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[fletcher0780]

I have a shaver 290 and for the most part it is great, but like some of you I have had a couple issues. My biggest concern is the water steaming off, I am down several gallons a day and steam constantly at all temps. My friend, who has the same furnace uses no water in a 2-3 week time frame and has basically the same installation with the same parts. I think I have discovered the difference in our boilers and why some Shavers steam more than others. I've attached an image depicting our installations. My boiler (Boiler B) has a slight lean to the rear, where my friends (Boiler A) has a slight lean to the front, and possibly an upward angle of the vent tube exiting the boiler.
I believe the lean frontward lean and upward angle of the vent pipe on my friends boiler dramatically cuts down on the surface area of water exposed to the atmosphere. Boiler A's vent pipe is full of water, where Boiler B's is simply a passage way for the atmosphere to make contact with the entire surface of the water in the tank allowing much more steam to be created and exit even when the water is below boiling.
I slid a 1" piece of pex over my overflow and and secured it with a hose clamp. Then added a short 90* and another 1-2" of pex vertically. The boiler water level is now raised slightly, but would still be vented and the surface area of the water exposed to the atmosphere would only be the area inside the vent pipe instead of the entire top of the tank. Another side benefit is I can see my water level in the pex, as I have a pink rust inhibitor additive that shows through the pex.  If you run straight water clear flexible pipe attached to the vent, bent upwards and held in place with clamps on the side of the boiler should be an easy fix, just don't extend the pipe up too far or you may risk overflowing out the water coil cover.
Here is a quick sketch of the two scenarios (boiler A and boiler B) as well as a diagram of my proposed fix (bottom right). I've been running this for a day now and have seen zero steam and have lost zero water. I don't think the water in the pex will ever freeze as mine is quite hot (160*+). Does anyone see any problems with this? I sent an email to shaver for their input and am awaiting a response.

Here is my steam fix, I keep the water at about halfway up the pipe so I can track any level changes. My vent use to steam nonstop, but no more.

I replaced the original thermostat because I had bad luck with it and boiled the water a couple times. I also wanted a thermometer to tell me the water temp inside the boiler (I have one on the line coming off the OWB but it is only accurate when the pump running). It's funny you mention inside application, because the controller I have sends a signal 0-10v for a remote monitor, still deciding if I want a display inside to tell me the temp of the boiler. My Ranco is working fine, I'm going to move the well to a better spot .  Another guy gave me a great idea for a thermostat well. He used a 12" piece of 1/4" copper, capped one end then flared the other. He then drilled a hole on the top of his water jacket near the cover in the back. He dropped the copper pipe down the hole and the flared end kept it from falling in all the way. dropped in his sensor and siliconed the top. Said it's dead nuts accurate. I plan on doing this to mine this weekend. Here is a pic of it, it is mounted inside the rear door:

I still need to do some cleaning up and insulating on the rear of the boiler, but I have a few more adjustments to make first.

My next project is to modify my blower damper to operate like the natures comfort and Hardy OWB. They use a solenoid to cover and uncover the blower inlet when the fan is on/off. Here is a pic I borrowed from fellow member (derwood91, thanks for the pic):

I modified my spare blower yesterday. I re drilled the flange so it can be mounted with the door facing up. Then I drilled out the door rivet and cut out the grill off the air inlet. I the door to a hinge so it will swing up and put an eyelet in the center of the door. I'm going to mount it on the boiler this weekend and attach the door to a solenoid that will activate and lift the door when the blower turns on. When the blower turns off, the door will close and limit draft. I think this will help the boiler recover quicker when the blower is on, more air entering because the door will be wide open. When the blower is off, the fire will smolder better and not overheat the water. I'll take pics this weekend and let you know how it works.

[yoda]

My shaver also steams alot from the vent pipe and  evaporates alot of water, it's funny I was thinking of doing almost the same thing, but was hesitant and was going to think about it a few days. The other thing I like about your idea is being able to see the water level, otherwise if you open the fill valve,add water when the thermostat is at the lower part of the heat cycle, the thermostat then kicks on the blower, water temp rises, then spills water out as the water expands. Thanks for the post. Let us know if you get a response from shaver.

[willieG]

fletcher...i built my own stove and i also use a damper as you describe but let me relate my experience to you in case you have simalar problems

i built my first blower system as you have photos..a solinoid lifting a cover off the intake of the blower..didn't work for me, on mild days the furnace would "suck" enough air through the motor winding to boil the stove

snd try, i mounted the blower inside a box and had the solenoid lift the cover off the box to let air in..worked for alomost my first winter then my fan quit, upon investigation i found that the heat and cooling of the fan motor caused condesationinside the box  and the fan ended up after almost a year of use, under water and shorted out

what ended up working...i mounted the blower outside the box and made a trap door inside the box with a rod going through the top of the box up to the solenoid...7 years now no more problems

[fletcher0780]

What kind of blower did you use for your first design? Do you have any pictures?

[willieG]

What kind of blower did you use for your first design? Do you have any pictures?
[/quote
all my blowers looked like the one you have modified (i believe they were around 150 CFM) i will take a photo of my blower box tonight
]

[willieG]

one more try on the pics

[willieG]

i have the cover off my solenoid due to the fact that the rod going into the blower box that lifts the trap door is nearing the end of its "life cycle" i will be changing it this weekend...after 7 years of operation it owes me nothing (it is a 1/8th welding rod)

the blower is  the same (i think) as the one in your photo earlier, i think they are around 150 CFM

[yoda]

Fletcher, I went ahead and added the clear tube and 90 degree plastic elbow like you suggested, been almost 2 weeks and I haven't had to add any water, works great, thanks.  I did notice one morning however, (it was about 5 degrees out and very windy) some ice on the inside of the 90 degree elbow, on the inside of the elbow above the water line. It was no where near frozen shut but makes me wonder if it could at  -30. Do you think its possibe the plastic elbow could insulate that well,and the small amount of steam that comes out now would allow it to freeze? I wonder if a copper elbow would be better(transfer more heat)? Then again I would think if it did manage to freeze the silicone around the pottable hot water coil cover would leak before the boiler could actually get any amount of pressure build up.

[gandgracing]

So how did the fan modification work out??

[fletcher0780]

So how did the fan modification work out??

Sorry for the slow response, I thought the site would email me when there was a post to my topic. It's Working well, here are some images of the finished product. Next project is to insulate the firebox door, and line the floor with firebrick. I'm going to get a pickup load of coal and see how it works on the 0* nights when mixed with wood. As far as my steam fix goes, no more adding water every day or two. It's been over a month and my water level is still good. 


Does anyone have ideas on insulating the firebox door, mine gets over 250* during a burn cycle? I've considered regular fiberglass batting, ceramic blanket, or even firebrick (remove inner panel, add brick and re-weld panel.

[mober]

hi

just wondering how is your homemade immersion well worked out for you.

did you just used high temp caulk to make it water tight (between the flare and the tank)?

what kind of caulk did you used and how is it holding?

thanks.

[fletcher0780]

hi

just wondering how is your homemade immersion well worked out for you.

did you just used high temp caulk to make it water tight (between the flare and the tank)?

what kind of caulk did you used and how is it holding?

thanks.

Works great!

I used the black automotive hi-temp silicone.

[horse62049]

what is the model thermostat you used and where did u get it thanks

[fletcher0780]

what is the model thermostat you used and where did u get it thanks

I got a Ranco 1110000 from here: http://www.iaqsource.com/product.php?p=ranco_etc-111000&product=110270

[horse62049]

thanks i ordered the ranco 1110000 today  they say the remote works up to 400 feet away can you be able to put a remote temp in the house to read the stove temp from inside if so what to they call it and can i get it from the same place dont see anything on there myself. did you put the  hole for the well in the top in the back by the water pump outlet . I thought that would be a good place