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1
Fire Wood / how to cut a tree across a gulley
« on: April 09, 2013, 07:59:49 PM »
I have two huge trees down in my ravine and both uprooted and fell across the gulley. One is a maple about 20" to 22" across but the other is an oak that is pushing 30" in diameter. I had another smaller oak that snapped above ground and settled perpendicular to the ground but the trunk was only 2' or so up and I used my car jack to lift and block up the trunk as I cut it which worked well. But that big oak is 3' to 4' off of the ground and I could use the jack close to the roots but that's about it. How would you guys tackle a big trunk like this across a gulley? I am thinking about notching the top of the trunk and dropping that way but I am not fond of being so close and below when that huge trunk comes down in two pieces and blocking up so high seems awkward too...
kc
kc
2
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / fine tuning a new OWB
« on: January 10, 2013, 07:24:41 PM »
Well she has been burning (mostly) since Monday and I am hopeful the worst part of the learning curve is behind. Fire went out first night and I am still not sure how that happened as it burned for nearly 4 straight hours getting to temp so it should have had a heck of a coal base. No hot water on morning one was not a good start. Wired my Tstat wrong on day two as I finalized it's install and had the AC and boiler competing. That was big fun as I had cut the condensation line on the A-coil for the HE install and haven't fixed it back yet. Who needs AC in January? Thanks to prior posts here I learned about the power backfeed issue on the fan wiring between 2 Tstats. On day three as I was still trying to figure out the Tstat I told my wife to just turn the fan on manually if it got cool in the house and she fell asleep with it on and it got pretty toasty by the time she woke. None of the pets died or plants wilted so I guess no harm no foul.
I noted that my hot water went from 115 at the tap from my DHW heater to 140 coming in off the brazed plate HE. But with the bypass valves I installed on the lines in front I was able to mix some cold water to temper it down and now I get 130 at the tap so I am kind of smiling realizing that I have endless hot water, I am using no electricity to heat it, and I can loosely control the temp with the bypass valves (and I figured that out without reading about it). I think I am going to like this thing!
A few observations / questions for you guys who have been doing this a while. First off on the fire going out. I realized that if the fire sits idle too long that the chances of it going out increase like it did night one. I first thought about programming little temp spikes with the programmable house Tstat to pull some heat off of the boiler here and there to stoke the fire but that seemed a little nutzo. I started with my boiler temp at 160 with a 10 degree difference but have gone to 170 with a 3 degree diff. I am thinking with the smaller range it will stoke the fire more often but burn for less time to get to heat which may be better on keeping coals. Do you guys think a longer or shorter burn cycle will help keep it lit?
Also I put a couple of analog thermometers inside on the supply and return lines so I could observe the heat usage and I have noted that there is a consistent difference of 9 or 10 degrees with the Ranco on the back of the boiler. It could be that I am losing heat between the boiler and house but I have some pretty well insulated lines on a fresh install so I am more inclined to believe that the digital and analog thermometers just are not in sync. Any similar experience with these?
She has been burning maybe a bit more wood that I would have guessed but then again with the mishaps and only a few days I don't think I have a good feel for the true usage. But at this rate I will be busier cutting and splitting than I ever imagined but maybe that will help me get to that svelte, boyish figure from years past. Yeah right!! But it sure is nice in warm in here these days. Last week on one of the cooler mornings and we were still burning the inside stove I got up for work and took my morning shower at 55 in the master BR. No more!!!
kc
I noted that my hot water went from 115 at the tap from my DHW heater to 140 coming in off the brazed plate HE. But with the bypass valves I installed on the lines in front I was able to mix some cold water to temper it down and now I get 130 at the tap so I am kind of smiling realizing that I have endless hot water, I am using no electricity to heat it, and I can loosely control the temp with the bypass valves (and I figured that out without reading about it). I think I am going to like this thing!
A few observations / questions for you guys who have been doing this a while. First off on the fire going out. I realized that if the fire sits idle too long that the chances of it going out increase like it did night one. I first thought about programming little temp spikes with the programmable house Tstat to pull some heat off of the boiler here and there to stoke the fire but that seemed a little nutzo. I started with my boiler temp at 160 with a 10 degree difference but have gone to 170 with a 3 degree diff. I am thinking with the smaller range it will stoke the fire more often but burn for less time to get to heat which may be better on keeping coals. Do you guys think a longer or shorter burn cycle will help keep it lit?
Also I put a couple of analog thermometers inside on the supply and return lines so I could observe the heat usage and I have noted that there is a consistent difference of 9 or 10 degrees with the Ranco on the back of the boiler. It could be that I am losing heat between the boiler and house but I have some pretty well insulated lines on a fresh install so I am more inclined to believe that the digital and analog thermometers just are not in sync. Any similar experience with these?
She has been burning maybe a bit more wood that I would have guessed but then again with the mishaps and only a few days I don't think I have a good feel for the true usage. But at this rate I will be busier cutting and splitting than I ever imagined but maybe that will help me get to that svelte, boyish figure from years past. Yeah right!! But it sure is nice in warm in here these days. Last week on one of the cooler mornings and we were still burning the inside stove I got up for work and took my morning shower at 55 in the master BR. No more!!!
kc
3
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / She's lit!!!
« on: January 07, 2013, 08:21:55 PM »
Finally --- the blessed day has come. Inch by inch, weekend by weekend I have been piecing together a self install of a Earth Mountain Man 505 and today is the day. I finished off the plumbing yesterday and thought I would fire last evening but on the leak test I had a couple of drippers to attend to and evening plans so again it took longer than expected. But I fired her up after work and now at half time of the big blow out she is at 130 and climbing. Feels good and it will feel even better to not have to call the propane dealer for a refill!!! Thanks guys for all of the advice. It really did help me greatly piece this thing together...
kc
kc
4
Fire Wood / starting oak
« on: December 26, 2012, 09:30:30 PM »
I am fairly new to stove fires in general and I am still pending firing up my OWB -- hopefully in the next week or so. We moved into our current house over a year ago and burned a fireplace insert stove last winter and I remember having a lot of trouble starting fires with straight oak. I had about 1/2 cord of well seasoned maple so what I learned was when starting a fire I would use a couple of sticks of maple under the oak. My issue this year is I have practically all oak in my wood piles. The maple is gone and I do have one pile of green pine but otherwise all oak. Maybe it won't be much of an issue burning my oak in the OWB in that maybe the fires will rarely go out like they did pretty often with the insert stove. But do you guys have any tricks to share for starting fires with harder-to-start wood?
kc
kc
5
Electronics / furnace fan generator connection
« on: December 21, 2012, 09:45:26 PM »
We just had a round of crazy winds here the last couple days which although we didn't lose power some did and it got me thinking about being prepared. I am close to firing up an Earth 505 which is wired with the whole stove to a single power plug that could easily be plugged into a generator if the lights go out. But my house furnace is a different story and the fan would also have to run if the power is out. In my previous house I had re-wired the furnace cutoff switch to a plug and socket much like the Earth stove where I could unplug the furnace from the incoming power line and into a generator. I remember the ice storm of 2009 (and wind storm of 2010) and being out of power for nearly a week both times and that setup and a generator came in pretty handy.
But when we sold that house and the inspector saw this arrangement he went ballistic and made me put the switch back in. I even had an electric contractor in later and got much the same response. I can't remember which one said it but there was a comment something about power "back feeding" to the breaker panel. While I am not an electrical engineer I am kind of having a hard time understanding that and want to know what you guys think about such an arrangment. The only way I can see power back feeding into the panel is if the generator was plugged into the socket which was connected to the incoming power from the panel to the furnace. Of course what I did was unplug the furnace from the incoming power and into an extension cord back to the generator - hence nothing was connected to the incoming power socket at that point. Am I crazy or are they? Am I overlooking something obvious or is this one of those cases of a common sense solution doesn't make sense to "professionals". In short - do you guys see anything wrong with the incoming power on a socket and the furnace on a plug in place of a cutoff switch?
kc
But when we sold that house and the inspector saw this arrangement he went ballistic and made me put the switch back in. I even had an electric contractor in later and got much the same response. I can't remember which one said it but there was a comment something about power "back feeding" to the breaker panel. While I am not an electrical engineer I am kind of having a hard time understanding that and want to know what you guys think about such an arrangment. The only way I can see power back feeding into the panel is if the generator was plugged into the socket which was connected to the incoming power from the panel to the furnace. Of course what I did was unplug the furnace from the incoming power and into an extension cord back to the generator - hence nothing was connected to the incoming power socket at that point. Am I crazy or are they? Am I overlooking something obvious or is this one of those cases of a common sense solution doesn't make sense to "professionals". In short - do you guys see anything wrong with the incoming power on a socket and the furnace on a plug in place of a cutoff switch?
kc
6
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Sitting pretty!
« on: November 28, 2012, 09:34:17 PM »
It feels like it has been a long road since I first "warmed up" to the concept of owning a OWB to now where she is sitting pretty on her pad waiting to be hooked up and fired up. Just in time for Santa!!!
kc
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kc
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7
Plumbing / heat exchanger install opinions
« on: November 28, 2012, 09:26:41 PM »
Well I picked up my mountain man 505 over the weekend and she is sitting pretty on her pad waiting to be hooked up and fired up. I am installing my underground pex this weekend and on to hooking up the hot water and furnace there after. But I still need to finalize my furnace heat exchanger selection. From what I gather the most straight forward place to install would be above my existing Ruud furnace and below the A-coil on the AC (see picture). The duct work there is 20x20x12 so there is plenty of room for a shelf and a slide-in install. But my brother-in-law who helped me set the stove on the pad and does sheet metal work was recommending I install the HE on the return side. The return duct is approximately 12x23 and he offered to rework the duct making transitions to accomodate a larger HE. Also my filter is at the base of the return so if we install on the return side that would place the HE before the filter and when I pointed that out he said we could move it. What do you guys think? Is it worth the trouble to rework the return side or go with the simpler slide-in route between the furnace and A-coil? Thanks again for the infinite wisdom that flows from you guys on this site. It is really a good feeling to be able to figure this stuff out and do most (maybe all) of the install myself...
kc
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kc
[attachment deleted by admin]
8
Plumbing / heat exchanger for sun room
« on: November 14, 2012, 08:06:06 PM »
As I am working on a design for my upcoming system a new need has popped up which is heating a sun room. My wife is keeping some of her animals there and is running an electric heater 24/7 which to me screams it needs to be part of the new system. The room is 14'x19' with about 10' ceilings. With all of the windows it is not well insulated and I have calculated needing around 16k BTU heating capacity. My question is what would be the best type of heat exchanger to install? I would hope for something relatively small in size and maybe something hung up out of the way on a wall or from the ceiling. Is a unit heater like for a garage the best bet? I have noted there are "kick space" heaters which are smaller in size but I don't know if there are any that could handle that capacity. Would baseboard be worth considering? Any insight would be appreciated...
kc
kc
9
Plumbing / opinions on OWB plumbing to house
« on: November 02, 2012, 10:31:15 PM »
Trying to get my head around my plumbing design and the few I've talked to directly have given me different ideas. Bottom line is I have a 3000 sf pretty well insulated home in northern KY and I want to plumb in my forced air furnace (20"x20" plenum), hot water, 250 gallon hot tub, and a small HE in my 20x25 garage for occasional heat if I work on something in there. My question is can I plumb all of this off of a single 1" loop back to the OWF? The first guy I talked to had me with one loop to the furnace only, another pair to a coil in the OWB for hot water, and a third loop for the hot tub / garage. I have already decided to put in a heat exchanger at the hot water heater so I don't need that loop back to the OWB. I feel pretty confident in one loop for furnace, HW, and garage but I am wondering if adding the hot tub would be too much. Also if I can do all 4 on one loop should I consider a larger pump to push more water? What about bumping up to 1.25" lines? Some more specs which may be relevent is from my OWB to my garage and hot water is 60' or so, to the furnace is an added 50', and another 15' past to the hot tub so the total loop would be 125' or so. Thanks in advance for your thoughts as I am set on doing as much of this as I can myself but want to make the right calls and not have to redo any work if possible...
kc
kc
10
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / furnace install near woods
« on: October 31, 2012, 09:21:08 PM »
I am gearing up to install an OWB with my next step to pour a concrete pad hopefully in the next week. I have what I thought was a perfect spot picked out - 50' from the house, near the driveway for convenience, and also downwind from the house as it is to the east. But this spot is near a drop off going down into a hollow which is wooded. If I continue with this plan this spot my stove will be 10' to 20' feet from the woods. I have never operated an OWB and I am wondering if being that close to the hollow and woods would be a mistake. Starting a forest fire would not be big fun. Are there any precautions I can take to eliminate the risk or should I forsake the convenience and shorter distance and install it further back from the woods?
Thanks for any advice in advance...
kc
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Thanks for any advice in advance...
kc
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11
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / basic underground pex question
« on: October 24, 2012, 08:47:20 PM »
Trying to get my head around my first OWB install and today laid out my pad, wood shed, and the insulated pex path to the house. 60' through the driveway and my wife's cobblestone walkway and on to the back corner of the house. I live in northern KY so I am shooting for a 2' deep trench. But my question is entry into the house. Is it best to stay underground when coming into the house with the insulated pex lines or do most enter above ground? The obvious thought is breaching the foundation below ground could cause a foundation leak but staying underground would preserve the ground's insulation. What do you guys think?
kc
kc
12
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / trailering new OWB
« on: October 23, 2012, 08:58:02 PM »
New to the site but have been absorbing the posts on this site the last couple of weeks as I am "hot and heavy" into getting into an OWB -- hopefully before this winter. I moved to my current homestead a little over a year ago with 10 acres of woods and more firewood that you can shake a stick at so an OWB is highly appealing to me.
I am looking at a couple models and getting my head around how to do this and the furnace I am most interested in does not have the option to be delivered and set on the pad for me. Talking with the dealer he said that I could pick up the 2200 lb stove and trailer to my install pad. I don't have any equipment to move around a one ton stove so do you guys have any ideas / tricks for safely moving it from a trailer to the pad? He suggested using boards and iron pipe which I can somewhat visualize. One plus is the pad will be just a few feet from my driveway so I should be able to back the trailer up to / over the pad. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I can't tell you guys how much a site like this comforts us newbies! Information is good!
kc
I am looking at a couple models and getting my head around how to do this and the furnace I am most interested in does not have the option to be delivered and set on the pad for me. Talking with the dealer he said that I could pick up the 2200 lb stove and trailer to my install pad. I don't have any equipment to move around a one ton stove so do you guys have any ideas / tricks for safely moving it from a trailer to the pad? He suggested using boards and iron pipe which I can somewhat visualize. One plus is the pad will be just a few feet from my driveway so I should be able to back the trailer up to / over the pad. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I can't tell you guys how much a site like this comforts us newbies! Information is good!
kc
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