Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers WITH EPA-Certified Models => HeatMaster => Topic started by: Loglivin2 on November 10, 2015, 09:57:14 PM
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I recently installed my first boiler, Heatmaster c250. Had it up and running for about 3 weeks. Came home tonight to find my water level gauge missing from the unit. Didn't take long to find it on the ground a few feet away from the stove. My stove temp was normal and after putting gauge back where it belongs my water level was normal. So my question is did the steam somehow push the gauge up and out to the point to where it fell off or did I have a nosey passerby that thought it would be entertaining to remove my gauge and leave it on the ground? I think the second theory is highly unlikely because I live far out in the county with no close neighbors. Anybody else ever have this happen? Aquastat set to 180 with a 10 degree dif.
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Wow that's an odd one, I have had them missing on a truckload before and I figured that it was to do with Flying Frenchmen truck drivers And our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure but never had one missing after the boiler was fired up, I normally will take a few wraps around the gauge and pipe with some electrical tape if I'm headed down that lovely highway that we know up here as 495 in Massachusetts, I've seen many a trailer get air on those bridges!
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I had mine get sucked out one time on a HUGE back draft. I opened the door and saw it was going to flash and I slammed the door and the whole whoosh when up the chimney and the force sucked my bobber out of the cylinder! I had to change my pants afterward!
I could see if your water was completely full and it overheated, I could see the steam pushing it out.
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Or maybe clear full and a big slug of air finally came out of a line?
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Ran it by my dealer (scott7m) and I think he'd seen it happen before. Said I should probably tighten up the doors. Thanks for the responses. Loving my Heatmaster! Looking forward to seeing the first electric bill since install. Moved the thermostat up to 73 from 68 which is where it had been in the winter since 2009 when I built the house. And the hot water is unreal.
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Have seen this happen. Like a backdraft, if there is a lot of ash on the top of grates and the fan comes on and only a small amount of air comes in the firebox it will slowly build oxygen untill wood gas explodes. If the float is all the way up a little burp from the flash will send it out the top. keep an air hole open so you get a full shot of air and quick flame when fan comes on. also keep float about halfway down when hot so there is a air space in the top of tank.
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Hadn't shook my grates in about a week and a half cause I was trying to build a coal bed, burnt a bunch of old cardboard. That probably plugged up the grates. Water level was 100% so I'd say you are right on track for what caused it. That's why I love this forum! Thanks shepherd boy.
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You do want a coal bed and some ash around the sides, it helps keep the fire from going out in warmer weather. just needs to get air at one hole. That stove with the triple pass is designed to keep static pressure on the firebox. It will keep the bypass clean so it must get air from the bottom. You should love it - the c series uses less wood than any that I have tried save a gasser.
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So shepherd boy how much more efficient are the gassers than the c series? I wanted to be able to burn green wood and didn't even consider a gasification. Living out in the country the smoke is a non-issue. I've been burning for 3 weeks and can't get over how little wood the thing uses. I was close to purchasing another brand but am very happy with my unit. I feel I got the best stove for a fair amount of $$$$. Hope it last 20+ years with few problems.
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So shepherd boy how much more efficient are the gassers than the c series? I wanted to be able to burn green wood and didn't even consider a gasification. Living out in the country the smoke is a non-issue. I've been burning for 3 weeks and can't get over how little wood the thing uses. I was close to purchasing another brand but am very happy with my unit. I feel I got the best stove for a fair amount of $$$$. Hope it last 20+ years with few problems.
The thing is though, smoke is unburnt fuel…..
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I hear what you are saying mlappin and 95% of the time I intend to burn good seasoned wood. It's that other 5% that makes the conventional style right for me. There may be a time when I'm not able to put up all the wood I need a year early. I will still need heat. Dropping a tree and taking it straight to the stove appeals to me.
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From standard MF, not e series, to c series at least 25% less, Standard MF to G series gasser 50% less but no green wood. My observation , no official test.
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I hear what you are saying mlappin and 95% of the time I intend to burn good seasoned wood. It's that other 5% that makes the conventional style right for me. There may be a time when I'm not able to put up all the wood I need a year early. I will still need heat. Dropping a tree and taking it straight to the stove appeals to me.
Oh I know, but burning green isn’t fun either, but I had a natural draft instead of forced so I’m sure that helps.
Cleaned up a down tree or two during harvest that blew over and have burned wild cherry with the leaves still on, makes a huge mess inside of the stove in a hurry.
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Had someone logging about a mile from my house last winter and was burning log buts, ends and pieces straight off the stump no problem. However sap was down and it seems to do better when there is a draw on furnace. Blower stays on more, fire is hotter. burning half green scrap lumber from a mill close by now. Nothing like free. It works.
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Most of the wood I burned this past winter as well as all the shows was right around 40% but mind you I kept a real good load on it! I'm sure that if the unit idled much then I would have seen some creosote building up.
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I have a c250, also from Scott I started burning October 1. I haven't experienced the same problem. My water gauge is only a little above the fourth square on the gauge. That's a little over half way up. In the Warmer weather I was running mine 166 on 176 off, to give it a little move room before it hit the 190 over heat switch. I've tightened the doors and bumped it up a little warmer since it has got colder. Still can't believe water could push the whole gauge out. When I first started stove I filled it clear up with water till it came out the top. When the stove heated up a lot of water expanded and came back out the top for a while and never once looked like it was going to blow the gauge out. It's a wood slipper so far. Find out for sure when it's gets really cold.
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So I KNOW WHY the water gauge blowed out. Mine just done it twice in a row while I was outside. The gasses in the stove blowed up. Sounded like a gun went off. Blew my gauge out. I looked it over and but gauge back in and it blowed again blowing it out. Little pre blow history, I'm getting fixed today and while I heal my wife has to take care of the stove. So I decided to fill it full so she won't have to mess with it till tomorrow and just have her fill it once a day, so I raked the coal bed around like I always do, it's build up pretty high with lots of baseball size chunks. I filled 7/8 full of wood. It kicked on a few minutes later and I noticed the smoke wasn't blowing out that strong like maybe the grates was packed closed from all the weight of all that wood. It was smoking more than normal for a few mintutes and then BOOM. Two days ago I put a little coal in there and that might be the problem. The coal May of let off a lot of gasses and when the fire light it blew. I stired the coal bed around a lot before that it may of exposed some coal. After the second boom I took the back cover off. Ash covered over every thing in the back. And boom it blew again blowing. Ash all over me. The blower slowed down then speed back up from all the ash and boom it blew again, I then shut off the stove. Opened the feed door and got back. The wood was burning, I shook the grates some and kinda left the grate shaker handle down so it would leave the grates open hoping it would let more air in. I kicked the stove back on and it Ran fine. I'm going to avoid the coal for a little while. I blew the back out but I was real happy with all the ash blowing back threw the blower. Can't be to good for it.
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That's crazy! And not good!
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A note here on c model gas 'blows'. There is an air vent right under the door in the later models. This gives a little top air to burn off wood or coal gas. What happens is the fire box is getting oxygen and gas mixture before the fire ignites the coals on the bottom.If the coal ash bed is too tight for good air flow it ignites top gas as a delay action. On bottom air only furnaces oxygen is being used up in the coal bed and not enough is left to explode the gas. Normal burn with a hot coal bed top air ignites gasses on top for a more efficient burn. If this is a ongoing problem, wood or coal burning, the top air channel is removable, lift up, and cover the port with a small piece of flat steel. Now you are back to a normal up drafter. There is a lot of difference in fuel, wood or coal,as to how much gas is on top end of firebox and load on stove and operator differences all factor in. Try a combination that your situation.
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Your right mine as the secondary opening on the front. Prolly most of the air was being shoved threw it. I thought it was a good feature to help burn secondary gases so it doesn't smoke as bad and burns better.
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Your right it is a good feature., But any time you make a change in design you want a way to back up if it doesn't work out the best in every situation, so it was made removable.I have never seen my C375 do this, but I do plan to burn some coal at some point and may have to change it.
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I have bituminous coal. Unlike anthracite coal, bit burns it best with lots of secondary air. Most of the heat formed for bit is through burning the gasses it releases. If you use under grate air only when burning bit coal then you'll get lots of black smoke( wasted heat). You might be right about blocking the secondary air might solve the blowing up problem but it would also make my coal burn dirtier and less efficient. I'll try leaving a opening in my main grates first. If that doesn't work I'll prolly just stop using the coal. I only have a ton I'm trying to use up left over from were I burned it indoors. When it's gone I'll use wood only.