Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: 6pacmac on January 28, 2012, 09:20:40 AM

Title: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: 6pacmac on January 28, 2012, 09:20:40 AM

I'm curious how often everybody tops off their water.   I do it every 3-4 days. Seems to take a couple of gallons.

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: Scott7m on January 28, 2012, 09:51:13 AM

Once a year....  Usually holds like 1/2 gallon

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: Chugger4030 on January 28, 2012, 09:59:38 AM

Thats a lot of water to be adding . I would suspect a leak somewhere.  I add a gallon at the most once a year.

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: woodfuel on January 28, 2012, 10:03:11 AM

When you add the water, guys, do u add the corrosion inhibitor to keep the ratio the same?

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: Scott7m on January 28, 2012, 10:10:09 AM

Well wood fuel if you boiled out 30 gallons it'd probably be good to add a little treatment. 

But the bottom line is that you shouldn't be adding water...

6pacmac is adding perhaps 4-5 gallons a week.  Over the course of a 6 month heating season, maybe more depending on his location, he's adding around 120 gallons of water per 6 months. Likely a slow drip somewhere in the system. 

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: RSI on January 28, 2012, 10:16:57 AM

If you leave it for 2 days do you have to add twice as much? Are you sure you are filling it to the correct level?
What brand stove do you have?

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: 6pacmac on January 28, 2012, 01:10:55 PM

I can't find a leak anywhere, not even a drip.  I'm really not sure how much I add. I just open the valve until water blows out the vent, just a few seconds.   The model is a Ridge Wood 6000.   You guys that only add about 1 gallon a year, is your system sealed?  My treatment is about 1/2 gallon if sodium nitrate .     

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: jerkash on January 28, 2012, 05:11:56 PM

I've been running since the middle of November and have not added a drop.  You have to have a leak or either boiling it over. 

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: RSI on January 28, 2012, 05:31:32 PM

Are you trying to keep it full to the top of the vent? You can't do that. The level goes up and down as the temperature changes and if you fill it to the top it will run a bunch out the next time it cycles.

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: willieG on January 28, 2012, 07:04:36 PM

i top off my stove right after the cycle shuts the blower off (water is expande it's max) and only check it at the same spot in the cycle

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: Scott7m on January 28, 2012, 07:10:05 PM

If he filled it up at 170 and it went to 180 it'd push some out but I assume he knows that, but once it did that it wouldn't do it again, unless he just topped it off again when it was cold.

No our systems are sealed or under pressure..   They just don't lose any water unless something is wrong, you could also have a small crack in the fire box seeping water into the firebox and you'd never see a dropnfo water,  Or a leak in the pex package underground

Title: Re: How often do you top off the water?
Post by: 6pacmac on January 29, 2012, 08:10:21 PM

There was no rhyme or reason when i would top it off.  But come to think of it, I did tend to do it on the colder end of the temperature reading.    And it wold burp water out the vent later, at the higher temp.  Oh well, live and learn !