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31
Fire Wood / Re: Stacking
« on: December 09, 2017, 04:36:35 PM »Tote cages and racks here for the foreseeable future. Go and build something fancy like a wood shed and the county will not only add it to my property taxes and the assessment will be like its gold plated. I might however buy a large carport and set it on the 2x2x6’ cement blocks for added height.
If I keep a wood shed 3 sided and a dirt floor all is well. Now the 4th side or a poured slab and they tax that. Metal totes here are $$, but I keep my eye open for them.
32
Fire Wood / Re: Stacking
« on: December 03, 2017, 03:54:15 PM »ever thought about building a pole shed? Just curious..I did the whole pallet and tarp thing..Got sick of it..
I have a shed for my wood stove that I love but it's away from the boiler. So I do plan on building one some day, tarps are getting old. Not to mention how dry the wood in the shed gets.
33
Fire Wood / Re: Softwood vs hardwood
« on: December 03, 2017, 03:45:15 PM »I will take good pine any day of the week. Favorite of the pine family is Tamarack. I burn the heck out of it.
I had one day a few weeks ago where the stove put up big reaction chamber numbers on primarily a Tamarack, some sugar maple, some red maple, and 2 pieces of black ash load.
Pine is great wood.
What I would really love to try in this stove is Hedge Apple (Osage Orange).
I am burning eastern white pine, it works fine just the reaction chamber never hits over 1000* . Part of that is it lack of aging, it's been split for 3 months.
34
Fire Wood / Re: Share your snake story!
« on: December 03, 2017, 03:41:37 PM »Haven't seen a snake in years, but last winter I tossed an old rotten popple block in the boiler and while walking back with another, the heat had apparently awoken a bat that was hibernating in that popple block and sent him and his flaming wings out the door and right into my chest. It was like something you see on a low budget sci-fi movie with the flaming spawn of satan flying around. I'm way too white to dance, but I bet there was some pretty sweet moves happening during that episode, scared the everloving crap out of me. I did thoroughly enjoy the murder by foot afterwards though
Was Ozzy Ozsourne Hanging around
My snake story was when we built the house. We have underground power and when they had a skid of pvc pipe here to put in the ditch, it was covered by a tarp. When we needed it later that spring I took the tarp off and we had a nest of baby garder snakes! There had to be 30 or more there. My wife hated snakes so the scream was bad. Yea one of thoose moments.
Ok that bat would get to me if it came out of the boiler at me too
35
Plumbing / Re: Smaller pump to save electricity
« on: December 03, 2017, 03:21:49 PM »
I was looking at a Taco 007 and it draws .7 amps and a 009 draws 1.4 amps. Wreckit87 you are right about the pump cost outweighing changing it. Besides As my Father would have said " If it works leave it be. With my luck I would be opening a can of worms. But I will look at Grundfos Alpha. I take it thats a premium pump?
36
Plumbing / Smaller pump to save electricity
« on: December 02, 2017, 08:33:03 AM »
I have a Central Boiler E 1450. I have a 10' or so rise to the house and it is 20' from the house so call it a 50 ft run to go to a heat exchanger in the basement. I have a taco 009 f5 pump at the boiler pushing into ThermoPex with 1" pex in the house. I am wondering if I could get a smaller pump to save on electricity. I had tried to use the wood boiler pump to circulate in the whole house system but with a walk out basement and a 2 story house that was really 3 floors to pump up to. It worked unless the boiler ran out of wood and then the CB thermostatic valve the water would not circulate and air would get in and then no heat upstairs. So I put in a heat exchanger to separate the Owb from the house hydronic set up and it's been fine. But I hat to see the electric bill every winter, it jumps up by 90 kw due to the circulating pump on 24/7. What are the options?
37
Fire Wood / Re: Softwood vs hardwood
« on: November 18, 2017, 07:36:40 AM »
I had more pine offered this year so I ran with it. This is the first season burning mainly pine. So far it's ok, my gasser's reaction chamber is burning 200* cooler and I do burn more. But on the plus side it does heat the house for free. I had the propane company come in for the first time in over 2 years for a half fill of a 500 gal tank.
38
Central Boiler / Re: Good test
« on: November 12, 2017, 07:39:40 AM »
Ah yes the 2 headed look!
When my wife told her kid brother who lives down south now that we had an outdoor boiler he thinks it's nuts. Couldn't see why would we go outside to feed a fire for the house.
I need to run the water tests today and see where that is at.
When my wife told her kid brother who lives down south now that we had an outdoor boiler he thinks it's nuts. Couldn't see why would we go outside to feed a fire for the house.
I need to run the water tests today and see where that is at.
39
Regulations / Re: New Rules for 2020
« on: November 11, 2017, 08:01:31 AM »
With Trump in office I don't worry about it. Wood stoves and boilers are safe for now. When I went to buy an OWB 3 years ago I had to buy a gasifacation boiler due to laws in the Peoples republic of Massachusetts, at first the cost pissed me off but it runs great and I burn allot less than another wood boiler guy I worked with.
I still have my old coal stove in the basement as back up. It burns anthracite so it has no smoke. Still run it here and there in the winter. Nothing beats the heat a coal fire on a cold snowy day.
I still have my old coal stove in the basement as back up. It burns anthracite so it has no smoke. Still run it here and there in the winter. Nothing beats the heat a coal fire on a cold snowy day.
40
Central Boiler / Re: Gonna fire her up
« on: November 11, 2017, 07:23:30 AM »Yeah for the cost of around $100 per cord from the log length guy I just buy a load once a year and I don't have to worry about if I have wood or not.
Around here log length is getting harder to find at a good price. Now they process it all and sell it out in the burbs outside of Boston for a primo price. No need to sell it in log length anymore.
41
Central Boiler / Re: Stupid move
« on: November 11, 2017, 07:14:30 AM »Heh, need a Wall of Shame like on another forum I help moderate.
http://www.haytalk.com/forums/forum/137-the-wall-of-shame/
I tried to open it but it is restricted to members only. Wall of shame in OWB land could be a scary thing. I had to secure a house that the owners walked on the mortgage . I put in new locks and cleaned up a mess you can't believe. The basement had an indoor wood boiler that had leaked creosote all over the floor, a huge mess. Not sure the brand , it was an older looking blue forced hot air unit.
42
Central Boiler / Re: Gonna fire her up
« on: November 11, 2017, 07:04:30 AM »Stove is putting up big numbers today!!!!
I did not get the wi fi option on my E 1450 but I can see where it could be coo. l just plug along like the dinosaur that I am. I don't even have my cell phone on except to make calls and I have no use for face book twitter ect. Hey if my cave is warm all is good.
43
Central Boiler / Re: Good test
« on: November 11, 2017, 06:47:33 AM »
It is good indeed. I had a load of 75% white pine and 25% oak last night and 12 hours later I had a nice fire with coals on top of the reaction chamber in my E 1450. I put the oak in the middle to keep coals and pine all over that. My aquastat on my boiler has a low kick on at 160* min so I unplug one lead to keep the gas from going on and the circulating pumps kicking on with the thermostats. My gas boiler has hot water priority. I never do hear the gas boiler vent kick in.
44
Central Boiler / Re: Stupid move
« on: November 06, 2017, 07:36:10 AM »
Stupid move? I got you by a mile. 
I had a low burning bunch of coals last year and I decide to get it going. So as the fire comes back to life I leave the door open and do other stuff near by. I for got it as my wife calls for help out back. I come back 30 min later and it has shut down for hi temp and has boiled over. All was well, added water and restart it with the door closed. Never going to do that one again.
I had a low burning bunch of coals last year and I decide to get it going. So as the fire comes back to life I leave the door open and do other stuff near by. I for got it as my wife calls for help out back. I come back 30 min later and it has shut down for hi temp and has boiled over. All was well, added water and restart it with the door closed. Never going to do that one again.
45
Central Boiler / Re: Gonna fire her up
« on: November 05, 2017, 05:09:04 PM »
Started ours yesterday. Here in Masshole land we have had warm temps. I fired up yesterrday for the season 1st. In this weather the pex line going across the basement is enough to heat house so no real demand for heat other than hot water. I clean the primary tube once a season and blow out the side air inlets with 140 psi air. This year may be tricky, we will be burning pine mostly with some hardwood added for coals. Not sure it is up for the season yet, tomorrow is going to be 65*. I hope the pine works, funds were low to buy cord wood and the guy I buy hardwood ends from left me hanging this year, " oh yea I'll have that next 2 weeks" 