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[Cabo]

Well I fired the boiler up this AM for the season/first time ever(other then when Slimjim was here).  It went pretty well but thought that my experience/foolish over sites my help others when they fire up
          -remove chimney cover if one is in place (I did remember)
          -Remember to turn switch on at FRONT of unit.  I scratched my head for over 1/2 an hour on why I couldn't get the blower     to come on with the timer.  Of course I couldn't find the owners manual right of so I went to the P&M website and printed off the wiring diagram and saw the switch.  Just foolish on my part.
          -Listen to see if blower is going.  If not be aware that a flash back could occur if gasses are built up.
          -Always stand to the hinge side of the door when opening and only open to the safety catch at first.
          -Install a plastic contractor bag with tape under the access door in rear of unit to help catch condensation during warm up.  Good suggestion Slimjim.  I would say I got a quart to 1/2 gal of black condensation out and no mess to clean up.
          -I took about 1 1/2 hrs. before it started to gasify.  I'm thinking that it was due to only having 3-4 pieces of wood in it.  With in 10 mins. of adding 4-6 more pieces it was going good.
          -It took about 3-3 1/2 hrs. to get up to 195.
          -I am running a 5 degree differential right now.  I wanted to make sure it would through out the day since there is very little load on the unit right now and I could check on it while doing other things.  I will go back to a 10-12 degree differential shortly.
          -Supply and return differential approx. 18 degrees so pump speed seems good.
          -Stack temp right at 260.
The main issue I had was my garage radiant seemed to be air locked but after some bleeding it seems to be working now.  I turned it up to 70 just to put some demand on the boiler but will turn it down in a day or so.

All in all it went quite well.  Thanks to Slim for some pointers when he was here for the install.  Hopefully some of these items I mentioned will help other people that are new to OWB.

[slimjim]

Awesome Cabo, for those who question the response time bringing the water temp up, remember, this is a 3100 pound unit when dry, there is 9 inches of refractory cement and firebrick in the base of the 250 as well as 240 gallons of water in the jacket, it takes a bit to get it hot, once it's there it holds that heat very well, the condensation is from the steel heating up, example- take a piece of 1/4 inch plate that has been sitting in your shop out of the weather for years, stick it on your welding bench and hit it with a torch, that moisture appearing on the surface of the steel is the reason we don't use spray foam for insolation as the fiberglass will breath and dry out instead of holding the moisture at the steel, the condensation stops at about 140 degrees F. This is why it is important to keep your boiler hot!

[chillyhiker]

my ridgewood has spray foam insulation so what is going to happen in your opinion?Rust from the outside in?

[Uponthehill]

I'm still a few weeks from the first fire in my 2840.  I guess mine will condensate as well. Where exactly will the condensation exit?  Also, I've noticed pics of several OWB and they do not have rain caps on the stack. Why not, and would there be any advantage to using one ?  What does everyone use for thread sealant?  I've always used Teflon tape w/pipe dope. However, anything I've worked on has not been this hot. Thanks.

[oaky]

First time I fired up my newly installed BL 2840 this fall, the condensation dripped into the very front end of the ash drawer on the inside, so when you open the ash door, the water would come out, keep it closed until after a couple of cycles, then wipe it dry. I have always used a rain cap (no spark arrester) on my old Aqua -Therm, I am doing the same with this one. To me personally, it keeps the rain out while the draft blower isn't running. Teflon tape alone, has been working good for me in all my brass fittings, 5-6 wraps on your 3/4"-1" fittings.