Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: slimjim on December 18, 2014, 03:58:22 PM
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OK guys, I spent some time cutting open the bottom of a 9 year old Wood Doctor today, it has been maintained, boiler treatment added every year and this is what I found, Slopster will be posting the pics for me! The conventional Wood Doctor typically pulls from the bottom ports which happen to be 1/3 of the way up the tank, a full 1/3 of the tank on the bottom gets almost no flow inside the tank, the sludge on the bottom was almost an inch thick and pitting/ scaling the plate to the point it looked like Swiss cheese and leaking, above the bottom ports has no pitting or scaling and looks very good, could we please take a lesson from this, bottom ports on the tank should always be as low in the tank as possible to get rid of the sludge, perhaps even coming out of the bottom itself! Thanks in advance Slopster for posting the pics, Sorry guys I work from an I pad and can't seem to figure out photobucket.
(http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/data/500/medium/image86.jpg)
(http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/data/500/medium/image87.jpg)
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Are you going to rebuild the boiler or just doing it for show and tell?
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Oh it will be rebuilt, it is to good a workhorse to give up this early, I'm sending the cut out up north monday so that it's radius can be replicated, Point is, I'm going to move the return ports to the very bottom of the tank to keep the sludge stirred up so a filter can take it out of the system
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Is this your own Wood Doctor? Was soft water used to fill/maintain the level or water straight from the well?
If straight from the well, any ideal of the water hardness in your area?
Our last water heater was over twenty years old and only replaced it to get the power vent feature, didn't leak a bit, also had nothing but soft water thru it.
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It was a very deep hand dug well, no softener, Wood Doctor never required water samples, only adding their boiler treatment every year so I'm not sure on the water quality, one thing I am sure of though, the same water is in the top of the tank as is in the bottom where it rotted out, difference is that the water on the bottom never moved below the bottom ports, below those ports is where the sludge / scaling starts.
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wow, very informative guys, thanks for the post,this kind of info is great...
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It'll be interesting then when I get the replacement built for my current wood boiler to cut it apart and see what I find, I returned the water under the firebox, literally can't get any lower.
I still wonder though about water quality, we have a water hardness of 35 grains, I've heard on this site of people approaching 200 grains of hardness, more crud to settle then and start the sludge/scale problem.
I also used a piece of 1/4" plate for the bottom of the water jacket, sides and top were 1/8" and no rust thru yet.
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Seems to me to be a good reason for periodic water agitation (through a supply or return port?) and annual or bi-annual boiler drainage & refill.
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Because of no bung in the bottom of the tank, I see no possible way short of tipping the boiler on end to purge the sludge out of the tank.
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Because of no bung in the bottom of the tank, I see no possible way short of tipping the boiler on end to purge the sludge out of the tank.
Ahh, lack of planning on somebody's part. My drain on the old one is out the bottom. New waste oil boiler the drain is at the absolute lowest point.
See, I stayed home and got drunk instead of paying a $20,000 a year cover charge at college and still knew enough that a drain goes in the lowest point ;D
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Very well stated Marty, something about Beer = common sense!
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I'll take common sense anytime, usually goes a lot farther.
I have an uncle that's brilliant in his field, he's an aerospace engineer, started out at Ford when he got out of college then got hired into Bell Helicopter eventually, then went to work for Sikorsky. He's brilliant I guess in that field, in everything else he's a certifiable idiot. Installing CFL's that clearly say DO NOT USE WITH DIMMER in touch lamps then complaining about the short life of em, then wanting to argue the rest of the day about how a dimmer and a touch lamp aren't the same.
Years ago he was home for Christmas and telling everybody about measuring the volume of the gearbox that rotated the wings on the Osprey. Took him and two other guys better than a week, had calipers that read out to hundred thousandths or smaller connected right to the computer, get you're reading then hit the button and the reading is in the computer. Measured the diameter of the rollers in the bearings, the length, how far apart they are, etc. Grandfather was listening and shaking his head the whole time, told the uncle to wake up, take the gearbox, place it on a scale and fill it with water, less than five minutes you have your volume. Uncles response was water and oil don't weigh the same.....
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Do you sometimes wonder why we are losing the race?
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Do you sometimes wonder why we are losing the race?
Everyday...
Anybody that has a CPA in the family knows what a bastard that test is, my Mom worked with a lady that passed hers on the first attempt which is practically unheard of. Said lady bought herself a new car after getting her new job and the bonus that came with it for passing the CPA exam, motor went out in the first 30,000 miles, dealer changed it, second motor went out, dealer refused to change it. Seems the brilliant CPA never pulled the dipstick or took it into have the oil changed with the reasoning that it should have oil in it from the factory....
My wife checks her own oil, adds when needed, can also check the air in her tires, I don't think she can change a flat anymore, just doesn't have enough strength in her hands after her last major cardiac issue. I did give that uncle crap about my little itty bitty wife being able to change a flat while he has to wait on triple A or one of his kids to do it for him, he just can't grasp the concept of changing a flat himself as it wasn't covered in any of his engineering courses. The wife can't drive a stick though, had to date her several more years until I got over that before we were married.
Common sense, in short supply and quickly becoming extinct.
The Death Of Common Sense
12-13-10
Obituary
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair; and
- Maybe it was my fault..
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers:
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because
so few realized he was gone..
If you still remember him, pass this on.
If not, join the majority and do nothing.
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WOW! Best obituary ever. Nothing but truth in those words!
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Oh it will be rebuilt, it is to good a workhorse to give up this early, I'm sending the cut out up north monday so that it's radius can be replicated, Point is, I'm going to move the return ports to the very bottom of the tank to keep the sludge stirred up so a filter can take it out of the system When we were talking you said it needed a filter or a low point to drain out the sledge. The boiler was acting as the low point.
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That's good stuff!
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Mlappin,
You absolutely made my day. You hit the nail on the head with the obit. I'm going to send the obit to the young bleeding heart liberals who I teach with. The newbies think the best way to improve education is to coddle our youth and give them 101 chances. They never even met common sense, let alone suspect he ever existed......... Scary where this country is headed........
This ole farmer keeps fighting the fight, but it gets harder when those in the trenches with you won't carry a gun.
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Wonderfully written obit. Saddest part is every part of it is true.
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sad indeed ....I sending it to every body!