Shaver Improvement Forum

[fletcher0780]

Just wanted to remind you to seal up on both sides too (vertically)


You'll see what i mean when you get the cover plate off.

I think your problem will be solved after you do this.

It drove me crazy for a couple weeks.

cool, thanks.

I can see how important lots of insulation is now, I have some of my water jacket uncovered while trying to get this taken care of , and my blower has been running non-stop to keep up. Water temps get to about 165-170, but never to 180* with this 15* weather. I think once I get all my other projects finished I might pull off the siding and add 1-2" rigid foam insulation on top of the solar guard. I read about a guy who sprayed his with foam, but it costs too much ($400) and I want something removable. From the looks of it, I can pull off the sides, take a measurement, cut the foam, and stuff it in. I'll take my IR thermometer out and look for warm spots. Here is a guy who took the siding off his shaver:

Here it is with the spray foam:

 

[ngzcaz]

To John D.. well I have the Shaver 165 and its digesting everything I'm throwing at it. There are a lot of OWB's out there. Yes, the Shavers are rough around the edges and could benefit from a little more detail instead of sales hype. That being said, my advice would be if you can find a different brand for only a couple hundred more..buy it. I couldn't and price and pay back period was a definite area of concern. Its the little stupid stuff thats just frustrating as heck. Not costing a lot of money or time really.. just stuff the consumer shouldn't have to do. If my Dad was still alive he'd love this unit.. could never keep his hands off anything constantly working on stuff whether it needed it or not.

As a sidenote, when I was having delivery issues, I ended up speaking with Billy Shaver, from what I understand the president of the company. Very easy to speak with, and even let me speak with the driver of the truck that was in route. And they were having problems with the trucks ( which should not be a concern for the customer. ) Never a problem with Billy, just the people that work for him.. However this latest round of verbal diatribe with customers still waiting would have me ( if I were president of Shaver ) sharpening my axe and leveling the chopping block.

:greenchainsaw:

 

[John D]

To John D.. well I have the Shaver 165 and its digesting everything I'm throwing at it. There are a lot of OWB's out there. Yes, the Shavers are rough around the edges and could benefit from a little more detail instead of sales hype. That being said, my advice would be if you can find a different brand for only a couple hundred more..buy it. :

Thank you for the reply. From whats out there now,the only firebox that is built as thick,and beefy as a Shaver is the natures comfort. It is almost 1500 more than the Shaver,while i think its worth more, i dont think its worth almost 1500 more. Add to that NC hasnt been around long,Shaver has,I know any major issues have been dealt with at Shaver. Maybe the NC is fine,but they have been around 30+ yrs to refine the product.

 

[ngzcaz]

Well... I didn't know the Shaver had a coffee cup holder : - ) Certainly worth more now that I see its functionality.

 

[fletcher0780]

Well... I didn't know the Shaver had a coffee cup holder : - ) Certainly worth more now that I see its functionality.

it took me a minute to see what was going on there. Kinda neet to see the thing naked. The guy reported a significant drop in wood usage. Said his blower comes on less frequently now. Mines running almost 24/7

 

[fletcher0780]

Well, I pulled the cover off today and saw the water level was right at the bottom of the cover. I lowered the front of the boiler (now it has a slight front lean) and decided to just put the cover on with a trash bag over it until it warms up a bit next week so I can shut her down and reseal the cover. I think the water was up to that seam and leaked down inside, not to mention the steam didn't help much. Wish me luck, I wont be able to do anything with the cover until next week 15* tonight.

 

[ngzcaz]

If you don't freeze, I'm sure fellow Shaver owners would like a couple of pics to see what you are doing. Hopefully they ( me included ) wont have to do the same thing...

:censored:

 

[John D]

If you don't freeze, I'm sure fellow Shaver owners would like a couple of pics to see what you are doing. Hopefully they ( me included ) wont have to do the same thing...

:censored:

Yeah,me too! pics please!

 

[woodfurnace]

Thank you for the reply. From whats out there now,the only firebox that is built as thick,and beefy as a Shaver is the natures comfort. It is almost 1500 more than the Shaver,while i think its worth more, i dont think its worth almost 1500 more. Add to that NC hasnt been around long,Shaver has,I know any major issues have been dealt with at Shaver. Maybe the NC is fine,but they have been around 30+ yrs to refine the product.

BUT, you would think after 30 years they would of fixed all the problems wouldn't you???


Weldrite has been building trailers for years.

 

[fletcher0780]

BUT, you would think after 30 years they would of fixed all the problems wouldn't you???


Weldrite has been building trailers for years.

well I don't need a trailer, just a boiler. I'll take some pics in the morning.

 

[ngzcaz]

Lately I've been throwing smaller junk wood ( pine, swamp pine half rotten stuff ) and found the water's been getting hotter than I'd like, 172 degrees with a thermostat setting of around 150. My draft door was about 1/3 open, I've now closed it to about 1/4 open. If I close it more than that, I'm concerned that should the fire need more draft, the almost closed damper door wont let it pull enough air into the fire. When I start burning the good stuff it will be interesting what settings I will have to use. The smaller stuff was about 6 to 8 inch stuff instead of the 10 to 12 inch wood I was using..

Anyone else only have the damper slide 1/4 open ( or less ) ??

 

[urhstry]

Ttt

 

[fletcher0780]

I resealed my domestic water cover and replaced the insulation that became soaked from running with the cover not sealed for a week. I put 2 layers of unfaced r30 up there with the solar guard on top. there is very little airspace above the tank now. I also sealed around the bottom of the unit with expand foam. My Ranco aquastat is now dead on due to the well I built from a 14" piece of 3/8 copper capped on one end and flared on the other. I drilled a hole in the water jacket from the top and dropped it in, then sealed the flared end with silicone and now life is good today I'm going to mount my modified blower and solenoid. I should have a decent seal when the blower is off, and full air flow when its on. Probably won't make a huge difference on the real cold days, but when it's mild I won't have to mess with the flap or worry about boiling. My steam fix is still working well, and I believe there are at least 5 others using it, I haven't heard any negative effects other than a possible leak out the water coil cover if you raise the level too high, or have the boiler leaning back too much. I'll try to remember to take some pics today.

Another improvement I think would be nice is to insulate the two plates between the firebox door. What kind of material could withstand the heat?

 

[fletcher0780]

OK, I just finished installing my modified blower and solenoid, it seems to work well so far, but I had to create a limiting strap with a piece of string because the solenoid energizes with quite a snap, and from time to time would flip the cover up past vertical so it could not flop back down when needed. Here are my pictures:

ON:

OFF:

Full view:

 

[berry5]

what kind of price are we looking at just wondering? i did the mod on the level that is sweet that kicks butt i have a shaver 165 i love it

 

[trshmn]

blower solenoid

OK, I just finished installing my modified blower and solenoid, it seems to work well so far, but I had to create a limiting strap with a piece of string because the solenoid energizes with quite a snap, and from time to time would flip the cover up past vertical so it could not flop back down when needed. Here are my pictures:

ON:

OFF:

Full view:

fletcher, where did you get the solenoid, and how much? I would like to try that but don't know where to get the solenoid.
Thanks, trshmn

 

[rx7145]

fletcher, where did you get the solenoid, and how much? I would like to try that but don't know where to get the solenoid.
Thanks, trshmn

Grainger: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4X240

 

[fletcher0780]

Grainger: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4X240

I actually got it here:
http://www.drillspot.com/products/42984/Dormeyer_2005-M-1_Laminated_Solenoid

grainger wanted me to set up an account, so I went with drillspot. This thing is way more solenoid than I need. It's very strong and the door is very light. It seems to work well so far.

 

[urhstry]

Not sure if this fits the topic but for those of you that do not know, Shaver now has a collar for the exhaust stack to add more pipe of a standard size.

They also said they are making the "real" ash pans.

1 week until delivery

 

[fletcher0780]

Not sure if this fits the topic but for those of you that do not know, Shaver now has a collar for the exhaust stack to add more pipe of a standard size.

They also said they are making the "real" ash pans.

1 week until delivery

Thanks, I placed the order for mine 2 weeks ago, although I don't expect to see them until they get caught up with the outstanding orders.