Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers WITH EPA-Certified Models => Hawken Energy, support only => Topic started by: dave_dj1 on April 04, 2017, 09:18:48 AM
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I have a chance to pick up a slightly used Hawkin Energy GX10 for short money. The guy says it was only used one season. The outside including chimney cap look brand new. He had trouble running it and didn't keep the tubes and cat clean and nothing but trouble with it so he never used it again. For the most part it looks new.
I have read good reviews about the GX10 but they are all older so I am looking for some updated information, who is using one and how do you like it.
Thanks,
Dave
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Just what is "short money"? I only ask because NEW GX and HE stoves are showing up on Craigslist now a month after the Hawken auction.
Unless the guy is just about giving it away I would pass on it and look at the NEW HE's on CL.
I'm thinking the GX10 is also a small stove.
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Thanks Roscoe, short money is $500 bucks. I have a small house, only about 900 sf with finished basement so say 1800, good windows and decent insulation.
I have been heating it with my homebrewed hot air outside stove, it works great but it's close to the house. I was hoping to get the GX10 and move it away from the house (a little piece of mind). It is a gasser too.
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For $500 I don't think you could go wrong...............
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I would ask a lot of questions as to why it wasn't working for him. Hopefully it was user error.
But for $500 you could sell it for scrap and almost come out ahead.
If you need help making it run let us know. There are several guys on here with a fair amount of experience tinkering with downdrafters.
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I don't think that the Hawken is a downdrafter, it says that it's afterburner technology, that says to me that it uses some sort of catalyst.
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Thanks RSI, I guess I got schooled again! I wonder why they didn't bill it as a gasser and why it didn't succeed for them? I have never seen one up here!
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I think it down drafted, then ran through a cat. It had horizontal tubes that required manual brushing. Probably not a bad machine but could have used some updating.
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Thanks everyone, I dragged it home today. Luckily there is a farm right across the street and the guy had a big old payloader and loaded it right on my dump trailer. One day soon I'll clean it up. The tubes are black and cruddy, the guy I bought it from is a scrapper and never used it, he's had it sitting there for almost 2 years and now he'w moving south so needs cash.
The story is the guy that bought it new didn't learn how to run it and had nothing but trouble with it so after one year he stopped using it. It looks about like that happened.
It does have the cat, any ideas on cleaning it or wait until I fire it up and let it clean itself?
I watched one video and they used a cable with a frayed end to clean the tubes along with the vacuum.
Looking forward to experimenting with it. I keep a few years ahead on wood so dry wood shouldn't be a problem.
I will most likely take you up on the offer of lending some advice and tech when the time comes. I figure I have all summer to get the pipe, get a circulator and a HX for in my furnace plennum. I do have a question about heating my domestic, should that be first in line or last in line? The furnace and elec water heater are right next to each other.
Thinking maybe a modine type heater in the garage and use the second set of lines for that? The garage is only about 20 x 22 sort of insulated.
Thanks all,
Dave
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We always do a flat plate first for dhw, then a bypass valve (if you want to run in summer), then hot air hx. That way the air handler can't mess with water temps while you're in the shower. :)
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Garage could come off another furnace outlet or a secondary loop pumped off of two tees after the house air handler. Do whatever uses less pipe.
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If the cat works anything like they did on the Nature's Comfort GT220 then you will want to just take out and throw away. Didn't really do anything but plug up.
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I guess only time will tell. I got the thing home, it's sitting in my yard in my dump trailer. It's a lot heavier than I thought it was going to be. I'm not really sure what to do with it. I haven't decided on a spot for it yet...lol
I'll keep you all posted later on once I get it installed and running.
I do have a quick question regarding installation.
I have hot air heat in my house, no big deal I know. If I come in to the basement wall at the opposite end of the house from where the furnace is will I be OK to run non insulated pex the length of the house (40') walk out ranch with finished basement (dropped ceiling). I guess I could always use some pipe insulation on it. The reason for this is because my garage is on that end and I would use less underground pipe this way.
thanks
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http://imgur.com/QEfN2D3
http://imgur.com/SaKaazv
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No need to insulate inside the house unless it gets too warm. I have the same thing and the warm floor above the pipe is nice.
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My only concern would be that that strip of heated floor would creep the house temp up on mild spring and fall days. Just a thought.
Would depend on if you intend to run it in warmer weather, especially for domestic water.
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Yes, if it warms the house up too much then insulate it. I would try without first unless it is ever going to be used for dhw in the summer. Then it should be insulated for sure.
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Probably not going to run it in the summer. I'll try it without it and see.I guess it's not like the heat will be wasted.
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Unless you have to open the windows to let it out. ;D
After having the bare pipes in my house, I wouldn't insulate them. the radiant is a nice side effect and may even cut down blower run time depending on how much of the house it radiates to.
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Unless you have to open the windows to let it out. ;D
After having the bare pipes in my house, I wouldn't insulate them. the radiant is a nice side effect and may even cut down blower run time depending on how much of the house it radiates to.
:post:
If I insulated my basement pipes the wife would need a coat to do laundry. I have forced air with zero registers in the basement but all the copper pipe radiates enough heat to keep it comfortable.