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Portage & Main / Re: Optimizer 250
« on: December 26, 2011, 07:50:35 AM »
I know one of the big selling points of these owbs is you only have to load them once a day, but i'm finding i get less creosote and better burn times if I put a few pieces in several times a day. I'm guessing in theory the stove does not have to heat up a large amount of wood at one time and get rid of the excess moisture before it can burn hot. I still fill it up at night but several times a day I throw a few pieces in so it does not take so much at night.
I have about 4-5 inches of ashes/coals in the main burn chamber. do you take some of these ashes out or let them cycle through the nozzle?
I have about 4-5 inches of ashes/coals in the main burn chamber. do you take some of these ashes out or let them cycle through the nozzle?
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Portage & Main / Re: Optimizer 250
« on: December 23, 2011, 08:00:04 AM »
Ive been burning my 250 about 2 months now and I love it. After paying $3.69 for oil the day my stove arrived it hasnt been on even once. This stove does take a little getting used but I think i'm getting the hang of it. I wish I had found this post before starting my stove since it would have answered some of my questions the owners manual didnt cover. I'll share some of my experiences and observations and hopefully pass on some of my hard learned lessons.
When I first started the stove and the water was cold the top tubes acted like a condenser and water was pouring out the upper cleanout doors. This stopped once the water got to operating temperature.
I was stirring the ashes around before putting more wood but several times I blocked the bottom hole with ashes and the stove would not burn and actually cooled down. It does all kind of crazy things when that happens. Even if I stir the ashes, I make sure the hole is open before I put wood over it.
I have noticed a buildup of creosote inside the rear airbox and fan. This did cause a problem and jam the rod that opens the air doors. I cleaned the slider and loosened the bolt and it works ok now.
I raised my cutoff temp. to 185 with a 10 degree diff and it seems to work a little better with my heat exchanger. I think I will try a lower diff setting during the milder weather periods.
I did have creosote pooling inside the lower cleanout door during milder weather. I am guessing this is from long idle periods since it has decreased during the colder weather.
The door gasket was leaking on the lower left corner because the gasket wasnt fitting properly and didnt seal with the stove opening. I ended up getting some door seal and filling the outer edge of the channel and sealing the gap.
I wish I had bought this stove earlier instead of feeding an old 30 year old boiler that used a cord of wood every 2 weeks.
When I first started the stove and the water was cold the top tubes acted like a condenser and water was pouring out the upper cleanout doors. This stopped once the water got to operating temperature.
I was stirring the ashes around before putting more wood but several times I blocked the bottom hole with ashes and the stove would not burn and actually cooled down. It does all kind of crazy things when that happens. Even if I stir the ashes, I make sure the hole is open before I put wood over it.
I have noticed a buildup of creosote inside the rear airbox and fan. This did cause a problem and jam the rod that opens the air doors. I cleaned the slider and loosened the bolt and it works ok now.
I raised my cutoff temp. to 185 with a 10 degree diff and it seems to work a little better with my heat exchanger. I think I will try a lower diff setting during the milder weather periods.
I did have creosote pooling inside the lower cleanout door during milder weather. I am guessing this is from long idle periods since it has decreased during the colder weather.
The door gasket was leaking on the lower left corner because the gasket wasnt fitting properly and didnt seal with the stove opening. I ended up getting some door seal and filling the outer edge of the channel and sealing the gap.
I wish I had bought this stove earlier instead of feeding an old 30 year old boiler that used a cord of wood every 2 weeks.
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