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16
Equipment / Re: Best chain sharpener?
« on: March 04, 2013, 07:22:00 PM »
I bought one similar to the Harbor Freight sharpener, from a local farm store. So far, so good.
I envy you guys that can sharpen with a file... I've watched a dozen videos, had TWO different guys show me how to do it, and I just can not get it figured out. Must be my impatience - I just can't do it!
I envy you guys that can sharpen with a file... I've watched a dozen videos, had TWO different guys show me how to do it, and I just can not get it figured out. Must be my impatience - I just can't do it!
17
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Empyre 250 Install "Complete". Picture Heavy!!
« on: March 01, 2013, 01:23:12 PM »
That's been my experience, so far (what Scott said ^^^). There's 2 adults and 2 kids in this house, so there's laundry and showers every day - we haven't run out of hot water since I fired up the boiler.
One thing I do think I'm going to do is insulate the water heater with one of those jackets. I'm not going to run my OWB this summer, so I'm thinking (hoping!) the insulation will lower the elec. bill a buck or two when there's no fire outside.
One thing I do think I'm going to do is insulate the water heater with one of those jackets. I'm not going to run my OWB this summer, so I'm thinking (hoping!) the insulation will lower the elec. bill a buck or two when there's no fire outside.
18
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Gunk in my boiler!
« on: February 24, 2013, 09:01:00 PM »
Yes, like that.
Do you have a plumbing supply house in your town? Mine was much cheaper than that at my local shop. You might try pexsupply.com too, their prices are pretty good.
Do you have a plumbing supply house in your town? Mine was much cheaper than that at my local shop. You might try pexsupply.com too, their prices are pretty good.
19
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Gunk in my boiler!
« on: February 24, 2013, 08:27:13 AM »
That's interesting. Glad you got it figured out, and it's flowing good now!
Have you replaced the anode rod regularly? I've seen them go neglected on water heaters, and eventually they eat themselves up and leave all kinds of junk floating around in the tank. Is it possible that's what your blockage was, is the left-over pieces of the anode?
Is there a wye strainer in your system somewhere? How much gunk did it have in it?
Have you replaced the anode rod regularly? I've seen them go neglected on water heaters, and eventually they eat themselves up and leave all kinds of junk floating around in the tank. Is it possible that's what your blockage was, is the left-over pieces of the anode?
Is there a wye strainer in your system somewhere? How much gunk did it have in it?
20
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Empyre 250 Install "Complete". Picture Heavy!!
« on: February 24, 2013, 08:12:19 AM »
Thanks guys.
Yeah, those fittings were expensive! I don't have a lot of free time though, and try to go by the "Do it once and do it right" method. In this case, I went with the best we could afford and the stuff that had the best reviews / warranties / etc. I have no doubt that'll it'll pay off in the end, and hopefully maintenance will be minimal.
I got my thermometers ordered last night, so hopefully they'll be here this week and I can call this install Done. I went with these, from a thread I saw on here somewhere:
http://www.blueridgecompany.com/radiant/hydronic/660/pasco-temperature-gauge
I bought 4, so I can measure inside and outside temps. Anything else I need to put in the system now? Someone suggested to me that I put drains on the lines to the furnace heat exchanger for the summertime - any opinions on pex drain valves, and which ones are best?
And how about a timer for the pump, so I can set it to run for a couple minutes daily in the summertime? Would just a water heater timer work, or is there something cheaper / easier? My pump is wired to a standard plug, and plugged in to a receptacle if that matters.
Yeah, those fittings were expensive! I don't have a lot of free time though, and try to go by the "Do it once and do it right" method. In this case, I went with the best we could afford and the stuff that had the best reviews / warranties / etc. I have no doubt that'll it'll pay off in the end, and hopefully maintenance will be minimal.
I got my thermometers ordered last night, so hopefully they'll be here this week and I can call this install Done. I went with these, from a thread I saw on here somewhere:
http://www.blueridgecompany.com/radiant/hydronic/660/pasco-temperature-gauge
I bought 4, so I can measure inside and outside temps. Anything else I need to put in the system now? Someone suggested to me that I put drains on the lines to the furnace heat exchanger for the summertime - any opinions on pex drain valves, and which ones are best?
And how about a timer for the pump, so I can set it to run for a couple minutes daily in the summertime? Would just a water heater timer work, or is there something cheaper / easier? My pump is wired to a standard plug, and plugged in to a receptacle if that matters.
21
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Empyre 250 Install "Complete". Picture Heavy!!
« on: February 23, 2013, 07:15:45 PM »
Yesterday at 3:30pm I got "finished" with my install and lit a fire in my new Empyre. At 4:45, temp on the furnace was 170* and I flipped the switch on my thermostat. No more propane!
It was an interesting experience, installing this thing... My house is old (built in 1891), and the plumbing was last worked on in the 80's. My water heater, per the tag on the door, was installed in 1964 (!!!). This is what I started with:
I was waiting on some other parts but had my 20-plate exchanger here, so I decided I'd start by plumbing my domestic lines to it. As you can imagine with a mixture of galvanized, hard copper, soft copper, and plastic water lines, every time I touched a fitting something broke. :-( I gave up about 30 minutes in, and made a trip to town for enough parts to re-plumb the whole thing. Ran all new CPVC (couldn't afford copper!) everywhere, and wasted an entire day. Also replaced the water heater, because when I drained the old GE the nastiest, smelliest, rustiest gunk you can imagine came out of it, and I couldn't bring myself to plumb it back in. Luckily I had this near-new AO Smith sitting in the shed, and was able to use it.
I remember, now, why I didn't choose to be a plumber... Much respect to those guys, because there's no way I could do that every day. So anyway I got all the plumbing done, and my plate exchanger mounted, and now it looks like this:
I realized, after I turned the water back on, that I forgot to put a ball valve in the by-pass line (doh!), so I added that. Then we start drilling a hole in the foundation wall. Do you know how hard ~100 yr. old hand-poured concrete is? It's friggin' Hard, is how hard it is! I started in on it with just a hammer drill, but shortly admitted defeat and called a buddy with a rotary hammer. That made short work of things, so now there's a hole in the wall. On to digging some trenches:
Dug through every root on the farm, I think, plus an abandoned drain tile that gave me some concern until I figured out it was indeed dead, but I got the trenches dug, the lines laid in, the propane tank moved, and the furnace on its pad all that day. I was happy with that.
Now back to the basement, where I cut a hole in my furnace plenum:
Installed my heat exchanger in there, taped it up, and moved on to hooking up my furnace lines. This went exceptionally well (somehow!), and my helper and I had minimal problems getting them all where they were supposed to go. Wired up the pump and the furnace, and the inside is finished:
By-pass for the furnace exchanger (needs one more clamp to hold it up):
Exchanger plumbed up:
And we're all done inside. I need to foam the foundation hole and get my hydraulic cement in, and get my DHW lines insulated, but other than that it's all (I think!) good. Moving on outside then, where we hook up the furnace:
And add 6' of chimney and a cap:
So far (~28 hrs. later), so good! I need to do some tidy-ing up (insulation, finish the hole in the wall, a few more clamps inside, etc.), and I want to put thermometers on my pex lines inside and outside so I can watch my temps, but overall I'm pretty pleased. This thing is working great so far, and other than sore hands from drilling through that concrete I have no complaints. House is staying a comfy 73*, and the fan isn't running near like it did on propane. My wife is happy, happy, happy! :-)
I have the stove set on 180*, with a 10* differential. Seems to be working well. My B&G pump is a 3-speed, and right now I have it set in the middle. This is a question I have - should I set it on high?
Anyway, that's the adventure of my installation. I'd like to thank this site for the absolute wealth of information I've gleaned here. Using the search, reading through threads, and talking with Scott and others, made this experience much, MUCH less painful thatn it otherwise would have been. For that, you all can consider me permanently in your debt. Thank You!!
.
It was an interesting experience, installing this thing... My house is old (built in 1891), and the plumbing was last worked on in the 80's. My water heater, per the tag on the door, was installed in 1964 (!!!). This is what I started with:
I was waiting on some other parts but had my 20-plate exchanger here, so I decided I'd start by plumbing my domestic lines to it. As you can imagine with a mixture of galvanized, hard copper, soft copper, and plastic water lines, every time I touched a fitting something broke. :-( I gave up about 30 minutes in, and made a trip to town for enough parts to re-plumb the whole thing. Ran all new CPVC (couldn't afford copper!) everywhere, and wasted an entire day. Also replaced the water heater, because when I drained the old GE the nastiest, smelliest, rustiest gunk you can imagine came out of it, and I couldn't bring myself to plumb it back in. Luckily I had this near-new AO Smith sitting in the shed, and was able to use it.
I remember, now, why I didn't choose to be a plumber... Much respect to those guys, because there's no way I could do that every day. So anyway I got all the plumbing done, and my plate exchanger mounted, and now it looks like this:
I realized, after I turned the water back on, that I forgot to put a ball valve in the by-pass line (doh!), so I added that. Then we start drilling a hole in the foundation wall. Do you know how hard ~100 yr. old hand-poured concrete is? It's friggin' Hard, is how hard it is! I started in on it with just a hammer drill, but shortly admitted defeat and called a buddy with a rotary hammer. That made short work of things, so now there's a hole in the wall. On to digging some trenches:
Dug through every root on the farm, I think, plus an abandoned drain tile that gave me some concern until I figured out it was indeed dead, but I got the trenches dug, the lines laid in, the propane tank moved, and the furnace on its pad all that day. I was happy with that.
Now back to the basement, where I cut a hole in my furnace plenum:
Installed my heat exchanger in there, taped it up, and moved on to hooking up my furnace lines. This went exceptionally well (somehow!), and my helper and I had minimal problems getting them all where they were supposed to go. Wired up the pump and the furnace, and the inside is finished:
By-pass for the furnace exchanger (needs one more clamp to hold it up):
Exchanger plumbed up:
And we're all done inside. I need to foam the foundation hole and get my hydraulic cement in, and get my DHW lines insulated, but other than that it's all (I think!) good. Moving on outside then, where we hook up the furnace:
And add 6' of chimney and a cap:
So far (~28 hrs. later), so good! I need to do some tidy-ing up (insulation, finish the hole in the wall, a few more clamps inside, etc.), and I want to put thermometers on my pex lines inside and outside so I can watch my temps, but overall I'm pretty pleased. This thing is working great so far, and other than sore hands from drilling through that concrete I have no complaints. House is staying a comfy 73*, and the fan isn't running near like it did on propane. My wife is happy, happy, happy! :-)
I have the stove set on 180*, with a 10* differential. Seems to be working well. My B&G pump is a 3-speed, and right now I have it set in the middle. This is a question I have - should I set it on high?
Anyway, that's the adventure of my installation. I'd like to thank this site for the absolute wealth of information I've gleaned here. Using the search, reading through threads, and talking with Scott and others, made this experience much, MUCH less painful thatn it otherwise would have been. For that, you all can consider me permanently in your debt. Thank You!!
.
22
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Things you wish you'd done differently??
« on: February 18, 2013, 06:09:05 AM »
I know CB still recommends grounding their boilers (at least their conventionals), because one of the guys I talked to when I was shopping specifically mentioned it.
I have the stuff to do mine laying around here already, and was planning on grounding it. I can't see any downside, especially since I already have the parts to do it.
I have the stuff to do mine laying around here already, and was planning on grounding it. I can't see any downside, especially since I already have the parts to do it.
23
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Becoming a dealer!
« on: February 14, 2013, 08:47:13 PM »
(snip)
As far as being licensed, ky requires no such things. The only time anyone does have to get a plumbing inspection done is on a new structure, I've plumbed water plates in with the inspectors on site with no questions asked
(snip)
Funny how that works... Here in IL, NONE of the trades need a license, EXCEPT a plumber and a roofer. Anyone can build a house, wire a house, remodel, dig foundations/pour concrete, etc., just have to have licensed plumbers and roofers. Makes no sense at all....
The loophole with these OWB's, is that IL classifies a residential hot water heater as an appliance, and not a fixture. So anybody can install / replace them. Goofy.
24
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Things you wish you'd done differently??
« on: February 12, 2013, 11:33:09 AM »Orient the unit so the north winds blow into it when you open the door to load. Helps to keep a lot of smoke out of your face.
Ah, yeah, that's another "issue" I'm gonna' have... The ONLY place on this entire farm I can put this thing is NW of my house.
I've already got a pad ~35' away that I'm going to set it on, and I'm gonna' build a wood shed next to and over the stove. Figure I'll extend the stack as high as I can (since I can brace it to the woodshed roof) to get the smoke over the house. I know it's not ideal, but it really is the only place I have to put it.
25
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Things you wish you'd done differently??
« on: February 12, 2013, 11:25:49 AM »I like the extra tile thought. I would have buried mine a little deeper, I went 24" because of tree roots got tired of digging and chopping. I DID put ball valves at every HX, water heater, both sides of the pump. I have since replaced all my "shark bite" style fittings with crimp pex. WOW, what a difference that made. In the spring when the water cooled down I got a leak at the fitting, not anymore. I wish I had semi enclosed the OWB just to keep the snow and rain off me when I load it, or train the wife to load it would have been even better. Save the beer until AFTER it is all hooked up, drafted help is not always as attentive with alchohol in 'em. I wish I had done that different too.
I hear that! One helper doesn't drink at all, but the other one and I make up for it... He makes homemade wine, and I'm sure we'll have a bottle or two to celebrate afterwards! :-)
26
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Things you wish you'd done differently??
« on: February 12, 2013, 06:30:37 AM »
BaldwinRacing - Good idea with the valves / bleeders. I bought extra, to make sure I've got a valve everywhere there could ever possibly be a need for one. I'm re-plumbing part of the house with this install, and bought plenty of valves for that too.
I've remodeled WAY too many houses that didn't have enough places to shut off the water - I hate that!!
I've remodeled WAY too many houses that didn't have enough places to shut off the water - I hate that!!
27
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Things you wish you'd done differently??
« on: February 11, 2013, 10:16:35 PM »
I can get 8" non-perforated tile from my local lumber yard pretty cheap, I think I'll use that. I just really think I'll be kicking myself when it's all said and done if I don't!
28
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: Things you wish you'd done differently??
« on: February 11, 2013, 09:22:58 PM »
See, now that's something I'm really struggling with. Do I go ahead and spend a little extra now and put them in a tile (for the reasons you listed), or just quit spending money and bury the things? I can't decide.
I'd say I'm leaning towards the extra tile right now, and will probably go ahead with it unless someone talks me out of it. I know nothing "should" ever happen to the pex, and it'll save me some coin, but it'd sure be a bunch easier to re-do them if I ever had to.....
I'd say I'm leaning towards the extra tile right now, and will probably go ahead with it unless someone talks me out of it. I know nothing "should" ever happen to the pex, and it'll save me some coin, but it'd sure be a bunch easier to re-do them if I ever had to.....
29
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Things you wish you'd done differently??
« on: February 11, 2013, 08:29:24 PM »
Well, we ended up buying an Empyre CWP 250. I liked the stove and the reviews, no EPA regs in my part of IL yet (and I didn't want a gasser), and the deal was better than I could get on anything local (thanks Scott!). I'm going to do the install myself, with some drafted help from a couple buddies who owe me favors. :-)
So now that it's on it's way, I thought I'd throw this out here and see what you guys wish you'd done differently (or not) when you installed your stoves. Any tips, tricks, suggestions, or things you wish someone had told you before you did yours? From setting the stove itself to the plumbing hook-ups, tools, accessories, additives, etc. - everything is "fair game" for advice here!
In this case, it'll be a "standard" forced air installation - HE in the plenum, 20 plate for DHW. I bought 5-wrap line to bury, and all my fittings/valves are brass. Tying into copper plumbing in the cellar. All we're doing now is the house - I have plans to add another loop from the stove to the shop next year, but I have to get it insulated first...
So anyway, just curious what the suggestions / guidelines are. I know this thread'll help me, and I'm hoping other "newbies" can refer back here later if/when they have questions. Thanks in advance for the info.!
So now that it's on it's way, I thought I'd throw this out here and see what you guys wish you'd done differently (or not) when you installed your stoves. Any tips, tricks, suggestions, or things you wish someone had told you before you did yours? From setting the stove itself to the plumbing hook-ups, tools, accessories, additives, etc. - everything is "fair game" for advice here!
In this case, it'll be a "standard" forced air installation - HE in the plenum, 20 plate for DHW. I bought 5-wrap line to bury, and all my fittings/valves are brass. Tying into copper plumbing in the cellar. All we're doing now is the house - I have plans to add another loop from the stove to the shop next year, but I have to get it insulated first...
So anyway, just curious what the suggestions / guidelines are. I know this thread'll help me, and I'm hoping other "newbies" can refer back here later if/when they have questions. Thanks in advance for the info.!
30
General Discussion / Re: Motorcycle rear tire
« on: February 05, 2013, 03:24:42 PM »
Do you have a service manual for the bike, or can you download one online? Will give you instructions on chain (belt?) tension, etc.
In simple terms, it's not much different than the bicycles I'm sure you worked on as a kid. Parts are just bigger, heavier, and more expensive!
Where'd you get your tire? Most of the time they can be had cheaper on the 'net than in a local shop.
In simple terms, it's not much different than the bicycles I'm sure you worked on as a kid. Parts are just bigger, heavier, and more expensive!
Where'd you get your tire? Most of the time they can be had cheaper on the 'net than in a local shop.