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Messages - Corngrinder

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1
Fire Wood / Re: Any wood suppliers near me?
« on: June 19, 2019, 05:38:21 AM »
I do, but again - they're exclusively oaks and black walnuts.  Every now and again they have big maples or a sporadic red elm.  They leave the tops where they drop and usually only harvest around the edges of row crop fields on big farms (big money around here to have your timber harvested).

I suppose I'm just doomed to getting my wood the old fashioned way.

2
Equipment / Husq. 576xp AutoTune
« on: June 17, 2019, 03:26:08 PM »
Anyone have anything to say about these guys?  I'm looking to upgrade my 460 Rancher (going to keep it around, but as a secondary and for smaller stuff).  I'm 100% going with Husky, on account of it's what I've used for years and trust.  My original dealer sold his business and I've since moved... so I can't have this conversation with him. 

Anyways - I'm really liking what I'm reading online about the 576xp AutoTune.  Most everyone has something positive to say.  I was originally interested in the 372xp, but after doing some more looking and reading, I reckon I landed on the 576xpAT.    Has anyone used them, or worked on them, or noticed big issues with them? 

I strictly cut for firewood and really just want to make my life easier with a faster/bigger saw than the 460.  I'm going to get a 28" bar for felling and larger bucking, but I'll also have a 24" & 18" bar also.  All 3/8" x 0.050".  I do my own sharpening and maintenance. 

Really just looking to see if anyone has their own $.02 to throw in before I lay down the cash.  Is there a better option?


Thanks.

3
Fire Wood / Re: Any wood suppliers near me?
« on: June 17, 2019, 03:15:32 PM »
There are - but most are smaller veneer mills.  And most of the time they just want to sell me their pulpwood and ends already split at a higher cost since the work was already done.  :'(

4
Fire Wood / Any wood suppliers near me?
« on: April 25, 2019, 05:54:07 PM »
Hello - going out on a limb here (pun intended), but does anyone know any lumber companies that might deliver entire truck loads of wood to the central Illinois area?  I've spent a good amount of time scouring the internet and I've found a bunch of tree trimming services that I've reached out to and offered my place as a free drop off for their wood.  Loads are few and far between with most of them, however, and I'd really like to just get an entire 9-11 cord trailer dumped (even 2 or 3 would be fine  :) ) - even at cost and even if I have to cut it myself.  I'd be interested in pulp wood/green wood, tops, etc...  But I can't find anything nearby.  Best I've come up with are landscaping suppliers that want to sell individual face chords at $80+ and similar prices.  Buying a bulk load is cost effective for me as opposed to burning gas, but buying individual face chords split and ready to go isn't.

Thanks for any ideas.

5
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 17, 2016, 06:04:46 AM »
I bought a new mixing valve from my local dealer (~$50) - opened it up and took the T-stat out and put it in mine.  I don't think you can use an automotive type due to the dual temperature settings inside the mixing valve.  Although, automotive type T-stat gaskets work in a pinch.

We're planning to build a new house on the property in a few years.  I'll definitely be creating bypass loops for mine in future... I'm actually very excited about being able to re-plumb my entire set-up now that I've fiddled with it a bit.  It's going to have so many valves and loops and bypasses, I won't even know what to do with myself.

6
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 14, 2016, 12:51:03 PM »
Update to all who might care:

The boiler is back in service!  I replaced the T-stat inside the mixing valve, and viola... magic.

7
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 12, 2016, 03:31:39 PM »
This is like a giant game of Clue...

I'm fairly confident the pump is not the issue.  I can open a port and water blasts out with as much force as I've ever seen.  The boiler was also filled with softened water and then treated with corrosion inhibitor.

However, I like what you said about "the path of least resistance."  It's leading me towards something...

With my T-stat broken (and now completely removed) the mixing valve is open.  Ergo, it has 3 "out ports" and 1 "in" port.  I'm thinking, perhaps, boiler water is going into the valve and then dead-heading itself again the top 2 "out" ports and then just looping down to the intended "out" port back to the OWB.

Here is a link to a Central Boiler brand mixing valve: http://store.myheatingoptions.com/thermostatic-valve-kit/

Look at the graphic of the valve cut in half, then imagine it without the regulating T-stat inside.  Do you guys think I might be on to something here?

Would something as simple as a check valve fix this, or do I need to create a bypass loop to force water in the correct direction?

8
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 12, 2016, 02:32:52 PM »
Not air bound (I call it vapor lock).  I've taken everything apart.  Every line from A -> Z (except the 2 that I'm 100% sure are not blocked). 

I can get flow from the mixing valve to my DHW plate exchanger.  This has been 100% verfied.  My DHW plate HX is NOT blocked and it gets flow all the way through it.

Next is my water > air HX.  I opened both ends.  Blew through it, it was not blocked.  I blew water out, then I could physically feel air going through it.  When I hook the line back up between the DHW HX and the water > air HX, I don't get flow. 

Anyone have any ideas now?  I'm leaning towards a weak pump.  Does this make sense?  The distance between my two HXs is only about 3'; it will make it through one, but not the other (and I'm 100% sure it isn't blockage.

9
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 12, 2016, 12:23:17 PM »
Well...

I got a new gasket from AutoZone (Acura T-stat gaskets are just about perfect in size).  The gasket has been replaced and I removed the T-stat from the mixing valve.  Woohoo.... problem solved, right?

Nope.  I got no flow past the T-stat still.  What is going on?

10
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 12, 2016, 10:42:14 AM »
That is my plan.  Going to go see what  I can come up with gasket-wise... then put it back together and order one.  I really don't wan't to bypass it; seems it would be easier to fix it than do all that new plumbing.

11
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 12, 2016, 10:31:40 AM »
Definitely looks likes my T-stat is busted.  The gasket is worn as well. I might be up sh*t creek until I can get a replacement.  Going to see if an auto store has a gasket of similar size. 

I'd attach pictures, but my internet is too slow to upload  :-\

12
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 12, 2016, 09:44:15 AM »
Roger that.  I'm almost 100% confident that it is indeed the Thermostatic Valve.  When I take the HXs out-of-line, they heat up within about 5 minutes.  Once I put demand on them, they cannot keep up.  All the while, the heat at the mixing valve remains constant.

Is there more than 1 regulator inside the mixing valve?  And if so, do you reckon it's the valve that allows the OWB to recycle that is stuck open, or do you think the valve that allows heated water to my HXs is stuck shut?

Thanks for all the advice.

13
Plumbing / Re: Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 12, 2016, 08:10:33 AM »
My boiler temp was roughly 190 when I made the post.

Also, since posting I came up with a few more clues... and I reckon they point towards a stuck Thermostatic valve, but don't let my opinion sway yours.

Here's what I got:
The plumbing after the mixing valve heated up overnight.  It's what I would consider "average temp" from what I've observed in the past.  I noticed this for a brief moment last night as well, however it was after I had purged and bypassed the HXs, so I didn't put much into it. When I use that heat (via turning on the furnace or using DHW) the little heat that was "stored" dissipates and returns to ambient room temp.

This is what I observed only by touching the pipes and trying to utilize the heat.

To answer other questions:
No, I cannot bypass the mixing valve (unless I run about 75' of temporary hose).

The pump is located about 10" away from the discharge port of the boiler, inside the utility door or the boiler.


Also, anyone familiar with the innards of a Central Boiler Thermostatic Valve?  Is this something I can take apart and fiddle with, or does it need to be replaced if that's the problem?

14
Plumbing / Desperate for troubleshooting advice. Please help.
« on: November 11, 2016, 09:25:37 PM »
Fired up the OWB today...

I cannot, for the life of me, get hot water from the OWB into my DHW HX, nor can I get it into my Water -> Air HX.

This is my 3rd season using the OWB (Central Boiler 5036).  I did all the plumbing and installation myself.  It's a very simplistic set-up and I'm very familiar with it.  Water exits the boiler via a Taco pump, runs underground through my Thermopex, enters the house, comes through my Thermostatic Mixing Valve, enters a plate HX for DHW first, continues into my furnace plenum via a water -> air HX, then exits the house through the aforementioned mixing valve. Basically, everything was installed to manufacturer recommendations.

Hot boiler water is making it to the mixing valve just fine.  At first, I figured my loop (past the mixing valve) was vapor locked since it is physically higher in elevation.  This is not the case, I have bled the line.  I've also purged both HXs using an external water supply (backflushed, if you will).

Furthermore, I can break my loop in multiple spots to verify flow. If I break my loop before the DHW HX, I get boiler water to come out.  If I break it after my DHW HX, I get the same result (proving to myself that the HX isn't plugged).  I can do the same thing for the water -> air HX with the same results.  Point being, neither HX is plugged.  This also proves that the mixing valve is working since boiler water will make it to the broken loops.

When I piece everything back together, however, I get the same problem - no flow to either HX.

I'm left with very few things to check:  Either my pump doesn't have enough a** to get water through the system effectively (although, it appears to have more than enough pressure when broken) or perhaps my mixing valve isn't working as well as I think it should? Or... am I completely missing something?

Does anyone have advice?  I'm getting a little desperate; burning propane isn't nearly as fun as wood (or as cheap).

I really don't want to start mindlessly replacing parts until I find a cure either...

15
Equipment / So, this thing...
« on: May 11, 2016, 09:31:44 PM »
http://www.fiskars.com.au/products/gardening/forestry-tools-saws/woodxpert-sappie-xa22-1003623

Found this online while looking for log tongs and other hauling equipment.  Does anyone know if they're available stateside?  I sent an email straight to Fiskars, but I'm not putting much faith in a response.

Reminds me of the X27.  I've wanted a hookeroon/pickeroon for a while and this one definitely fits the bill.

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