Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers WITH EPA-Certified Models => Central Boiler => Topic started by: woodywoodchucker on November 04, 2009, 02:34:22 PM
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I am new here and this is my first year with my 5036 Classic.Heating a cape with open cellings and the building is 44 x 28.I was assured by the dealer that it would heat the place with refuelings ever 12 hours.Lots of windows and radiate heat in the basement and first floor.baseboard up stairs.Oh I live in Maine.
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ANYONE???
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Welcome to the forum
Dont know much about central boilers
I am sure somebody on here will ask you a bunch of questions to help you out.
Do you have the boiler installed already
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yep, its been running for a month or so now.
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How is it working out for you.
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they will put out alot of heat but their is a lot of factors that come into play, is the building insolated, how well, is the glass insolated, low e, what type of wood will you be burning, is it dry or wet. are you on a hill in high wind or protected some by trees, i mean there is a lot to consider, should it heat it, by square footage, yes, but there are a lot of things that can cause a decrease in what it will heat. hope i helped
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Hey woody, welcome. There are a lot of posts on the site about factors in heating different size buildings. Search around a bit and you'll find quite a bit of reading. Bruey is right, there are a lot of factors that any different manufacturer has to deal with, and it's sometimes the dealer that makes the sale on knowing what factors are important. I've said before that all OWB companies tend to give you the most ideal specs when they tell you how many btu's their unit is capable of putting out. I have a Central Boiler 5648 heating a very old home that is somewhere close to 5000 sq ft. with 11 ft. ceilings on the bottom floor and 10 ft. on the second floor. Until this year I filled my unit in the coldest weather 3 times a day full. I'm hoping this year things will be different since I added insulation and siding, as well as 6 more 39"x104" windows. So far my unit seems to be using a lot less wood but it's hard to make a comparison unless you really look at historical data. For me I'm just glad I'm not paying the gas bill to heat this bohemoth.
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Thanks guys, the house is insulated with low e windows.Still looking at the insulation as its not all sheetrocked yet, and it is not sided yet.Typar is my siding for now.I filled it last night when I got home. Have a huge bed of coals.Im i adding too much wood? I do fill it twice a day.
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Welcome! I would think that with your sq. footage, and good insulation there should be no problems heating your home. If you can't make 12hrs. between filling try mixing your wood. (ex. seasoned and semi-seasoned) This fall I started with well seasoned and split wood. I didn't get the long burn times as in the past so I'm mixing in rounds and other wood thats less than 6 months cut. Keep us informed on how it's working when it gets real cold...
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how long a burn time do you expect with a mixed wood load? And how cold does it get at your home in Ky?
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29 at 530 am today heat 2 water heaters and 1800 ft house fill with 10 to 12 6" or 8" 22" long in 24 hour time started useing in oct . 5036
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I heat a 2000 sf. house and @1000 sf. beauty shop/garage. The 5036 is also going through water heaters in both buildings. Last winter while daytime high temps. were in the 20's I never had to fill less than 12 hrs. apart. I also set both stats at 73 degrees. I do lower boiler temperature setpoint when weather permits. The last few days here the daytime high's have been 60-70 degrees and in the 45-50 at nite. I lowered the 5036 to 150 and haven't add wood since 11-7 am. I'm no expert-this is only my second season. But I've saved lots of $$$$ in propane since the install..
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That is good news about the refueling Jon D.I guess I need to learn about mixing wood.I have some wood that was cut 6 weeks ago. That stuff burns kind of fast.I also split alot of the stuff.My house is new with some sheetrock and no siding. Just typar.Low e windows.I am sealing all the possable leaks and stuff.Seams to be prenty of leaks.I guess I would never had noticed if the rock was hanging. I also have 9 ft walls and half is cathredral ceilings.That probably doesnt make heating the place any easier.
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I'm for sure you location is much worst than mine for cold weather! But I've heated mine with day-time highs in the 20's and still can fill every 12hrs. Good luck up north!! Keep us informed!!
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Hy , im looking at bying a central boiler cl 5036 next spring .I live in northern New Brunswick Canada (north of main ) im looking at some winter temperature of - 30 in the peak winter months . the only thing i noticed is the way the fuel box is built . very good for heat transfer but i m affaide the smoke is going to comme out the door all the time i will be loading it . and the fact that ther is no force draft fan on it bothers me a little . any coment from any body will be appreciated .
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Hy , im looking at bying a central boiler cl 5036 next spring .I live in northern New Brunswick Canada (north of main ) im looking at some winter temperature of - 30 in the peak winter months . the only thing i noticed is the way the fuel box is built . very good for heat transfer but i m affaide the smoke is going to comme out the door all the time i will be loading it . and the fact that ther is no force draft fan on it bothers me a little . any coment from any body will be appreciated .
I wouln't worry about the smoke coming out the door while loading. You'll get some but not enough to care. I have a bag of marshmallows out by my stove and my kids and I roast them sometimes standing in front of the door. Don't get me wrong.... You're gonna smell like smoke for a while, but that's a small price to pay for the savings you'll see.
The forced draft fan is best in my opinion for burning wet or green wood. If your wood is dry, you won't need it. Although you can get one from the factory and it might be nice for starting fires during the warmer months. Once it gets cold out and you need the heat in the house all the time. You'll only have to light it once and it'll burn all season long.
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I've had a 5036 for 2yrs. I like the fact it has no blower. Less heat being forced out the chimney--they recover/cycle just fine for me. The draft door opens 10degrees below water temp. setpoint not allowing water temp. to drop too low. If you fill your owb just before it starts it's heating cycle the smoke is not bad..
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Thanks for the advice . any of you looked at the water drum . meanig if you look at the boiler side view drawing the ripple on the top are water pocket . i just want to make sure that there is a countinuous flow in those ripple . whont the debris tend to remaine there . and finaly what test do you perform on that water ex PH , alcalinity etc . becase i am a boiler operater by profession and the water quality is the life of your boiler . thanks again .by the way this forum is grate.
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Testing Supply Water
Before filling the furnace with water, test a sample of
the supply water that will be used to fill it (softened
water is best, if possible).
1. Collect a small sample of the water to be used to fill
the furnace in a clean container.
2. Dip the pH indicator tape from the test kit in the
water. Shake excess water off the paper. Compare
the color of the tape to the chart provided with the
test paper to determine pH level. .
3. If the pH level is between 6.5 and 8 and there are no
other known water quality problems, then the
furnace may be filled with this water.
4. If the water to be used to fill the furnace has a pH
level of less than 6.5 or greater than 8, a sample of
the water should be sent to a water quality test lab
for recommended treatment, the water should be
conditioned, or water should be supplied from a
different source.
Corrosion Inhibitor Plus and Initial Treatment
Central Boiler Corrosion Inhibitor Plus (pin 1650) gives
optimum protection when the water is initially treated to
a nitrite level of 20 drops of permanganate reagent.
The recommended initial treatment rate for the furnace
is specified by units. One unit of the Corrosion Inhibitor
Plus is a l-gallon container. The normal rate for the initial
treatment is dependent on the model: CL 4030, CL
5036 and SCL 5036 - 1 unit; CL 6048 and SCL 6048-
2 units.
NOTE: If the system has a larger than normal
water capacity, more Corrosion Inhibitor Plus
should be added at a recommended rate of one
unit per 180 gallons of water.
Section 3 - Maintenance Instructions
I. Add the recommended amount of Corrosion
Inhibitor Plus through the vent pipe at the top of the
furnace.
2. Immediately fill the furnace to the FULL level mark
on the sight gauge.
3. Start the pump(s) and circulate water for 24 hours.
4. See Obtaining System Water Sample for
instructions on collecting a test sample.
5. Use Test Kit (pin 405) when no antifreeze is present
in the water. Use Test Kit (pin 597) when antifreeze
has been added to the water.
6. Remove and dip one strip of pH paper into the water
sample. Shake excess water off the paper. Compare
the paper color to the color chart in the kit. The pH
of the water should now be between 8.0 and 9.5.
7. Rinse and fill the sample tube to the 25 mL mark
with treated water from the furnace.
8. Add 25 drops of Sulfuric Acid (pin 404) to the water
sample and swirl to mix.
CAUTION
Sulfuric Acid is a corrosive acid. Handle
carefully.
9. Using the dropper, add Permanganate Reagent (pin
403) one drop at a time, swirling the water and
counting each drop, until the color changes from
colorless to a faint pink that persists for at least one
minute.
NOTE: Always hold the dropper in a vertical
position to ensure proper droplet size.
10. If the nitrite level is not at least 20 drops by nitrite
test, add 112 unit of Corrosion Inhibitor Plus (pin
1650); then circulate water for 24 hours and repeat
procedure, as needed, to achieve a nitrite level of at
least 20 drops by nitrite test.
11. Do not exceed treatment of higher than 30 drops by
the nitrite test. If the test requires more than 30
drops, dilute the water by draining water from the
system until the water level just reaches the bottom
of the sight gauge and then perform steps 2-12.
CAUTION
Before draining water from the system, make
sure the firebox is not hot.
12. After the proper nitrite level has been obtained,
check pH to make sure it is between 8 and 9.5.
After the initial treatment, maintain the nitrite level
between 15-20 drops by the nitrite test. One drop of permanganate
reagent equals approximately 100 ppm.
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We have owned a Central Boiler for six years. Everything was great til this year. Corrosion on the side panels were discoved in Mid October. We have had to send the stove back to factory for repairs. Costing us alot. It is now the end of December - we still do not have the stove back! Minnesota is cold! Not at all happy. Shouldn't such an investment last longer?
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Critter, sorry your having problems. Wondering if u took any pics u could post. What yearly post season maintaince did u do? I've had the same unit now for 3-years. Not good news for CB. Good luck & keep us informed of your experience involving problems with CB.....
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We have owned a Central Boiler for six years. Everything was great til this year. Corrosion on the side panels were discoved in Mid October. We have had to send the stove back to factory for repairs. Costing us alot. It is now the end of December - we still do not have the stove back! Minnesota is cold! Not at all happy. Shouldn't such an investment last longer?
Have you got anything from CB yet?
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Any news on this would be great,,,,thanks
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Critter, you out there?
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I have a CB5036 that I put in this past April and started firing October 6th, 2011. I have a 2400 sqft house located at 8600' elevation on top of a mountain that gets lots of wind. My house has a wall of glass on the western side facing the mountain range across the valley, and has vaulted ceilings on the second floor. I have infloor radiant heat top and bottom with two heat exchangers, one for the heat and one for my domestic hot water.
We had several nights this fall with temps at -18 degrees and many many nights at zero. My 5036 will last a full 12 hours burning aspen and pine if I fill it up. On a night like tonight with the temp being in the single digits, I will put in about 8 pcs of split 20"x8" wood and it will last till tomorrow morning around 6pm.
Regarding the smoke out the door, yes if you open it when it is above 180 degrees, it will smoke in your face. Two points: 1) open it just before it cycles at around 176-178 and you get virtually no smoke and 2) I also have the baffle in the smoke stack that probably accounts for some smoke out the door. However, my unit has never gone out even over several days with no heat load and some full rounds, so the draft is quite sufficient. I have noticed that it undershoots the setpoint of 175 on exceptionally cold days, but only by about 8-9 degrees. Some of that may have to do with the baffle in the stack and the fact that I burn some large unsplit rounds.
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We just put in a CL 5036 in November. It is heating a rambling ranch style house with about 2600 sq. ft., two water heaters and two forced air furnaces. I am still learning by trial and error since there are not instructions about the fine tuning of the operation The problem I have been having is the heating level at the second blower furnace. Solutions I have tried are upgrading wood quality and size which has helped some, but loading the fire box every 3-4 hours even at night is tiresome. I was not aware that the water set point could be used to control the burn rate. With the single digits and below zero weather of this winter it has been difficult to keep the house at 65 degrees. Insulation is not bad but it is not what is listed in the CB brochure.
When the weather is above freezing I have been able to achieve the 8-12 hour burn rate, but that is not when I needed it. Can anyone advise me about the use of he water set temp to achieve the promised burn rate?
Jim in Cincinnati.
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Wow, you completely fill it 3-4hrs??
That seams to be extreme, I'd be looking into my lines and checking the incoming temp for the radiators!!
You shouldn't be loading this much with that sized stove!!
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Insulated lines? what type? Temperature gauges?
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The entry lines are good. Professionally installed using the factory lines and the water at the first and second water heater is great. The first blower forced air furnace on the east end of the house is good as well. However, in the single digits and below it has lost considerable heat by the second blower forced air furnace on the west side of the house. Therefore, dumping very low temp water back in to the boiler. Thus, more wood is needed to reheat the boiler water.
Problem seems to be the CL 5036 may be too small a unit.
I have notice if I lower the factory setting on the damper door from 185 to 175 it does increase the reload time, but still the single digits and below require shorter fill times..
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Wait a minute you have all of these heat exchangers on one loop? ??? That us your problem right there. When sending water back to the boiler the standard is to shoot for a return temp of 20 degrees lower then when it left. Otherwise it is very hard on the boiler to be able to try and reheat the water. In order to diagnose your system please let us know what the line temps are after each of the hx when they are calling for heat. One water to air hx can easily bring down the temp 20 degrees depending on water flow rate and Cfm through the hx. Hopefully the rest of the in house system wasn't "professionally" designed as well.