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Automatic Squirrel


rusty69

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Following on from my other thread "has it gone out?"

 

I am looking for ideas to automate my squirrel.

 

Current thinking is a Bluetooth controlled air valve and a wifi camera, both controlled by phone. 

 

 The air valve will allow air into the bottom of the stove to kick start it first thing in the morning without the need for getting out of bed.

 

Thoughts?

 

PS. It is not compulsory for anyone to reply, or follow this thread

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How about a spring loaded switch with a wind sock attached.  Whilst the eco fan is blowing and keeping the wind sock filled, the spring remains compressed and the switch is held open.  When the fire dies down the eco fan slows and, after many hours depending on the solid fuel loaded,  eventually the wind in the sock will be reduced to the point where the spring will close the switch.  Then you simply need an electro-mechanical system which increases the draught and resupplies the fuel. Simple!

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Mrs Rusty has just suggested a mechanical  pushrod/flap system. Similar to the old squirrel that has a round blanking flap/airwash system at the back. A long push rod would be required to operate from the bed. 

 

This would require a new hole /flap in the existing stove, so is a stupid, stupid idea, but i ain't brave enough to tell her. 

Edited by rusty69
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1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

Following on from my other thread "has it gone out?"

 

I am looking for ideas to automate my squirrel.

 

Current thinking is a Bluetooth controlled air valve and a wifi camera, both controlled by phone. 

 

 The air valve will allow air into the bottom of the stove to kick start it first thing in the morning without the need for getting out of bed.

 

Thoughts?

 

PS. It is not compulsory for anyone to reply, or follow this thread

Whilst this is one of your insane wheezes my last stove did have automatic control of the lower vent and could be adjusted to keep within a certain temperature range 24/7 whilstever fuel was in the stove. Proper stove but two big for a sewer tube.

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2 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Whilst this is one of your insane wheezes my last stove did have automatic control of the lower vent and could be adjusted to keep within a certain temperature range 24/7 whilstever fuel was in the stove. Proper stove but two big for a sewer tube.

Do tell more..................

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2 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Do tell more..................

It was a large pot belly. Superb stove. I have mentioned them before. It had a ventilation flap at the rear attached to a gadget that moved slightly with temperature change, iirc it was on the bimetal sort of principle. As the temp dropped a couple of degrees the vent was opened etc etc. It was adjustable and we set it up after a bit of fiddling to get the thing adjusted correctly it worked well. You could manualy overide it, in other words unhitch it say on going to bed to drop the temp a little. Proper bit of kit. If I buy another comfy boat I will hunt out another.

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1 minute ago, mrsmelly said:

It was a large pot belly. Superb stove. I have mentioned them before. It had a ventilation flap at the rear attached to a gadget that moved slightly with temperature change, iirc it was on the bimetal sort of principle. As the temp dropped a couple of degrees the vent was opened etc etc. It was adjustable and we set it up after a bit of fiddling to get the thing adjusted correctly it worked well. You could manualy overide it, in other words unhitch it say on going to bed to drop the temp a little. Proper bit of kit. If I buy another comfy boat I will hunt out another.

That sounds brilliant. A bimetalic thermo valve. Now, where can I buy one to fit my squirrel?.....scuttles off to engine room to knock up a prototype

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7 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

It was a large pot belly. Superb stove. I have mentioned them before. It had a ventilation flap at the rear attached to a gadget that moved slightly with temperature change, iirc it was on the bimetal sort of principle. As the temp dropped a couple of degrees the vent was opened etc etc. It was adjustable and we set it up after a bit of fiddling to get the thing adjusted correctly it worked well. You could manualy overide it, in other words unhitch it say on going to bed to drop the temp a little. Proper bit of kit. If I buy another comfy boat I will hunt out another.

similar idea runs my boiler (knob & arm on top left),

temperature drops - arm lifts up opening air flap, set the desired water temperature with the knob and leave it alone.

post-9998-0-26156900-1478786150_thumb.jpg

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20 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

That sounds brilliant. A bimetalic thermo valve. Now, where can I buy one to fit my squirrel?.....scuttles off to engine room to knock up a prototype

£31.50 from https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Thermostat-to-Suit-Various-Parkray-Models-115074/719867747?iid=112608157165&chn=ps

 

You may need to make a few brackets etc.

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3 minutes ago, Tacet said:

Now were getting somewhere, looks good,although a bit bulky.

 

If only a rotary heatproof temperature controlled valved could be substituted for the bottom air vent

Parkray Thermostat 098184 001-600x400.jpg

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45 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Whilst this is one of your insane wheezes my last stove did have automatic control of the lower vent and could be adjusted to keep within a certain temperature range 24/7 whilstever fuel was in the stove. Proper stove but two big for a sewer tube.

We had something similar when I was a brat.

A rotary control which adjusted a air vent controlled by a bimetalic strip, worked well until a bit of grit got caught behind the vent.

Being woken in the small hours by the sound of the hot water tank boiling was not uncommon 

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12 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Now were getting somewhere, looks good,although a bit bulky.

 

If only a rotary heatproof temperature controlled valved could be substituted for the bottom air vent

Parkray Thermostat 098184 001-600x400.jpg

 

It's been a while since I saw one, but I recall that that it was set vertically like a pendulum - with the air flap at the bottom, presumably to ease the load on the actuator.   There was a knob to twiddle at the top (probably the brass shaft showing?)  to adjust the temperature.  I imagine it pushed against the piston.  The knob was marked with degrees and made less than one turn from stop to stop .

 

Anyway, if you put some sort of electric twiddller to the shaft (maybe a an actuator from a 3 port plumbing valve?) controlled by your phone, all will be well.

 

When Bizzard arrives, he will provide a simpler solution using only string.

 

 

Edited by Tacet
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Ok, you need a live squirrel.  Put a Harness on the squirrel and tie a string to the harness.  Wind the string around the vent, having first wrapped a friction band around the vent.  Buy some peanut butter and some automatic dog feeders with remote control.   Add peanut butter to each feeder. Every time you want the vent opening more, use the remote control to open a feeder pouch which is a few inches away from the previous one.

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18 minutes ago, NB Lola said:

Ok, you need a live squirrel.  Put a Harness on the squirrel and tie a string to the harness.  Wind the string around the vent, having first wrapped a friction band around the vent.  Buy some peanut butter and some automatic dog feeders with remote control.   Add peanut butter to each feeder. Every time you want the vent opening more, use the remote control to open a feeder pouch which is a few inches away from the previous one.

:clapping:

 

I think our cats would eat the squirrel before it got to the peanut butter.

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