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[lugnut]

 

Well I got that darn auto damper on this afternoon.  Sure wish the hot tub were filled and up/running, definitely could use it tonight.  Felt like a contortionist at the rear of the furnace.  Bend here, bend there...sit on the butt, kneel down.  Tough to do with two fake knees but I managed.  Why isn't there a smiley for stiff and sore? 

On the flange that goes into the rear of the furnace, I re-drilled the holes so that I could mount the damper where it is facing "up"..."turned the blower motor so that the fan is pointing up"...no room with the pipes for the damper to mount as per "normal...if there really is anything normal with this unit."

Wow...what a huge difference between that 75 cfm compared to the baby 50 cfm.  I tried the switch for the blower several times and it works good..I even went down stairs to make certain I didn't pop a circuit breaker.  All is damn GOOD!

However, I had the bejesus scared out of me this evening when the sparks began to fly.  My furnace is about 50' form the woods surrounding my house.    I watched them go up into the air and fall down close to the furnace...which was fine.  then I got another "rush" of sparks and I began to be a bit concerned...I was out raking frozen leaves away from the unit.  The immediate area is mostly dirt with some leaves just lying around.  So I quick, grabbed the spark arrester and put it on, well that was NOT a good idea as I began to watch the liquid creosote dripping down the stack. 

So I was watching sparks and crud blow out of the chimney, now my question to all your wise men out here..do I have to go outside and babysit my 250 tonight or is the fireworks over?  I did go up and stick a long rake handle down the stack....and yes, the fan had shut itself off and the stack felt clean.  Are my fireworks over now?  My shop with truck, hot rod, tools etc are about 75' for the furnace and the barn shed is about 30'.  I had to locate the furnace where it is because there was no other choices, short of not buying it.

Do I maybe try to run a brush  through the stack tomorrow or just leave it be?  Speaking of brush-a-brush-a, what is the preferred way to run a brush...without a fire or with a fire?

Bear with me guys, it took a long while for me to reach this point and I'm beginning to feel good about everything, except for the sparks.

The temp on the "stand-by" Shave t-stat is just at 150*.  I "might" attempt to install the Ranco tomorrow.  17* out now, and I don't think it's going to even get to 208 tomorrow.

Okay, I'm done now...will hang out and see what kind of responses I get....no bag tonight. 

Lugnut

[powerstroke]

NOW you will get a real burn with that thing Lugnut!  All those sparks is the creosote and crud that thing has made the last couple months being choked up.  The thing will perform awesome from here on out!   

[BoilerHouse]

Glad to hear things are working better.  I brush out my flue once a year with the pipes warm if possible but the fire off.

[jimr]

glad to hear things are working out. if you install the ranco , make sure the probe is in a dry well. you can make one out of a piece of 3/8 copper tubing. just flatten and fold the bottom end to seal it off. suspend it down along side your hot water coil down to your pump fitting. fasten it so it doesn't fall down.

i live in the woods also and my concern was sparks to, but i haven't seen any this season. i think after a couple good firings you'll be ok.

[beeman]

glad to hear it is runing better i am still laughing at the contortionist  reminded me of a youtube vidio lilia stepanova she shoots a bow and arrow with her feet backwards doing a hand stand ha ha ha if the sparks dont get better try ajusting the flaper not to open all the way mine is only about a half inch

[lugnut]

NOt to sound like a helpless person, well "sometimes" I am, but not often.  How do I go about adjusting the solenoid so that it doesn't open full bore?  This might also be the reason formy going through more wood nmow than befreo the solenoid...because it is W.O.T.

Thank you in advance.

Lugnut

[Bull]

Not sure on your setup but on mine I have a chain from the solenoid to the damper door, just shorten the chain a link or two.

[beeman]

i put a turnbuckle on mine with the to nuts on one side so i could lock it were i wont it

[lugnut]

Bull and Beeman.......ya know, I should have your "real" names implanted in my head by now.  :-)  okay, my auto damper is positioned like Beeman's.  In other words the squirrel cage is pointing upwards.   Maybe shortening the chain is the way to go.  I kept looking at it the afternoon wondering just that, but then I thought that it might make it open wider.  Mr. Beeman, I too like your idea.  I kept thinking about this a lot while raking leaves this afternoon...thinking, maybe putting some sort of a "bridge" that would not allow the flap to flip any higher...but I will inaugurate one of your ideas gentlemen.

Oh and I DO believe this is why my wood is disappearing over night....first I thought it was the wood chuck, but now I know it's because the flap is too flipped up allowing way too much air into the unit.  I need to rig it so that it opens only about 1/4"- 1/2".

Thank you for your input.

Lugnut

aka: Jerry

[Bull]

Jerry, you will need to add a couple of links in the chain so it won't open as far.

[beeman]

weather chain or turbuckle you can push the soliod up with your finger to get the opening were you wont it if it is jumping up to much you can put a littel waight on th flapper like fishing waight

[lugnut]

Not sure on your setup but on mine I have a chain from the solenoid to the damper door, just shorten the chain a link or two.

Well I began with the chain yesterday and sat and thought about it for a while.  Then realized making it shorter was not going to cut it, so I thought for sure I would heave to lengthen it.   made a run to town to the hardware store and bought some chain.  Of course they did NOT have the same as I had, so I had to opt for a different style.  Got home and went to work and lengthening the chain may have been the deal, but the chain was not agreeing with me.  So, rather than wasting my day, driving all over town, I'm going with option #2 and doing the turnbuckle thing.  All I need is a 3.5" "l" bracket.  Will attach that to the rear of the furnace via the self tapper screws I had leftover from the furnace, attach the turnbuckle to it and then, "maybe" drill and tap the flap for the other screw-eye and see if I can come up with something such as Beeman's.  Presently the flap is opening wide and burning the wood too fast.  I know this and I have got to fix it before the end of the day.

Thanks guys...I'll get this durn thing nipped in the bud real soon.  Pretty sure y'all are getting tired of reading my silly subject matter and sagas.   

First breakfast and at least three cups of coffee.

Lugnut

[mikenc]

I have a turn buckle on mine. It is set to where it opens about 1/4 inch. Any more and it seems to blow to much heat right out chimney.

[Bull]

lugnut, you can just use a piece of # 9 wire or a coat hanger to add to your chain and it will work fine.

[beeman]

i used a pice of wire bent it like a hair pin this i atched one end to the soild the other end to turnbuckle the other end of it goes to a nut that i welded on the flaper