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Messages - lugnut

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1
Shaver Furnace / Re: Shaver out of business??
« on: January 28, 2017, 03:04:15 PM »
HondaRacer..Shaver is prolly or has prolly restructured the company.  Frankly, I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.  My "NASA APPROVED RUST BLOCKER would have been five years old last November and due for a refresh.  Last March/April I discovered a leak and the dern furnace would have been only five years old in November 2016...damn thing didn't even make it five years!!!!  :bash:

In the past I had praised Shaver while everyone else was putting them down, well I praise no longer.  I HAVE a Shaver Pro Series 250 that WILL be going up for sale come Spring.  It will have the repairs done to iit.  I'ts already had many modifications made to it to make it perform BETTER than when it left the back woods factory.  If there is anyone in the North East Wisconsin area looking for a wood boiler, I will have one for sale at $2700.

I'm looking forward to buying and burying new pex line and getting my new Natures Comfort 275G lit off come November 2017!!  :thumbup:


Luggy.

2
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Where the heck do ya live
« on: August 23, 2016, 05:19:35 AM »
Greenleaf, Wisconsin

 :thumbup: :thumbup:

3
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Anti-freeze pricing?
« on: August 23, 2016, 05:17:30 AM »
Back-up generator. :thumbup:

RSI...your customer does know that anti-freeze defeats the heating process doens't he?  This was one of my fears when we installed the furnace in 2011...what happens if we are away for the weekend during the winter and the power goes out?  Underground piping will stay warm for up to "maybe" eight hours, but beyond that.....playing with fire or in our case: water and LOTS of it.

I went and purchased a whole house back up generator, now I have nothing to worry about during the winter if power goes out..within 10 seconds, the Generac fires up and stays running until power is back up.  THIS is my "anti-freeze" solution.

Does the customer realize that the anti-freeze has to be replaced each season?  Or so I have read...this COULD become very expensive.

Luggy

4
Shaver Furnace / Re: Shaver has locked their doors and left town
« on: August 03, 2016, 05:42:43 AM »
Brink,

Man I wish mine was that easy.  Greg Steinacher (sp) offered a similar solution using a stainless steel bolt, tight fitting washer and then rubber washer smeared up with RTV silicone and then screw it into the hole...FIRST tapping for threads.

I'm toying with the idea of having my neighbor lift the dern pig up AFTER I pull the roof and see about setting it on its front end...better access to the bottom and then decide to either tap for threads or just have a whole new plate welded to existing bottom plate, tip it up, re-install roof and list it for sale..and call it a day.

I will get to it after we return from vacation

I can say though that as of yesterday I am the proud owner of a new (demo) NCB 275G furnace..  Will pick it up in late September/early October.

I will keep y'all apprised of the situation.  :-)

Lugnut

5
Shaver Furnace / Shaver has locked their doors and left town
« on: July 21, 2016, 12:57:58 PM »
For some of you on here, you may recall that I had never had issues with my Shaver Pro Series 250, but of course I had upgraded from the first piece of crap they made for me...a Shaver 165.  The first furnace was literally a piece of crap. I don't weld and I KNOW I could have learned and welded better...and I KNOW how to read a tape measure...whomever built my 165 was very much UNEDUCATED!!  They drilled holes inthe roof, only to miss frame work underneath and left the hole wide open...no caulk or plugs of any kind...the rear door would NOT close because frame work was either warped from the heat of welding r was not measured correctly...again. :bash:

 I toll him that I will give he and his company the benefit of doubt and that I will upgrade from 165 to the 250, because my salesperson talked me into getting a furnace that was highly under rated. 

I was thoroughly pissed and made phone calls and finally got to the MAIN guy.  When Billy Shaver..NOT BEN, talked to me ear-to-ear back in 2010, he asked me what I would like for him to do? 
I toll him that I will give he and his company the benefit of doubt and that I will upgrade from 165 to the 250, because my salesperson talked me into getting a furnace that was highly under rated.  We had a lengthy conversation and I toll him what I wanted, that the furnace they build for me this LAST time will be built so well that Mrs. Shaver would like it to be in her dining room with her fine china and silverware in it.

Well guys, Billy Shaver came through with flying colors.  The truck came, picked up the other piece of crap, but the driver did NOT leave until I checked the new furnace over from top to bottom and side to side.

Upon connecting unit to electric and running all the appropriate pex lines to their final location, I commenced to fill the 250 up.  When the filling of water was complete, I then added the NASA approved rust blocker.

This November will be 5 years for the 250 and I was due for chemical replacement and of course Shaver no longer provided that, so I had to go to a third party, recommended to me by Greg Steinacher.  I ordered up the chemical from Image Solution and the cost was $288, which included two gallons of chemical and five free testings. 

Now there was question regarding the testing of water with the Shavers...even on this website.  My manual stated quite clearly that I did NOT have to send in water samples...I still have it in black and white in my owner's manual.  I KNOW others on here swore up and down that Shaver required testing of water or the warranty would be void.

When I poured in the allotted gallon and one half of the new chemical, I was requested to send in a couple water samples to company that provided the chemicals...which I did and they came back and said, "there is NO sign or indication of our chemical being present."  WTH??  So I provided them with a gallon at their request three weeks later...again...no presence of chemical.  I dunno what happened to it...so WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS LUGGY????

I had NO issues with my 250, well maybe at first because it needed upgrading...toss out the junk water heater t-stat, install Rancho; toss out junk Astro pump, install Taco 0111 and a couple other mods.  I had NO leaks whatsoever ....until this June!

I noticed moisture along the right rear side of the furnace.....well I know it hadn't rained in a couple days...maybe one of the valves or a pex line is leaking?  NOPE!  that would have been too easy.  So I proceeded to remove the corrugated siding and low and behold...there was the leak...in the BOTTOM of the water tank...about one foot off right side and two feet from rear.  Although I could not see the actual hole, I did watch it drip...drip...drip and I determined it to be a size of a pencil point...hmmm how long has it been leaking.   

The question I had is WHY WAS IT LEAKING AND WHY WAS IT LEAKING IN THIS LOCATION?  Every end of season I clean the furnace out....scrape what creosote there is, which is minimal on firebox walls and then vacuum ALL remnants of ash/soot out and then spray down with a light coat of oil,  I also thoroughly clean out the ash box...and vacuum it too, but no oil.  Put a five gallon bucket over stack and top off water if need be.  Pumps stay running all summer long because I operate off well water.

During burn season, I emptied the ash box every other day whether it needed it or not...and I DID stir the ashes that were present.  The Rancho was set at 180* with a 15* differential...get down to 165* and on went the blower.  I did EVERYTHING by the manual and still got a leak. 

I do NOT know why or what caused the leak...especially after five years.  And of course I DID immediately call Shaver and got a "the number you dialed is no longer in service" recording.  Okay, well maybe I dialed the incorrect number...I dialed ALL the numbers I had and including numbers on their supposedly website...NO LUCK.  I then spoke with two sales people that I TRUST for their honesty and straight talk and neither one's name began with a "B".  They told me Shaver is out of business!

S, I ascertained from their lack of response etc,  that they were NOT going to honor their 20 year warranty.  Why doesn't this surprise me that they went out of business???

Anyway, for those of you with Shaver furnaces...GOOD LUCK.

I am going to repair mine over the next two weeks and it will go up on the sale block.  This unit (less shipping) originally cost me $5900 August 2011.  So anyone in my area looking for a decent furnace that will heat 6,000 square feet with mods made...I will have one for sale at $2500...not including shipping/handling.  You want it, come get it and bring CASH.

Luggy


6
Shaver Furnace / Re: leaky shaver
« on: April 22, 2015, 10:30:31 PM »
Well I see NOTHING has changed on this website...such a shame.  Why do the folks who do NOT own Shavers come on this page and bitch about a furnace they do NOT sell or own???

How would you feel if I went on and bitched about your furnace and all the oddities about it?  See what I am saying?  So someone comes on THIS Shaver page and has an issue with their unit and the first thing guys who own a Heat Master or CB do is begin  bashing and putting down Shaver.

Granted, I DID have one major issue with the first unit I bought, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt and they made it RIGHT.  I have been using my Pro Series 250 since October 2011 and I've NEVER had any major issues with it...knock on wood.

One thing I don't understand is why the original author of this thread felt he HAD to empty and re-fill his shaver EVERY darn year'season?  Who on earth told you to do that?

I filled mine ONCE and that was back October 2011 and I added the five gallons of rust preventive to the water.  Now this year i will DRAIN the entire system because I'm having additional plumbing added on to my DHW and house furnace and then I will add the five gallons of rust preventative again.  Normally I would just have to add 3 gallons, but for the fact I'm draining the ENTIRE system, I will add just as though I'm first starting it.

I have had to add water to my Shaver, but only when the temps outside went above 40*...and only then I had to add a couple gallons, BUT NOT every other day...maybe twice a month.

And water testing?  Who told you that you had to do this as well??  :bash: Have you bothered to read the manual that came with your shaver?  No where in it does mine state that the water has to be tested.

As far as off season..prior to this year...I've shut the blower off along with both pumps.  I run the pumps once a month for about 30-60 minutes just to keep the water moving and the pumps lubricated.  I empty out the firebox of ALL ashes and loose creosote...and spray down the firebox walls with a thin coat of oil.....

If you don't like the Shaver product, say so on your own manufacturer's page.  Folks who bought Shavers come here for one reason or another....most are seeking advice because they already have purchased a Shaver...they do NOT need you to go bashing the product and making the buyer feel crappy because they all of a sudden feel they bought an inferior product.  I could go on venting, but I've said my peace.

Lugnut

7
Sometimes a piece of lime can get caught in the impeller. Maybe when you take the pump out it dislodged and it starting running. Its a good idea to run the pumps a couple times during the summer. My domestic pump would not start this fall, its a Armstrong Astro. There is a cap you can remove and turn the impeller on them with a screwdriver, I did and It been running for about 3 weeks now. Sometimes they are just stuck!

Greg Steinacher

This is the EXACT comment I made in an earlier post on here...that I did NOT run my pump during the off season and last October 2012 when I lit the furnace off, I noticed the pump was NOT operating.  I did have a back up pump and installed it.

There was a couple fellas on here...one I believe is a Hardy dealer who said the pumps should not lock up and that it was due to the rust blocker solution I had in the boiler.  I emphatically stated that the rust blocker was fine and that is was junk from my well water.  I took the pump apart and sure enough, there was a piece of sediment wedged in the pump so as to NOT allow it to turn.

This past summer I let the same brand pump run all summer long and upon start up I had NO issues...so either allow th pump to run all off season...cost just pennies to do so, or run it every so often during the summer...BUT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES TELL ME OR INSIST UPON ME THAT IT IS THE RUSTBLOCKER AND NOT THE PUMP!    :bash:

8
Shaver Furnace / Re: So far....knock on wood.....
« on: December 13, 2013, 10:09:24 AM »
I've not had any issues with my shaver.  I opriginally had the 165, but it was a piece of crap and I told THE boss man so and they sent me a new one, but I had upgraded to the Pro serie3s 290 and I told them that I want my unit something that they woould be proud to have in their living room with their finisest dishes in it.

I did receive the second one in a tmely fashion...and regarding the phone calls that have gone unanswered, depends what number you dialed.  I never had an issue, but then too I was never one to fool around with the shop foreman or person in the office pushing the pencils around...i have ALWAYS gone directly to the person in charge.

I did a number of mods on my Shaver, thanks in part to several before me who had done similar updates.  to this date I can honestly say that I have had no issues.  thought I was having a heat loss issue this past season and thought it was due to the pex lines, but the fact was the wood I was burning, that and the fact that I did not have the lines that ran into the house and to the basement wrapped with insulated foam.  this coming season I WILL be brung hardwood and will be able to bump up the t-stat to 189* vesus the 160* I did last season.

Regarding the draining of water at the end of the season and testing the water...NO and NO!!  I was told by Billy shaver that one does NOT have to drain the unit at the end of the season...besides after adding the "expensive" additive, why on earth would you do this...drain the system??  It IS recommended that every FIVE years you replenish the system with the rust inhibitor.  Alos, in the manual and according to Billy...we do NOT have to test the water.  Y'all might want to re-read the ENTIRE manual.

The ONLY issue I had with my shaver at the beginning of last season was the pump locked up on me...and this was through my OWN fault.  I did NOT run the pump every so oftenduring the summer and my well water locked it up.  This time around, I'm letting the pump run all summer long as it doesn't cost but pennies a day.

Lugnut

The fact your pump locked is a sure sign your water treatment isn't working well.  I am not a believer that you have to run your pump from time to time through the summer, never have,  if there was no corrosion taking place what locked the punp

As I said it is the well water....I ran the pump ALL summer long this last time around and I've had no issues with the pump locking up.  You can believe what you want and after reading all the posts up to the thread so far, there should be a "whining section" on this site.  You have a dealer who seems to me (Greg S.) to have gone above and beyond to help out this guy called Rugerman, but all Rugerman could do is bitch bitch and more bitching.  I can see why many were getting upset at reading his posts.

I've had my Pro series 290 in operation now for 3 years and outside of the pump locking up on me, I've had no issues.  I DID take the pump apart and there were bits of sediment that had locked the pump.

I bought the Shaver because of the price.  The first unit I received was pure junk, but I got that resolved in a timely fashion, I had been talking ear-to-ear with a fellow by the name of Ray...but he quit the company due to family reasons...so I dealt directly with Billy...he is the sole proprietor of the company.  Sitting on this site bitching every other post isn't taking care of the issue at hand...one or two posts would have been sufficient, heck after just two posts I understood what you were going through...but you , Rugerman, didn't have to continue ad nauseum...

Regarding the pump issue ONE last time...even my heating guy who owns an OWF suggested running the pump/s occasionally off season to keep everything flowing.

Anyway, after reading all these posts, I'm  seeing that nothing has changed...ie: other manufacture dealers bad mouthing Shaver products.......if you don't like Shaver products, then don't come on this thread and bad mouth them.  The owners of the products are going through enough grief without your adding your 7 cents to the issue.

This is all I'm going to say on the subject...other wise I'll begin to read/sound like Rugerman.

9
Shaver Furnace / Re: fan upgrade and damper on shaver 165
« on: December 13, 2013, 09:17:08 AM »
Here is the back of my Shaver with the Rancho which I assume you are installing.  Left of it is the drywell installed by Shaver, but you could as easily run the temp sensor end up to the top of the boiler.

The small blue line is the not used fill line since my well water is too hard (I haul water to add).  I heat the house and a detached shop and put 8 thermometers in my two loops.  the other 4 are in the in and out at the water to air heat exchangers.

Say Wood Nutt...can you email me photos of the rear of your Saver, but have the photos in the vertical position?  My neck gets stiff looking sideways.  LOL!  I think I might need to do some modifying of my unit come warm temps.  Thanks

10
Shaver Furnace / Re: I love my shaver 165 and all the holes
« on: December 12, 2013, 01:50:23 PM »
When I purchased my unit 3-30-10, I had to buy the rust blocker from Shaver. The cost was $250 and was told it was good for 5 years and no test were needed . By the way it was in a 5gal jug.
Wood Nutt, i did read that in the manual..Ben Shaver told my neighbor and me for the warranty we had to use there rust blocker.

Jimr is correct.  When using the product that Shaver supplies....we do NOT have to have the water tested.  The only thing required by them is that every five years the old gets drained and new treatment put in.

My FIRST Shaver 165 was JUNK and I told them so...we had a bit of a go around, but I won...and also decided to upgrade as the dealer rep here wasn't of much help and I learned a lot by calling Shaver up and talking to a fellow who no longer works at Shaver...his name was RAY.  He KNEW all there was to know about the product and he held nothing back.  I basically informed them that I was going to give them the benefit of doubt and that they build me a unit that their wives could put in their dining room and store their fine china in....or else I was going to be taking someone to court.  I received my 250 Pro 6 months later and to this day...KNOCK ON WOOD...I've not had any issues and I can tell you the difference between the 250 PRO and the first 165 I got is like night and day.

I don't come on this site very much....just here now because a friend of mine was having issues with his Shaver and told me about the fellow over her that was having issues with his 165.

What ever you end up doing in repairing your unit...get that rust blocker from Shaver...no testing is involved.  good luck with the repairs...and remember, no matter what anyone says on here regarding Shaver products and believe me there ARE a lot of naysayers....all these wood furnaces have one thing in common...heat the water.  Some may be built like tanks and some many pay for name only...I can think of one right off the top of my head, but I'm NOT here to bash manufactures.  Make your repairs and make it right for you.  Wanna get a hold of me, look for me on the other site.

Lugnut
aka: Jerry

11
Shaver Furnace / So far....knock on wood.....
« on: May 04, 2013, 09:37:12 PM »
I've not had any issues with my shaver.  I opriginally had the 165, but it was a piece of crap and I told THE boss man so and they sent me a new one, but I had upgraded to the Pro serie3s 290 and I told them that I want my unit something that they woould be proud to have in their living room with their finisest dishes in it.

I did receive the second one in a tmely fashion...and regarding the phone calls that have gone unanswered, depends what number you dialed.  I never had an issue, but then too I was never one to fool around with the shop foreman or person in the office pushing the pencils around...i have ALWAYS gone directly to the person in charge.

I did a number of mods on my Shaver, thanks in part to several before me who had done similar updates.  to this date I can honestly say that I have had no issues.  thought I was having a heat loss issue this past season and thought it was due to the pex lines, but the fact was the wood I was burning, that and the fact that I did not have the lines that ran into the house and to the basement wrapped with insulated foam.  this coming season I WILL be brung hardwood and will be able to bump up the t-stat to 189* vesus the 160* I did last season.

Regarding the draining of water at the end of the season and testing the water...NO and NO!!  I was told by Billy shaver that one does NOT have to drain the unit at the end of the season...besides after adding the "expensive" additive, why on earth would you do this...drain the system??  It IS recommended that every FIVE years you replenish the system with the rust inhibitor.  Alos, in the manual and according to Billy...we do NOT have to test the water.  Y'all might want to re-read the ENTIRE manual.

The ONLY issue I had with my shaver at the beginning of last season was the pump locked up on me...and this was through my OWN fault.  I did NOT run the pump every so oftenduring the summer and my well water locked it up.  This time around, I'm letting the pump run all summer long as it doesn't cost but pennies a day.

Lugnut


12
General Discussion / Re: Hello Group!
« on: June 20, 2012, 06:20:12 PM »
Welcome to the site.....lots of good info on here as well as the "udder" site.   :thumbup:

Lugnut

13
Equipment / Re: Ariens logsplitter
« on: June 20, 2012, 06:15:24 PM »
Cooch...wish I would have seen this earlier.  I went out and purchased the Ariens 27 ton splitter.  I did this after my late father in law's 50+ year old splitter finally split it's last piece of oak.  So I spent a good two days online researching wood splitters.  I know I did not need anything larger than the 27 ton.  Anymore would have been over kill.

I ended up going to the Home Depot website and taking that price and going into the home Depot store and they "matched" the online price for the Ariens.  I paid just a wee bit above $1600.00 for the 27 ton.  I finally decided on this splitter for a few reasons:

1) Made locally just about 10 miles south of me in Brillion, WI.

2) Strong machine made of solid steel and not flimsy Chinese metal

3) Good value/price and warranty

4) Sips fuel with the Suburu engine

5) Friend has the same splitter and speaks highly of this Ariens.

6) Made in the United States of America

I've used it to split cotton wood and the splitter went right through the wet wood and the machine did not grumble a bit.  I do agree that the table is a bit on the small side, but as an option, one can purchase a larger table....though I do believe this should be standard on the machine.

Jerry

14
Electronics / Re: temp control
« on: March 22, 2012, 02:39:51 PM »
Jeff,

You might want to go to the Ranco website and read the spec sheet....there you can find what the codes indicate.  I'd like to help you, but my cheat sheet is out in the shop.  Just let your fingers do the walking on the keyboard and obtain first hand info there.

Lugnut

15
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Shut down OWF for the Season
« on: March 15, 2012, 05:27:02 PM »
Lugnut,

I take it you have learned the value of keeping dry split wood on hand at all times...

Yes I have.  I ordered up some wood back before Christmas...4 full cords.  I just ordered up a half face cord and got it on Saturday...it's all dry and most of it split, but there are a few pieces I need to split.  Will be getting a NEW wood splitter at the end of the month, at least my wife says she thinks we can afford one then.  Looking at the Ariens 27 ton.

Much easier to start a new fire with really nice dry wood...the older the better.  :-)

Lugnut

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