How To Make An Oil Drip For A Wood Stove

A wood stove with an oil drip is a wood stove with a section for used oil, such as used motor or vegetable oil, which is slowly dripped into the fire for added fuel. A wood stove with an oil drip not only helps keep your workshop or garage warm, but also reduces the costs and time associated with shipping your used oil out for recycling.

Step 1

Put on a pair of safety glasses.

Step 2

Place a 5-gallon bucket on a stand about 2 feet away from your wood stove. The bucket should be higher than where the copper tubing that drips the oil will be located, which causes gravity to push the oil down the tubing into the furnace; there is no precise height requirement, it simply needs to be higher than the stove.

Step 3

Drill a hole anywhere in the top of the wood stove with a drill and 3/8-inch drill bit; the tubing should simply be positioned somewhere where the oil will hit the flames. Slide one end of the copper tubing into the hole so that it descends about 1 inch into the stove; the copper tubing can be as long as you like, but should, at a minimum, be long enough to stretch between the stove and the oil bucket. A long tube will take longer for the oil to pass through than a shorter tube.

Step 4

Drill a hole into the side of a 5-gallon bucket near the bottom using a drill and 1-inch drill bit.

Step 5

Slide the compression fitting into the hole in the bucket. Slide the rubber gasket included with the fitting over the threaded end inside the bucket, then screw the nut onto the threads. Tighten the nut using a wrench.

Step 6

Measure and cut a 4-inch piece of 1-inch diameter copper pipe using a hacksaw. Attach the copper pipe to the fitting on the bucket, then connect a 1/4-turn Bib faucet to the other end.

Step 7

Attach the free end of the copper tubing from the stove to the faucet send. Turn the faucet handle to ensure that it is closed completely. Pour oil into the bucket; be sure to filter the oil first, otherwise small particles can clog the thin tubing.

Step 8

Open the wood stove's door so that you can see the tubing. Build a fire using wood and matches. Once the fire is started, open the faucet connected to the bucket about one-half an inch. Wait 10 minutes for the oil to drip down the tubing and into the stove. If the oil drip is too slow, open the faucet open another one-half inch. Be very careful not to open the faucet too much; you could let out a fast stream of oil and cause an uncontrolled fire.

Step 9

Mark the faucet with a permanent marker when you find a setting that produces the right drip speed for your furnace.