to keep the coal from falling out the tuyer, and replace as needed.

Is this the type that is used on rooftops? How thick are the walls on one of these? Dan

[tetnum]

goat man where do you get those they look sturdy i think i just might need to try this one

[piglet_74]

Hey that's pretty cool. I did a google search for "iron cesspool bell trap" and got a ton of hits. They range in size from 3 inchers to 12 inchers. I may have to give this a shot since they have them at the local ace. Thanks, Rob.

[GOATMAN]

Actually, I found them in a junk pile in my dad’s garage, There are two, so when one burns out, I have a replacement. The ones I have aren’t quite the same as shown, and it took me a little while to find the picture I posted. They are actually very hemispherical in the bowl, but have a square flange on top to accept a 12” square grate. The hole in the bottom is ~3”dia, with a collar ~2”long protruding from the bottom of the bowl. Cast iron, about ¼”thk.

Other styles could be more or less suitable. I like mine. I like the roundness of the bowl for pulling clinker out of the fire, etc.