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[E Yoder]

Hi Guys,
Hope one of you have the answer I need.
I was asked to check out a busted valve on a unit today. This was on a Nature's Comfort 175 unit.
I am kind of concerned about several things- there's a lot of air leakage around the shaker rod. I don't see a good way to seal it. Ideas? I think it might cause it to boil.
Also there's no insulation between the piping and pump and the outside. And it doesn't appear to be insulated underneath. Maybe I'm missing something? I'm concerned about if there is a power outage. ? I think that's where the busted valve came from.
Trying to figure out how to advise the customer as I haven't dealt with this brand much. Maybe I'm overly concerned.

[RSI]

It is a good idea to insulate the pipes. in the back Insulating the whole compartment like HeatMaster does would be a let better.
If it has shaker grates then it was made as a coal burner. If you are burning wood in it, they suggested using an air shutoff flap and cutting a slot in it for the linkage. Any similar rubber should work just as good. Also if burning wood in a coal unit, you really should cover the back half of the grates with a steel plate. Otherwise it will blow air straight up the chimney.
They don't come with insulation on the bottom. It needs to be added after the install.

[E Yoder]

Yes, is labeled a coal stove. Thanks for the info.

[greasemonkoid]

That plate made a world of difference for me, then used the high temp silicone around the shaker linkage, ash drawer, and door. On a hot day with bone dry pine slabs and no load it still creeps up until the safety dumps at 188*.   At that point you can hear the water boiling on the firebox surface, not sure if that's normal. The thermostat cuts out at 182. This is not an issue with hardwood though.

These things don't seem to be engineered for the common plug and play consumer in mind.

3 full months of continuous use thus far, it seems to be much more efficient loading the front half only, especially with the blockoff plate in there. I've used a little over a cord now of mostly oak, sourwood, and poplar reloading once daily. Hope this thing doesn't call me multiple times a day wanting to be fed this winter.

[E Yoder]

Thanks, this is helpful. This customer bought the house with the OWB already installed so these tips will really help. I appreciate it.

[aarmga]

If you are making a plate tomcover the shakers cover it 60% or even 70%.  Works much better.  What I did was cut 3 rectangle squares in a 52” plate and covered the shakers completely and removed the shaker rod.  It works much much better, also doesn’t seem to get as hot when idling.

[E Yoder]

How big were the squares?
And I'm assuming you just raked the ashes down rather than shaking them?
Good idea. Thanks.