Pulled the trigger !!

Inamed it ELMO "FEED ME ELMO" jb

 

Hey Just a update I do have a good coal bed now I cannot believe how little wood this boiler uses maybe 6-8 splits a day I have let it go 16 hrs between loadings It was changing the fire controller that took care of not being able to keep the fire going and the bed of coals (used some hickory and locust) makes the new splits light right up as soon as the blower kicks on JB

 

I cannot believe how many people come in my shop and when they pass the furnace on the drive their first comments are usually Hey you bought one of those outdoor stoves you can burn anything in them even pine !!!! and they tell me of somebody they know who has one and they burn their garbage, tires (They smash them in a log splitter and wire them so they will fit in the door another customer said his brother burns oil filters in his it is no wonder these boilers got a bad rep but I do feel so much better now that I can burn pine JB

 

Pine will set your chimney on fire, even in an OWB. Facts.

 

You have a chimney fire with a gasser, you're doing it wrong...

 

I have never had a chimney fire in 45 years of burning wood I have burned all kinds of wood including pine if it is dry wood and you clean your chimney regularly it does not happen . Fact

 

Well heating season is approaching the end I am considering keeping the boiler running to make hot water and get rid of the sawmill slabwood which has been stacking up for several years I only check it once a day now and it uses very little wood just wondering if anyone else keeps theirs running maybe pros&cons thanks JB

 

I, ve run our system steady for 40+ years only burns a cord begging in May through end of September ! No condensation problems , no circulators that seize , no leaks from shrunk gaskets .

 

This year I've been making a fire in the early evening and will let it go out till the next day, like a batch burn
Previous years kept it going due to the fact I wasn't working from home, but small loads

 

Thanks for the input I was kinda thinking that like anything else it is better to keep it working JB

 

Thanks for the reply I have been checking every 24 hrs and I only have to put in a couple of small splits JB

 

I batch burn mine in the summer. Light it around noon, let it hit 180 and turn it off. That's plenty of hot water for showers and dishes in the evening. It gets pretty gunked up if it idles all summer.

 

Thanks for the input!! I noticed that it is getting more residue in the firebox the reburn chamber and the rest are just grey dust still and the chimney is clean it did get cool again 30's at night so it did clean itself up some

 

Well getting ready to start year 3 I had a bunch of buildup in the fire box finally ended up using a needle scaler to break the worst of it up . Last month I went to the logging show and talked to the central boiler rep . The extra buildup is from me filling the firebox to much !! seems the small boiler I have needs to burn down more than I am letting it he recommended a smaller fill so I did not have such a big bed of coals so I guess I will not need as much wood !! I thought 8-10 splits in 24 hours was good !! I guess It was too much and I was overfilling so I will give it a shot this year with less when I fire it up this season JB

 

I save up cardboard and burn it hotter than the blazes of hell once a week or so and it really keeps the build up to a minimum.

 

Plus even not activated, those phones will still dial 911 in an emergency

 

Well update on the boiler I fired it up Oct 11 this year I am using a lot less wood since I am following the suggestion of the Central Boiler rep I talked to at the woodsmans field days in august . I only put what burns up in 12 hours depending on temp's usually 4 to 8 splits (avg size 5 to 6 inch splits) and make sure to mix up the coals good it has not given me any problems this year yet ( only 1 cord through it so far) and also keeping the wood centered in the firebox to keep the air moving better . I have had some nights in the teens so far and it is working great !! JB