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[Jwood]

How does everyone like their boilers? I love mine and here are my findings with it.
1. I'm heating 2,500 sq ft and dhw
2. Ive got the stove figured out to get consistent 12-14 burn times

A couple things I've noticed is that if you are good about raking the coals, cleaning the heat exchanger and making sure the grates are not plugged this stove is fantastic! If I overload it will burn all the wood but produce a giant coal bed. But this boiler is definitely up to the task it was pushing -20 and windy last night and stuffed it full just to be sure and I ended up with a massive amount of coal. I was at 15 hours burn time when I added wood and only added because I was leaving for about 5 hours and didn't want it to go out. I have no complaints about this boiler yet and love the fact that its rebuildable if I ever need to. I'm also burning paper birch, oak, ash, and maple and have burned about 5 cord. How are your stoves treating you?

[Pinehouse4]

I am very satisfied with my 34/44, first year using an outdoor boiler.

I would recommend them to others as I cannot see any downside to them.

The upward draft from below as well as above is unbeatable. For the past two weeks I have burned fresh cut oak and maple blocks ( 2/3 ) mixed with some of my fully dried wood (1/3). Everything disappears.

I am expecting to receive a load of Black Locust logs tomorrow, cut today. This has been grown up here in a small plantation.

I have researched this wood quite a bit and am anxious to try it out.

I had originally been looking at the Optimizer 250 but decided I wanted something more flexible re wood, and this consumes anything.

Bob

[agriffinjd]

I've been happy with mine but lately it's been using more wood than it used to.  I had it down to a perfect 12 hour burn, but now it's burned way down what I'm used to.  We had -20 weather last month and it didn't burn as much wood as it is this past week with similar weather.  I tend to think if you get the coal bed and ash base too low in the bricks, it eats the wood faster.  If I remember right, I had a really thick ash and coal bed last month, then saw people posting about letting the firebricks hold the heat so I shoveled a lot out.  Now it burns too much wood so I'm working on building the bed back up.

[Jwood]

I've been happy with mine but lately it's been using more wood than it used to.  I had it down to a perfect 12 hour burn, but now it's burned way down what I'm used to.  We had -20 weather last month and it didn't burn as much wood as it is this past week with similar weather.  I tend to think if you get the coal bed and ash base too low in the bricks, it eats the wood faster.  If I remember right, I had a really thick ash and coal bed last month, then saw people posting about letting the firebricks hold the heat so I shoveled a lot out.  Now it burns too much wood so I'm working on building the bed back up.

You are correct on the coal bed I've noticed the same I think I usually have 8-10" coal bed stirred up of course!

[hayburner]

Does P&M make spacers for the 2840 with the wider bricks? I have raked the bricks around but have moved the ones in the back closed. I am not worried about it right now but it did seem to work better with them evenly spaced. I was going to make something come summer after i shut it down for the year.

[Jwood]

I too will be making something to keep the bricks spaced evenly

[mootsko]

I got the 28-40 with the shaker grate. This time of year I'm burning locust and hickory.
I shake the grate and shovel out some ashes once a week. I try to leave as many coals in there as i can. Getting good 12hr burns.

[Bud Man]

I agree with agriffinjd. I let my coal bed burn down and I'm burning a lot more wood than I did a month ago. Going to try to build it up over the next few days.
I don't think the BL series will heat as much sq ft as advertised. My 2840 is trying to heat approx 3200 and DHW. When it gets into the lower teens and lower I have to let the LP heat the water and cool the shop down to the 40's so I can keep the house warm. Not complaining, just wishing I had gotten the 3444.

[Jwood]

What kind of burn times are you getting bud man?

[Steinacher Sales]

I'm getting 12 to 14 hours in cold weather, but it has to be good dry oak or its only 8 to 10 hours.

Heating, 1500 sq. ft. home and domestic hot water.

[gainerspot]

I love my BL-28-40  Heating 2200 sq ft. Open A frame in most of the house.
At first I was running 1/2 to 3/4 of a load 12-14 hours when it got into the 20's at night. My friend with a 20 year old hardy told me to build a wood storage shed around the furnace that blocks the North wind will make a huge differnce in how much wood is used each load.  I also live on top of the hill where wind is always blowing some.  Once the wind blocking shed was up the next morning i had enough wood left in the fire box to last half the day.  Now I can get and easy 12-14 hour burn on a 1/2 load with it at 0 low at night.  the other night we hit -9 and it was just a small coal bed left in the morning on a 12 hour burn but temp was 180.  We keep the house between 74-77  We also only have 2 people showering in our household.

[ijon]

I am very satisfied with my 34/44, first year using an outdoor boiler.

I would recommend them to others as I cannot see any downside to them.

The upward draft from below as well as above is unbeatable. For the past two weeks I have burned fresh cut oak and maple blocks ( 2/3 ) mixed with some of my fully dried wood (1/3). Everything disappears.

I am expecting to receive a load of Black Locust logs tomorrow, cut today. This has been grown up here in a small plantation.

I have researched this wood quite a bit and am anxious to try it out. Black locust is some good dense wood.

I had originally been looking at the Optimizer 250 but decided I wanted something more flexible re wood, and this consumes anything.

Bob