Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers WITH EPA-Certified Models => Portage & Main => Topic started by: Oak Hillbilly on February 06, 2017, 06:20:05 PM
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Once this season comes to an end, I wondered if i should drain the boiler for the spring and summer months. This is my 3rd season with the BL-2840. I'm very happy with it, and have never drained it before and always have my water ph level tested.
Thoughts and advice...
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No, just make sure water is properly treated.
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I was told to fill the boiler all the way to the overflow with water. Keeps everything protected. Drain to normal level before firing.
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I was told to fill the boiler all the way to the overflow with water. Keeps everything protected. Drain to normal level before firing.
Some treatments claim to vaporize and coat the entire inside surface of the stove, so no need to fill clear full in the off season.
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Some treatments do this... but not all of them?? How do we know what ones to purchase that do this? I feel like I should be using this in my stove as well.
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Can’t remember who claimed to have one that did that, sounds like fish oil to me.
A few claim to leave a film behind to protect the metal, so in theory if it was clear full when it was hot, when it cools off the metal should still be protected. Think Wood Boiler Solutions was one of those.
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That's what I use in my stove. I still fill mine completely full at the end of the season. Seems like I can add roughly 30 gallons of water to fill it completely from the full mark on the float.
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From what I've seen checking nitrates, electrical conductivity and ph every season will save a lot of treatment. Once the water is treated and has "oxidized away" any free oxygen it's basically "dead". When you drain it out you're starting all over with the whole process.
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Thanks everyone for your responses...
From what I've seen checking nitrates, electrical conductivity and ph every season will save a lot of treatment. Once the water is treated and has "oxidized away" any free oxygen it's basically "dead". When you drain it out you're starting all over with the whole process.
Talked to Brian at P & M and E Yoder is right on... not a great idea to drian your boiler. I will instead be installing a filter and will continue to keep sending my water samples to make sure everything looks good.
Thanks again
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What kind of filter set up are you thinking of? I have wondered about doing the same thing.
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Not sure if a filter is really necessary, I do however run strainers ahead of the flat plates.
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Something like a Rusco spin down filter should take out a lot smaller stuff than a strainer. I would go with a 3/4" and put a 1" bypass loop around it (always open). that way, when it starts getting plugged it wouldn't restrict flow.
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From what I've seen checking nitrates, electrical conductivity and ph every season will save a lot of treatment. Once the water is treated and has "oxidized away" any free oxygen it's basically "dead". When you drain it out you're starting all over with the whole process.
Any instructions on how to test electrical conductivity?? I have an 8 foot ground rod buried with a 6 gauge wire attached to the bottom plate of the boiler.
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I'll ask Heatmaster how they do it. They're testing how easily electrical current travels through the water. You can get E C meters... Not sure if that's what they use.
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From what I've seen checking nitrates, electrical conductivity and ph every season will save a lot of treatment. Once the water is treated and has "oxidized away" any free oxygen it's basically "dead". When you drain it out you're starting all over with the whole process.
I’m moving down to a G200, the 400 is just overkill now, I’ll drain the water out of the 400 into one of those 275 gallon plastic totes and pump it back into the 200 instead of starting over.
Any instructions on how to test electrical conductivity?? I have an 8 foot ground rod buried with a 6 gauge wire attached to the bottom plate of the boiler.
Same here, nothing mentioned in doing so in the install instructions, but from years of living on a dairy farm, then working on a lot of 240 and 480 three phase, no such thing as too many mechanical grounds, especially when liquids are involved.
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Emailed Heatmaster- They said they use an electric meter with probes.
No more than 4,000 micromhos is what you want. 1-2,000 is more normal.
Too high and you can get electrolysis pitting.
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Good to know. I understand that completely. Problem is, I have no way to get to the water to test it with probes.
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Emailed Heatmaster- They said they use an electric meter with probes.
No more than 4,000 micro-ohms (sp.?) is what you want. 1-2,000 is more normal.
Too high and you can get electrolysis pitting.
Really? I would think there’d be a procedure far as how far apart to hold the probes etc.
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I have a continuity meter somewhere, used it to check mineral content in greenhouse fertilizer mix. It's a simple machine you fill with about three tablespoons mix and and it gives you a reading. Probes are preset in unit. Think it was called an EC meter. Maybe not the same but it measured salts in the mix by using a continuity reading. I remember we were shooting for a 2500 reading and the unit went from 0-5000.
Was researching EC meters, there are a lot out there and cheap compared to 20 years ago when we used them. Be a nice thing to have for a periodic check on boiler water.
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Good to know. I understand that completely. Problem is, I have no way to get to the water to test it with probes.
Drain some out into a cup?
Really? I would think there’d be a procedure far as how far apart to hold the probes etc.
I'm not sure what kind of meter they have. Would have a preset distance between probes I would think. There are EC meters all over Amazon.
This would be measuring very very low levels of conductivity so I'm not sure if a fertilizer EC meter would read it? The water test results I looked at were measured in "micromhos". I wrote "ohms" before and that isn't correct, I think.... Makes my head swim.
From Wikipedia-
The siemens (SI unit symbol: S) is the unit of electric conductance, electric susceptance and electric admittance in the International System of Units (SI). Conductance, susceptance, and admittance are the reciprocals of resistance, reactance, and impedance respectively; hence one siemens is equal to the reciprocal of one ohm, and is also referred to as the mho.
So that's why I send it off to Heatmaster to test! :D
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Good to know. I understand that completely. Problem is, I have no way to get to the water to test it with probes.
Drain some out into a cup?
Really? I would think there’d be a procedure far as how far apart to hold the probes etc.
I'm not sure what kind of meter they have. Would have a preset distance between probes I would think. There are EC meters all over Amazon.
This would be measuring very very low levels of conductivity so I'm not sure if a fertilizer EC meter would read it? The water test results I looked at were measured in "micromhos". I wrote "ohms" before and that isn't correct, I think.... Makes my head swim.
From Wikipedia-
The siemens (SI unit symbol: S) is the unit of electric conductance, electric susceptance and electric admittance in the International System of Units (SI). Conductance, susceptance, and admittance are the reciprocals of resistance, reactance, and impedance respectively; hence one siemens is equal to the reciprocal of one ohm, and is also referred to as the mho.
So that's why I send it off to Heatmaster to test! :D
:post: