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[mtoll]

FF119,
I bought my HeatMaster form Hartland Energy in Ohio, Scott is the dealer owner. Really good people to work with. Ive only been using my 5000E for 4 months and have really been impressed with it. Getting long burn times with not so seasoned wood. Don't think you can go wrong with CB or HeatMaster,  I just didn't want a natural draft OWB.       

[hotterburn4u]

Hello the issue of fire side corrosion has been a issue for all hydronic heater manufacturers .None of them want to hear of premature failure, there have been different ways to try and prevent this corrosion problem, some use stainless steel with good and bad results, others have went with refractory cement surrounding the fire which totally eliminate the possibility of ash line corrosion ,with several additional benefits including hotter cleaner burning ,better heat transfer due to less creosote ,another huge advantage of refractory in any fire is the ability to absorb a tremendous amount of heat,much more than water alone, this heat helps dispatch the moisture which is a byproduct of the combustion process, resulting in  a drier fire box less likely to have corrosion .The hotter burn also makes a conventional burner as close to a gasification unit as possible and still be able to burn less  than desirable wood with good results . No matter what you purchase size it to your heat load and fill according to the weather . All wood burners are going to save you money and put you one step closer to independent. They are all a considerable investment, so do your research.

[slimjim]

Great advice, how's your cruise going? when will you be back?

[Roger2561]

Question - After reading what hotterburn4u had to offer, if refractory can prevent the corrosion of steel, or slow it's demise, why not line the entire firebox with it?  Keep the mild sleet/stainless steel in place but the refractory in front of it.  Wouldn't that slow the corrosion or is it not as simple as that?  Thanks,  Roger

[slimjim]

I don't think it is as simple as that Roger, moisture will find its way behind the brick and voila, corrosion sets in, I think it is inevitable that fire boxes will eventually corrode, perhaps sectional units with sacrificial fire boxes would be a better answer.

[dwneast77]

My CB E-2300 was the first edition with firebrick recessed and cemented into the walls in such a way so that the wall was basically smooth all the way down.  As I said the firebrick was cemented in place which should have stopped creosote from working in behind.  But it was only a few months before the bricks started to push out and fall out of place as a result of creosote seeping in behind them.  I was later instructed by CB dealer to remove them.

Makes me feel a little better knowing that others are seeing corrosion issues in their fireboxes and it's not just me.  I had my CB re-lined on the sides and roof last year at 6 yrs old.  Corrosion was all on the fire side and steel was paper thin.  Amazing to see how it was just eaten away with no sign of rust.  The creosote left a textured feel and look to the steel from running down the walls constantly.

[mlappin]

Why is that?  There are many benefits to having a stainless steel furnace over a mild steel furnace.  What is your biggest concern?  You can almost take corrosion out of the equation with a stainless stove especially if you keep up on your water treatment.   Stainless has better heat tranferring properties than mild steel and less thermal expansion.  There are many companies out there that use stainless and don't have any issues.  I wouldn't let that scare you away.

Stainless does not transfer heat better than mild steel but you are right with a lot of your post and heatmaster uses 409 stainless I believe which has the best heat transfer out of the different stainless steels. I would not be afraid of a heatmaster sitting in my yard or even a heatmor both great boilers.

Actually I've done a LOT of research as of late between 409 and mild steel, both have very similar properties far as heat transfer and expansion/contraction. Avoid going to one boiler manufacturer or another looking for the answers. One disadvantage to 409 and I'm not sure how this applies to a boiler or if it's even followed, I've found in my research several times that it's recommended to preheat 409 to a certain temp before welding then to temper/anneal it after welding at another temp.

[Roger2561]

dwneast77 - Thanks for sharing your experience with us.  Now I know why refractory isn't used to line the inside of the firebox.  Roger