Hope someone familiar with CB Edge can help you out. Deferential and pulse is what I hear people adjust to get desired results. Seems to me like under 1000 reaction chamber temps is really low. Hate to think this is normal for an edge.

Sorry I haven't checked in for a while.  I have some health issues, which includes 3 spine surgeries, and I've had a bit of a setback with the lumbar surgeries.  Procedures are scheduled for next month, and I haven't been able to get under the house and check much of anything, but with the recent snow we've had, I can see where the snow melts over the buried lines.  I can see a definite problem within 12 feet of the wood boiler.  The 6 inch snowfall we've had recently hasn't even covered the ground above the line, even with temperatures in the single digits..  That tells me I have a major heat loss in that area.  The stove can't keep up with heating the 1050 sq. ft. garage, and the 1680 sq. ft house at the same time.  I didn't have that issue when I was heating both about 4 years ago.  I'm guessing that the 6" pipe that I buried, that I run the water lines through, has water in it.  I had sold my last stove several years ago, and had tried to keep the pipe covered, in case I was ever to put new lines in with a new stove.  I think if the 6" pipe has water in it, it would create a heat loss/transfer that would melt the snow above it.  This is just theory, and my wife mentioned when she pulled the lines through, there was a little moisture on the lines.  That first 12 feet was buried about 12" deeper than the rest of the pipe, as I had to come up on the house end, to get over the footer.  This is all theory, but for me, it makes sense. 

Now...with my current health, and the first of February around the corner, I've decided that I can't make corrections at this time.  I'll just live with the heat loss to the house, and be glad I have heat in the shop.  Once good weather moves in, I'll decided what my options are to get the water out of the pipe, if that is the case.  Being that close to the boiler end, I may be able to use a shop vac and suck it out.  If not, I'll figure something else out.

As always.... I'm open to, and appreciate your suggestions.  Thanks for the help!!

Hi everyone, new to the forum and to wood boilers in general. My wife and I moved onto an acreage last summer that had nothing but electric heat in all the buildings. We installed a Central Boiler classic edge 360HDX this fall, and got it fired up in the first week of December. We're heating two buildings- our 1700 sq ft house via a forced air heat exchanger, and our small (4-500 sq ft) cabin, with the CB fan convector (part # 1971).

I'm burning mostly pine and spruce as that is what makes up most of the firewood around my area (Northern BC). Ideally I'd burn hardwood but it's hard to get around here. It's definitely dry as it all reads below 20% on my moisture meter, most of it around 12-14%.

When I first started the boiler, I left the settings as factory: 185F setpoint, 20 deg temp differential, 30 min idle pulse timeout, 225F target pulse temp. I found it almost impossible to keep a fire going, I would get one good burn, and then the fire would go out the next time there was a call for heat. I called CB and discussed settings with them, they recommended a 15 deg temp differential, 20 min pulse timeout, and 260F target temperature. Even with these settings, the fire would still go out every few days.

I've been playing with the settings ever since, and initially set it for 185 set/ 15 differential/ 10 min timeout/ 310 pulse temp. Extreme, I know, but it's the only way I could get it to run. Now I've gotten it down to a 15 min timeout and 300 pulse temp, and it mostly does ok, but still goes out once every week or two and I have to watch it like a hawk.

This was fine when the weather was colder (we had almost a month of 0F to -35F weather, but now that it's warmed up to around 30F, my pulses are so close together that the water is getting close to overheating in the afternoon when the sun is out and warming my buildings.

I've never seen a reaction chamber temperature over 1000, usually in the 800s even after it's been at 100% for 10+ minutes. My coal bed is always at least a couple inches deep, and when the boiler does go out, there's still tons of coals underneath the unburnt wood.

The previous owners did leave a bunch of dry, split birch in a firewood shed that measured at 12%, so I tried that for a while but it didn't seem to make much difference. Neither did burning some reject 2x6 that i had lying around.  Obviously I'm burning more wood than I'd like with such extreme pulse settings, but I don't seem to have much choice. I've been cleaning the reaction chamber and heat exchangers every week, and the firebox once a month.

Any input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

I have some 409 lab reports from HeatMaster, say melted and made in the USA, doesn’t say anything about where the ingredients originated from.

I replaced my cheap wrapped pipe years ago. It was noticeable and paid for itself by the second year.

No worries - I am not expecting President Xi to call me up and order me to back off. 

It is an individual choice. The only other person who I wish would follow suit is my wife.  As far as being unable to reduce China from my consumption list - I personable have found that it is fairly easy.  It just takes a tiny bit of effort. A very quick example - Recently my table saw motor fried.  A new one (from china of course) was $300.  To rebuild the old motor was $300.  For me it was a no brainer - The rebuild produced, essentially, a new motor and employed a local shop with a local employee.

   

I'm not sure you'll influence international politics by trying to boycott, but it's like praying...if you think it helps, feel free as you're not really hurting anyone. The idea you will eliminate or reduce china made products from you consumer diet seems like folly. Real influence, unfortunately, is a diplomatic dance with no easy solutions.

There are legal definitions as to what "Made in USA" means.  I doubt if every raw material needs to be domestically sourced.  For stainless steels, many of the elements are in trace amounts, often less than 1/2 of one percent.

But I think the Made in USA sticker does generally suggest more attention to quality but that is not guaranteed.  I personally have a pecking order of countries which I will support, and China is pretty much at the bottom of the list.  Not just because of its generally inferior produced products, but also because it is a communist, police state, dictatorship that with a billion people to support will likely have global ambitions as it becomes more powerful.   

I really wish people would look at the label and see where the product is made before heading to the cash register.  And yes my wife, I am looking at you.

 There's a lot of talk about the benefits of stainless in boilers and I agree to 409 the way to go.
 
 Where does it come from?  Titanium is a part of the formulation of 409. Notice that China is the main producer of titanium.
 China produces 230 times the titanium as the US. Canada 8 times more.   Where does our ' Made in US' stainless come from?

 Mill in Kentucky boasts of 90% recycled, mill in Alabama mill 80% recycled. They 'make' 60% of all stainless in US and both are foreign owned. All a mill has to do is roll and form it and can label it 'Made in USA' regardless of origin.
 Could not find any maker of virgin stock in US.
 
  Question: Is 'Made in USA' a quality thing?

 I'd agree, just kinda pulled that number hypothetically to do a calculation.  I am happy with my system what ever the numbers are. It's been cold for us, down to about +5 , and forecast is for more of the same but can handily get 24 hrs. burn.