This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

16

For Sale / Portage and Main BL 4044 For Sale-As New,Used One Season-$9500.00

« on: August 10, 2015, 05:31:49 PM »

 Selling our boiler due to back injury,considering going with a chip boiler,unable to handle wood very well anymore.Largest unit P& M makes in the brick lined series,comes with clean out tool,poker and plumbing hook-ups ready to hook to your kitec lines. Quick sale-$9500.00 U.S

17

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Pictures Of Our "SMOKELESS" Outdoor Wood Furnace

« on: February 16, 2015, 07:03:05 AM »

 Took some pictures this morning of our advertised smokeless owb, this is 15 minutes after loading, as I am typing this it is just over 1 hour since loading, has cycled on and off, pretty much the same picture if I were to take another one now. If someone can please let me know how to post, I will add 3 pictures. I get a notice that the uploader file is full, yet my picture size is only 800x530

18

Portage & Main / How to clean ashes out between bricks on BL series?

« on: January 19, 2015, 06:14:59 PM »

   No longer getting the air flow up between the bricks, just from the front. my Father still puts wood in every time he walks by like the old Empyre stove, so wood isn't burning down completely to powder like it should.In the cold snap we just went through, furnace was struggling to keep up at times, didn't get the burn time that we should have overnight, but that may also have been from not a hot enough fire with the bricks "plugged". I bent a 3/8 threaded rod to work like a poker underneath the bricks to open up between them, works somewhat, anything else can be done other than letting the fire go out and shovelling ash out? I also try to poke ash down through from above with a potato fork, but gets pretty hot on the hands in the chamber, even with only a few coals there.

19

Electronics / Advice needed on thermostat selection

« on: November 14, 2014, 06:50:02 PM »

      Recently purchased this thermostat from Home Depot
 Honeywell
Honeywell 5-2 Day Programmable Baseboard Thermostat

Model: YRLV430A1014 | Store SKU: 1000142271
Honeywell's Electronic Programmable Baseboard Heat Thermostat provides exceptional control of resistance-rated heating systems. It features separate programming for the weekdays and weekend (up to 4 program periods per day), and a backlit display that is easy to read even in dimly lit rooms and hallways. This unit provides accurate temperature control of +/-0.15°C for maximum comfort, and retains settings memory in the event of a power outage. Also includes TRIAC silent switching for accurate temperature control. ENERGY STAR rated.

    TRIAC silent switching for accurate temperature control
    Separate programming for the weekdays and weekend
    Up to 4 program periods per day
    Accurate temperature control of +/-0.15°C for maximum comfort
    Battery-free, retains settings in event of a power outage
    ENERGY STAR rated

Additional Information
Eco Options
Warranty Information

For more information, call 1-800-468-1502.
Specifications
Assembled Depth (In Inches)   1 In.
Assembled Height (In Inches)   4
Assembled Weight (In LBS)   0.75 Lbs.
Assembled Width (In Inches)   5.5
Country of Origin   China
CSA Certified   Yes
ECO Options Approved   Yes
Item Depth   2.1 In.
Item Height   9 In.
Item Weight   0.75 Lbs.
Item Width   8 In.
  not sure if it is the proper one for the job though.. I have a forced air furnace in the basement, the temperature stays incredibly accurate with this thermostat, however the furnace fan comes on every 3 minutes or so, and runs for approximately 30 seconds, will my furnace fan motor burn out over these frequent starts, or should I be looking at a different thermostat to keep the house temperature stable? The thermostat  that was here from the original outdoor furnace tended to "stick", that the house might feel cool, then walking across the floor or closing a door vibrated it to come on, then it would run for a long time and the house would get overheated.
 Thanks in advance for your help.

20

Portage & Main / Hard To Load Boiler For Smoke

« on: November 09, 2014, 03:49:46 PM »

.. Does anyone else that has one of the Ultimizer series have a lot of smoke wafting out of the stack and the  door while loading? I realize the heat is not going straight up the chimney like it did with our old boiler, but it is quite hard to see to load the furnace with wood, smoke gets in your eyes etc, then when you close the door there is a tremendous amount of smoke pouring out of the stack, thought they were supposed to be practically smokeless? Wondering if maybe need a second length of stack to help with draught?

21

Portage & Main / Finished Insulating Plumbing On Rear Of BL 4044

« on: October 26, 2014, 06:12:18 PM »

 Here is a picture my wife took of the rear of our new stove once I finished  insulating the pipe with a triple layer of pipe wrap insulation, then the foil bubble-wrap insulation to finalize and make it all look good, blends right in with the back of the stove

22

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Almost? Had A New Stove

« on: October 08, 2014, 02:24:37 PM »

 After a great deal of researching,countless hours of reading reviews and scanning posts on here, I finally decided on which stove to go with. Dealer and I made the deal back in late August/1st week of September.He told me he had an exhibit at plowing match,my stove would be there and then would be dropped off after plowing match, would be able to install it end of September,first few days of October. I said that would be fine.Sold my old Empyre privately, so no heat source here now. No stove arrives, call to see what is going on,says really busy with installs,be there Monday.Called Monday afternoon,waiting on another customer to see when he is ready,if not stove will be coming immediately,will call and let me know.No phone calls, or emails,call again today,busy on an install, might have to wait maybe two more weeks for stove to arrive from company, I say no way, what happened to my stove that was at the match?,he says check was in his mailbox from another individual when he got home, so he took my stove to him instead. I must say I do not agree with this logic,stove was promised to me on a certain date, and someone else mails a check so they move to top of list?
 He tells me he will email me with an exact date and time later today,we'll see!!!!!!!!!! If I do get this stove, will I have this much trouble getting service from him if needed?Might have to change the dimensions of my pad for the stove if he says 2 more weeks, I am sure the #2 choice will jump right in to make the sale

23

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Best Source For Water To Fill OWB?

« on: October 06, 2014, 11:16:43 AM »

  Hi,I have several options available,not sure what is best route,have heard a few pros and cons to simplest route, which is backfill through the waterline from my house, but it is softened water from the water softener or else I put it on bypass.My water is about 27 grains of hardness though.Fill it from a nearby creek which I have a pipe into for watering cattle,however there are so many minerals in the creek that one year I filled my pool with it and it turned the water a reddish brown.Last option is my Father's cistern water, would just have to figure out how to get the water from there to the furnace,or I could hire one of those water haulage units to get water from a lake.
Thanks in advance for the help

24

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Suggestions for concrete strength

« on: September 14, 2014, 08:45:16 AM »

 Getting ready to make the forms for the concrete slab for the furnace, what strength(psi) should I be looking at  for a furnace that could potentially weigh between 5-6000 lbs once set in place with water?Also, should I give it the full 28 days curing before setting the furnace on?
Thanks

25

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Water Jacket size---------Smaller/Bigger is Better?

« on: August 25, 2014, 10:14:57 AM »

 Had a salesman in this morning, took me around to  existing customers of his. He told me my problem with the present boiler(Empyre 450) is too small a water jacket to keep up with demand. We are feeding heat to two farmhouses, running two different directions from the boiler. He likened it to a family function, big pot of stew on the stove , running low, just add a bit of water, and some scraps and you can continue serving, versus small pot of stew, run out and have to start from scratch. It makes sense to me, not sure how much our Taco pumps pump through per hour, he said the damper would cycle a lot less, burning less fuel with a larger water jacket. On the flip side of the coin,from what I have read a smaller water jacket heats up faster, but will it be able to keep up as well once the demand is put there from two houses?
Thanks for your help

26

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Exhaust temperatures(stack temperatures)-How Crucial?

« on: June 12, 2014, 03:22:39 PM »

 At what temperature does creosote form? On our new high-efficiency maple syrup evaporator I went with is a unit that has a higher stack temperature than others, I know I am losing heat but I am getting a much higher rate of boil since my temps under the pan are much higher. Can the same be said for outdoor wood furnaces?  If you are gaining all of the btu's from the wood, having a lower stack temperature, would you also be more liable to have more creosote build-up in your stack and possibly back into your boiler?
Thanks

27

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Narrowed the results down to two choices

« on: March 09, 2014, 08:51:59 AM »

 Hello everyone, after much researching here and other sites, much reading and internet surfing I have narrowed my choice down for replacing our aging Empyre furnace to two choices-Portage and Main gasification units or Central Boiler gasification units. Our Empyre is the 450 deluxe, 11 going on 12 years old. It has been a good furnace, but I know now that there are better choices for efficiency, etc now than there was when we bought it. The furnace is rated for 8000 square feet, holds 300 gallons of water
   My Central Boiler dealer is recommending the E classic 3200 for our situation, two older farmhouses, heated garage/workshop. I went to visit a neighbor the other day that has this model and just loves it. he uses it year round to even heat his milk house water. He tells me that he loads it once daily in the winter, every two days spring and fall, and every 4 days in the summer. Our  Central Boiler dealer is about 40 minutes away.
 The Portage and Main unit I am looking at would be the BL3848. I have to yet find someone nearby that has one of these to compare and speak to the owner about performance/satisfaction.
    Here is the big question I have about making the final decision-Central Boiler has a much higher water jacket, and slightly higher BTU output(according to the manufacturer) , with the Portage and Main the water jacket is much smaller leading to potentially faster  recovery times. Is it better to go with higher capacity or faster recovery?
     What I like about the CB also is the spray foamed insulation, we had our basement and garage done, if I were to build a new house it would be done from top to bottom and everything in between. What I don't like is not having an ash pan to haul the ashes out like we have always done with our Empyre.     The Portage and Main apparently has little to no ashes? This is only what I have heard as I have not yet seen one in operation or found out anymore details as of yet.
   Two other notes to consider-CB dealer 40 minutes away, P& M dealer one hour 45 minutes away. What I am looking for is most efficient I can get, with longest burn times, I don't mind using more or less wood each loading, as long as it works out to using the lesser amount of wood over the entire heating season
 Thanks in advance for the help