Chassis oven?

[BClapp]

My main source of business is race car guys. I am always getting requests to coat chassis, but unfortunately I don't have an oven that big. I don't have access to much electricity either, only having about 50 amps to work with. I would like to build one using propane or fuel oil. I have an oven I am using right now that is heated with a propane furnace jet that works very well. I was thinking about trying to get about 4-6 jets to heat it? Think this is feasible? economical?

[Tinman]

Re: Chassis oven?

I have been using propane burners in my ovens for over 4 years with no problems. There are rules that need to be followed with gas ovens or they can become very dangerous. The oven needs a motorized exhaust system, it needs a purge time before the burner is fired and the flames should be outside of the oven. I have a 4.5'x6'x10' oven heated with a 250,000btu forced fan heater (torpedo heater) that I have been using for over a year with no problems. I control the temperature with the thermostat that I removed from an old household electric oven. I don't know if it is more economical than an electric oven or not as I've never had an electric oven. I burn about 75 - 100 gallons of propane per month, depending on my work load for the month. This is a picture of my first oven. It was 4'x6'x6'. I sold it to a manufacturer to do their own powder coating in shop.

[BClapp]

Re: Chassis oven?

The problem I have with upgrading the electric is my current electric is a branch off my house. The house is only on 100 amps. Also, there is no poles up the road towards my garage, so I would have to pay for at least 3 poles($1200), all of the wiring(don't want to know), a transformer($3k), plus roughly a grand in the box, meter pan, breakers, ground wire, ground rod, URD wire, conduit, entrance wire, etc... Right now, I can't foot that bill. I am looking at a few locations to move into in much more populated areas, one of which has 440 service, which would be excellent, but nothing is certain, so I want to figure out how to build something on my own property right now, should the need arise.

[Guest]

Re: Chassis oven?

I have been using propane burners in my ovens for over 4 years with no problems. There are rules that need to be followed with gas ovens or they can become very dangerous. The oven needs a motorized exhaust system, it needs a purge time before the burner is fired and the flames should be outside of the oven. I have a 4.5'x6'x10' oven heated with a 250,000btu forced fan heater (torpedo heater) that I have been using for over a year with no problems. I control the temperature with the thermostat that I removed from an old household electric oven. I don't know if it is more economical than an electric oven or not as I've never had an electric oven. I burn about 75 - 100 gallons of propane per month, depending on my work load for the month. This is a picture of my first oven. It was 4'x6'x6'. I sold it to a manufacturer to do their own powder coating in shop.

Hey Tinman that looks just like my oven. I wish I could get a t-stat to work with my heater but it has some type of primer that need to be held in for it to fire

[Tinman]

Re: Chassis oven?

I built the one in the picture in 2004 and used it for a little over a year before I sold it. Both heaters that I have used are the self igniting type and work good with the thermostats.

Leo