Anyone switch from old CB 5648 to gasification stove?

[panolo]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[aokpops]

This is what your wasting

 

[aokpops]

Look at the chimnney pipe

 

[benp]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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