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

Portage & Main / Expanding water pushes out of water level indicator

« on: April 10, 2013, 02:03:09 PM »

Hi all,

Does anyone else have the problem of water expanding and overflowing out of the water level indicator on the Optimizer 250?  It seems that it's a poor design where the tube is sealed and the water expands more than the tube can hold.  I have to keep my water level below the tube so this doesn't occur.  This defeats the purpose of the water level indicator.

Anyone else have this problem or a solution?

Thanks!
James.

17

Portage & Main / Optimizer 250 settings for shoulder seasons?

« on: March 01, 2013, 10:12:54 AM »

Hi all,

Spring is approaching and boiler idling is starting to begin.  For all those running an Optimizer 250, what are the setting changes you make to keep it running clean? 

I'm happy with the performance and cleanliness of it when it runs a full load every 12 hours, but now I'm starting to put 1/2 loads in twice a day and seeing more creosote formation in the scotch marine tubes.  I've being toying with the idea of setting the differential higher (160-180) to get it burning longer and hotter during firings but not sure if that's an effective strategy.

Ideally I would have storage to prevent excessive idling, but I also like the idea of not having to restart fires.

Thanks,
James.

18

Portage & Main / Air settings for your Optimizer 250

« on: January 08, 2013, 01:27:55 PM »

Ok, so I've run my Optimizer 250 for 3 months now and am still unsure what the optimum primary, secondary and fan disc settings are.  I have the newest version of the 250 as I understand that older versions have a slightly different airbox setup.  I've done a lot of experimenting with different settings and would like to know what you have yours set at.

Primary Air is 4-5 full turns out.
Secondary Air is 3-4 full turns out.
Fan Disc setting is different every week. 

The fan disc setting seems to make more of a difference than the primary or secondary air settings, but it seems to gassify at a wide variety of settings. 

So to all the Optimizer 250 owners out there, what settings do you use for peak efficiency?

Thanks!
James.

19

Portage & Main / Creosote Buildup in the tubes of a 250?

« on: November 13, 2012, 03:02:00 PM »

I've purchased an Optimizer 250 this year as my old OWB finally rusted through beyond repair.  I'm running fairly dry wood through it, but after a month of use there is quite a bit of extremely hard creosote lumps building up and lining my scotch marine tubes.  Both the vertical and horizontal.  It seems to be burning cleanly, so I'm not sure what could be causing this to happen.  I also can't clean it off because they are too hard for the wire brushes to remove.

Anyone else experience this?  Should I be concerned about this buildup?  How do others remove this buildup?

I'll see if I can get some pictures tomorrow.

Thanks!
James.