advice on oven propane or electric

[RCC]

First lets make sure I understand all I've read from previous post.
I want to build a oven approx 5'x5'x4' up untill today planned to use several oven elements. After reading some post thinking that using a propane forced air heater would be more cost effective on the monthly electric bill. My shop is 24'x40' so if I use propane I would need to spray the powder THEN turn on oven bake parts THEN turn off oven and shoot the next batch of parts. Or put the oven outside away from any powder floating in the air. As far as putting the parts in the oven or baking them is there danger using propane?
Just a little afraid of what my electric bill would be heating up a oven a few times a week. But I also want to be safe about using this don't need any explosions. I would like to also know if there would be any problems not putting a floor in it so I could easily roll in my parts already on a rack
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated

[customandsound]

there is a danger on all things .. but the propane under a heat sheild will work. at that size can i suggest a torpedo heat instead? you will nee 250k to get it going .. it will put out at it hottest 3500f depending on the fuel use. No oil residue to deal with and you can get them in propane..

small box small heater..:


i need to get pics of the new stuff.. I just been to busy..

But i got a little bigger oven than you are going to build i use a 250k heater. and for the 8'x8' i got 2 firing it when it get's to temp i turn the one off and the other will do the job...

[RCC]

What do you mean by heat shield? Is a torpedo heater the same as a forced air heater? Thanks

[sdold]

Message edited now that I understand the design.

[customandsound]

What do you mean by heat shield? Is a torpedo heater the same as a forced air heater? Thanks

Yes it is the same but in smaller form...

[Blademan]

stick with electric if ya can......

[mcaswell]

Bickering like school girls

I've deleted several 'bantering posts' here, just to put this forum back on an even keel.

Here is CASWELL Inc's policy on propane ovens.

We don't recommend it, because there is a risk of explosion. Just because you want to save a couple of bucks, doesn't make it right. If you can't stand the heat.............

However, I know a lot of our customers are doing it. They also smoke cigarettes and are killing themselves daily doing that.

We're not your mother! Use your common sense, and before you light up, let your next of kin know where this posting is, and tell them you read and understood it.

This message applies both to propane ovens and cigarettes.

Mike Caswell

[Blademan]

Thank you Mike ,on all three counts there, now if I could just beat the cigerette one i'll have it made..

[LeeParsons]

I agree with Mike on this one, the propane oven will be more economical to operate monetarily but at an increased risk of fire or explosion. As for the cigarettes, that's one bad habit I haven't been able to kick yet.

[customandsound]

that is what i tyed to get at about the other post ... thank you mike..

[holeshot87]

Re: advice on oven propane or electric

i have a 6'h x 4'd x 3'w oven. what size torpedo heater do i need 50,000,60'000 btu's ect.

[holeshot87]

Re: advice on oven propane or electric

i want to use propane.

[bzer1]

Re: advice on oven propane or electric

If you're set on using propane...I would advise you to search around for a good professionally made heater box. I've seen them range from $150 used, to several thousand for huge industrial applications. A heater box will mount directly to you oven wall but will require some well insulated ducting to keep the temps even. The reason I suggest using a heater box is that you will have a heat exchanger between the open flame and the oven box. You will also need to have a decent ventilation system for both your burner and your oven. In the long run I chose electric because of the complexity and additional cost of using a gas burner.

[azoldbill]

Re: advice on oven propane or electric

And now for a post from the Propane-powered group....

First, I completely agree about the safety issues in the previous posts, you need to be aware where the dangers are and how to eliminate them. That being said....I'm NOT an expert, just a guy who made a propane oven work in my situation. I take NO responsibility for any misfortune you may suffer by using a propane powered oven of any variety.

My bro-in-law was kind enough to score me a pair of industrial-quality gas restuarant ovens. These are enclosed oven boxes. That is, the flame is under the oven box, and not in the same air mass that the parts are heated in. (The heat from the flames under the box is drawn around the oven box by a fan.) This is the ONLY reason I accepted those two ovens. If they were of the open-flame-inside-the-box variety, I would have turned them down flat.

After that, my only big concern was what would happen if I get a concentration of powder in an enclosed space with that flame under the oven. So I simply do my coating far enough away from the oven (with the oven on the driveway in open air...lots of ventilation) and have had no problems. (other than the occassional strong breeze.... )And now that I'm getting set up in my new place, I'll build a high draw powder booth on the back wall and keep the oven near the open garage door. But the bottom line is that I keep the two far enough away from one another to not pose a danger.

If there is anything dangerous I've missed, I'd love to be educated about it.