Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers WITH EPA-Certified Models => Heatmor => Topic started by: heat550 on October 15, 2015, 01:13:03 AM
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Did Heatmor Always make there Base ( bottom piece tank sits on ) Out of Stainless ? Im thinking from
1984 and on word to 1996 . If I wanted to test how can I tell ifs stainless . Thanks for any info .
Heat550
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Try to stick a magnet to it.
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Try to stick a magnet to it.
Ok magnet sticks to both tank and base what does this tell us tag says 200css
Heat550
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a magnet will stick to 400 series stainless but not to 300 series (and I believe a lot of stainless stoves were made from 400 series)
someone with lots of experience can make a pretty good judgment by the sparks that come off a grinding wheel
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a magnet will stick to 400 series stainless but not to 300 series (and I believe a lot of stainless stoves were made from 400 series)
someone with lots of experience can make a pretty good judgment by the sparks that come off a grinding wheel
Yep, the local welding shop in town will first grind something to tell if they can weld it, if not sure then they drop it on the concrete to listen to how it rings. On ductile they’ll take a torch and see how the sparks fly and how clean the cut is.
From fifty years of experience the owner of that shop will tell yah some of the poorest ductile they’ve ever seen is JD green, no point in wasting your time as by time you tack the other side the first side will have already popped.
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the base is not made out of stainless....everything that touches water is 409 stainless....a magnet will stick to 409
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the base is not made out of stainless....everything that touches water is 409 stainless....a magnet will stick to 409
Says my new 400dcss has 14 gauge stainless steel base . But in 1996 who knows what they did .
Heat550
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nice, didnt read that part
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I ask this question because anyone that has a heatmor before 1999 its got a mild steel base . So what happens
base rusts and causes base tank gasket failure and you will be leaking air and you get a crack in your tank .
and no its not the 409 stainless steels fault its base gasket leaking air making hot and cold spots and stainless will crack and slowly weep water out . So If you do have one and you think ooo its fine . just take tin off sides look behind insulation .
look at the seams between tank and base you see rust . Might want to replace that gasket . Mine looked ok only bit of rust and took tank off and ya scary ridge where gasket is all rusted out inside . Where the most rust was is where tank leaked .
look at picture :) front right corner all rust orange spot is where tank has pin hole . look how close gasket and rust ridge is yep thats where pin hole is . These are my findings . goal is to let others with old heatmors know hey if I replace that gasket . It will give alot longer life . and $7000 for a new one kinda cuts in to the piggy bank .:) aka project long life heatmor . After 1999 they had a stainless steel base . This leaves 6 year window for the above problem . 1994 were the first year of stainless tanks . 1999 was first year of stainless bases . :bag:
Heat550
Picture below is 1994 base installed in 1996:)
second picture is after I took sand out and cleaned off gasket surface . :bag:
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thanks for sharing.....im still impressed with 19yrs out of that one to be honest!!! now with the stainless base you might be looking at 30yrs! lol
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Heat,
Just and FYI....my high limit controller arced out lastnight on my new 400....i went to load before bed and i had no power to the stove....i went into the barn and the breaker was flipped. SO i went back out and started peaking around...the water temp was at 178 and the stove was fine (no evidence of water on the roof, sides or ground from a boiler over). I opened the back panel and i could smell something had been torched....sure enough that new high limit gauge was black on one side and you could see a nice size arc flash mark.....so for now i had to just disconnect it...gonna call today and im hoping they will just send me a new one right away. Only problem is you have to drain the tank down past that gauge to put a new one on.
Just figured i would share. I dont know why it happened. The unit has been running pretty flawless for the past 3 weeks.
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So was it that new style high limit where its just look like it screws in . I will take a picture of mine and post it tonight. Sorry to hear the troubles. Seems any thing they change there can be problems. Keep me posted what they say . see if we're better off putting old style back in atless we could change it with out draining it down .
Heat550
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thanks for sharing.....im still impressed with 19yrs out of that one to be honest!!! now with the stainless base you might be looking at 30yrs! lol
I would be 78 it could happen 😀
Heat550
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Of course they were real nice about. Sending out a replacement ASAP. Unfortunately I will have to drain it down a bit to put the new one in
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Of course they were real nice about. Sending out a replacement ASAP. Unfortunately I will have to drain it down a bit to put the new one in
I'm going to put old style back on so I don't have to drain it down to change it . because don't want to be out there at subzero fixing high limit switch. 😀 will look in to old style one. 😀
Heat 550
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you will have to thread a well in as well for the old style....the new high limit sensors are actually submerged in water.....i guess they had a problem on some of the units with the old style high limit switch tripping off the ambien temperature of rear access area (god knows it can get hot in there). so they switch to this new style...which is pinpoint accurate, but a pain in the but to change....if it does trip out tho, it is suppose to automatically reset after the water temp drops below 195....mine actually arced out, it was just a defective one....the first reported one to them so far.
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Heat550,
How did you separate the tank from the base? I've got a 15 year old 400DSS (sn3513) that is starting to leak. I was thinking of taking it apart to fix it.
Fredward
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you will have to thread a well in as well for the old style....the new high limit sensors are actually submerged in water.....i guess they had a problem on some of the units with the old style high limit switch tripping off the ambien temperature of rear access area (god knows it can get hot in there). so they switch to this new style...which is pinpoint accurate, but a pain in the but to change....if it does trip out tho, it is suppose to automatically reset after the water temp drops below 195....mine actually arced out, it was just a defective one....the first reported one to them so far.
Im still deciding $113 for old style and well . I don't like that needs draining down to change . But its probably more accurate like you say . old style I could adjust a bit also . hmmm
heat550
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my new one should be here soon....i dont think i will drain and hook it up until spring...i dont want to have to buy more boiler treatment.....blahhhhhhhhhh
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Heat,
Just and FYI....my high limit controller arced out lastnight on my new 400....i went to load before bed and i had no power to the stove....i went into the barn and the breaker was flipped. SO i went back out and started peaking around...the water temp was at 178 and the stove was fine (no evidence of water on the roof, sides or ground from a boiler over). I opened the back panel and i could smell something had been torched....sure enough that new high limit gauge was black on one side and you could see a nice size arc flash mark.....so for now i had to just disconnect it...gonna call today and im hoping they will just send me a new one right away. Only problem is you have to drain the tank down past that gauge to put a new one on.
Just figured i would share. I dont know why it happened. The unit has been running pretty flawless for the past 3 weeks.
Ask dealer if electronic end where wire are . If its changeable there's a alan set screw on the side where wrench goes . I had mine apart and it has a well .
Heat550
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Heat550,
How did you separate the tank from the base? I've got a 15 year old 400DSS (sn3513) that is starting to leak. I was thinking of taking it apart to fix it.
Fredward
Yes all you can do is take it apart and see whats going on . its only way to fix it right . But mine was 19 years of firing .
after figuring it out mine was really a 1994 model but they sold it to me in 1996 . they had some issues with bends in the early years .
Hopefully my new 400 doesn't have these goofy issues . :bag:
Heat550
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my new one should be here soon....i dont think i will drain and hook it up until spring...i dont want to have to buy more boiler treatment.....blahhhhhhhhhh
Get yourself a clean plastic barrel or two, drain into the barrels using a puddle pump if required, or ones can be had that a garden hose connects to each side and use that, when your done pump the water back in.
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my new one should be here soon....i dont think i will drain and hook it up until spring...i dont want to have to buy more boiler treatment.....blahhhhhhhhhh
Get yourself a clean plastic barrel or two, drain into the barrels using a puddle pump if required, or ones can be had that a garden hose connects to each side and use that, when your done pump the water back in.
Ag places have nice clean barrels 55 gallon plastic $5 ones I got had tit dip in there ya plastic was orange but it was clean as a whistle.
I hit with pressure washer there spotless . Ag place like where they sell bulk stuff for milking cows they normally have a bunch of them .
Heat550
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I ask this question because anyone that has a heatmor before 1999 its got a mild steel base . So what happens
base rusts and causes base tank gasket failure and you will be leaking air and you get a crack in your tank .
and no its not the 409 stainless steels fault its base gasket leaking air making hot and cold spots and stainless will crack and slowly weep water out . So If you do have one and you think ooo its fine . just take tin off sides look behind insulation .
look at the seams between tank and base you see rust . Might want to replace that gasket . Mine looked ok only bit of rust and took tank off and ya scary ridge where gasket is all rusted out inside . Where the most rust was is where tank leaked .
look at picture :) front right corner all rust orange spot is where tank has pin hole . look how close gasket and rust ridge is yep thats where pin hole is . These are my findings . goal is to let others with old heatmors know hey if I replace that gasket . It will give alot longer life . and $7000 for a new one kinda cuts in to the piggy bank .:) aka project long life heatmor . After 1999 they had a stainless steel base . This leaves 6 year window for the above problem . 1994 were the first year of stainless tanks . 1999 was first year of stainless bases . :bag:
Heat550
Picture below is 1994 base installed in 1996:)
second picture is after I took sand out and cleaned off gasket surface . :bag:
Looks like your grates are in good shape. Mine are majorly warped and have been for a few years.
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Just update about lower half of heatmors . On new 400dcss (2015 ) I have they put a angel iron to keep the base flange from twisting when you tighten them together with the gasket . This will be added to my old 200css (1994) when I get it fixed . I will post a picture later . But its a bigger deal then I thought at first . :thumbup:
Heat550