Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers with NON EPA-Certified Models Only => Shaver Furnace => Topic started by: lugnut on December 03, 2011, 08:45:50 AM
-
Another valuable lesson learned this past Wednesday. I went in the morning out to the furnace and checked the fire in the box. Fire was still going, although the wood was pretty much spent, yet the cos were still red and hot. I thought I would check the water level as it had been a few days since. So off I go to the mechanical room in the lower level. turn on the water feed and turn around and go back out side. WHAT THE HELL I hear a gushing of water....and the water is gushing out of the rear of the OWB!!! Well, ya know that water level site glass folks said to put on the Shavers? Seems (now don't tell me you guys haven't had this happen to you...I won't for one minute think that I'm the only one this has happened to) ....seems that one SHOULD remove that when the temps get really cold...as it was that morning down to 25!
That top plate in the rear of the Shaver furnaces where Shaver says you should seal with silicone? Well thank goodness that's where the water came out of....the least resistant area and it WAS sealed.
I immediately grabbed a screw driver and removed the clear tube and elbow and set it aside. Removed the top rear panel of the furnace to gain better access to the top plate and pulled the insulation from the top area. Yes it was a wee bit damp. Placed towels on the top plate to completely dry the area, then I went in with a knife and cut away all the silicone. Had to drain about 12" off water off the top so that the silicone would adhere...long story short...we were back in business again.
So now, I still have to put a bit more water back in the tank, but the site glass( tube) is off. Whew! I almost had a really bad situation on my hands. What do you fellows with the site glass do in the winter? Leave the tube off?
Lugnut....still learning.
-
Lugnut lug nut lug nut lol
Don't know what were gonna do with ya lol. Just kidding. I have no idea what there doing, not seen one but best of luck as always.
-
Scott....really I have no clue what he other owners of this fine furnace do. My furnace is positioned in a way that I can not see from my house, the vent nipple and even if I could, I sure as heck couldn't see if it was spewing water out and over.
I sure do wish..I could go back about 2.5 months where I could have gotten all these nuisances rectified when it wasn't cold or wet. I do NOT mind the cold...it's the wet and having to walk around in the mud.
Well Scott, one thing I offer to you folks is humor...I suppose even though I cause most of it on my own. :bag: but I'm still willing to bet that many a fellow on here has and is still going through all these gaffs.....and I say this in a most sincere way. :)
Lugnut
-
That is one reason i ran a fill line to my boiler. Hard to see water level in stove from basement.I can add water standing right at boiler. Haven,t had to add very much water at all since installing in 09.Did drain this year and flush and refill.
Lugnut If you had had that expensive glycol installed in your stove you would have got to watch it run out on the ground.$$$ gone. lol
-
I had the same thing happen. Thankfully I caught it before all my insulation got wet.
When you see the water level in the tube your screwed. :bash:
-
That is one reason i ran a fill line to my boiler. Hard to see water level in stove from basement.I can add water standing right at boiler. Haven,t had to add very much water at all since installing in 09.Did drain this year and flush and refill.
Lugnut If you had had that expensive glycol installed in your stove you would have got to watch it run out on the ground.$$$ gone. lol
Oh and that would not have been a very good thing.......watching that glycol going down into the ground. I've often thought about turning the valve on down in the mechanical room and just using the valve on the front of the furnace, although I don't trust that valve for anything. Seems that when it's off...it's ON! The time before last I turned the water on from down stairs and came out to the furnace and the valve was in the OFF position, yet water was running out of the vent? WTF is up with this??? So perhaps I won't be doing anything with the furnace fill valve. This coming Spring I will be tearing the Shaver apart to insulate it better; take a look at that fill valve, and possibly cut off that flange on the blower pipe and having another welded on that is square to the furnace...also thinking about putting on a "flat" steel roof and toss out that corrugated tin they use for the roof.
Guess I'm going to try to hold out until Spring and then seriously look into a generator with the auto transferring switch. I'm not at all familiar on how a generator works, so this will also give me time to read up and get to know how this system will work.
Lugnut
-
fuzzy on the sight glass is it the one that someone said to use a clear p trap