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1
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / TSWB Digital Switch by LOVE Controls
« on: January 04, 2016, 03:41:19 PM »
I ran across the TSWB Digital Temperature/Water Level Switch by LOVE Controls while searching to replace the original TS2-010 Digital temperature switch in my heater. It looks like it would be a good upgrade to the original. Does anyone know what it is actually capable of and how to wire and set it up?
I would like to add some smarts to my heater setup, for example:
1. Fire out notification. If heater temperature goes below temp, shut off blower motor and turn on alarm indicator. Would also need reset/bypass for startup.
2. Over heat protection. If heater temp goes above temp, turn on dump zone.
3. Low water level detector with auto refill would be nice.
4. Freeze protection. Heat the wood heater from my oil heater to prevent freeze up during prolonged down time.
I think the TSWB will do 1 2 & 3 but not 4. How would I do 4?
Does anyone have their heater controls set up to do this - with or without the LOVE TSWB?
Would you be willing to share the info on your setup?
I would like to add some smarts to my heater setup, for example:
1. Fire out notification. If heater temperature goes below temp, shut off blower motor and turn on alarm indicator. Would also need reset/bypass for startup.
2. Over heat protection. If heater temp goes above temp, turn on dump zone.
3. Low water level detector with auto refill would be nice.
4. Freeze protection. Heat the wood heater from my oil heater to prevent freeze up during prolonged down time.
I think the TSWB will do 1 2 & 3 but not 4. How would I do 4?
Does anyone have their heater controls set up to do this - with or without the LOVE TSWB?
Would you be willing to share the info on your setup?
2
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Where the heck do ya live
« on: November 04, 2015, 03:04:48 PM »
Bloomingdale NY - in the North Eastern Adirondack Mountains.
3
Site Suggestions / Where did the photo albums go?
« on: November 04, 2015, 01:34:48 PM »
Was the photo album for this board discontinued or am I doing something wrong?
I had made a couple of albums of my Aspen 175 but I can't find them now. I was contacted by a member today looking for the information.
I had made a couple of albums of my Aspen 175 but I can't find them now. I was contacted by a member today looking for the information.
4
Empyre / Re: On the Wood Again!
« on: February 06, 2015, 03:45:02 PM »
The boiler did not freeze. I believe I received one of the boilers that were constructed with substandard material – this info is from one of the engineers. Apparently they received some material that had impurities in it and discovered it too late. Those boilers had a couple of other characteristics which were also present in my unit. They did nothing for the unlucky recipients since Greenwood folded about a month after I got this information. Oh – well it is running fine now after the repairs.
5
Empyre / Re: On the Wood Again!
« on: January 25, 2015, 09:46:03 AM »
At first we thought he could remove the tank and bring it to his shop to rebuild it. After examining it via the exploratory holes he decided to disassemble it on site. He removed the outer skin of the tank in two halves. The outer skin of the tank was in excellent shape and we were able to reuse it. This saved a lot of time and material. The fire box was 16 gauge sheet metal (according to the welder) he replaced it with 3/16 thick boiler plate which is the same thickness as all other plate material originally used to build the boiler. He could not find boiler tubes the same thickness as the original but found some with same exterior dimensions and thicker wall. So the heat exchanger walls are thicker than original also.
I had the welder make two modifications.
1. replace the 1” piping connections on the back of the tank with 1 ¼ “ connections now all connections are 1 ¼ “ threaded pipe.
2. weld a deflector on the inside top of the door frame to keep the creosote from accumulating next to the gasket.
I had the welder make two modifications.
1. replace the 1” piping connections on the back of the tank with 1 ¼ “ connections now all connections are 1 ¼ “ threaded pipe.
2. weld a deflector on the inside top of the door frame to keep the creosote from accumulating next to the gasket.
6
Empyre / Re: On the Wood Again!
« on: January 25, 2015, 09:18:14 AM »
The pictures are here finally see album: Aspen 175 Repair/Rebuild.
The boiler is six years old now. It was four years old when I shut it down due to leaks - see thread:
Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175
The boiler is six years old now. It was four years old when I shut it down due to leaks - see thread:
Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175
7
Empyre / On the Wood Again!
« on: January 03, 2015, 08:57:08 AM »
Finally, after 23 months since shutting down my Aspen 175 I have it up and running again! It took a while to find a welder to do the job and once I found one it took him a while to get the job done. We ended up doing a complete overhaul of the fire box and replaced all of the heat exchanger tubes as well as all internal plumbing. I redid external plumbing to include a 3 way thermic valve to prevent low boiler temp. I also split the return line so the return water is distributed to both heat zones instead of just the one. 
I have pictures of the project and will post them as soon as I get a chance.
I have pictures of the project and will post them as soon as I get a chance.
8
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: What would you get and why?
« on: March 05, 2013, 04:47:27 PM »
I got the official word from one of the NYS DEC officials concerning replacing existing OWB units. Replacement units must meet all of the regulations as if it were a new install. My installation does not meet setback requirements and I do not have large enough of a lot to comply. So I will learn to weld and repair the unit this summer. Oh well, I hope to get fifteen years out of it – long enough to pay off the mortgages!
9
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: What would you get and why?
« on: February 07, 2013, 08:52:25 PM »
Thanks for the feed back. This may be another futile effort. I do live in NYS and they have adopted very strict rules for new OWBs. I don’t know if my boiler location is grandfathered or if just the boiler is grandfathered. If a replacement unit has to meet the set back requirements for a new OWB I may not be able to replace it. I have been operating without smoke problems for 4 years. I have not received one complaint. Two of my closest neighbors said they were worried about the smoke when they saw that I had installed the unit. Although they said they were paying close attention to what I was doing neither one of them knew when I started the first fire. They came to me about 30 days after I started the fire to ask me if I was using the unit yet.
I think they overdid the regulation on these units. For all of its problems the Aspen 175 was/is a clean burning unit. You could stand with your face in the smoke plume five feet from the chimney and barely smell the wood smoke. My neighbor across the road has a wood stove in his house which is about 200 feet up wind from me, when he runs his wood stove I can’t open my bedroom window because the wood smoke smell is too intense. I like to keep my window open for fresh air about ½ inch even during the winter but that is too much.
I will be going to the Central Boiler dealer this weekend to see what he has to say. Dealers for the other NYS approved units are too far away. So if I can replace it, it looks like I will be going with the Central Boiler E-Classic 1450. I am not very optimistic.
I think they overdid the regulation on these units. For all of its problems the Aspen 175 was/is a clean burning unit. You could stand with your face in the smoke plume five feet from the chimney and barely smell the wood smoke. My neighbor across the road has a wood stove in his house which is about 200 feet up wind from me, when he runs his wood stove I can’t open my bedroom window because the wood smoke smell is too intense. I like to keep my window open for fresh air about ½ inch even during the winter but that is too much.
I will be going to the Central Boiler dealer this weekend to see what he has to say. Dealers for the other NYS approved units are too far away. So if I can replace it, it looks like I will be going with the Central Boiler E-Classic 1450. I am not very optimistic.
10
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / What would you get and why?
« on: January 26, 2013, 11:28:54 AM »
If you had to replace your heater today what would you get and why?
Mine is dead. See the thread "Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175" in the Empyre section.
Mine is dead. See the thread "Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175" in the Empyre section.
11
Empyre / Re: Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175
« on: January 26, 2013, 11:23:37 AM »
The war is over! I capitulated this morning at 11:45.
There is a huge leak in the top right corner of the firebox along the seam about in the middle measuring from front to back and another substantial leak about 10 inches below that one. Three of the heat exchanger tubes on the right are wet and water is running out of one of them. At least two heat exchangers on the left are wet and my brush came up wet on one of the vertical heat exchangers. I am guessing the heat exchangers are wet from leaks and not condensation.
There is a huge leak in the top right corner of the firebox along the seam about in the middle measuring from front to back and another substantial leak about 10 inches below that one. Three of the heat exchanger tubes on the right are wet and water is running out of one of them. At least two heat exchangers on the left are wet and my brush came up wet on one of the vertical heat exchangers. I am guessing the heat exchangers are wet from leaks and not condensation.
12
Empyre / Re: Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175
« on: January 26, 2013, 07:55:59 AM »
This morning I had two leaks to deal with! They were both in the same locale as the previous leaks. At the top of the fire box almost dead center(side to side) and close to the loading door, directly under the overflow. I was able to fix them without using the epoxy. I brushed them and put a #8 sheet metal screw in each hole.
The tally so far:
Welds 1
#8 screws 3
Boiler shutdown 2 events, 22 days & 2 days.
I discovered the leaks when I went to load the boiler this morning. The boiler temperature was 160F and it only had coals in it. I shoveled the coals and creosote residue to the back of the boiler. I removed the door baffle and connection arm to allow me to move the chimney damper to the closed position. This allowed for easier access to the leaks. When I power brushed each leak the drip turned into a steady stream. This was actually helpful as it was easier to see where the hole was and where exactly to put the screw. It took about two minutes to do both repairs – forty minutes to do the entire job from discovery to repair completed. The boiler temp was 150F when I finished the repairs, loaded the fire box and turned the unit back on. I will top off the water level this afternoon when ambient temperature warms a bit. The water level is ¼ of the way between FULL and ADD.
Most of the forty minutes was spent fetching tools and waiting for smoke to clear. Reaching into the boiler exposed part of my wrist and forearm to the heat of the fire. I got a pair of welding gloves that covered my wrist and part of my forearm and was able to tuck the sleeve of my canvass jacket into the glove and protect my wrist and forearm from the heat. The screw fell from the driver tip so I tried to find some silicone to put on the end of the driver tip to hold the screw in place – this was a waste of time. I do think this would work, but, I wasn’t able to find useable silicone for the task. However, the gloves did provide enough protection so I could take my time to carefully place the screws. I will have a tube of usable silicone available for the next event.
The inside of the fire box is covered in creosote, when brushed it is shiny with rust pox with the rust covered in oil look. Maybe next time I will get a picture. It was -15F this morning when I did the repairs and I was in a hurry to finish.
The tally so far:
Welds 1
#8 screws 3
Boiler shutdown 2 events, 22 days & 2 days.
I discovered the leaks when I went to load the boiler this morning. The boiler temperature was 160F and it only had coals in it. I shoveled the coals and creosote residue to the back of the boiler. I removed the door baffle and connection arm to allow me to move the chimney damper to the closed position. This allowed for easier access to the leaks. When I power brushed each leak the drip turned into a steady stream. This was actually helpful as it was easier to see where the hole was and where exactly to put the screw. It took about two minutes to do both repairs – forty minutes to do the entire job from discovery to repair completed. The boiler temp was 150F when I finished the repairs, loaded the fire box and turned the unit back on. I will top off the water level this afternoon when ambient temperature warms a bit. The water level is ¼ of the way between FULL and ADD.
Most of the forty minutes was spent fetching tools and waiting for smoke to clear. Reaching into the boiler exposed part of my wrist and forearm to the heat of the fire. I got a pair of welding gloves that covered my wrist and part of my forearm and was able to tuck the sleeve of my canvass jacket into the glove and protect my wrist and forearm from the heat. The screw fell from the driver tip so I tried to find some silicone to put on the end of the driver tip to hold the screw in place – this was a waste of time. I do think this would work, but, I wasn’t able to find useable silicone for the task. However, the gloves did provide enough protection so I could take my time to carefully place the screws. I will have a tube of usable silicone available for the next event.
The inside of the fire box is covered in creosote, when brushed it is shiny with rust pox with the rust covered in oil look. Maybe next time I will get a picture. It was -15F this morning when I did the repairs and I was in a hurry to finish.
13
Empyre / Re: Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175
« on: January 24, 2013, 05:57:19 PM »
So far so good both the weld and the sheet metal screw are holding up fine!!
I’m not really concerned about how they make ‘em now. I have to deal with the unit I bought. I wanted to offer a possible solution to fellow Aspen owners who may find themselves in the same situation. If you own one of these make sure you have some #8 and #10 sheet metal screws and keep your drill/impact driver batteries charged!
Neither ProFab nor Greenwood USA will take full responsibility for it. At least Greenwood USA has it on their web site as a legacy unit and will take questions and offer advice. The Greenwood USA rep for my area says they are having problems with this unit all over the place. I own one of the many leaking Aspen 175s and there is no real pattern of where the leaks are except it is where sheet metal is used instead of boiler plate. His comment was “do whatever you can to keep it running.”
What happened was that they should never have used mill run sheet metal to build the water jacket. My Aspen is only one of many leakers. But for the record I used whatever Greenwood recommend at the time of the install after that I used Certified Labs water treatment. I did not test but measured water as I added it and added water treatment as appropriate for the amount of water that I added. This is the fifth year with this boiler it was not abused and should not be leaking especially at the price I paid for it. I also have a coal pail that I use to catch the hot wood ash when I clean the ash chamber it is also in its fifth year it has spent its life in the elements yet it is solid and holds water well. A friend of mine has a first generation outdoor wood heater for the last eight years – he put water treatment in when it was installed and never added any more despite adding water several times over the last eight years his unit is still solid – no leaks. The Aspen is too new to be leaking regardless of treatment….
When I inspected the interior of the tank what I could see was shiny clean except for some rust pox marks, I believe that is testimony to sufficient water treatment. The rust pox marks look to be caused by impurities in the metal.
The leak(s) are on the top of the primary combustion chamber and located directly beneath the overflow tube such that you can see the leak from the overflow tube. At first I thought that I caused the leak by filling via the overflow tube. I thought maybe there was a surface treatment on the inside of the water jacket and that by filling via the overflow tube I may have eroded the treatment. This is NOT the case.
The Greenwood USA rep said there is NO surface treatment on the tank interior and that filling via the overflow is NOT a problem.
This unit has many problems including failed blower motor, failed solenoid, failed loading door gasket, air distribution ports plugged with insulation due to manufacturing problems, and secondary combustion chamber air distribution ports clogged with ash. I know of all these problems first hand. I hope not to learn of any more!!!
I’m not really concerned about how they make ‘em now. I have to deal with the unit I bought. I wanted to offer a possible solution to fellow Aspen owners who may find themselves in the same situation. If you own one of these make sure you have some #8 and #10 sheet metal screws and keep your drill/impact driver batteries charged!
Neither ProFab nor Greenwood USA will take full responsibility for it. At least Greenwood USA has it on their web site as a legacy unit and will take questions and offer advice. The Greenwood USA rep for my area says they are having problems with this unit all over the place. I own one of the many leaking Aspen 175s and there is no real pattern of where the leaks are except it is where sheet metal is used instead of boiler plate. His comment was “do whatever you can to keep it running.”
What happened was that they should never have used mill run sheet metal to build the water jacket. My Aspen is only one of many leakers. But for the record I used whatever Greenwood recommend at the time of the install after that I used Certified Labs water treatment. I did not test but measured water as I added it and added water treatment as appropriate for the amount of water that I added. This is the fifth year with this boiler it was not abused and should not be leaking especially at the price I paid for it. I also have a coal pail that I use to catch the hot wood ash when I clean the ash chamber it is also in its fifth year it has spent its life in the elements yet it is solid and holds water well. A friend of mine has a first generation outdoor wood heater for the last eight years – he put water treatment in when it was installed and never added any more despite adding water several times over the last eight years his unit is still solid – no leaks. The Aspen is too new to be leaking regardless of treatment….
When I inspected the interior of the tank what I could see was shiny clean except for some rust pox marks, I believe that is testimony to sufficient water treatment. The rust pox marks look to be caused by impurities in the metal.
The leak(s) are on the top of the primary combustion chamber and located directly beneath the overflow tube such that you can see the leak from the overflow tube. At first I thought that I caused the leak by filling via the overflow tube. I thought maybe there was a surface treatment on the inside of the water jacket and that by filling via the overflow tube I may have eroded the treatment. This is NOT the case.
The Greenwood USA rep said there is NO surface treatment on the tank interior and that filling via the overflow is NOT a problem.
This unit has many problems including failed blower motor, failed solenoid, failed loading door gasket, air distribution ports plugged with insulation due to manufacturing problems, and secondary combustion chamber air distribution ports clogged with ash. I know of all these problems first hand. I hope not to learn of any more!!!
14
Empyre / Quick fix for leaky Aspen 175
« on: January 18, 2013, 09:57:13 AM »
To make a long story short:
I was able to use sheet metal screws and metal epoxy to do a quick fix to my leaking Aspen 175 last evening – so far so good.
Or to make a short story long:
My Aspen started to leak the Friday before Christmas. I shut the boiler down, drained it and switched over to oil. I didn’t have time to deal with it during the Christmas & New Year holidays. Luckily I have a friend with welding skills who was able to bring his welder over and fix the leak. However, do to constraints on both of our schedules we weren’t able to fix the leak until Saturday January 12th.
When I did the repair I expected to find ¼ inch boiler plate but I soon found out the water jacket and primary firebox is made of sheet metal 14 or maybe 12 gauge – not exactly sure and it doesn’t matter. Also during inspection via the overflow I could see rust spots in other wise clean metal. The hole was directly under the overflow.
Yes I was diligent with the water treatment but I did not get it documented. Like I said what I could see of the interior of the water jacket was nice and clean except for the ‘rust pox’. It looked to me like the material used had impurities imbedded within it – it was not appropriate for the application.
Then on Tuesday January 15th the unit sprung another leak during the evening. Not good!!
I had a brainstorm during the day yesterday to use sheet metal screws and metal epoxy to repair the boiler.
So last night I picked up a small package of the shortest #8 and #10 sheet metal screws I could find. I also picked up some QuickSteel epoxy made by Bluemagic – I found this in the auto parts store. I mixed the epoxy as per instructions and put it on the screw threads. I used an end brush in my drill to clean the area. This worked great as the angle of the brush on the metal was such that it did not fling debris into my face or on me at all. The epoxy is supposed to set in 5 minutes, set under water and is suitable for use in 500 degree F. The repair was done last evening around 7:30 while water was dripping from the leak. I re-lit the boiler 5 minutes after completing the repair – so far the repair has held up.
I don’t think the epoxy really contributed to the repair the way I used it here. The idea was the epoxy would help build a seal around the threads similar to pipe dope but most, if not all of the epoxy fell off while I drove the screw in with my impact driver.
The beauty is that you don’t have to shut down and drain the boiler to do the repair, depending on the location of the leak that is. In my case it was close to the loading door on top of the fire box. It took longer to get dressed in work clothing than it did to fix the leak!
The next time I have to do a repair I will brush the area then apply epoxy to stop the water. This should prevent the hot water from dripping on my hands thus making it easier to set a screw. I’ll keep you posted.
I was able to use sheet metal screws and metal epoxy to do a quick fix to my leaking Aspen 175 last evening – so far so good.
Or to make a short story long:
My Aspen started to leak the Friday before Christmas. I shut the boiler down, drained it and switched over to oil. I didn’t have time to deal with it during the Christmas & New Year holidays. Luckily I have a friend with welding skills who was able to bring his welder over and fix the leak. However, do to constraints on both of our schedules we weren’t able to fix the leak until Saturday January 12th.
When I did the repair I expected to find ¼ inch boiler plate but I soon found out the water jacket and primary firebox is made of sheet metal 14 or maybe 12 gauge – not exactly sure and it doesn’t matter. Also during inspection via the overflow I could see rust spots in other wise clean metal. The hole was directly under the overflow.
Yes I was diligent with the water treatment but I did not get it documented. Like I said what I could see of the interior of the water jacket was nice and clean except for the ‘rust pox’. It looked to me like the material used had impurities imbedded within it – it was not appropriate for the application.
Then on Tuesday January 15th the unit sprung another leak during the evening. Not good!!
I had a brainstorm during the day yesterday to use sheet metal screws and metal epoxy to repair the boiler.
So last night I picked up a small package of the shortest #8 and #10 sheet metal screws I could find. I also picked up some QuickSteel epoxy made by Bluemagic – I found this in the auto parts store. I mixed the epoxy as per instructions and put it on the screw threads. I used an end brush in my drill to clean the area. This worked great as the angle of the brush on the metal was such that it did not fling debris into my face or on me at all. The epoxy is supposed to set in 5 minutes, set under water and is suitable for use in 500 degree F. The repair was done last evening around 7:30 while water was dripping from the leak. I re-lit the boiler 5 minutes after completing the repair – so far the repair has held up.
I don’t think the epoxy really contributed to the repair the way I used it here. The idea was the epoxy would help build a seal around the threads similar to pipe dope but most, if not all of the epoxy fell off while I drove the screw in with my impact driver.
The beauty is that you don’t have to shut down and drain the boiler to do the repair, depending on the location of the leak that is. In my case it was close to the loading door on top of the fire box. It took longer to get dressed in work clothing than it did to fix the leak!
The next time I have to do a repair I will brush the area then apply epoxy to stop the water. This should prevent the hot water from dripping on my hands thus making it easier to set a screw. I’ll keep you posted.
15
Empyre / Re: Aspen 175 vs Empyre Pro Series
« on: November 15, 2011, 10:08:36 PM »
I did some more research including a visit to an Empyre dealer where I was able to get a close look at the Empyre 200 and compare it to the Aspen 175. As far as I can tell there are only three differences.
1. The blower motor as previously mentioned.
2. The Aspen 175 has four vents between the primary fire box and the secondary fire chamber while the Empyre 200 has two. The total area of the vents is the same in fact the same fire bricks are used just configured differently. I expect the larger vents will be less likely to clog up.
3. The door gasket on the Empyre 200 is treated with high temp silicone while the Aspen 175 uses just the gasket material. The silicone on the door gasket should prevent the creosote from sticking to and contaminating the gasket.
Checkout my album "Aspen 175 vs Empyre Pro 200" for brick and gasket pics.
1. The blower motor as previously mentioned.
2. The Aspen 175 has four vents between the primary fire box and the secondary fire chamber while the Empyre 200 has two. The total area of the vents is the same in fact the same fire bricks are used just configured differently. I expect the larger vents will be less likely to clog up.
3. The door gasket on the Empyre 200 is treated with high temp silicone while the Aspen 175 uses just the gasket material. The silicone on the door gasket should prevent the creosote from sticking to and contaminating the gasket.
Checkout my album "Aspen 175 vs Empyre Pro 200" for brick and gasket pics.