Print

[Crow]

I am not sure if the manual has been changed since I purchased mine in '13, but mine shows pulling from the top and returning to the bottom. This is how I hooked it up, as well as everything else such as grounding rod, thermostatic bypass etc. Went by their manual so if/when I have an issue and may require warranty repair there should not be a problem.

 Anyways mine has been excellent so far except I had to replace several grate bricks after only the second season. The original ones were an issue with moving around if you raked your ashes to much or tried to reposition a large chunk of wood and the gaps would open up on some and close somewhere else. I installed the new style brick with the built in spacers.

I have only added water once this season, a total of 2 1/2 gallons, but it is due again soon but will wait till it is shut down for the summer and after I have sent in my water sample and received my results.

If you have added 2.5 gals it was to low and you risk sucking air if you draw from the top.On mine it only takes 1 gal to go from near the bottom to full.

Never has it gone below the halfway mark on the gauge. I also run mine at 190* with a 13* differential and never really noticed it steaming from the level gauge.
 I do have a fill port in the basement but I fill it through the top so I know exactly how much treatment vs water goes in.

[blmike]

Just read through all of this.  My connections are good but I also add water.  maybe a gallon a month, I have a valve plumbed into my line in the basement so nbd.  But I would like to know where my water goes....  Mine is plumbed to draw water from upper right and returns to lower left.  Slim why would the plumbing affect this??

Brain told me that there is likely hot spots from not enough circulation,and by drawing from the bottom and return to the top should help this.It does not make sense to me but i will revers my lines as soon as it warms up ( it has been -20c lots of mornings here yet ).

Ok so there is hot spot...  what happens to the water??

Steam out the gauge.

[blmike]

I am not sure if the manual has been changed since I purchased mine in '13, but mine shows pulling from the top and returning to the bottom. This is how I hooked it up, as well as everything else such as grounding rod, thermostatic bypass etc. Went by their manual so if/when I have an issue and may require warranty repair there should not be a problem.

 Anyways mine has been excellent so far except I had to replace several grate bricks after only the second season. The original ones were an issue with moving around if you raked your ashes to much or tried to reposition a large chunk of wood and the gaps would open up on some and close somewhere else. I installed the new style brick with the built in spacers.

I have only added water once this season, a total of 2 1/2 gallons, but it is due again soon but will wait till it is shut down for the summer and after I have sent in my water sample and received my results.

If you have added 2.5 gals it was to low and you risk sucking air if you draw from the top.On mine it only takes 1 gal to go from near the bottom to full.

Never has it gone below the halfway mark on the gauge. I also run mine at 190* with a 13* differential and never really noticed it steaming from the level gauge.
 I do have a fill port in the basement but I fill it through the top so I know exactly how much treatment vs water goes in.

How can you put in 2.5 gal if the gauges is at 1/2?

[Crow]

 Don't know? Maybe there is a difference in the gauges from the early models?  Also I sloped my pad very slightly so if I ever developed an internal leak water that didn't evaporate would run to the ash door. So with that in mind my supply line would be even closer to pulling in air if it was too low at 2 1/2 gals.

[Strawbale Builder]

 I agree the fit and finish should be as good as the boiler itself and Portage and Main is working towards and close to achieving that goal. The unfinished corners between the outer door and the loading door have been addressed, the corners are finished off on the new models. You can close off your corners with some foil tape. There are some other minor fit and finish issues that will also soon be addressed at the factory. All boilers smoke out the loading door when opened, as smoke takes the path of least resistance. Because of our efficient four pass design this may be a bit more of an issue than your average straight shot boiler, but I think the benefits of our design in wood savings out weigh any smoke. If you let your wood burn down to a bed of coals before reloading there will be very little to no smoke. I recommend this to all my customers and it works well. Many of my customers comment that they like the float which is more convenient and easy to read versus the sight glass on their old boiler. If you put a boiler drain in your loop near your domestic hot water tank you can fill the boiler from the boiler drain on your domestic hot water tank using a washing machine hose. Or you could plumb to a domestic water line and use a ball valve to fill the boiler. All Ultimizer boilers should take their supply off the bottom and return to the top to prevent excess evaporation. With one pump, take off the bottom left and return to the top right, with two pumps it doesn't matter as long as you're pulling from the bottom and returning to the top. Do not add water to the boiler unless the float is completely bottomed out, the guage does not have to be on the full mark. If you continue to add water it will expand the next time
the boiler fires and spill out the top, let the float find its sweet spot and leave it. I am right-handed but being an old guy with a bad back, I try to do my chores half right-handed and have left-handed to balance out my back, loading the boiler like a lefty works well for me. Many brands of boilers have doors that open right to left. To me, walking to the back of the boiler to turn off the fan is no big deal, if it is too much of a hassle for you, install a toggle switch on the front and you can control the fan from there. Personally I don't like a light on the boiler, it shines in my face and no matter the boiler brand they all get sooted up over time. I recommend backlighting to my customers, a good solar light with a motion detector on a pole works very well. I don't see an issue with the depth from the fire pot door to the bottom of the boiler, never heard that before. All boilers are little different and there is a learning curve, if you work with it, you will have a better experience. All in all I don't think you will find a better boiler.  Feel free to pm me anytime with questions.

[12valve]

So straw bale.  My manual from P&M said plumb return to bottom and supply from top.  Has P&M changed this?  If so may they should have let people who already installed them know and give a reason why they changed their position?  I have a 3444 but that should not matter.

[blmike]

-close off the corners with foil tape.now that is a great idea-not (Brian sent me some pieces to finish the corners off )I have not tryed them yet as i have been ill.
-I can add water from a tap in the basement,two man job with use of phone.Why not have a gauge and a fill hole ?
-Yes there is less smoke if there is almost no wood left.When it is -30 c i for one will not be standing there waiting for the fire to burn down.I know what you are saying with the upper chamber,and yes i do think it has helped with the amount of wood i have burnt.It is very hard to get just the right amount of wood,it is easier now that the temps are much warmer ( -10 to -20 ).
-your own instructions say to draw from the top and return to the bottom.
-the depth is not a big deal,but i like to get the wood as close to the front as posible. Have to use the poker to pull the wood to me some times,again not a bogey.
-I have a light on my wood shed.What i need is a light on the controller to see the temp.This is something that should be built in not an after thought.But yes i can fix this also.

[slimjim]

It could effect the circulation inside the boiler which might allow for boiling in spots, good circulation is key.

[Strawbale Builder]

Took a while but the manual has been changed. I have been telling my customers all along the manual is incorrect and the supply should come off the bottom and return to the top. Not all boilers boil if the supply is off the top, depends on flow rate. If the supply comes off the bottom there will be less evaporation loss and a more even temperature in the water jacket. Although foil tape may not be ideal, it is an easy short term fix if you are worried about dirt. If you are filling from the basement I don't see how Portage and Main is different from any other boiler that you can't see. If you are filling small amounts of water, open the valve, count to five, close the valve and you should be good. 

[blmike]

Took a while but the manual has been changed. I have been telling my customers all along the manual is incorrect and the supply should come off the bottom and return to the top. Not all boilers boil if the supply is off the top, depends on flow rate. If the supply comes off the bottom there will be less evaporation loss and a more even temperature in the water jacket. Although foil tape may not be ideal, it is an easy short term fix if you are worried about dirt. If you are filling from the basement I don't see how Portage and Main is different from any other boiler that you can't see. If you are filling small amounts of water, open the valve, count to five, close the valve and you should be good.

Yes you are right,but the point i was trying to make is if they had a float gauge and a fill spot i could fill it from a gal jug and watch it at the same time.

[Super44]

I got my 28-40 from Strawbale Dave and fired it for the first time November 16 last year.  It is plumbed as Strawbale says ( did it all myself ) and for the first time last week I added almost 2 gallons of water to bring it back up to near full. So in 5 months time that is all the water I added.  For the first couple months I burned more wood that I would have had to because I was over filling it.  After I figured that out my wood consumption has dropped. This is my first boiler so I have little to compare it to except my neighbors both have Central boilers and seem to burn more wood + more smoke. Can't prove it but it seems like it. My only complaint is now I cut wood not for fun but because I need to and so far I am still OK with that. I got mine after much shopping based on how it is designed and built and have no regrets.

[Joks79]

Took a while but the manual has been changed. I have been telling my customers all along the manual is incorrect and the supply should come off the bottom and return to the top. Not all boilers boil if the supply is off the top, depends on flow rate. If the supply comes off the bottom there will be less evaporation loss and a more even temperature in the water jacket. Although foil tape may not be ideal, it is an easy short term fix if you are worried about dirt. If you are filling from the basement I don't see how Portage and Main is different from any other boiler that you can't see. If you are filling small amounts of water, open the valve, count to five, close the valve and you should be good.

Can we get a copy of the updated manual?

[12valve]

Straw or someone else can you post a pic of the back of your and how it is plumbed.  I was looking at mine it is easy to put the pump off the two vertical outlets coming strait down but it going to be tougher to get the pump in correctly without all kinds of 90's.  I plumbed mine myself and it is all copper.  Just need a reference pic of a good way to do it this summer.

[Strawbale Builder]

I am working on getting an updated manual on the Portage & Main website, I will let everyone know when that happens. Will also get a picture posted as soon as possible.

[12valve]

Thanks Strawbale.