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1

General Discussion / Re: You guys have this problem too?

« on: February 26, 2014, 07:08:38 PM »

Same here guys its a minimum of a TWICE A DAY.  OBSESSION!!!!!   Im not complaining I've learned so much, just in the last 2 months. Its a great site.

2

General Discussion / Re: feeding wood

« on: February 23, 2014, 01:35:25 PM »

FFbare, hey Man I have burned my whole life, bout the the last 30 plus years in a wood stove, fed her hourly, I miss the view of the fire, she served my family well. Now I have a portage and main BL34/44. I load  2 times a day my entire house is as warm as we would like it to be. No more having to leave some one home to keep the pipes from freezing,  now I can easily be gone 12 or more hours. No worries, I also don't have to get up at night every 3 hours for the nightly feeding,,all that just to keep 1 room in the low to mid 60's, all that and still had to run the propane boiler. Only 2 months with the BL, ( no more propane) wouldn't imagine life with out her, whatever brand you go with, you will be amazed!, but look into the portage main. You won't have any regrets,,,best of luck.

3

Portage & Main / Re: BL 2840 ash system problems?

« on: February 20, 2014, 09:12:56 AM »

Pete I have a 34/44, no worries or issues, the ceramic blocks have not moved at all, prior to my first firing I claimed in the fire chamber. The bricks are solid, fit was very tight no play at all.  My 34/44 went in to service 12/31/13. I burned pine for the first 6 weeks no coals just fine ash. Pine produced lots of ash, emptying the ash tray 2-3 times per week. Burning mostly oak now. Grates never become clogged, but you need to stir the hard wood coals when you load. Getting just a handfull of coals in the ash tray and that's emptying the ashes every 7 days now. I believe that because of the refractory cement getting so hot, glowing red. That along with the under/over forced air that that coals are burned to a fine powder they fall through the ceramic grates and as long as your ash pan isn't over loaded you will never experience lack of air flow. There's not much of a learning curve, its very simple and easy to pick up on, even for me and I'm dumb as a cedar post. If a problem should arise, slimjim can walk you through it. The simplicity of design and lack of extra stuff to make life complicated is what makes this OWB so enjoyable, feed it 2 times a day with 6 to 8 pieces of good wood and life is good.  Hope this helps you out. Best of luck.

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Portage & Main / Re: Big decision, big project but no dealer to help.

« on: February 19, 2014, 07:00:44 PM »

Pinehouse4, Bob I feel your pain. Prior to purchasing the 34/44 we lived in this house, 4000 sf, colder n a well diggers ass, up in elevation so its cold from
 mid sept to mid June. Upstairs was 46/49 degrees f. Day time temps. I'm new so I don't claim to know much.  For me the34/44 will heat you, the pool, and the forest too. It is unreal the heat that it generates. Regardless of the species of wood, the stove burns hot. All that oak is give longer cleaner burns. No more getting up and constantly filling my in door wood stoves. In a post by Roxanne a reference was made, to a fill it and forget it OWB. In my humble opinion the 34/44 is as close to that statement as at all possible. There is some smoke no doubt but at 193 f. With slimjims, 5 degree differential, out of 8-10 hour burn 90 percent is no smoke to barely visible very very very light 2 maybe 3 foot trail the rest is just heat signature
You can't go wrong with the 34/44. Best of luck

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Portage & Main / Re: Bl28-40 heat load

« on: February 19, 2014, 09:11:35 AM »

No slim all the thanks go to you, you are a true leader/lifesaver. I would be lost on my own. I haven't had to ask for help yet, mainly because most of my questions have already been covered /answered by you. Appreciate all you do!   THANK YOU!!!!!

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Portage & Main / Re: Bl28-40 heat load

« on: February 18, 2014, 08:59:56 PM »

I have followed slimjims advise on small hot fires. Sunday and Wednesday I empty ashes and clean the  heat exchanger, its stays fairly clean so run the tool 3 or 4 passes each side and its just powder. Now that I'm using oak the creosote in  the fire chamber is  burning offf and the heat exchanger  looks cleaner but it was always  dry with pine.

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Portage & Main / Re: Bl28-40 heat load

« on: February 18, 2014, 08:33:42 PM »

Coyote, wow this varies on initial start up the first 10 minutes its roaring, looks like a smoke stack, white bluish smoke then as it continues to to burn  hotter smokes gets darker for bout another 5 minutes then it basically gasifies. barely visible smoke if any, just a heat signature. Then as it burns down due to lack of fire wood some light smoke is visible. When  I see that I'll go stir up the pile and then its back to no smoke

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Portage & Main / Re: Bl28-40 heat load

« on: February 18, 2014, 08:25:29 PM »

My house is  2 story's vaulted ceilings,crappy windows in a beautiful  but very windy! Mountain valley. Its 4000 sq ft baseboard heat both floors. The 34/44 with about a third full of well seasoned pine gave me about a 8 to 10 hour burn. house kept at 77 f. Bad thing about pine besides the cresote is the lack of a coal bed at the end of the burn cycle. Though the refractory brick stays so hot that the next load fires right up, then in 10 / 15 minutes I'm back to 193. A week ago I located a some dead oak been harvesting, Four to six inch diameter so its small. I'll put 6 to 8 pieces of oak  about 24 to 30 inches long.getting around 8 hours of burn time. Pine also produces lots of ash. The BL is rock solid, I'm a first time owner, but burned wood all my life. Hope this helps.

9

Portage & Main / Re: Ultimizer BL 28-40

« on: February 18, 2014, 06:34:06 PM »

Brokenaxe,  also live in the mountains, now In a extreme drought. 4' stack not 1 spark. Even with Rocky Mountain cedar which is notorious for shooting off sparks and red hot embers. I understand your concern.

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Portage & Main / Re: Bl28-40 heat load

« on: February 18, 2014, 06:24:24 PM »

Brokenaxe,  we'll come aboard, I have a 34/44 in service for 2 months, live in the south west, our forests are a majority of different types of pine, not much hardwood. My first month I burned all pine, even seasoned it produced a
A lot of cresote. Ive found some oak and other hardwoods, burning that for the last week to burn off the cresote. For the heat load (keeping the fire going hot and long. Now that the days are warmer, I just open a window, close the door, thermostat calls for heat. Fire stays hot.
I love this portage and main 34/44. Its a solid unit. good luck

11

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: post EPA wood boilers

« on: February 13, 2014, 08:16:10 PM »

I don't know how state laws are in your are of the country are but in New Mexico and in Colorado both, though you have ownership to your land free an clear title in hand to both ranches. Don't pay your county taxes for 3 years straight and see what happens to what you thought you owned!!!!!!  Now they will pass these new regs from the EPA. They will out law  anything that produces smoke. They  belive they know what's best for us.   SOCIALISM!     BASTARDS!!!

12

Plumbing / Re: Trees and Underground Logstor Dual PexFlex Piping

« on: February 11, 2014, 04:01:05 PM »

Good to hear from you, since you have a short run hopefully a straight 50' run. I would encase it in some PVC, logstor is tough, the tree roots are relentless. If you fell the trees that does nothing to the root system for many years. Only other solution would be to use a soil steralint to kill the root system. Then also steralize an area eqaul to the tree canopy's drip line. The steralint lasts a entire year. So I guess PVC would be best.  Good luck!

13

Portage & Main / Re: ml 25 question

« on: February 07, 2014, 06:16:30 PM »

Hey Frankie,thanks for the update. I wasn't real sure what model the bl replaced. The brick lining sure does make for a hot fire. My bl hardly puts out any smoke, real nice heat signature out of the stack. Can't wait until next season when I'll have some hard wood to burn instead of pine. Hopefully no smoke at all!

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Portage & Main / Re: ml 25 question

« on: February 07, 2014, 09:32:26 AM »

Take a look at the p/m bl28/40 I believe this replaced the ml25, its a solid unit simple set up, nothing fancy not much to give out. I have the Bl34/44 I'm very very happy no regrets. Good luck on your purchase.

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: new istall help

« on: February 06, 2014, 07:01:14 PM »

Oz, I have a Bl34/44 going on  6 weeks now and very pleased. My place is in a very windy valley. 2 stories,lots of windows,( cheap ones too) and the 34/44 keeps it very warm. Very pleased with wood usage. I used logstor its worth the money. Best of luck, can't go wrong with P/M.