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1
WoodMaster / Re: Woodmaster 4400 Problems resolved - lessons learned
« on: January 16, 2011, 08:17:18 AM »
I'm in Floyds Knobs Indiana. I took it to a place in Edwardsville located next to Roberts heating and Air in the Industrial park (can't think of the name roght now) but Richie Van Hook owns it. I will get their name and number for you. He is excellent.
ALSO - Don't clean your Plate Exchanger with CLR or the Works - He said that those chemicals will do damage to plate exchangers. Use the vinegar instead.
My Stove is back in operation now and I am warm as I want to be now.
ALSO - Don't clean your Plate Exchanger with CLR or the Works - He said that those chemicals will do damage to plate exchangers. Use the vinegar instead.
My Stove is back in operation now and I am warm as I want to be now.
2
WoodMaster / Woodmaster 4400 Problems resolved - lessons learned
« on: January 11, 2011, 10:21:36 PM »
I'm the one that had problems with my stove over-heating and boiling the water out which ended up being a wind leak from my front door because of the fire rope which I ended up replacing. I will do that annually from now on.
My other problem once I got the air leak figured out was that I no longer had any heat nor hot water.
Here is what all I had to do.
I had a huge amount of calcium build up which clogged my lines, my plate exchanger and my radiator. I took them all lose, cleaned them, blew them out with a water hose and air. My radiator above my plenum was still clogged and I ended up taking it to a company that services industrial boliers. I had tried taking it to a radiator place that does cars/ That was a waste of my time and gas money. The guy that owned the boiler service place knew exactly what was going on. He hooked up my radiator to some hoses and a pump that he cycled his chemical through it with. He cleaned it right up and then he gave me some advice as follows:
Fill up your wood stove water with soft water only - never hard.
Pour some white vinegar in it from time to time - a couple of gallons as well as your annual treatment(corequest or whatever you use)
I had to buy a new pump for my wood stove which was a Taco 011. Note: Don't waste your time or money buying a used one off of someone on ebay as I did. I ended up getting a new bigger 013 taco pump brand new and it is working great. Make sure you pay attention to the size of the pump you need and how long your pex lines are and how far the pum has to push the water. This is important.
Good news is that I have a very warm log cabin once again and I am burning wood again which makes me, my wife and daughter very happy. I won't ever run out of salt in my water softener and I will pay close attention to my stove maintenance from now on. My electric bill for the month I have been without my stove working was $477. With my stove running correctly, it averages just over $200 in the winter and I am ALL electric here in Indiana.
I hope this advice and my experience helps anyone else on here.
Thanks for all that posted replies for me
My other problem once I got the air leak figured out was that I no longer had any heat nor hot water.
Here is what all I had to do.
I had a huge amount of calcium build up which clogged my lines, my plate exchanger and my radiator. I took them all lose, cleaned them, blew them out with a water hose and air. My radiator above my plenum was still clogged and I ended up taking it to a company that services industrial boliers. I had tried taking it to a radiator place that does cars/ That was a waste of my time and gas money. The guy that owned the boiler service place knew exactly what was going on. He hooked up my radiator to some hoses and a pump that he cycled his chemical through it with. He cleaned it right up and then he gave me some advice as follows:
Fill up your wood stove water with soft water only - never hard.
Pour some white vinegar in it from time to time - a couple of gallons as well as your annual treatment(corequest or whatever you use)
I had to buy a new pump for my wood stove which was a Taco 011. Note: Don't waste your time or money buying a used one off of someone on ebay as I did. I ended up getting a new bigger 013 taco pump brand new and it is working great. Make sure you pay attention to the size of the pump you need and how long your pex lines are and how far the pum has to push the water. This is important.
Good news is that I have a very warm log cabin once again and I am burning wood again which makes me, my wife and daughter very happy. I won't ever run out of salt in my water softener and I will pay close attention to my stove maintenance from now on. My electric bill for the month I have been without my stove working was $477. With my stove running correctly, it averages just over $200 in the winter and I am ALL electric here in Indiana.
I hope this advice and my experience helps anyone else on here.
Thanks for all that posted replies for me
3
WoodMaster / Re: WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 07, 2010, 11:49:10 AM »If you are having a calcium build up problem you might try cleaning the system with Lime Away or The Works. Both have help me in similar situations. I have had several systems where I have installed two drain valves (one on the supply and one on the return). I isolate the heating loop by by turning the valves off at the furnace and hook a little submersible pump to the boiler drain in the return line and a water hose to the drain on the supply side. Drop the submersible pump into a bucket of water mixed with The Works and let it cycle for 15 min. A submersible pump cost $40 and it works like a charm.
Now that I have my clogs cleared out, could I not just pour the Works or Lime Away into the top of my stove IF my pump is working and let it do the same?
4
WoodMaster / Re: WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 07, 2010, 11:46:21 AM »
I took my lines off EVERYWHERE. I started with the lines coming into my first exchanger (cold from the house water line, hot from the stove, out to the hot water heater, out to my furnace) The heat exchanger was completely plugged up with calcium chunks. I cleaned those out and then took off the lines to my plenum above my furnace. When I do so, I poured out the lines into a pitcher. It was full of calcium crap. I decided to try cleaning out my plenum/radiator looking exchanger. I blew into one end and it sounded like the thing was vomiting chunks of calcium out everywhere.
I did not have the crimping tool to crimp my pex lines back onto my furnace, but will do so tonight.
I may go ahead and replace my pump as well while I am at it. I can get a new pump for $78 so why not.
I have a nice water softener unit that I constantly forget to fill up with salt. After all of this trouble, I will NOT be forgetting to do so in the future. Dealers that install these things should give a heads up to people that purchase a new stove by telling them about stuff like this. I'm sure I am not the first guy this has happened to. I feel like I could install these things now because I have done nearly everything there is to do.
I'm going to order another pump and run pex line out to my garage/barn, install a hydronic heater with a thermostat so I can keep it heated out there whenever I want to now that I know what all I need to do.
I will let everyone know for sure what ALL I had to do once I have wat water and heat again from my stove rather than my electric heat pump and my electric water heater which KILL me financially to run in this frigid sub teen cold weather.
I did not have the crimping tool to crimp my pex lines back onto my furnace, but will do so tonight.
I may go ahead and replace my pump as well while I am at it. I can get a new pump for $78 so why not.
I have a nice water softener unit that I constantly forget to fill up with salt. After all of this trouble, I will NOT be forgetting to do so in the future. Dealers that install these things should give a heads up to people that purchase a new stove by telling them about stuff like this. I'm sure I am not the first guy this has happened to. I feel like I could install these things now because I have done nearly everything there is to do.
I'm going to order another pump and run pex line out to my garage/barn, install a hydronic heater with a thermostat so I can keep it heated out there whenever I want to now that I know what all I need to do.
I will let everyone know for sure what ALL I had to do once I have wat water and heat again from my stove rather than my electric heat pump and my electric water heater which KILL me financially to run in this frigid sub teen cold weather.
5
WoodMaster / Re: WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 05, 2010, 08:37:49 PM »
ALL - I took off the top connection to the heat exchanger where my line comes in from my stove. Once I got it completely disconnected (not just loose) Hot water shot out of it. I pushed it back on and tightened it back up and then noticed ALL of the white calcium chunks and bits all over my wall from where the water had shot out.
I think that tomorrow when I get home from work I am going to try take off the connections to my heat exchangers and try cleaning them all out the best that I can. I'm wondering if I should try blasting air from a compressor thru my exchangers to try and clean them out?
I will see if thei helps or works, and if not then I will be buying a new pump. I can't imagine that a pump that is only 2 & 1/2 years old would be out already, but maybe so. It seems like a very nice industrial grade pump and I can hear it running. Could I have damaged it from when my stove was over-heating?
Life is full of lessons and most seem to come from experiences. Unforunately the timing (it's frigging freezing here) and expense (it's also Christmas time) is kicking me in the butt! I bought the stove to save a lot of money but I figure it will take 7 years before I break even IF things worked. With all this extra troublem this stove has not been worth it to me, but maybe my experience or luck is the exception.
HOW in the world do people live OFF the grid? It seems like ALL very hard work to me!
I think that tomorrow when I get home from work I am going to try take off the connections to my heat exchangers and try cleaning them all out the best that I can. I'm wondering if I should try blasting air from a compressor thru my exchangers to try and clean them out?
I will see if thei helps or works, and if not then I will be buying a new pump. I can't imagine that a pump that is only 2 & 1/2 years old would be out already, but maybe so. It seems like a very nice industrial grade pump and I can hear it running. Could I have damaged it from when my stove was over-heating?
Life is full of lessons and most seem to come from experiences. Unforunately the timing (it's frigging freezing here) and expense (it's also Christmas time) is kicking me in the butt! I bought the stove to save a lot of money but I figure it will take 7 years before I break even IF things worked. With all this extra troublem this stove has not been worth it to me, but maybe my experience or luck is the exception.
HOW in the world do people live OFF the grid? It seems like ALL very hard work to me!
6
WoodMaster / Re: WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 05, 2010, 01:39:48 PM »
The lines from my stove first go to my exchanger for my water heater, and then to my exchanger/plenum that sits on top my furnace fan.
All of my valves are open completely.
I'm going to disconnect the water/pex line just prior to my exchange the feeds my hot water heater and then goes over to my furnace in a series,
I have hot water to one side of the first exchanger and then hot water over to my exchanger/plenum, but I have NO hot water on my exchanger on the side where it goes to feed my hot water heater, and I have no hot water on the top of my exchanger/plenum which then returns BACK to my stove.
IF I turn off my furnace (fan) the top of the exchanger/plenum will then start getting HOT, but the minute I turn the furnace fan back on, it get luke to the touch quickly.
That should tell me something but I'm not stove smart enough to know what exactly.
Thanks for all the suggestions and input. My house will heat to about 65 degrees MAX and it does not seem like I am going through the wood like I normally do at all. This also should tell me something, but again, I don't know what.
All of my valves are open completely.
I'm going to disconnect the water/pex line just prior to my exchange the feeds my hot water heater and then goes over to my furnace in a series,
I have hot water to one side of the first exchanger and then hot water over to my exchanger/plenum, but I have NO hot water on my exchanger on the side where it goes to feed my hot water heater, and I have no hot water on the top of my exchanger/plenum which then returns BACK to my stove.
IF I turn off my furnace (fan) the top of the exchanger/plenum will then start getting HOT, but the minute I turn the furnace fan back on, it get luke to the touch quickly.
That should tell me something but I'm not stove smart enough to know what exactly.
Thanks for all the suggestions and input. My house will heat to about 65 degrees MAX and it does not seem like I am going through the wood like I normally do at all. This also should tell me something, but again, I don't know what.
7
WoodMaster / Re: WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 04, 2010, 10:13:59 AM »
Well, I do not have any air, and I have a lot of water pressure everywhere.
I drained my water heater and opened up every faucet everywhere. Still no luck. I have hot water coming into my house from my stove. It is getting to both exchangers (above my furnace and my hot water heater) but very little heat or hot water unless I tunr my hot water heater back on.
I would not think that it would be my pump since I have hot water to my exchangers. Other than starting to replacing my exchangers, I am out of answers or things to try.
I drained my water heater and opened up every faucet everywhere. Still no luck. I have hot water coming into my house from my stove. It is getting to both exchangers (above my furnace and my hot water heater) but very little heat or hot water unless I tunr my hot water heater back on.
I would not think that it would be my pump since I have hot water to my exchangers. Other than starting to replacing my exchangers, I am out of answers or things to try.
8
WoodMaster / Re: WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 04, 2010, 07:40:45 AM »
How do I go about bleeding the air out of my system? Do I drain it from my stove? or?
I can hear and feel my pump working at the back of my stove. Should I disconnect the line there to see if it's pushing water?
I can hear and feel my pump working at the back of my stove. Should I disconnect the line there to see if it's pushing water?
9
WoodMaster / Re: WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 03, 2010, 07:25:37 PM »
HELP!
10
WoodMaster / Re: WOODMASTER 4400 OVER BOILING & USING WATER
« on: December 03, 2010, 07:20:10 PM »
I set my stove temp to operate at 160. I think it is set to kick on the fan when it drops 20 degrees below that. I usually always burn oak, maple, hickory or ash hardwood. My stove fan runs until it hits 160 degrees and then kick off but my temp goes up another 10 degrees or so depending on the weather and the wood and the load I have in it.
What temp do most of you have your stove set to operate at? What wood do you burn? How often do you empty all of your ash? I do not have an auger other than my arms and a shovel so I empty mine out once or twice a week and then build a new fire. I have a nice ash pile back behind my stove.
What temp do most of you have your stove set to operate at? What wood do you burn? How often do you empty all of your ash? I do not have an auger other than my arms and a shovel so I empty mine out once or twice a week and then build a new fire. I have a nice ash pile back behind my stove.
11
WoodMaster / WM 4400 Problem with hot weater and heat
« on: December 03, 2010, 07:15:16 PM »
Boy Im thinking I must be cursed or something.
I fixed my air leak problem which was causing my stove to over-heat and boil out the water. Everything has been working just fine until Thanksgiving.
Now, I have hardly any warm heat. My fan stays on my furnace all the time just trying to get my inside temperature in my house up to 70 degrees. My stove use to run us out of the house. I live in a big log cabin that is well insulated.
Here is what I noticed: The bottom of my heat exchanger where the hot water comes in is very hot, but the radiator and the lines coming out of the top of my heat exchanger are luke warm at best. IF I turn off my furnace fan, the top lines and radiator start getting hot again but the minute my fan turns on, it gets luke quick. I also have NO hot water in my house without turning on my hot water heater. The exchanger to my hot water heater has the same deal - incoming lines are too hot to touch, outgoing you can lick with your bare tongue.
The head of maintenance where I work thought maybe I had a calcium buildup that plugged up my line somehow, but I have 3/4 inch copper and 3/4 inch pex lines everywhere.
I have not put in any boiler treatment this season because I ran out from filling it up because it boiled out so often. Would that make any difference? I cranked my stove temp up to 180 thinking that I would see if it would help, but to no avail. I am at my wits end with this one other than starting to replace exchangers and then lines, but this is only my 3rd year with my stove running. I can't imagine that I would need to do either. I took great care with my pex lines when I installed them. I put them inside that black corrugated pipe with lots of insulation and was careful when covering them back up. I checked my stove's water and opened up the drain valves, etc...
Any clues on any of this beyond what I have tried??
Thanks for any advice.
I fixed my air leak problem which was causing my stove to over-heat and boil out the water. Everything has been working just fine until Thanksgiving.
Now, I have hardly any warm heat. My fan stays on my furnace all the time just trying to get my inside temperature in my house up to 70 degrees. My stove use to run us out of the house. I live in a big log cabin that is well insulated.
Here is what I noticed: The bottom of my heat exchanger where the hot water comes in is very hot, but the radiator and the lines coming out of the top of my heat exchanger are luke warm at best. IF I turn off my furnace fan, the top lines and radiator start getting hot again but the minute my fan turns on, it gets luke quick. I also have NO hot water in my house without turning on my hot water heater. The exchanger to my hot water heater has the same deal - incoming lines are too hot to touch, outgoing you can lick with your bare tongue.
The head of maintenance where I work thought maybe I had a calcium buildup that plugged up my line somehow, but I have 3/4 inch copper and 3/4 inch pex lines everywhere.
I have not put in any boiler treatment this season because I ran out from filling it up because it boiled out so often. Would that make any difference? I cranked my stove temp up to 180 thinking that I would see if it would help, but to no avail. I am at my wits end with this one other than starting to replace exchangers and then lines, but this is only my 3rd year with my stove running. I can't imagine that I would need to do either. I took great care with my pex lines when I installed them. I put them inside that black corrugated pipe with lots of insulation and was careful when covering them back up. I checked my stove's water and opened up the drain valves, etc...
Any clues on any of this beyond what I have tried??
Thanks for any advice.
12
WoodMaster / WM 4400 2nd Pump - Radiant Heater with blower
« on: November 16, 2010, 08:05:49 AM »
I'd like to start using my 2nd pump on my 4400. What I want to do is heat the underneath of my house (big crawl space)
I am looking for is a radiant heater with a blower and thermostat that I can hook up to my hot water/pex line to use to heat with.
Do any of you know where I can find a product like this?
I am looking for is a radiant heater with a blower and thermostat that I can hook up to my hot water/pex line to use to heat with.
Do any of you know where I can find a product like this?
13
WoodMaster / Re: WOODMASTER 4400 OVER BOILING & USING WATER - RESOLVED!!! YIPPEE!
« on: November 16, 2010, 08:01:40 AM »
Well, here is what I did to find my leak. I put a bucket on top of the flue and watched for smoke to come out. Turns out my door which I had put new fire rop on was the culprit. I had bought the largest size rope at Tractor Supply (TSC) which was 5/8s in diameter. They also included a small tube of high temp gasket seal with it, but it didn't go very far. This time I went to Rural King and found their 3/4 inch rope and bought a large tube of gasket sealant. I toook off the old rope and disc grinded the door area to bare metal. I applied a liberal amount of sealant and then secured the new thicker rope. I left the door open untile the sealant dried before closing it. Now I am operating at 170 to 177 at the highest. I have my stove set to 160 so the fan kicks off when it gets to that temp.
Would I have done any damage to my stove with having it burn so hot and boiling out the water?
It seems to be working fine now. My house is nice and toasty warm and I do not have to constantly fill it up with water. I'm very happy again.
THANKS for all the advice and suggestions!
Would I have done any damage to my stove with having it burn so hot and boiling out the water?
It seems to be working fine now. My house is nice and toasty warm and I do not have to constantly fill it up with water. I'm very happy again.
THANKS for all the advice and suggestions!
14
WoodMaster / Re: WOODMASTER 4400 OVER BOILING & USING WATER
« on: November 05, 2010, 04:22:51 PM »
The door swings just fine, but I have to push hard to turn the handle and close it. I don't ever see smoke coming out anywhere except for the flu. Before I replace the fire rope I was seeing smoke come out around my door.
15
WoodMaster / Re: WOODMASTER 4400 OVER BOILING & USING WATER
« on: November 05, 2010, 07:51:44 AM »
I have never used my ash auger or had the front plate off. I checked it and did not notice any opening or leaking around it.
I checked the flapper on the fan and it is staying closed
My fan hardly ever kicks on because my stove stays so hot.
Very frustating
I checked the flapper on the fan and it is staying closed
My fan hardly ever kicks on because my stove stays so hot.
Very frustating
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