I have a barrel stove kit almost fully assembled with a mild steel barrel. It needs the legs to be attached and the paint burned off, stripped off, then re-painted. However, i have a stainless barrel offered for free. It has a spigot welded to it which i will pay to have removed and patched. The insulation value of the stainless is much higher than the mild steel so the firebox will burn hotter. The SS is also more difficult to weld and heavier. On the plus side: SS won't require paint so no burn off and re-paint. The SS should last longer.
My question is 'what other pros and cons should be considered? ' Thanks for your insight
I just wondering, why remove the spigot? It might be threaded in?
I have built probably 6 of these stoves before they got a bad name (with the insurance companies) some were doubles, most were singles. Never found a stainless barrel. Is this a 55gal. or a 30gal.? The heat is what burns these barrels out. Stainless will not in any way change the way that fire burns or the heat you get out of it, unless you know some laws of physics I missed. ;D However, it should increase the life you get out of the stove because these stoves lose life during the humid summer months when they are not burning and rust away. I got 30 years out of a 30gallon one I made, but finally it had so many pinholes, it was no longer safe to use. Paint doesn't really hold up on these stoves unless you do it often. I used stove polish, which is like a paste, but after 10 years, you forget some seasons. :D
You should be able to just leave that spigot in, The polymer seal in it will cook off. Always burn these barrels in outside with a hot fire before you bring them inside to install.
Also just be aware, a lot of insurance companies will not cover any fire damage if they find out it was caused by a barrel stove that was not inspected, and none of these barrel stoves, as far as I know, meet current EPA specs. Just sayin'.
Hope this helps you a little.
As metals go I think mild steel has about triple the thermal conductivity of stainless. Hmm does that mean you have to run the fire hotter to get the same effect, the fun of staring into your belly button :D
absolutely get the stainless. a cuttoff disk wont care too much. itll still weld with regular wire. its just gonna be harder to drill through and it doesnt really cut with a torch. there is more than enough surface area. make it a double barrel with the mild one ontop for more efficiency.
i go through one garbage burn barrel in a year, year and a half. they just turn to dust.. crimped edges is all thats left of them to scrap.
If the stainless barrel is magnetic it probably won't last any longer than a regular barrel. My propane gas grill has so-called STAINLESS BURNERS. They burn out in a year or two and have to be replaced. your mileage may vary.
This stove will be used to heat a wall tent. The spigot was welded on for the original owner's industrial purpose. I think it's a 50 gal @ 23.5"x34.75". Anyway the stove kit will fit it.
Stainless has a great thermal conductive coefficient and it'll be really nice not to concern myself with painting it
There was a double barrel one in my pole barn when I bought my house and it had to be replaced with a legal ul listed stove to get insurance coverage. The last owner installed it illegally. Should really verify with your insurance company if they will cover a building with a non ul listed barrel stove and not deny claims on the whole policy if it ever causes problems.
Quote from: Canadiana on August 17, 2021, 06:16:16 PM
Stainless has a great thermal conductive coefficient and it'll be really nice not to concern myself with painting it
Actually stainless has one of the lowest thermal conductive ratios of all metals, that said it will still get just as hot but if the fire is in one end of the stove that end will expand quicker than the other and it's why poorly designed stainless stoves crack more. In the end for a barrel stove I'd use the stainless just because most barrel stoves die from rust and all that thermal coefficient talk is just too technical for a barrel stove!