# Anyone switch from old CB 5648 to gasification stove?



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 17, 2016)

I have a stainless 5648 Central Boiler I put in 13 years ago. It is still working great but I know there will come a day when I'll have to switch. Yes, it does smoke and probably uses more than it should. I average 13 cord a year and heat a 36' x 50' 2 story farm house with full basement with a 36' x 50' attached garage with radiant floor heat, plus my domestic hot water.

My question is to anyone who has made this switch and what are the pros and cons? Meaning, maintenance, did the loading/burn times change. I do get quite a bit of black tar/cresote build up because of the choked burn currently. Wood is dry as it is stored on concrete, under roof for at least 5 years most times. I'm just looking for some real world experience and not the sales pitch from a dealer. I have the heatrac that I can monitor from inside the house. Is that still on them?

A visited someone who had just got one (hadn't run it yet) and the ash box was REAL small. Is it a daily thing?

Any experiences/info appreciated.

Mandatory pics!


----------



## mysteryman896 (Nov 17, 2016)

I have a CB E Classic 2300. Lots of shitty talk about the 2300 but it is all I know and I am still saving money over oil so I am happy. I have had it since 2008/2009 ( I forget at the moment) I am heating about 4500 sq ft 200 yr old farm house, and about 1800sq ft block detached garage with blown in insulation in the ceiling and insulated doors. DHW also.

I get the same creosote as you describe, similar wood usage ( probably a hair more) here in central PA. I actually have been thinking about the upgrade question lately too, not because mine is on the verge of being shot but you never know. I don't see me spending thousands to keep this one going once it starts to have issues. The 2300 has a bad enough rep that I probably will just upgrade. Have yo done any research on specific brands and models or just curious about gassers in general? 

Every weekend I will clean out ash from the lower burn chamber and scoop most of the ash and stuff out of the firebox. I also run a brush through my heat exchange portions and bang off the turbulators. I also run a brush up my chimney quick about once a month. 

I would love to hear from some people with the newer large models from CB and others on how theirs runs.


----------



## Guswhit (Nov 17, 2016)

I talked with 2 guys in New York that had switched over to a PM optimizer. All they could say was they wished they had done it from the start. They both indicated that there was a learning curve as well. I have some contact info I could pm if you want.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 17, 2016)

mysteryman896 said:


> I have a CB E Classic 2300. Lots of shitty talk about the 2300 but it is all I know and I am still saving money over oil so I am happy. I have had it since 2008/2009 ( I forget at the moment) I am heating about 4500 sq ft 200 yr old farm house, and about 1800sq ft block detached garage with blown in insulation in the ceiling and insulated doors. DHW also.
> 
> I get the same creosote as you describe, similar wood usage ( probably a hair more) here in central PA. I actually have been thinking about the upgrade question lately too, not because mine is on the verge of being shot but you never know. I don't see me spending thousands to keep this one going once it starts to have issues. The 2300 has a bad enough rep that I probably will just upgrade. Have yo done any research on specific brands and models or just curious about gassers in general?
> 
> ...



I haven't looked into any of the other newer models. I'm happy enough with what I have but was wondering others experiences. I completely clean mine every year by getting in and getting all the tar off the floor and such. I stir it to a point during the season but it does build up as you know. Your stove may be the same one that Is saw. Has a little door on the side bottom with a few firebricks in it? On the back there is an access to diagonal tubes that run downward? I wasn't too keen on it from the looks of it and never got back with them on how it panned out.

i added water once in 13 years and adjusted the PH once and it's still okay at this years fire up. One warped damper door was replaced as a defect and wires on the controller needed to be tightened as the heattrac numbers were bouncing. Basically flawless for the most part and been very happy. I was very careful to only use copper, brass, stainless and poly on the plumbing. Only mild steel is the pumps. I tend not to pull ashes out as often as I should but at least every couple weeks. My CB dealer was great to work with but I was just planning if you will for what is out there now. Thanks for the input you guys and hope others will chime in.


----------



## benp (Nov 18, 2016)

Kevin,

We got a CB Edge Classic 750 a couple weeks ago. Very pleased so far.

http://centralboiler.com/products/classic-edge/

Here are some of my experiences from another thread.

Have to buy new OWB. Hawken in bankruptcy

Have to buy new OWB. Hawken in bankruptcy

As you mentioned before about the small ash box.....it's a non issue. 

I am going on 2 weeks since last cleaning and I may have 1/2" of ash in the reaction chamber. I have taken a total of 5 gallons out from the firebox since it's been installed. That was 4 full flat shovels. 

It was by no means necessary I just did it to drop the coal bed level a bit. 

You will drop your wood consumption from what you are currently experiencing. There is no way that you cannot based upon how a gasification system operates and you are burning seasoned wood. ( That part will be a non issue for you)

12 hour burns are no issue and I feel it will remain the same once it gets colder. 

The firebox is a little taller but not as wide or deep as a friends 6048. When I have fed his stove while he was on vacation I could game 25hrs in subzero temps out of his. But he's only heating maybe 6000 square feet at most. And that ash/coal buildup...gah.

I did a full cleaning on it two weeks ago. Pretty simple to clean the heat exchangers and reaction chamber. 

We have the wifi model. It is a FANTASTIC add on. You really learn alot about how the stove operates.

Ill add some screen shots later this morning of the dashboard and stove history later this morning.

I hope this helped.


----------



## mysteryman896 (Nov 18, 2016)

Kevin in Ohio said:


> I haven't looked into any of the other newer models. I'm happy enough with what I have but was wondering others experiences. I completely clean mine every year by getting in and getting all the tar off the floor and such. I stir it to a point during the season but it does build up as you know. Your stove may be the same one that Is saw. Has a little door on the side bottom with a few firebricks in it? On the back there is an access to diagonal tubes that run downward? I wasn't too keen on it from the looks of it and never got back with them on how it panned out.
> 
> i added water once in 13 years and adjusted the PH once and it's still okay at this years fire up. One warped damper door was replaced as a defect and wires on the controller needed to be tightened as the heattrac numbers were bouncing. Basically flawless for the most part and been very happy. I was very careful to only use copper, brass, stainless and poly on the plumbing. Only mild steel is the pumps. I tend not to pull ashes out as often as I should but at least every couple weeks. My CB dealer was great to work with but I was just planning if you will for what is out there now. Thanks for the input you guys and hope others will chime in.




Yea, that is how mine is setup. It seems to work well if you keep after the ashes, and removing the ashed once a week is plenty. 15 minutes Saturday morning and I can have a decent clean out performed, so it is not real time consuming.


----------



## benp (Nov 18, 2016)

Here are some shots of the central boiler app/monitoring program. 

Here is the main dashboard. Your basic information. 






Now this is the cool stuff. The stove history page. You can really learn a lot about your stoves operational characteristics here. 






This was the Friday after the install. The big drop in the water temp we figure was attributed to an air pocket working itself loose. 

If you have signal or wifi you can look at this anywhere. 

There's a little more information when I look at it on the laptop. You can actually mouse over every spot and it tells you what it was doing at that moment. 

I feel it's an awesome awesome tool.


----------



## c5rulz (Nov 18, 2016)

Looks great Kevin,

Next time get a full load on the pickup.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 18, 2016)

c5rulz said:


> Looks great Kevin,
> 
> Next time get a full load on the pickup.



Hopefully I'll be able to next year. Good thing I had everything in place for this years season all ready. I'm on line heat wise now and NICE!!!


----------



## aokpops (Nov 19, 2016)

Switch last year , never done the OWB . Only used indoor wood furnace , almost cut the wood consumption in half .


----------



## Mike Van (Nov 20, 2016)

Some sideboards on the pickup would stop all the wasted space on the edges of the load.....................just a thought


----------



## panolo (Nov 21, 2016)

I just switched from pellets and corn to a CB 550. My first week burning and I really like it. Once you figure some of the little things out the stove is pretty easy. I'm basically burning ends and sticks right now and I maybe have a coffee can of ash after a week. If it would get colder I do believe my ash would be less because the reaction chamber temp would be able to stay in the 1200+ degree for longer than a few minutes and it would pulverize some of the smaller bits in the ash area. Really impressed with the efficiency so far. Burning junk and i'm going through very little wood.


----------



## sam-tip (Nov 21, 2016)

The wifi monitor is a very useful tool for the learning curve. Understanding gasification is the hardest part to getting a better burn. Gasification has been around for a long time but still challenging and seems new. The first start or restart is smokey but once hot enough to start the process of making burnable gases it burns very clean. Then watching the wifi to know when to add more wood so the gasification process doesn't end and you have to start over with a new fire.

Also the type of wood you burn also make difference. Walnut does create more ash than silver maple. 
You will still have your yearly deap cleaning. But not near as much scraping of creosote. The exhaust burns hot enough to burn up the gases that create the creosote.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 21, 2016)

sam-tip said:


> The wifi monitor is a very useful tool for the learning curve. Understanding gasification is the hardest part to getting a better burn. Gasification has been around for a long time but still challenging and seems new. The first start or restart is smokey but once hot enough to start the process of making burnable gases it burns very clean. Then watching the wifi to know when to add more wood so the gasification process doesn't end and you have to start over with a new fire.
> 
> Also the type of wood you burn also make difference. Walnut does create more ash than silver maple.
> You will still have your yearly deap cleaning. But not near as much scraping of creosote. The exhaust burns hot enough to burn up the gases that create the creosote.



Thanks form the insight. In the dead of winter how often do you have to reload with a 24 hour period? I know there is a lot of variables there but can it go for 9hrs say while I'm at work? Just wondering about being able to hit the sweet spots if you will.


----------



## sam-tip (Nov 21, 2016)

If the temp is above 10 F twice a day. In the morning and in the evening. Above 40 during the day and 20's at night once per day. If bellow 0 to -20 I have had to fill at 7am 4 pm and 10 pm. But that is only on the coldest days. Only a few days per year filling three times. Normally twice. When on vacation I filled it and turned on the house propane furnace and still had fire 6 days later. Once the water temp goes below 150 the bypass valves kick in the prevents hot water from going to the buildings. Thus protecting the boiler from cooling down. They are just an auto thermostat. During the summer only a small fill every two to three days.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 21, 2016)

sam-tip said:


> If the temp is above 10 F twice a day. In the morning and in the evening. Above 40 during the day and 20's at night once per day. If bellow 0 to -20 I have had to fill at 7am 4 pm and 10 pm. But that is only on the coldest days. Only a few days per year filling three times. Normally twice. When on vacation I filled it and turned on the house propane furnace and still had fire 6 days later. Once the water temp goes below 150 the bypass valves kick in the prevents hot water from going to the buildings. Thus protecting the boiler from cooling down. They are just an auto thermostat. During the summer only a small fill every two to three days.



Really appreciate the info. Makes me feel better about if I ever have to change. Mine smolders too much but it still amazes me how much water can get sucked up into the wood from the atmosphere. I burned some wood several years ago that was 10 years under roof on concrete with good sidewalls, it still sizzled some. When the snow starts melting in the spring it really increases the moisture level as the air is so wet. Thanks again for sharing.


----------



## WoodTick007 (Nov 21, 2016)

Your an intelligent man Kevin. What don't you just modify your current boiler? Do you truly believe your current boiler is at its lifes end? It's not like your burning old railroad ties or semi fulls of old tires. Just burn it. Its not like your gonna run out of dead ash in the next 20-30 years. . .lol


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 21, 2016)

WoodTick007 said:


> Your an intelligent man Kevin. What don't you just modify your current boiler? Do you truly believe your current boiler is at its lifes end? It's not like your burning old railroad ties or semi fulls of old tires. Just burn it. Its not like your gonna run out of dead ash in the next 20-30 years. . .lol



Just like to collect info and not be caught blindsided on what the "next" plan is. Lots of folks had their boilers rot from the inside out. others have had them develop never ending cracking issues. I guess I've been lucky but do take care of stuff. 

Converting it? Don't know about that one. Stove looks fine at this point but I am getting down to under 100 cord under roof so I'm nervous.


----------



## Johnny Yooper (Nov 22, 2016)

Kevin - when you upgrade, let me know the details, I have basically the same overall set up: 13 year old 5648 Classic (nonstainless though) in a 24x24 building, heats a 2000 sq. ft. house with in floor heat in basement, also heats 24x36 shop plus our domestic hot water; even the same damn color '89(?) GM K1500. Scary. Only repair on the 5648 so far has been a door solenoid. I'm hoping for ten more years, that's when the youngest of the slave laborers will most likely fly the coop, so by then maybe revert back to profane (God, did I really say that?) or not. Well, we still have the freestanding stove in the living room so it wouldn't be complete withdrawal.


----------



## sam-tip (Nov 22, 2016)

I forgot about the possible fireballs when you open the door to load wood. The new boilers are air tight. A buildup of combustible gas can lead to a large combustion of gases when opening the door of a gasification boiler. Be sure to stand behind and away from the door when opening. They say this in their video of how to open the door but don't tell you how bad it is. The Mrs has a FR rated coat for loading the boiler. I have also had strong backdrafts causing the top of the stack pipe to blow off. Plus smoke blowing past the door seals. I was thinking the door was going to blow off. I allways check the wifi monitor so I don't open the door directly after a hot wood burn. The backdrafts are during the air cycle 30 to 60 min directly after a good burn.

The gasification boilers are not for use in a shed. If so it better be all metal and well vented.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 22, 2016)

Johnny Yooper said:


> Kevin - when you upgrade, let me know the details, I have basically the same overall set up: 13 year old 5648 Classic (nonstainless though) in a 24x24 building, heats a 2000 sq. ft. house with in floor heat in basement, also heats 24x36 shop plus our domestic hot water; even the same damn color '89(?) GM K1500. Scary. Only repair on the 5648 so far has been a door solenoid. I'm hoping for ten more years, that's when the youngest of the slave laborers will most likely fly the coop, so by then maybe revert back to profane (God, did I really say that?) or not. Well, we still have the freestanding stove in the living room so it wouldn't be complete withdrawal.



I too am hoping for more years but you never know. I'm not planning on replacing unless something drastic happens that the fix cost would be high or patching a sinking ship. I'm blessed with having all the wood I could ever need. Health would be the only reason I'd stop and I try to make things easier in the process tom allow me to extend the time using wood.

If you're into Power Wagons, we may be brothers!


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 22, 2016)

sam-tip said:


> I forgot about the possible fireballs when you open the door to load wood. The new boilers are air tight. A buildup of combustible gas can lead to a large combustion of gases when opening the door of a gasification boiler. Be sure to stand behind and away from the door when opening. They say this in their video of how to open the door but don't tell you how bad it is. The Mrs has a FR rated coat for loading the boiler. I have also had strong backdrafts causing the top of the stack pipe to blow off. Plus smoke blowing past the door seals. I was thinking the door was going to blow off. I allways check the wifi monitor so I don't open the door directly after a hot wood burn. The backdrafts are during the air cycle 30 to 60 min directly after a good burn.
> 
> The gasification boilers are not for use in a shed. If so it better be all metal and well vented.



Mine does the same thing (blow back wise) and the answer is to let it burn down to an ash over before loading and seeing the water temp around 178. I know you say that is a no no with the gasification process though. We are supposed to crack the door VERY slowly to prevent it too. My building is laid block, cement floor and I have a high powered exhaust fan. they don't recommend any of these to be in a shed but I do NOT regret it. Thanks again for your insight on these. Always open to learning from what others have found with theirs.


----------



## mysteryman896 (Nov 23, 2016)

sam-tip said:


> I forgot about the possible fireballs when you open the door to load wood. The new boilers are air tight. A buildup of combustible gas can lead to a large combustion of gases when opening the door of a gasification boiler. Be sure to stand behind and away from the door when opening. They say this in their video of how to open the door but don't tell you how bad it is. The Mrs has a FR rated coat for loading the boiler. I have also had strong backdrafts causing the top of the stack pipe to blow off. Plus smoke blowing past the door seals. I was thinking the door was going to blow off. I allways check the wifi monitor so I don't open the door directly after a hot wood burn. The backdrafts are during the air cycle 30 to 60 min directly after a good burn.
> 
> The gasification boilers are not for use in a shed. If so it better be all metal and well vented.




HAHA, oh yea how can one forget to mention the potential fireballs. I have had fire shoot out probably 5 or more feet and about blow the door handle out of my hand. Proper door opening can prevent loss of eyebrows, but there is no avoiding the possibility 100%.


----------



## NSMaple1 (Nov 23, 2016)

I don't know about this fireball thing. I have a gasifier, an indoor one, in my basement. Have never experienced anything like that. Might be a factor of induced draft vs. forced draft? Or some other design difference peculiar to a certain boiler. I don't even have any gaskets on any of my doors - steel on steel.


----------



## sam-tip (Nov 23, 2016)

Yes forced draft requires air tight seals or the air does not get to the fire. Is your gasifier a batch system? It runs until the fire is burnt out.


----------



## NSMaple1 (Nov 23, 2016)

Yes, it is. It's also natural draft - so it ramps itself up & down draft wise with the varying burn level. Kinda like a turbo spooling up & down.

I'm not sure on OWBs - are any of the OWB gasifiers induced draft, rather than forced draft? I think I would much prefer induced, but not sure if that is available in an OWB. Also not sure why not, if not.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 23, 2016)

NSMaple1 said:


> Yes, it is. It's also natural draft - so it ramps itself up & down draft wise with the varying burn level. Kinda like a turbo spooling up & down.
> 
> I'm not sure on OWBs - are any of the OWB gasifiers induced draft, rather than forced draft? I think I would much prefer induced, but not sure if that is available in an OWB. Also not sure why not, if not.



On mine there is no blower motor. All they do is have a damper on a solenoid that is controlled by a thermastat. My water range is 178 - 185. Hits 175 and it opens, 185 degrees and it closes. Basically starves it for oxygen and it smolders so that is where the build up comes from. Open the door after it shuts down hot and it'll bark at you in the form of a fireball out the door. Pretty soon after I bought mine they came out with a forced draft. Never knew anyone personally that had one.


----------



## benp (Nov 24, 2016)

I've been getting 12+ hour burn times lately.

Temps have been in the 20's low 30's, so not real old. But the neighbor has been bringing his equipment into the shop and power washing it for the last couple days. 

So, I figure that's not too bad with the added heat load of the water on the floor and cold equipment warming up. Anytime equipment was brought into the shop before it would just suck the life out of slab. 

@sam-tip is 110% correct about dealing with the fireballs. I only open the door once the water temp starts dropping, less than 183 and reaction temps of under 500. 

We have the 750 Edge and it has a bypass that the smaller Edge models do not. Before you open the door, you raise the lever, and an area in the upper part of the firebox opens up directly to the chimney. There are pictures of it in one of my posts.

Open the door enough to get the vent turned on, and go round up the wood. 

By the time you get back, the firebox is pretty cleared out smoke wise.


----------



## panolo (Nov 24, 2016)

benp said:


> I've been getting 12+ hour burn times lately.
> 
> Temps have been in the 20's low 30's, so not real old. But the neighbor has been bringing his equipment into the shop and power washing it for the last couple days.
> 
> ...



Haven't experienced any fireballs yet but I'm careful. My heat load draw is so light i'm seeing 14-15 hours with a semi loaded stove burning branches and smalls. House is at 74 degrees. Only running in stage 3 for a bit. Pretty cool to see the stove say 1.28 or 1.31 though. Gonna clean the ash this morning after a 10 day run. Impressive unit so far.


----------



## Johnny Yooper (Nov 25, 2016)

Kevin in Ohio said:


> I too am hoping for more years but you never know. I'm not planning on replacing unless something drastic happens that the fix cost would be high or patching a sinking ship. I'm blessed with having all the wood I could ever need. Health would be the only reason I'd stop and I try to make things easier in the process tom allow me to extend the time using wood.
> 
> If you're into Power Wagons, we may be brothers!



The closest I can come to Power Wagons is the 1968 M101A1 trailer that I believe used to be pulled by them; so perhaps half brothers!


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Nov 25, 2016)

Johnny Yooper said:


> The closest I can come to Power Wagons is the 1968 M101A1 trailer that I believe used to be pulled by them; so perhaps half brothers!
> View attachment 539172



Cool. This is my "pre" Power Wagon. 1941 WC40 Military closed cab.


----------



## benp (Nov 25, 2016)

Kevin in Ohio said:


> Cool. This is my "pre" Power Wagon. 1941 WC40 Military closed cab.



Kevin that is AWESOME!!!!!!


----------



## benp (Dec 4, 2016)

Had a personal record for reaction chamber temp Friday evening. 





Highest I saw before was high 1600s. 

Still getting 12-14 hr burn times as the temp cools off. 
Heating less I imagine would get longer times. 

I talked to the dealer and he said he's getting 33hrs on a full load right now. 

I really really like this stove.


----------



## panolo (Dec 4, 2016)

400 more degrees than I have gotten. Mine doesn't run long enough to get those temps it seems. I'm going on 14 hours and won't have to fill it for another 3. I ran some oak last night instead of the normal bridge wood I have been filling it with. Probably a tich more than 1/3 full.

I have been running branches and small rounds. Last night was 50% splits. Seems to burn much cleaner with splits. 

It just hasn't been cold enough. I'm keeping the house at 73 degrees 24/7. Supposed to get colder this week and hopefully I will learn more about the stove.

Impressive so far.


----------



## sam-tip (Dec 4, 2016)

I think I have you by 1 degree a couple of years ago. Very hot burn! Going 24 hrs between refills with a half fill. Burning very seasoned bur oak. I like how your wifi mounted to the boiler. I had to run data wires into the garage to mount the wifi display.


----------



## benp (Dec 4, 2016)

panolo said:


> 400 more degrees than I have gotten. Mine doesn't run long enough to get those temps it seems. I'm going on 14 hours and won't have to fill it for another 3. I ran some oak last night instead of the normal bridge wood I have been filling it with. Probably a tich more than 1/3 full.
> 
> I have been running branches and small rounds. Last night was 50% splits. Seems to burn much cleaner with splits.
> 
> ...





sam-tip said:


> I think I have you by 1 degree a couple of years ago. Very hot burn! Going 24 hrs between refills with a half fill. Burning very seasoned bur oak. I like how your wifi mounted to the boiler. I had to run data wires into the garage to mount the wifi display.



Boy that's awesome you guys are getting that long of burn times. 

I am tickled with the 12-14 hours. It sure beats 8hrs on a good day with the planets aligned I was dealing with before.

I too have noticed that splits do better than round pieces. I load it just like the owner manual shows for 12hrs. I put smaller splits on the bottom couple rows then increase the size as I go up. That way at the end of the 12 or so hrs it's dealing with larger wood that will last longer. My theory anyways, lol.

I definitely got my mixture right on that load. I only got into the 1400 range a few times over the last 24 hrs.

Now that I have done a couple things to help the wifi module it has been working great.

Our current router was about 4-5 years old. It couldn't connect directly to the stove so I had a range extender in the shop that connected to the wifi module.

I got a higher horsepower router and I can now directly connect to the stove. I also added a 7db antenna to the wifi module in place of the stock one just as an insurance policy for the signal. I had it laying around.

The neighbor pulled in the truck and gooseneck that's covered in snow into the shop this morning so it can be melted for tomorrow. 

I am curious to see how the heat load changes from the melting.


----------



## panolo (Dec 10, 2016)

You can really tell the difference when it gets cold. Been running single digits around here and what I was getting 14 hours out of now drops to between 9 & 10. Up the quality of the timber and it gets back to where it should be. I'm slightly behind the 8 ball as this is my first year back on wood and I don't have the a ton of quality timber to burn that is under 30% dry. I'll probably kick myself in the back side for not securing some few year seasoned oak but I've got about 12 cord of hardwood mix that should be ready to roll next year. Kinda stubborn. Next week should be a fun one as we are not supposed to get above 5 with lows around -10 to -15. They ain't bs'ing when they say the moisture content and quality make all the difference in the stove.


----------



## benp (Dec 11, 2016)

panolo said:


> You can really tell the difference when it gets cold. Been running single digits around here and what I was getting 14 hours out of now drops to between 9 & 10. Up the quality of the timber and it gets back to where it should be. I'm slightly behind the 8 ball as this is my first year back on wood and I don't have the a ton of quality timber to burn that is under 30% dry. I'll probably kick myself in the back side for not securing some few year seasoned oak but I've got about 12 cord of hardwood mix that should be ready to roll next year. Kinda stubborn. Next week should be a fun one as we are not supposed to get above 5 with lows around -10 to -15. They ain't bs'ing when they say the moisture content and quality make all the difference in the stove.



I 110% agree on the wood.

I have been seeing awesome reaction chamber temps. Average has been in the 1500's and I hit 1900's this week.

I can tell when the neighbor has the shop door open pulling equipment in and thawing off just by how the heat load reacts.

With vehicles or equipment pulled into the shop in the evening to melt or thaw out I have been getting a solid 10 hours. Yesterday morning it was -12 and my pickup and plow truck were pulled in Friday nite both snow covered and got 10 hours.

Last nite the the shop was stabilized with nothing in or out in the evening. It was -3 last night when I went to bed and 2 degrees this morning. 13 hours later I had 2 pieces of wood left and an awesome coal bed.

I couldn't be more happy.

On Monday evening the neighbor and had me clear the the one side of the shop and be ready with the door because he was fully loaded down. He was going to be coming in hot because our driveway is an incline and I had just plowed so he kept his momentum up.

It's amazing how quick 80000 frozen pounds will suck the heat out the air. LOL. The shop went from 65 to 55 in a half hour. If you stood next to the track hoe and blew out you could see your breath. The dozer is the only thing that wasn't froze in the picture. That includes my neighbor and his brother in law.





With the plow truck melting and the roll off truck, skid steer, trailer, and hoe melting/warming up I still got 10 hours and came out to a good coal bed.


----------



## benp (Dec 16, 2016)

A little update now that we've been having sub zero temps. 

Still getting a solid 10 hours with a piece or 2 left and an awesome coal bed. 

I've started doing a couple things different. With a fresh fill I only fill it half way and let it buck for a while. I then top it off after an hour or so. 

The wood seems to burn a lot better this way and I maintain very good secondary temps. 

I changed the differential from 10 degrees to 7. 

The stove seems to react better coming on at 178 plus I get a small over shoot after the stove shuts off. 

Still thoroughly ecstatic with the stove and we are really pushing this thing. The heat load has been very high due to all of the working in the shop. We had the door open for 15 minutes yesterday while trying to finagle a dump truck in to be painted that we had just pulled out while we washed the shop floor.

That used to crush the old stove in the sub zeros and we would have 4-5 fills a day.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Dec 16, 2016)

benp said:


> A little update now that we've been having sub zero temps.
> 
> Still getting a solid 10 hours with a piece or 2 left and an awesome coal bed.
> 
> ...



I reread your posts but didn't see it anywhere. Forgive me if you have clarfied but are you heating house as well or is it just for your shop? I do my 36' x 50' attached garage and I know how nice it is to pull something out and shut the door and it stays basically warm because of the radiant floor pex. 

I really appreciate you giving a real world experience and tips with one. Makes me feel better about if/when I'll have to do mine. I know some were not happy when they first came out. Besides the smoke it sometimes gives the ash removal is not a highlight for me on my current stove. I understand why they did it but it doesn't mean I have to be a fan of it. Nice equipment by the way. I'm drooling!


----------



## panolo (Dec 16, 2016)

benp said:


> A little update now that we've been having sub zero temps.
> 
> Still getting a solid 10 hours with a piece or 2 left and an awesome coal bed.
> 
> ...



Great info! I was going to try and adjust the differential as well as see what it does. On my evening loads I do the halfway thing. Seems to work well. 

Hit 1600 the other day for the first time. I was late getting home and the temp dropped off to about 160 after about 15 hours. Got it fired back up with a small load and she was roaring. Stayed in that 1400 to 1600 range while it got back to temp. 

Came across a couple bundles of 2 year old slab wood. All hardwood. Gonna give it a try and see what it does. Getting it for free and there is more for the grabbing if it burns ok. Debarked as well so that is a bonus.


----------



## benp (Dec 16, 2016)

Kevin in Ohio said:


> I reread your posts but didn't see it anywhere. Forgive me if you have clarfied but are you heating house as well or is it just for your shop? I do my 36' x 50' attached garage and I know how nice it is to pull something out and shut the door and it stays basically warm because of the radiant floor pex.
> 
> I really appreciate you giving a real world experience and tips with one. Makes me feel better about if/when I'll have to do mine. I know some were not happy when they first came out. Besides the smoke it sometimes gives the ash removal is not a highlight for me on my current stove. I understand why they did it but it doesn't mean I have to be a fan of it. Nice equipment by the way. I'm drooling!



Hey Kevin,

It's heating a 32 x 72 shop, house, attached 2 stall house garage, and hot water for both house and shop. It's over 10k square feet.

My ash removal has gone from 20 gallons a week to 5 with a good cleaning of the reaction chamber .

There were issues with the early CB epa boilers but I believe they have rectified those.

On a side note about the monitoring program. It is a really great tool to really understand how the stove works.

But, it can drive you nuts.

You can tell when the wood comes into it's own on a fresh fill. The reaction chamber temps will be ok, then dip or drop for a while, then skyrocket.

That drove me crazy because it puts me in panic mode that we have a flame out. You can overwhelm the stove. This has been much better since I have been doing a half fill for a while then top it off.

Since the stove burns downward, bridging can be a potential issue. I ran into this Wednesday. I must of had a giblet in there somewhere that was causing this but I was able to tell on the monitoring program and dealt with it accordingly.

When the time comes for an upgrade I think you would be very pleased with a gasification stove. I have been just floored how well it does with what we are putting it through.


----------



## benp (Dec 16, 2016)

panolo said:


> Great info! I was going to try and adjust the differential as well as see what it does. On my evening loads I do the halfway thing. Seems to work well.
> 
> Hit 1600 the other day for the first time. I was late getting home and the temp dropped off to about 160 after about 15 hours. Got it fired back up with a small load and she was roaring. Stayed in that 1400 to 1600 range while it got back to temp.
> 
> Came across a couple bundles of 2 year old slab wood. All hardwood. Gonna give it a try and see what it does. Getting it for free and there is more for the grabbing if it burns ok. Debarked as well so that is a bonus.



That's a great score!!!!! That should really rip in there!!!!


----------



## mysteryman896 (Dec 16, 2016)

Awesome real world testimonial, I have a CB 2300 e-classic that is 9 yrs old. It has its issues and I love reading about the new ones, when the day comes to replace my 2300 I will be glad I have read these types of threads.


----------



## aokpops (Dec 17, 2016)

Not sure of your age ! you can almost double your wood supply , just by burning smoke .


----------



## aokpops (Dec 17, 2016)

This is what your wasting


----------



## aokpops (Dec 17, 2016)

Look at the chimnney pipe


----------



## benp (Dec 17, 2016)

aokpops said:


> Not sure of your age ! you can almost double your wood supply , just by burning smoke .



We are talking about burning smoke. Gasification outdoor boilers. 

First time secondary chamber lit off on the brand new initial burn 





Running full tilt. No smoke. 





And I totally agree about using less wood.


----------



## panolo (Dec 29, 2016)

Went to the 7 degree differential for the last couple weeks. Few things I observed
1. More efficiency. Longer burn times for sure which means I am using less wood.
2. Less ash and a finer ash. Telling me I am using all the wood. 1.5 gallons for a week!!!
3. Faster reaction temp increases. Wood fires up quicker when the air exchange turns on for sure.
4. More unburnt fines in my firebox. Small particles of wood the size of a nickel to half dollar that haven't burnt up completely yet.

The unburnt was an issue as I was raking them towards the middle to get burnt and my level was getting higher in the firebox. Went back to 10 differential last night and my level dropped by half an inch. Stove runs longer so it ignites these throughout the firebox on runs is my belief. Coal bed was glowing real nice throughout this am. So I think every week or two I can switch back to 10 for a burn or two and it will clean it up.


----------



## sam-tip (Dec 29, 2016)

I started burning 100% Ash in early December and have notice a nice difference. The Ash was split in July in big chucks 30 inches long. Burns great. Gets to combustion temp way faster. Way better burn than 3 year old seasoned bur oak. I have my set point set to 195 degree with 20 degree differential. Video is of burning Ash.


----------



## benp (Jan 5, 2017)

Another update. 

Stove has been doing very well during this heavy sub zero stretch. Been getting 9-10 hours with either a good bed of coals left or a row of logs. Shop has been fairly active with the plow in and out, skid steer and vehicles.

I've made it a point to give it a decent cleaning once a week (firebox and reaction chamber) and full cleaning every 2 weeks. 

Keeping the reaction chamber and heat exchangers clean is very key. I figured this out 2 weeks ago one evening. The reaction temp would not come up to where I wanted it. So I shut it off and opened the reaction chamber, removed the heat baffle, and saw ash about 8-9 inches packed up the heat exchangers. 

Cleaned everything out well and sparked it back up. Bang. We were in business. The reaction temps were jumping in 100 degree increments. 

Aaaaaand the stove started rattling and puffing. I looked at the dog, he looked at me, I looked at the stove, back at the dog and he was hauling butt back to the house. 

I wondered if this was a moment where you listen to animals instincts. Lol

Rattling and puffing started getting louder, then there was one big puff and it sounded like a jet engine. The smoke finally lit. All was well. 

One issue I have been having is the wood bridging. Drives me crazy. I'll get it rip snorting before I leave for work and an hour or 2 later I'll watch the temps drop. 

Text the neighbor to give the stove a poke and it roars right back and good all day. 

Aside from that it's been really good.


----------



## panolo (Jan 5, 2017)

I do reaction chamber and heat exchanger once a week. I usually get ash up about 2" on the heat exchanger. I haven't had many bridging issues. Maybe once or twice and it involved some knotty box elder. But my firebox is considerably smaller than yours. I have emptied my firebox twice so far. 

Got her pretty dialed in to about 12 hours on this cold. Usually 1-2 logs left and a nice coal bed. 

Very happy with the stove. 

Thanks for the update Ben!


----------



## benp (Jan 5, 2017)

panolo said:


> I do reaction chamber and heat exchanger once a week. I usually get ash up about 2" on the heat exchanger. I haven't had many bridging issues. Maybe once or twice and it involved some knotty box elder. But my firebox is considerably smaller than yours. I have emptied my firebox twice so far.
> 
> Got her pretty dialed in to about 12 hours on this cold. Usually 1-2 logs left and a nice coal bed.
> 
> ...



Nice!!!!!

Yeah I just root around the poker in the firebox on every fill. Every other week I rip the back cap off, pull that soot out of the pipe, and bang the heat exchanger chains. I pull about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of a 5 gallon bucket of ash out of the back pipe.

When the fire is going well and I am putting wood in the resonance coming from the stove is wild. It is loud and you can feel it standing there. Shut the door and close the bypass and it's peep. Dead quiet except for the jet sound.

I tried to video it but it just sounded like a nice crackling fire. Lol

If nothing is going on in the shop you can hear it when it does that.


----------



## benp (Jan 7, 2017)

Ha!!!!

I was able to catch the resonance this morning when I filled it

I could not hear it well on the phone speakers but on a blue tooth speaker I can.


----------



## aokpops (Jan 8, 2017)

If you got dry or seasoned there are literally tons of work being saved . Cut my work almost in half using a tundra a IWB not a OWB


----------



## aokpops (Jan 8, 2017)

I know what you mean about sell pitch . The one thing good about working the trades we hear about the people working on stuff.snake oil or real . I try everything, at heart lazy . I won't give up tell it's easy ,give the lazy people the hard jobs they will make it easy . I did not discover how to burn smoke I read about it an hate to read . But people run engines off smoke . Why waste energy ? Set back get your zen on be focus an relaxed be like the water going over the falls after all the rushing an beating around your still claim water up stream .


----------



## Jakers (Jan 8, 2017)

aokpops said:


> I know what you mean about sell pitch . The one thing good about working the trades we hear about the people working on stuff.snake oil or real . I try everything, at heart lazy . I won't give up tell it's easy ,give the lazy people the hard jobs they will make it easy . I did not discover how to burn smoke I read about it an hate to read . But people run engines off smoke . Why waste energy ? Set back get your zen on be focus an relaxed be like the water going over the falls after all the rushing an beating around your still claim water up stream .


wait... what??????????????


----------



## benp (Jan 18, 2017)

A little maintenance heads up for the CB guys. 

Take apart the fan housing and check the intakes. 

I had one elbow that was a 1/3 blocked off with black sludge on the horizontal part that attaches to the stove. 

The other one closest to the fan was fine. The clogged one was actually fine where it attaches to the stove, it was just the elbow. 

It's an easy job took about 15 minutes. 

Something to think about.


----------



## mysteryman896 (Jan 18, 2017)

benp said:


> A little maintenance heads up for the CB guys.
> 
> Take apart the fan housing and check the intakes.
> 
> ...




Yea, I think they sent out an insert on cleaning that. I don't remember how often they recommend, if I think about it I will look tomorrow.


----------



## sam-tip (Jan 18, 2017)

I got the insert about cleaning. I have replace my primary inlet tube elbow three times now in 5 years. Also fills with creosote. Black slug. Replaced all the fire brick this fall. Thought I need to but after pulling everything it was not needed. Nice to know the inside is in good shap


----------



## benp (Jan 19, 2017)

mysteryman896 said:


> Yea, I think they sent out an insert on cleaning that. I don't remember how often they recommend, if I think about it I will look tomorrow.





sam-tip said:


> I got the insert about cleaning. I have replace my primary inlet tube elbow three times now in 5 years. Also fills with creosote. Black slug. Replaced all the fire brick this fall. Thole ught I need to but after pulling everything it was not needed. Nice to know the inside is in good shap



Ok good. I am glad this is a known maintenance item. I looked it up in the manual under the end of season cleaning. Too bad it's a tight fit to get the ratchet in there. lol. It's still an easy job.

I am thinking of lowering the time between the pulses due to it being so warm out. My thought process on this is to reduce the amount of time that the stove is just sitting there festering. Hopefully reduce some buildup.


----------



## panolo (Feb 10, 2017)

Going to have to check the elbow when I get home. Not getting enough air in the firebox. Holes in the sides are pretty clean but you can't feel much flow. Having trouble keeping temps up unless I open the firebox and get it blazing. It's good for 10 minutes then I start dropping. The solenoids seemed to be operating fine when I check this am.


----------



## benp (Feb 12, 2017)

panolo said:


> Going to have to check the elbow when I get home. Not getting enough air in the firebox. Holes in the sides are pretty clean but you can't feel much flow. Having trouble keeping temps up unless I open the firebox and get it blazing. It's good for 10 minutes then I start dropping. The solenoids seemed to be operating fine when I check this am.



It's not a hard job. Biggest pain is getting a ratchet on the hose clamp in the back as it is a little tight in there.

The neighbor made a really good discovery. There is an inherent drawback to burning down as there is nothing getting the wood going above the first 2 or so rows.

So what we have been doing with fresh fills is leave the bypass open for about an hour. The problem with this is unless you have the 750, there is no bypass with the smaller Edge models which thoroughly sucks.

By leaving the bypass open it acts as a traditional stove and gets about half of the fill going. Pull the lever back down and that sucker rages. Pretty much has eliminated the bridging issues we had been having.


----------



## NSMaple1 (Feb 12, 2017)

With my experience though, with a gasifier, you don't really want the wood 'going' on the upper end of the 'fire'. You want it to cook the gases out (pyrolisis) with only the bottom end on the coals really burning (and making more coals) - as the load settles, the bottom burns up. Leaving the bypass open will reduce your efficiency and not burn the dirties, for that period of time - not how it was designed to work.

They are prone to bridging, just a characteristic. Fairly uniform splits usually help with that, and not stacking the box tight.


----------



## panolo (Feb 12, 2017)

It was the elbow and it wasn't just a little full. Full back to the stove. Cleaned it out and I was roaring again. Talked to my dealer and we are going to try some ashtrol in there about once a week and I'm just going to ashtrol the sides and not the bottom of the firebox and see what that does. I also hooked up my leaf blower and sucked out the channels. There was zero sediment in the charge tube chamber. I was dumb. I knew something was up for a week but I had been burning some semi crap wood and just attributed it to that. Took me an hour to do and when I fired the stove back up I was kicking over 1000 in less than 10 minutes. 

I've bridged maybe once or twice. Not been an issue for me and when I have the air passage clean I don't think it will be an issue. I run goofy size splits and logs as a bunch of wood I scored this year was split by someone else.


----------



## benp (Feb 12, 2017)

NSMaple1 said:


> With my experience though, with a gasifier, you don't really want the wood 'going' on the upper end of the 'fire'. You want it to cook the gases out (pyrolisis) with only the bottom end on the coals really burning (and making more coals) - as the load settles, the bottom burns up. Leaving the bypass open will reduce your efficiency and not burn the dirties, for that period of time - not how it was designed to work.
> 
> They are prone to bridging, just a characteristic. Fairly uniform splits usually help with that, and not stacking the box tight.



With my experience I disagree. 

I am monitoring this as it happens all day. Once in a while I'll text the neighbor to go out and poke the stove as I think there is something going on. 

The more coals and more of the fill burning the better. 

On a fresh fill directly on coals,the splits on the bottom and maybe the next row did well. Then there was a gap in performance until the rest of the pile started burning. 

With having the bypass open and letting the stove run with the fire going through the pile there is no lapse in performance because at least the bottom third of the fill has been burning in that hour with the bypass open. It's not fresh wood, it's already been burning and ready to go. 

The only poking I have done with the stove lately has been tightening the sides up, not knocking the bridge down. 

With the bypass open, the stove goes into a holding pattern temp wise. It doesn't rise and maybe drops a few degrees. 

Close the bypass and the temps skyrocket and stay at a quick recovery all day.

This is just my experience.


----------



## benp (Feb 12, 2017)

panolo said:


> It was the elbow and it wasn't just a little full. Full back to the stove. Cleaned it out and I was roaring again. Talked to my dealer and we are going to try some ashtrol in there about once a week and I'm just going to ashtrol the sides and not the bottom of the firebox and see what that does. I also hooked up my leaf blower and sucked out the channels. There was zero sediment in the charge tube chamber. I was dumb. I knew something was up for a week but I had been burning some semi crap wood and just attributed it to that. Took me an hour to do and when I fired the stove back up I was kicking over 1000 in less than 10 minutes.
> 
> I've bridged maybe once or twice. Not been an issue for me and when I have the air passage clean I don't think it will be an issue. *I run goofy size splits and logs as a bunch of wood I scored this year was split by someone else.*



Lol. That's how all of ours is except for the stuff that I stacked yesterday that was run through a processor.

Keep us posted how the Ashtrol works. I was wondering if it was the same as pulverized lime. If you get great results I'll get some from our dealer.

I told the neighbor today that it is going to take a weekend to clean the stove out post season. It is going to be a mess.


----------



## NSMaple1 (Feb 13, 2017)

benp said:


> With my experience I disagree.
> 
> I am monitoring this as it happens all day. Once in a while I'll text the neighbor to go out and poke the stove as I think there is something going on.
> 
> ...



Guess we'll agree to disagree then - which is OK.

When I reload a fresh fill on a coal bed, I get immediate gasification at the bottom before I finish reloading & get the door shut. A lot of the time, it doesn't even look like there is a fire going in the firebox, since all the action is at the bottom. I shut the bypass right away, and it burns the whole load up, steadily, as intended.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Feb 13, 2017)

Just interested to know, how much time in an average week would you estimate you spend working, cleaning or doing something with your stove excluding fills? Some of the posts make it seem like some are glued to their cell phones making sure it is working and a fair amount of constant cleaning. I don't even have a cell phone. LOL Once again, just looking for your input and not downing any of you. Trying to learn on what is going on with working units and experienced owners. I appreciate all of your insights and it will be helpful when I have t change mine.


----------



## NSMaple1 (Feb 13, 2017)

Not sure how on-topic I am, since the thread title sort of seems to refer to OWBs. But I'll spit it out then step aside, anyway.

Mine is an indoor unit, with storage. I only actually have a fire going maybe 6 hours a day average through the winter. My daily maintenance amounts to a quick pushing of ashes from the last burn in the firebox, down the hole to the bottom chamber, then scooping out the bottom with a small ash scoop. Only takes a minute, before I build a new fire. Likely similar to any other daily ash handling routine. Weekly, I pull the 4 turbs & brush the 6 tubes. The only thing in there is fly ash. Goes pretty quick, takes maybe 5-10 minutes. I usually do that Sunday morning, not moving too fast then. Then either once or twice a year, I will pull the cleanout cap off the T on the back of the boiler, and scrape/brush the ash out that has settled in the almost horizontal pipe run back there, and out of the T & breach itself. That's another half hour. (Haven't done that yet this burn season). At the same time, on one of those cleanings, I will also drop the cleanout cover off the bottom of my chimney & let the accumulated ash out of there - that gets done at the end of burning season. The only thing I am dealing with top to bottom is fly ash - no creosote. Haven't brushed my chimney in the almost 5 years i have been using this thing.

While burning, I'm not glued to a cell phone, but I do have a wireless BBQ thermometer with two temps on it - top & bottom of storage (well, 1/4 up & 3/4 up).. Sometimes I pay attention to it, sometimes I forget about it, but I try to watch out for signs of bridging - temp not rising as fast as it should. It doesn't happen very often, but is the only one thing I 'watch' - if I remember to.

Also curious on this stuff on the OWB gassing units - I did consider one before going the way I did.


----------



## benp (Feb 13, 2017)

NSMaple1 said:


> Guess we'll agree to disagree then - which is OK.
> 
> When I reload a fresh fill on a coal bed, I get immediate gasification at the bottom before I finish reloading & get the door shut. A lot of the time, it doesn't even look like there is a fire going in the firebox, since all the action is at the bottom. I shut the bypass right away, and it burns the whole load up, steadily, as intended.



My apologies NSMaple. I was just saying for my situation it seems to work better that way. It wasn't my intention to be argumentative. 

And that is only for a full brand new fill. This morning there were 3 rows left. Jostled them around a bit, packed stove and then shut door and bypass. 




Kevin in Ohio said:


> Just interested to know, how much time in an average week would you estimate you spend working, cleaning or doing something with your stove excluding fills? Some of the posts make it seem like some are glued to their cell phones making sure it is working and a fair amount of constant cleaning. I don't even have a cell phone. LOL Once again, just looking for your input and not downing any of you. Trying to learn on what is going on with working units and experienced owners. I appreciate all of your insights and it will be helpful when I have t change mine.



Kevin, 

15-20 minutes tops. Pop off the chimney inspection cap and clean out ash buildup in there then shake the cleaning chains for the heat exchangers. Button that back up. 

Open the reaction chamber. Shovel out the ash up to the heat deflector. Remove the heat deflector and scrape from the heat exchangers back. Take the poker and clean out between heat exchangers. Scrape everything up to the front then shovel out. 

Reinstall the heat shield, shut the reaction chamber door, and power the stove back up. 

Maybe 5 gallons of ash. Pretty easy.

I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to the stove and I'm sure it comes off a lot more intensive than it actually is. 

Due to our heat load I want quick recovery times. Along with the fact I can't leave things well enough alone and I am a little mental.


----------



## panolo (Feb 13, 2017)

I'm the same as BenP. I will check the elbows every two weeks now and will add ashtrol once a week to the one elbow. May add 30 minutes a month to my time. I have a 3 gallon can that gets filled up once a week of the ash.


----------



## NSMaple1 (Feb 13, 2017)

*My apologies NSMaple. I was just saying for my situation it seems to work better that way. It wasn't my intention to be argumentative. *

None necessary at all. We're just relaying our experiences - and everyones experiences are usually a bit different.


----------



## Kevin in Ohio (Feb 13, 2017)

I appreciate you guys giving the info on what you are doing. I get most of it but it's one of those things that makes complete sense when you have the equipment in front of you. I and others will at least have this thread to fall back on when we get to the point of owning one. Again, thanks for the tidbits of info and keep it coming.


----------



## benp (Feb 15, 2017)

I did a full clean that included the elbow today. I think it took 30 minutes tops. 

I was flying doing it. 

Optimally you would like to do this when the stove needs a full fill. 

Not half full and mad. 

I just cleaned the Schmutz out of the intake and attachment to the stove. Nothing major like the first time. 

Elbow





Stove fitting. 





Dealing with explosive gasses is fun!!! [emoji15]

Had a little mishap last week while cleaning. Neighbor thought the lake cut loose with a good ice heave. 

I guess they felt it in the shop.


----------



## benp (Feb 20, 2017)

A small update from the weekend or "why it's nice to have a local dealer."

The week after the initial install I noticed a very small smoke leak coming from the top of the door.

I documented it, contacted the dealer, and sent him pictures. He got back to me and said to keep an eye on it.

Well it had went away I guess due to some buildup in that spot.

I contacted the dealer and filled him in. Worse case Ontario a new gasket would be going in post season.

Wellll, 1.5 weeks ago I cleaned the door a little too good. It started leaking pretty good and was starting to erode the gasket. Not good.

Neighbor ran into the dealer 2 Sunday's ago and explained what was going on. He said he would be out last week to look at it when we fill in the am. Neighbor laughed and said so you'll be here at 0430?

This past Tuesday I figured I would clean it good and adjust the door to maybe tighten it up a bit.

Wrong move Ben. Wrong move.

Shut the door and hey no leak. I closed the bypass handle and crap. Smoke was really coming out now from the firebox being pressurized.

Called the dealer and told him I would be out of town starting Friday and the neighbor would be in charge of the stove. So Saturday morning was his best chance for a fill at 0800 because I wouldn't be around.

Neighbor said he showed up at 0730, replaced the gasket and said no charge because the gasket was defective on the backside from the get go.

It's right as rain now.

ETA - The door gasket isn't the standard rope style. It's a one piece gasket made out of some type of urethane/foam material.


----------



## sam-tip (Feb 20, 2017)

Here is what is left of my third elbow tube. On number 4 now.


----------



## Guswhit (Feb 20, 2017)

sam-tip said:


> Here is what is left of my third elbow tube. On number 4 now.


What make/model stove do you have?


----------



## sam-tip (Feb 20, 2017)

Guswhit said:


> What make/model stove do you have?



Central Boiler E3200 (2011)


----------



## benp (Feb 20, 2017)

sam-tip said:


> Here is what is left of my third elbow tube. On number 4 now.



Whoa Doug. Dang. 

What did the dealer have to say? That's crazy.


----------



## Guswhit (Feb 20, 2017)

I switched from a central boiler 5036 to a portage and main bl3444 when we built the new house, although still not hooked up. I should have just sucked it up and bought a garn. For what I have invested now, the time I have let it go without hooking it up, I have saved enough money that I could have afforded the difference. Hindsight is 20/20!


----------



## sam-tip (Feb 20, 2017)

benp said:


> Whoa Doug. Dang.
> 
> What did the dealer have to say? That's crazy.



First two were warranty replacement. Then got the letter suggesting check the elbow when cleaning. Third one lasted two years. I figure consumable part. I should make my own but didn't cost much. I switched from very hard wood to Ash this year. Burning much cleaner with Ash. First year I burned walnut and hated the boiler. I am a fanatic now.


----------



## panolo (Mar 2, 2017)

Had to clean my elbow again. Plugged pretty tight. It appears it comes from the low hole that you can see when you remove the elbow. I'm gonna try and clean that area better and the door better to see if it will keep it from plugging. It was easier to remove with the ashtrol in the elbow. 

After clearing it I was back up to 1300 degrees. It's been so dang warm this year that I think it has something to do with it. I'm also gonna up my pulse times to every 30 minutes.


----------



## panolo (Mar 31, 2017)

The elbow is gonna be a every two week clean in light use scenarios. I don't think it is avoidable. 

Here is a screen shot of the stove history. Pretty easy to tell where I was lazy and put in some crappy wetter wood. Split a couple rounds of dry ash and the burn points are crisper and quicker with a higher temp. Stove doesn't run long enough at a 7 degree differential to get much above 1100 degrees. Gonna switch it back to 10 degrees until I turn it off to see if it makes a difference on the elbow.


----------



## sam-tip (Mar 31, 2017)

I like to run 20 to 25 differintial. Get it running clean and keep it burning clean.









Sent from my SM-N910R4 using Tapatalk


----------



## panolo (Mar 31, 2017)

195 and 175? Are you running forced air or radiant heat? How long are you running your pulses for? Pulling off that elbow ain't hard but is messy and If i can avoid it all the better.


----------



## sam-tip (Mar 31, 2017)

panolo said:


> 195 and 175? Are you running forced air or radiant heat? How long are you running your pulses for? Pulling off that elbow ain't hard but is messy and If i can avoid it all the better.



192 to 172 now. Pulses once an hour for 2 minutes. In cold of winter I will go to 0 pulse length. Summer I will go to 4 1/2 minutes pulse length at once and hour. But in summer it on burns twice a day.
Forced air in three buildings. House(2400 sf), garage(2100sf), and shop/office(1800sf).


----------



## panolo (Mar 31, 2017)

Thanks for the info. It's a learning experience and all the info I can get will help!


----------



## panolo (Apr 8, 2017)

Switched last friday to a 20 degree split. 192-172. Absolutely zero creosote when I pulled the elbow this am. Also much less buildup in general. Thanks for the info Doug.


----------



## panolo (May 2, 2017)

Shut it down and started cleanup today. The 20 degree split was a great thing. Thanks for the tip Doug. I had zero creosote build up that wasn't crispy ash flavor. Little bit of fiddling with the pulses and timings but nothing crazy. Thanks for all the help and info this season guys! I appreciate you being forthcoming with the info and tips. Made it an easy transition.


----------



## sam-tip (May 2, 2017)

Your welcome. Glad its working better. Going to do my spring clean out this weekend. This was a good clean burning season. Not much cold but the wood did burn clean. Except for when it got rained on. I want a car port to store the wood next to the boiler to stay dry from rain and snow.


----------

