Print

[mattNH]

With warmer temps I am generating more creosote in the heat exchangers.  Until recently they were easy to clean with the flue brush and braided stainless extender that came with my P&M 250.

I guess my drill finally got the better of the braided metal and turned it into a metal pretzel.  I straighten it, but it twists up easier with each cleaning.  There has got to be a better way.  Does anyone have this one figured out already?

[Roger2561]

With warmer temps I am generating more creosote in the heat exchangers.  Until recently they were easy to clean with the flue brush and braided stainless extender that came with my P&M 250.

I guess my drill finally got the better of the braided metal and turned it into a metal pretzel.  I straighten it, but it twists up easier with each cleaning.  There has got to be a better way.  Does anyone have this one figured out already?

MattNH - Like you, due the warm weather, I'm having problems with creosote buildup in the air holes in my CB E-classic 1400.  The way the unit is designed, there is no easy way of clearing them without a lot of patience and cussing.  I have a pretty good stock of cuss words to pick from, but the patience is wearing rather thin, quickly.  No power tool will fit in the small close quarters air holes.  The cleaning has to be done with a stiff piece of wire.  I wish I had an answer for you.  It appears that creosote is the achilles heal for gassers and small passages.  Roger

[boilerman]

Roger, what mattNH is referring to is a creosote buildup in his 20+ heat exchange tubes that he has to clean regularly in his P&M. Fortunatly for us, your E1400 and my E2400 heat exchangers pretty much clean themselves and that powdery ash just falls back into the reaction chamber. I too am getting more creosote buildup on the firebox walls at these warmer temperaturess, but by taking just a few seconds to scrape the walls everyday before loading, I am not having any air input blockage issues. I think it is important to keep the coal bed below the air input holes and use smaller wood loads at this time of year. IMO I don't like the idea of opening a direct open air passage into the air intake box or I can see the possiblility of creosote building back into the intake box by breathing though that passageway. Also I think the purpose of CB's design is to push air low across the coals when air pulsing to better keep coals alive during idle periods, rather that move them up high in the firebox.

[MattyNH]

What kind of wood are you guys burning to plug the unit up? Now its normal temps.. Windy days we have been having doesn't help making it warmer.. Temps still drop at night..

[martyinmi]

 mattNH,
   I pm'd you.

[Roger2561]

Roger, what mattNH is referring to is a creosote buildup in his 20+ heat exchange tubes that he has to clean regularly in his P&M. Fortunatly for us, your E1400 and my E2400 heat exchangers pretty much clean themselves and that powdery ash just falls back into the reaction chamber. I too am getting more creosote buildup on the firebox walls at these warmer temperaturess, but by taking just a few seconds to scrape the walls everyday before loading, I am not having any air input blockage issues. I think it is important to keep the coal bed below the air input holes and use smaller wood loads at this time of year. IMO I don't like the idea of opening a direct open air passage into the air intake box or I can see the possiblility of creosote building back into the intake box by breathing though that passageway. Also I think the purpose of CB's design is to push air low across the coals when air pulsing to better keep coals alive during idle periods, rather that move them up high in the firebox.

boilerman - Thanks for the education of the P&M operation.  I know nothing of their construction.  I have been trying to keep the coal bed below the air holes.  Plus, I scrape the walls of the fire box everytime I service the boiler but perhaps I'm missing some that's running down the walls.  When I get home from work this evening I'll pay closer attention to the walls to see what has built up.  But, I have been having a serious creosote problem all year whereas it gets behind the wall of the fire box, inside the channel and just builds up to the point that I have to take a stiff wire and poke at it unit I get it cleaned..  This is my first time ever operating an OWB.  The quality of my wood I believe is the culprit.  It was given to me but it was outside for a couple of years with nothing covering it.  It's a mix of oak, maple, birch, etc... nothing soft though.  Again, thanks for the input.  Roger 

[boilerman]

roger, you have both a higher and lower set of air input holes around the perimeter of the firebox. Be certain you are cleaning both sets. Creosote should drain out of the lower set of holes and not block channels should creosote run into the top holes. Yes, I've found the wetter the wood, the more creosote that forms on the the walls and more important coal bed level management and a quick daily wall scraping becomes.

[oldchenowth]

I have no clue how many of the other units are constructed, but my WD 5000 has thick walled stack and intake tube, I take a harder rubber mallet to them every now and then and the creosote just falls out in chuncks.  The stack stuff goes back down the chamber and the intake stuff falls out on the front floor where I load it.  Other than that, I take a garden hoe and scrape the burn chamber every few days. It's a pain in my butt, but it still beats $$$$ out the door to heat the house.

[Roger2561]

roger, you have both a higher and lower set of air input holes around the perimeter of the firebox. Be certain you are cleaning both sets. Creosote should drain out of the lower set of holes and not block channels should creosote run into the top holes. Yes, I've found the wetter the wood, the more creosote that forms on the the walls and more important coal bed level management and a quick daily wall scraping becomes.

Boilerman,  I'm thinking that with next winter's wood supply (Which is was cut to length, split and stacked this past summer) should really help with the creosote problem I'm experiencing.  Plus, I gather from remarks others have made on the forum that the colder the outdoor temp the better the boiler operates, thus cutting down on the creosote.  I tested the moisture content of the stuff I cut and split and stacked this past summer and it reads anywhere from 15% moisture to just a smidge over 20% moisture content.  Once I get the wood inside and the louvers built to allow air to flow through the structure, that should really help dry it out a bit more before I need to use it again.  I'm hoping to get the moisture readings down to 10%.  The building is uninsulated, so it gets hot in there in the summer and with the air flow, that should help.  Thanks for the input.  Roger