One step closer ...

Nice looking unit.

 

Thanks all, appreciate it, we think the Francesca is a 'fine looking lady' also.

She was another CL purchase, started as a demo unit in a former stove owner's shop, was installed in a cabin in VT / was not used for years, then gifted to his daughter for use in their home, but was damaged during the move: a wire was cut on the top control panel cable, and one of the control panel buttons was damaged during the move.

With those issues, and the inability to access the internal settings inside the stove, she was running on 50hz mains / European power settings - the stove didn't function right (motors were either full off, or on) and was burned that way for a few weeks while they tried to fix, it's a wonder they didn't have a fire because of it.

But when I went to look at the stove & viewed in person, aside from the 2 weeks of over-firing, you could tell it was in amazing condition, that it was stored correctly at the cabin, & well cared for. Fortunately I like a good challenge, and kinda handy w/ electronics, so I was able to make the repair. The stove cost $75.00.

Side note: that's why most dealers stopped carrying the Ecoteck line in the US several years ago, because they are all parameter-based settings, and a "challenge" to setup & tune properly, not to mention the issue above / that if a hard-reset occurs on the stove, it defaults back to 'European' settings. * The current Ravelli stoves do not have these issues, they are essentially the 2nd/3rd generation of the Ecoteck stoves w/o the issues, much improved.

Everyone reading here does their own DIY, loves stoves, and is no stranger to hard work -> "getting it done", so you all know the amount of work involved in rehabbing a stove, but we are still very humble & Thankful that we were able to purchase the stove & get it up-and-running quickly, as our first stove.

Hopefully this gives a little background, and history, on the Francesca stove here.

And why I absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, "break, spindle, fold, or otherwise mutilate" this stove.
* 'Cause if the wife finds out, they'll be seeing me down at the town dump, cut up in pieces, and tossed out in empty pellet bags.

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'Dex, that EnerZone is a - nice stove - thanks for posting the pic. * We should get the two stoves together, the kids would be amazing looking.

I'm going to get back to trying to figure out what the h*ll I am doing wrong w/ Visio and take some aspirin.

Have a great evening all, see 'ya later.

 

Trying to, had a couple double digit negative nights but sitting around -8 C right now. The 50F is getting a good workout. She's not perfect but it's keeping the basement warm.

Really interested in this little project you have going on. I've been dying for years to build a reclaim unit for heat going out the chimney on the Harman, as she's a bit wasteful. Now having the 50F in the basement has me thinking about it again and whether there is enough heat to chase plus if I can effectively capture enough to of what heat is there to make it worthwhile. My thoughts were to add a side bar to the hot water tank and use the exhaust heat to help heat the hot water, as I'm on well and the water is ice freaking cold so my hot water costs in the winter are off the charts.

 

This is where a second HWT comes in handy. Just remove the insulation and use it as a stand alone tank with no power to it. Maybe run a solar heater through it......

 

It's cool that folks are interested in the project, and I'm glad to be detailing it here, good and bad. I am also interested in finding out exactly what kind of heat we'll be able to reclaim.

ivanhoe, using Solar during the summer months was absolutely an option I was thinking of when I saw the BB-30 on Craigslist - it was a strong consideration, and one of the reasons I traveled to pick it up. ( The other reason, it that it's an $700+ tank new, and I would be hard-pressed to fabricate anything remotely similar here for $65.00. )

Having the ability to switch from a 'pellet heat' input to a 'solar' input, and redirecting that water into a heating tank, vs. running it through a radiator loop, is something I plan on doing.


To that end:
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I have the pipe sizes I need to button up the tank, so I will be stopping at Home Depot tomorrow to purchase the necessary pipes/fittings, etc. to get that done, in order to run a pressure test on the tank.

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The BB-30 tank is in excellent used condition: the gentleman who purchased it for his Boiler project only used it a few months, then decommissioned it from his install, when he simplified his setup.

When I went to pickup the tank, it was apparent why: his compact Boiler and zone/pipe setup was located in a small alcove / stairway just before the basement exit, space was pretty tight in that location.. He did an amazing job w/ the install though, looked very professional and clean.

The tank was sitting in a corner of the basement, behind a few years worth of stuff stored in front of it, the ports/fittings were covered to prevent dirt & rodent intrusion - everything he described about the tank when I talked to him "made sense" when I went to pick it up.

With all that said - before I go out and spend several hundred dollars on parts and materials, it's prudent and in our best interest to ensure the tank will hold water and pressure safely.

--

Now that I have the dimensions for the reclaimer box, I am also going to give the metal fabricators a call and get better feedback on exactly (what) they will need to do the fabrication, e.g.: template, CAD file, etc. to get a cost estimate for materials and fabrication work. Initial estimate was $150-$200, depending on the material used / cuts needed, and I am going to want them to do all the port opening cuts, so we'll see. *It's the same firm that fabricated our stainless flue block plate some 12 years ago, I'm fully confident they will do a great job, at a fair price.

I hope to have the System Diagram up later tonight or tomorrow, if not, it may have to wait until early next week,
due to upcoming scheduled work shift(s).

Gotta dash, have a great evening all.

 

Hey folks,

Finally came to the conclusion the MS Office install is borked on the laptop here, in the process of building a new Dev. VM environment, specifically for this project. Oh yay, such fun.

Stopped at HD yesterday and picked up the parts to button up the tank, will be working on that over the next few days - youngest goes back to school this weekend - life, work, and much traveling over the next several days.

Will update w/ the tank test and pics as it happens, will try to get a 'bar napkin' diagram what I have in mind ASAP.

Still waiting to hear back on the fabrication requirements/costs/etc. - I'm pretty sure I will have to stop in & visit to discuss in-person to get this info.

Stay warm & safe all.

 

All good stuff Rob.

At least you, and or she are not traveling back to school in the crap weather that we might have had.

 

Thanks G - absolutely Thankful for not having to travel back in bad weather this time.

It's going to be a 'solo' quick turn-around trip, have to report to work after dropping off.. No rest for the weary.

We (wife & I) will visit @ UNH early Feb., after it settles down for each of us (work schedule, classes, etc.)

* Keeping a good thought for all our FHC friends to the South - hoping you are all staying safe and warm, looks like a great day to stay inside & enjoy reading a book.
Gotta dash, again, barely enough time to get the stove cleaned & trash to the town dump.. Eesh.

 

Things I learned this week:

Trying to get fittings off a tank that had water run through them for any period of time, then sat for years, is like trying to unscrew a fitting secured in concrete.

My tools here are totally inadequate for the job of removing said fittings - gotta go bigger, MUCH bigger.

Trying to get fittings off an -empty- tank is comical, without weight the tank just spins around & around, we should be on "Dancing with the Stars"..

--

I need to get a big-azz pipe wrench, take the tank outside in snow, and use a torch to try to heat up these fittings.. Eesh.

More later, gotta go pickup some pellets.

 

Yeah, I was gonna mention the big pipe wrench. Get yourself a steel pipe which fits over the pipe wrench handle and wedge the tank somewhere and go to it. Impacting the fitting a little bit at a time could help break it loose....
Good luck. If the tank has a liner, I would be careful using heat.

 

Thanks ivanhoe, thought better of using heat, searched the woodshed & found the big pipe wrench.

Removed the top (hot input) fitting, took a pic - tank interior looks exceptionally clean, except for the black iron pipe fittings used - they bled noticeably:



This was only after (2) months of use, and exposure to air.

I'm thinking I will have to pony-up and purchase - Brass - replacement fittings if I want to have any chance of using as a (dual-use) tank, e.g. as a solar input tank w/ aerated water circulating through it, any thoughts on this?

The current fittings are an eclectic mix of black iron pipe, iron fittings, and Brass, but all the 1 1/2" primary pipe into the tank looks like black iron, magnet is sticking to the pipe. I am going to continue to remove, inspect, clean-up, and fit the 1" Sched. 40 PVC ball valve fittings I purchased for doing the pressure test, in any case.

I still have to cut and sweat some 3/4" copper pipe & fitting to one of the 3/4" ball valve fittings to close up the drain valve opening - that was not present when I purchased the tank.

This is all new territory to me - if anyone has any feedback on the pic above, it would be appreciated, Thanks.

 

Can you use Pex pipe instead of copper. It would be much easier.

 

That's what I was thinking also, from the tank: 1 1/2" brass pipe fitting -> 1 1/2" -> 3/4" brass reducing coupler <-> 3/4" copper Male fitting -> 3/4" copper pipe < - 3/4" ball valve -> 3/4" copper pipe -> 3/4" male fitting -----> 3/4" Oxygen Barrier PEX pipe for loop.

 

Well folks, after spending much of the day cobbling fittings and adapters together, the Boiler Buddy truly looks like a Rube Goldberg machine, and the pressure test is under way..

So far, so good: I'm satisfied the tank is intact and will hold pressure ok. All the fittings, adapters, etc. not so much.

I.am.not.a.Plumber. Eesh. Pics:

Apologies in advance, pardon the mess / trail of plumbing destruction shown.

First pic is of the bottom of the tank: I went to Homey D. this week, and found 1 inch Sched. 40 PVC Ball valve fittings on clearance, 38 cents each listed on the box, and there were (5) of them.. They rang up as 1 cent ( .01 ) at checkout.. Sweet ! ( Those are the white things w/ the red turn valve on the tank. )

The yellow coil line is from the small air compressor inside our front porch room, aka "Keebler Elf Workshop", running up to a fitting on the top "T" of the tank, that's where the air is coming from for the test. And the Boiler Buddy has been guarding the Beer stash.. Cool.





Second pic is the top of the tank, air compressor line on left attached to a fitting embedded in a 1/2" PVC cap, right side is an adapter fitted to a MATCO Fuel Pump gauge .. ( Did I say this was a cobbled together mess? )




That's the beer I am drinking right now.

--

So the good news is that the Tank is holding pressure just fine, and looks excellent inside, aside from the rust found from the black iron pipe fittings installed, as received.

Now comes the fun part of removing -everything- shown, and replacing it with Brass fittings, to eliminate any rust issue when the tank is in-service.

I still have to post that schematic of how I think this will all look, I will go grab another Beer and work on that now.

Have a great evening everyone.

 

Sweet deal on those valves!

You do know that in order to drink that, you need to pop that top, right?

 

he has one of those hats on that holds the bottles, with the tubing to his mouth...
Frees up his hands to take the pic, and hold up the pressure gauge..

 

I resisted the temptation last night, before depressurizing the tank: in my experience, alcohol, power tools, & different sized pressurized vessels are generally not a 'good combination'. Chit usually 'blows up' when I try this stuff.

That would have completed the ensemble here Mike, been fashionable, and functional.

--
I think (one) of the reasons the original owner took the tank out of his boiler setup is because one of the original fittings has a pressure leak..

* It's the fitting shown in the pic a few posts above, from the reverse side.

When I pumped up pressure to 15 PSI, I could hear a (very small) air leak from the top output fitting. * If that was present in operation, it would have kept the boiler circulator pump cycling on/off constantly: I was reading a 4 PSI drop over 30 minutes.

Regardless of the leak, I'm satisfied the tank integrity is good / it's worth spending the $$$ to purchase better fittings for the tank, & proceed.

I now have a 'trail of destruction' of tools and plumbing fittings to cleanup - gotta get busy..

 

That's what makes it fun

 

Thanks Steve, it -has- been fun doing this.

It's the end of January already, and I honestly couldn't tell you where the month went, between extra work, getting the ladies back to College, and too many road miles of travel. Throw in catching whatever-cold-of-the-month the co-workers have been passing around, I'm glad it's basically a haze of memory here.

It was nice to actually 'do' something this weekend for a change.

Still cleaning up the workshop, but looking better.. Disconnected the BB from everything, but leaving the fittings / everything in-place, going to remove each iron fitting, clean up the tank w/ steel wool, reinstall fittings, repressurize, and blast any residue out the bottom port this week.

Gotta dash, and report to work soon.. No rest for the weary.

Have a great evening everyone.