Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers WITH EPA-Certified Models => Hardy => Topic started by: dumbodog00 on April 14, 2008, 10:35:55 AM

Title: water loss
Post by: dumbodog00 on April 14, 2008, 10:35:55 AM
Hank or anyone else, do you lose water from your Hardy?  I have an H2 that I need to add about 5 gal. of water a week to keep the water level adequate. I cannot use the auto fill water because my house water would cause problems.  The water seems to vent off around the chimney.  Any solution would be helpful.  This is the second year using the H2.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: Hank on April 14, 2008, 11:00:17 AM
I use the auto water fill. Why can't you use the automatic fill. Make sure your vent pipe on top is tight. No water leaks
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: dumbodog00 on April 15, 2008, 10:34:42 PM
My house water unfortunately has salt in it.  Not too horrible, but I don't want to use it in the furnace.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: Hank on April 16, 2008, 02:23:40 PM
I heard of a person who had a high content of sulfur in his water, he put in an in-line water filter to clean the water before it enters the stove. This maybe an option for you. Before I hooked my stove up to the automatic  water fill I had to put water in the stove weekly(due to evaporation). If it was me, I would look at putting in a water filtration system.
Also, how do you like your Hardy H-2? That is the same model I have, and I really like my system. What all do you heat with your H-2?
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: R W Ohio on April 16, 2008, 03:51:01 PM

There must be a problem somewhere,I have not put 5 gallons of water in our stove all of the heating season with the water temp. at 155 F low to 175F high.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: dumbodog00 on April 18, 2008, 07:42:50 PM
     As far as I know, reverse osmosis is the only way to remove salt, and it isn't cheap to do.  I think the shell of the H2 needs to be removed to caulk around something.  I am not sure I know what needs to be done to stop adding water.  I was venting at the condenser tube.  I caulked around the indented area (it is not sealed too tight) there and not seen it since.  I actually have water on the top sitting from were it evaporates/condenses or whatever it is doing.  It seems to be coming from the chimney area.  This problem is really annoying and I wish it would stop.
     I like the H2.  I only wish the loading door hole were bigger in diameter so larger logs could go in.  I heat 2400 sq ft and domestic hot water with it.  If I use coal with the wood, I can go a full 24 hrs. between loading with outside temp. at 0 and inside at 72-73.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: Hank on April 22, 2008, 07:54:55 PM
I can get about the same burn time out of mine.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: Dave in NE Ohio on May 21, 2008, 04:50:01 PM
When you say your water has salt in it, I suspect you mean that you use a water softener? My understanding of a softener is that it only uses the salt to clean and re-energize the pellets within the tank(s) so that their ionic action can continue. Once they have been cleaned and rejuvenated, the salt should be rinsed entirely out of the system as a final phase of the softener's cycle.
If there were enough salt in your normal working water to corrode the metal, wouldn't you be able to taste that in the water?
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: ericjeeper on May 25, 2008, 11:28:40 AM
Keeping PH in balance will help. I used to have a hot tub. When the ph got high the water would honestly just disappear. Keeping it in check with acid and it would not lose any water.
 I talked a friend in the pool business and he confirmed my issues.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: dumbodog00 on February 04, 2009, 09:37:01 AM
I started this thread a while ago.  I am still having a water loss problem.  Does anyone have any ideas how to reduce it?  I am losing most of my water from around the chimney area.  I have previously caulked with high temp. caulk and that helped for a while.  The directions from the factory show how to do it.  Since, the caulk has burned away and it is steaming there again.  If I could seal it somehow, I think it would help.  I have not been able to find anything to withstand higher temperatures and moisture from the water.  I am adding 5+ gallons a week.   :bash:
The salt in the water is not from a softner.  We have a great gpm well with water that has no iron, the water . is soft, but has salt.  You can slightly taste it. No good for OWB.  I have to get water from somewhere else which is why I care that I am losing water.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: ckbetz on February 04, 2009, 05:41:32 PM
Dog, there was much discussion about this in another thread.  I think there was talk about maybe having a faulty aquastat, which meant that the water was actually hotter than it showed on the gauge.  Maybe you should get another thermometer and do some checks to see what your water temp is.  If your aquastat is off by 10 degrees it could be the problem.  I never see steam until my water reaches almost 200, but I have a Central Boiler.  I have put zero gallons of water in my stove this year and I'm sure it is in a burn cycle more than most. 

Just some thoughts.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: Jason on February 04, 2009, 06:13:51 PM
Dog, I have an H5 which can't be that different from your H2.  I've only added water to my system twice this winter.  I know I probably shouldn't but I just fill my heater with our spring water.  It's a little hard, but not bad.  No problems as yet, and I do check on things.  Did you try getting ahold of Hardy or your dealer to see what they suggest? 
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: dumbodog00 on February 05, 2009, 07:49:00 AM
  I have talked to both Hardy and the dealer I bought it from.  Neither have been much help.  Maybe I should call them again.  I have checked the water temperature with two different meat thermometers.  That is all I had... both showed the same temperature.  It was where it should have been according to the aquastat.  I have also turned down the water temperature this year.  The only difference I have noticed is the furnace runs longer and the hot water doesn't get as hot as fast.       
I don't know what else to do at this point.  I put wood in this morning and it was steaming from around the chimney.  If I didn't have to get water from somewhere else, I would not care.  It is a real pain to haul water from elsewhere.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: willieG on February 05, 2009, 05:23:27 PM
i am not familiar with these stoves  but if the chimney comes through the water jacket and it is steaming around the chiimney would you think that is has a cracked weld or something likt that??
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: jon d on February 14, 2009, 10:25:28 PM
Dog, I work with 2 hardy users...I'll talk to them and get some info.   May take a few days...
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: Jason on February 15, 2009, 07:59:18 AM
Dog- my furnace scared the hell out of me the other day and I thought of your post.

I came home from work and it looked like the ash pile beside my furnace was smoking.  I figured either wife or father in law cleaned the ashes out.  Good job.  Then when I got closer I saw it wasn't smoke but steam.  The overflow had steam shooting out and the vent stack was steaming.  Father in law assumed the low water float hung up and we needed water.  It was steaming too bad to get the vent stack off to look into the water jacket.  I got the water flowing to the furnace and by then it was starting to ease up a bit.  That was not the problem.  The water level was fine.  I opened the firebox door and there was some paper burning inside.  3 hours previous, father in law threw a bag of paper and a couple small blocks of styrofoam into the firebox.  We don't use it like a garbage disposal but I will burn the occasional bit of paper or cardboard box.  I wasn't thrilled about the foam.  The furnace wasn't calling for heat so there was no air going into the firebox.  When it finally did light it just kept burning and overheated the water, causing a real hard boil.  You could hear the water sloshing in the water jacket.

I guess my point is this- FIL put a  bag of paper in the furnace and went about his day.  These seemed at first to be 2 totally unrelated occurrences.  If you happen to be burning paper you could be doing the same thing.  Not even very much paper at a time.  Just something for you to consider.

I'm not blaming FIL and not mad at him.  Like I said I burn a bit of paper too.  We both learned on that one.
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: dumbodog00 on February 15, 2009, 06:43:33 PM
     No, I don't burn paper or any other "stuff" other than wood and coal.  I have half a suspicion that the fire gets too hot at the chimney and that is why the "high temp." caulking will not last.  I usually load the wood to about halfway up the door or less.  At times, flames shoot out the chimney.  It is not a chimney fire from creosote.  It is just the flames shooting up.  The H2 does not have a plate below the chimeny like other models do.
     I am really tired of adding water.  If my house water was okay and I could use the auto fill, I wouldn't care.  But getting water offsite when rain water is frozen is not fun.
     As far as I can tell, the water is not getting too hot.  The water temp. seems to be on par with the aquastat.  The water steams and pools aroud the chimney.  I have never seen evidence of any leaks anywhere else.  I guess I should call my dealer and Hardy again.  I just wish I could quit adding water.
     Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer!
Title: Re: water loss
Post by: willieG on February 15, 2009, 07:02:28 PM
i am not familiar with this stove but I would guess, if you are adding water more than say a gallon a month your dealer needs to be questioned and some explanation is due (at the very least)
perhaps some stove owners of this model can help or at least explain what is going on