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Messages - BeaconWoods

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: polar outdoor furnace
« on: March 05, 2015, 05:52:50 AM »
I am also considering a polar. Does anyone have one? What are the pros and cons?

I have one from when they were called Wood Doctor.  I have had five or six leaks in the past couple years.  The last one was the last one.  I have a Portage and Main BL 3444 on its way.  Before it started leaking it I had no problems.  Oil the motor and door hinges once in a while, change the door seal when it loses flexibility - no problem there.  Got some corrosion / thinning at the bottom of the opening.  I hear that is typical across brands.  People say other brands are more efficient.  I won't argue either way on that other than to say the stack temp seems pretty high which means less heat transferred to the water than possible.  My recommendation would be drive past Polar and keep looking.

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I've had the same question.  I feel kind of sorry for the unit when I hit the back wall.  Kinda strange I suppose.  Anyway, I try not to do it.  Mine did spring a leak at the bottom of a transfer tube at the back of the unit.  Don't know if that's a direct result or not.  It's the 5th or 6th (and last ever) leak this thing has sprung.

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: polar outdoor furnace
« on: March 03, 2015, 04:51:17 PM »
All the leaks in my WD 8000 have been at welds.  The firebox looks good both inside and out.  I used to have a indoor forced air wood furnace.  I have thought about taking my torch to this one and converting it over.  I have a few extra squirrel cage fans floating around.  Can't seem to pass 'em up at auctions.  I wonder if it's been done before.  Sounds like an adventure.

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Portage and Main owners
« on: March 01, 2015, 08:28:14 PM »
I voted that I bought P&M because of its reputation.  I would also like to vote I didn't buy P+M but would have if I knew about them when I bought.  I did not run across them when researching my first owb, which I am now replacing with a P&M.  RObert and ROry have been very helpful although I am guessing that Robert's handwriting could use some work. (He says with a wink.)

I also supa-appreciate SlimJim's presence here and hope he stays with it.

I'll be adding his low temp mod to my new P&M.  Hey factory, how about you make this an option?  Or offer a kit?

5
Got eight years out of my WD 8000.  It started leaking a couple years ago.  I have brazed it up five or six times now.  Currently limping along on about half a tank of water and aquastat set at 150°.  Tragically, this is happening during some of the coldest weather we've had this year.  The shiny new P&M BL 3444 is due in a few days!

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: polar outdoor furnace
« on: March 01, 2015, 08:14:13 PM »
It is my understanding that these are the people who somehow got ownership of this design / manufacture from Arthur Turple of Wood Doctor fame.  There are many, many posts here about the whole debacle surrounding WD.  Suffice it to say that my WD 8000 has sprung its last leak.  I ordered a Portage and Main BL3444 last week.

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HeatMaster / Re: Heatmaster 4000 ss won't keep up
« on: February 28, 2015, 12:44:37 PM »
Does the snow melt off the ground above the lines between the boiler and the house?  If so, that would suggest poor insulation around the lines or that they are waterlogged.  I live in western Illinois - Quad Cities area.  We have / had a WD 8000 and get 24 hours out of it except in the coldest of weather.  I load it up around 7 p.m.  One of us does have to go out and pull the chunks forward around mid morning next day but it does fine til the evening fill unless it is super cold or we're using super low density wood.  I typically save that for the easier parts of the heating season.

What is the purpose of the plate exchanger in the system?  From reading your post I did not get a good mental picture how it is plumbed in.

Maybe if I can find a Saturday with nothing going on (does that ever happen?) my wife and I could drive up and take a look.  We've been doing this for a few years now.

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Wood Doctor / Re: Pics of my wd. Which model is it?
« on: February 27, 2015, 01:39:24 PM »
Looks just like my WD 8000.

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