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256

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Down Draft Furnace

« on: March 15, 2012, 08:28:43 PM »

How many inches or how much distance do you have between your heat exchanger and AC coil?

257

Central Boiler / Re: Lower water temp

« on: March 14, 2012, 08:52:38 PM »

I think there may be some confusion here. The thermostatic valve Central Boiler is sending with all their wood furnaces allows for full flow through it as long as the incoming water temp is 170 degrees or warmer. If water drops below 170 and continue to drop because you have run out of wood or your heatload is too heavy, the valve will gradually send more & more water back to the owf and less to your homes exchanger. If the temp drops down to 150 degrees, about 95% of the water will be returned to the owf while 5% will continue to flow through the home exchanger and would allow your existing heating system to feed some heat back to your owf, keeping lines etc from freezing. My dealer says they are not adjustable and there are no lower rated thermostats available in their parts book. Their goal is to give the owf an opportunity to recover and not allow return water below 150 degrees to cause condensation in the firebox.

258

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: now that its getting warmer ?

« on: March 13, 2012, 05:38:09 PM »

A good corrosion inhibitors purpose is to protect the water jacket. Does not matter if the water is 33 degrees or 210 degrees.
The problem with sending colder water back to the OWF below 150 degrees is that it shocks the furnace, causing condensation in the firebox, which is what can create wet acidic ash.

259

Plumbing / Re: insulated pex

« on: March 10, 2012, 07:49:11 PM »

I have now had Central Boilers Thermopex in the ground for 7 years. Buried with only 6 inches of dirt over the top, where the ground freezes 4-5 feet deep in Central MN. Zero heat loss and Zero melting over the line. 90 feet from boiler to my house. You can't beat a urethane delivery line. Yeah, it costs a little more and is kind of a bear to handle, but once you have it in the trench, you won't have to deal with it again. Well worth the cost IMO.

260

Central Boiler / Re: flue pipe

« on: March 10, 2012, 07:19:02 PM »

I ran my Classic 5648 for 8 years and did not experience any rust problems anywhere.
Were they supposedly on the old style metal square back units?
Can't imagine it happening on the new round Class A chimney transitions.

261

Central Boiler / Re: CB E-Classic 1400 after snowstorm

« on: March 10, 2012, 07:14:26 PM »

I have seen this for 10 years on my Central Boiler Classic and now on my Eclassic. One of the reasons I originally bought a Central Boiler in the first place was for their superior Urethane insulation.
Urethane insulation sprayed completely around the water jacket, leaves no uninsulated seams or gaps, no cold air blowing through it and water can't penetrate it or ruin it.
Also note the snow and ice still on the chimney and cleanout tee. I have also seen this on my E2400. Shows you how efficient the Eclassic is and how cool that chimney is running.
That is why urethane is also used to insulate hot tubs and domestic water heaters too.

262

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Shut down OWF for the Season

« on: March 09, 2012, 08:31:08 PM »

Jerkash, your question seems to be on what to do with the water at end of season. Not sure about your brand, but with my Central Boiler a corrosion inhibitor water treatment was put into the furnace on the first fill. My furnace came with a water test kit, which we are to use by testing water at suggested 6 month intervals. It balances nitrite, protects and eliminates any rust in the water jacket. Owners manual recommends not draining furnace in off season as it it protected. If drained, it would lose that protection as air would then come in contact with the unprotected metal causing surface rust inside. In my Classic I never needed to add water or water treatment until after 4 years of use and the water was still crystal clear. Had evaporated just about 1 inch of water and added about 1/4 jug of treatment.

As far as firebox, scrape all creosote lose from firebox walls and bottom. I shop vac then wipe down with light coat of new motor oil. Thow a bucket over the chimney. I even scrub down furnace front with Simple Green.  Furnace stays great looking for years of longevity and service.

263

Central Boiler / Re: recovery time

« on: March 05, 2012, 05:14:55 PM »

If you let your furnace burn down to just a coal bed and throw 24" long x 8" diameter green wood in that furnace. It will take hours before that wood can even burn. Up to  half the btu potential will  be wasted just drying the wood out so it can even burn. Once you get the wood to a decent burn state, you are finally going to start heating that 400 gallons back up to your set point. There is nothing wrong with your furnace. If you find it has burned down that far, you need a pile of smaller seasoned wood kept off to the side that can be used in the lower third of the new loading anyway.

264

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: hardy question

« on: March 04, 2012, 09:26:25 PM »

This time, I would agree with Scott. The Hardy is a long time player in the owf industry. Their units have many users with warm houses and satisfied owners. However, what most of the owners may or may not realize is that their old design technolgy is very inefficient and those owners are burning much more wood than necessary, leading to many more loadings of those furnaces than other units may require. I think Scott is right on, in that old design is burning twice the wood of todays more innovative models. The lack of good baffling leads to excess smoke and literally flames and heat loss out the chimney. This kind of performance is what is leading to neighborhood complaints and  EPA Phase 2 demands. Yes it appears Hardy has 2 units now listed as qualifying models on the EPA website but note that they are both rated at 77,000 btu and less. Your listed demands may need more output capability than that.  Again, I advocate looking at other models as well before investing your money. Search multiple brand websites and use their dealer locators. You may be surprised by how many dealers are just a short drive away. Don't just buy off price, physically look at the models features, open the doors, check them out and find what it the best for you long term.

265

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: E-Classic instruction videos

« on: March 01, 2012, 10:29:14 PM »

Jack, Good stuff, I think the information and tips in both of these videos would probably work well with any brand "gasser".

266

Central Boiler / Re: E-Classic Gas Ignition Kit

« on: March 01, 2012, 09:52:43 PM »

Marty, to answer your question and Sperle's, the ignition burner works great when needed to start a new load, but other than that I don't need to use it. Like I said it is a convenience, especially to someone who would need to start a new load frequently for whatever reason. I find it dependable and a pretty cool design. As a $1,000 free incentive, I would certainly hook it up and enjoy when needed. I can also see how your brush burner idea would start a new load pretty well too. 

So how does this forum work anyway? My previous replys were in defense of the brand I use to refute statements made by Scott7m as he was ripping Central Boiler. I don't see his statements between my replies now as they seemed to have disappeared. How does that work?

267

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Gasser

« on: March 01, 2012, 06:35:56 PM »

Looks like a lot of P & M owners and backers in this link...Let me throw my nickle in for my Eclassic 2400. CB may have had some issues with their 2300 model, but now in my second heating season with my E2400 and I am totally impressed with no issues. I recommend you do your homework. Study, physically touch and compare the models you are looking at. Becareful to buy from a reputable company with a long established history. Getting to be to many 1-800-SO SORRY we are out of business companies out there.  Bottom line:  Outdoor wood furnace = warm house, long hot showers, no oil or propane bills!

268

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Newbie doing some research - where to begin?

« on: March 01, 2012, 06:20:27 PM »

Mack, welcome to the world of outdoor wood furnaces!
There is lots of information and advice out there, so do your homework. Read brochures, watch videos physically look at and touch the models you are considering and speak to some owners of that model if you can. Forums are good, but "anybody" can be an expert. Some are probably dealers while others are just totally commited to the brand they use.  A great place to start and compare is the EPA Phase 2 qualified list of furnaces that are required in your state at this link: http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/owhhlist.html
I find the "heat output rating" column to be of much use as it truly compares the qualified models head to head in their btu output capabilities. As I understand it, this column gives you the maximum amount of constant btu draw that can be maintained over an 8 hour burn time, giving you a rating much like an indoor furnace/boiler heating device.
Scott likes to push his Canadian models and videos, I am personally a long time Central Boiler Classic and now Eclassic 2400 owner. Since he steered you to some of his favorite videos, here is the Eclassic video link as well:   http://www.youtube.com/centralboilerinc#p/u/0/rwL01iW36MA
You will find their are lots of helpful owners of most brands and models out there that are willing to share their experiences, whatever you do.
Back when I was much younger, I burned an indoor wood stove, I would never do that again after burning outdoors. Home insurance is cheaper too when not burning indoors and much less mess, handling and fire concerns. Enjoy your research!

269

Central Boiler / Re: classic-e-classic

« on: March 01, 2012, 05:52:10 PM »

Rclay, I operated a CL5648 for 7 years, which would be the equivilent of todays CL6048 model. You have heard right, it is bulletproof and became part of the family. My best friend who is a CB dealer finally talked me into moving into the E2400 model and had a buyer for my CL5648. I have gone from 10-11 full cord per year down to 6 full cord last season  and will come in under 5 full cord this mild season.  Sounds like the E2300 was a bit "quirky" and required more babysitting, but I haven't found that to be the issue with my E2400. Probably a little more cleaning, but well worth it.  Yes, at least 6 month seasoned wood is required for best operation of any "gasser" IMO.  I block wood to 24" lengths and if over 8-10+ inches round I split it, but I've cut my wood consumption by 40-50% which blows me away! An occasional 12 incher thrown up on top of the load seems to work ok too.  Yes a little more prep work, but I must say my back appreciates throwing the smaller logs into the fire during the heating season...bottom line, I would stay with my new Eclassic simply because of the wood savings.

270

Central Boiler / Re: E-Classic Gas Ignition Kit

« on: March 01, 2012, 05:37:34 PM »

I'm new to this site, but have been posting and sharing the knowledge I've learned from operating my current Eclassic 2400 and previous CL5648 on another forum site for some time. This is my second winter seaon using it. Since my best friend is a CB dealer, I got the burner for his cost when I installed it. No it is not necessary to keep the furnace running, I can pulse "free" air in the firebox to do that. With a few setting adjustments, I ran it in July with just a DWH draw and it did not go out. The igniter is purely a convenience, for my first fire start of the season or if I've been gone for an extended weekend, it is great to just throw in some wood, press the button and go in the house. A 20 lb propane tank and regulator is all I need for what little I use it. If CB is giving them away as a promotion, new buyers will get a better deal on it than I did.  I see Scott7m is a dealer for other brands, too bad he has to make-up lies and  false accustations against competiors to try to sell his product. Why would Cental Boiler want to raise prices for the common man, possibly driving it our of our price range and be proud of it? That would be sales suicide.  Ridiculous, their Classic model was and still is a great model....sounds like a lot of sour grapes.