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[patvetzal]

Any chance your wood supply has improved for some reason? If the fire dies when you close the door and flares up when you open it, then you can't have much of an air leak. If your wood was not very dry, then you switched to good stuff your boiler could run hotter with a small air leak that you haven't even noticed in past.

[RSI]

I was assuming he was talking about opening the door when the boiler is idling.

[patvetzal]

So am I....if the boiler was not in idle mode then the fire would be high as he opened the door...

[cartod]

Set a chair outside by the unit and watch/listen.  Mine did the same thing and here's what happened.  The wood I used was not completely dry and while the fan was restarting it, there was a small steam type explosion inside the burner.  It forced ash and coals back through the fans duct work into the fan and also around the flapper.  Once the furnace got to temp, the flapper was held open by a small piece of charcoal.

This was witnessed by watching the stove go thru its paces and when the flapper closed, the smoke continued to roll due to the air that was being pulled in through the rear duct work.  Good luck, and don't forget to put more water treatment in. 

[gainerspot]

Your a good bit further north than me, but I have a hard time with my p&m bl2840 temps when I have warm weather with no wind.  I live in Tennessee and weather in winter can get to 70 a few times a year. I have to keep windows open and run dishwasher and washing machine on timers and very little wood in it. I hit 204 today. One day I will have a greenhouse to dump the extra load in. 

[gainerspot]

So I checked the flapper on my owb and found that the fan was upside down allowing air to draft in when the fan was off. Fixed it yesterday, what a difference that has made on the climbing temperature and wood consumption.  I now have to relearn how this owb works. Got a 24 hour burn on what I was loading for a 14 hour burn.

[slimjim]

SAY WHAT! Are you saying the flapper box was installed upside down? Did it come from the factory like that or did somebody mess with it?

[gainerspot]

I installed the owb. That was the first time I touched the blower. It sure explains why maintaining temperatures was so tough on warm days.  I always thought it smoked a lot when off load. People around here have hardy's and they smoke a lot so I didn't thank to much about it. Now I might have to try to keep the fire from going out on warm days.

[slimjim]

Great catch! I can see how perhaps a new guy or somebody numbing it at the factory might have put it on upside down, maybe a call to P and M might be in order, they may not yet be aware of the issue!

[gainerspot]

I am amazed at how little wood in am burning now the the flapper value closed when the unit is not on load.next year I will burn 1/2 the wood is have this year.
And I just got a score of bodock wood for the next 5+ years. It is also called orsage orange, it burns hot and long. Anyone have experience with this wood? My neighbor loves it more than oak.

[mlappin]

Osage orange, cut and split when green if possible.

[CountryBoyJohn]

I am amazed at how little wood in am burning now the the flapper value closed when the unit is not on load.next year I will burn 1/2 the wood is have this year.
And I just got a score of bodock wood for the next 5+ years. It is also called orsage orange, it burns hot and long. Anyone have experience with this wood? My neighbor loves it more than oak.

Osage Orange, also known as Hedge and Bodark, is the mother of all BTU wood.  When green, it cuts and splits very easily.  When cured and aged, it will dull a chain in 1 cut.  Might even throw sparks.  DO NOT BURN HEDGE IN YOUR HOUSE.  Only burn hedge in an OWB and be careful when loading with the fan on.  Here is a video of my stove burning this stuff and it shows why I say this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6vS5U-k-hQ

I'd KILL for a 5 year supply of Hedge!!  Man on man!!

[mlappin]

Actually another high heat must cut green wood is ironwood.

[gainerspot]

Yes I would agree that it is the best wood I have ever burned.  I have a friend who wants to do some trading for a truck load. This is going to be great. 
I went and looked at it today,  5 years might have been an understatement. 1700 feet long old hedge row, very mature.  My kids might never burn anything else in the owb.