What's the largest round logs to use in a Shaver wood boiler ?

[ngzcaz]

Many years burning in an airtight, first timer with a wood boiler. I will have the Shaver in a month or so and I have a couple of cords cut and split in varying
lengths and sizes ( 24 to 28 inch by 4 to 8 inch round/split ) Was splitting the 17 to 19 inch round oaks in half enough or should I have at them again ? The Shaver has an 18 by 18 inch door so they should go in fine. The stupid weather here in NE Pa. ( raining, high 49 degrees today ) kept me from being done with the wood cutting. So... I have a few more to cut in the next week or so, hope
they dry out enough for this winter. I expect to have 6 to 7 cords for the winter. Enough ?


:greenchainsaw:

 

[beerman6]

I guess it depends on your house and how cold it gets.I've read that us OWB users burn twice as much as the stove/insert guys burn.

As far as size,it depends on if my kids are helping me split/stack.I tend to split them smaller so they can handle them easier.If it's just me...the bigger the better

 

[abohac]

Many years burning in an airtight, first timer with a wood boiler. I will have the Shaver in a month or so and I have a couple of cords cut and split in varying
lengths and sizes ( 24 to 28 inch by 4 to 8 inch round/split ) Was splitting the 17 to 19 inch round oaks in half enough or should I have at them again ? The Shaver has an 18 by 18 inch door so they should go in fine. The stupid weather here in NE Pa. ( raining, high 49 degrees today ) kept me from being done with the wood cutting. So... I have a few more to cut in the next week or so, hope
they dry out enough for this winter. I expect to have 6 to 7 cords for the winter. Enough ?


:greenchainsaw:

Rounds are nice because they burn slower but if you want to smash a finger (like we all have) keep making them bigger and bigger.

 

[fletcher0780]

Many years burning in an airtight, first timer with a wood boiler. I will have the Shaver in a month or so and I have a couple of cords cut and split in varying
lengths and sizes ( 24 to 28 inch by 4 to 8 inch round/split ) Was splitting the 17 to 19 inch round oaks in half enough or should I have at them again ? The Shaver has an 18 by 18 inch door so they should go in fine. The stupid weather here in NE Pa. ( raining, high 49 degrees today ) kept me from being done with the wood cutting. So... I have a few more to cut in the next week or so, hope
they dry out enough for this winter. I expect to have 6 to 7 cords for the winter. Enough ?


:greenchainsaw:

The standard door size on a shaver is 18"x18", I bumped mine to the max for $200 more and got a 22"x24" door (fewer busted knuckles). If they haven't already built yours, you can ask about the larger door size if your interested. I plan to only make the wood small enough to lift as I am not as fond of cutting and splitting as the rest of you

 

[urhstry]

I'm kind of curious at how everyone is loading their furnaces as far as how much wood at one time, what sizes are you using, and anything else regarding filling the dragon's belly.

 

[LTREES]

HEY, did ya get your shaver yet? I get mine at the end of July. I also up graded the door size, i plan on just rolling in 18" rounds and filling in the gaps w/ small stuff.

 

[urhstry]

Didn't get mine yet. I don't want to know when its coming, like waiting for water to boil. As long as there isn't snow on the ground when it comes.

 

[LTREES]

I hear that!! opcorn: opcorn:

 

[ngzcaz]

Nice people at Shaver, however lines of communication are somewhat screwed up. I ordered mine in the middle of May still haven't received it.
I then called to get a firm ship date, left message, no answer. I then e mailed
Ben to try to get an answer ( never received a bill, only a statement that they got the $ 1000 deposit via credit card ) Did I mentioned I called several times in the past few months ( my stock color was on backorder ) last call approx 1 1/2 weeks ago and they didnt even have the trim and now its ready to ship ? An e mail from Ben explained the dealer I bought it from ( via their website ) should have sent me an itemized bill. Today I got the bill via e mail. And Ben stated they were going to ship the furnace for the 23rd July but now it might be the 30th.
Does anyone understand they need to contact people ahead of time ? If I hadn't contacted them, when ( or if ) would I have been contacted ? I dont have 4 grand in the house, I have to go to the bank ! Where would they have put it if no one was home ? ( answer no where, because its COD or certified check )

Sorry for the ramble... point is, don't depend on the dealer for accurate info.. call..call..call the factory yourself until you are satisfied with the answer. I hope I was the only one to encounter this. I understand they probably are experiencing record sales but certain aspects of the transaction need to be correct, preferably promptly..

Am I the only one that wasn't aware they were going to charge me 3 %
on the deposit aka $ 30.00 that I could have saved by sending a check or
M.O. ??

And for the guy that going to throw 18 in rounds in... bless you, I have trouble lifting them.. besides the Shaver manual suggests 8 in rounds as max with a few 12 in every so often. Experience will tell the tale.

 

[ericjeeper]

I guess it depends on your house and how cold it gets.I've read that us OWB users burn twice as much as the stove/insert guys burn.

That is an outright lie.. Two times.. heck it is at least 3 times as much..LOL
OWBs waste a lot of wood. I do not call mine "The magic Box" for nothing.
I was talking to a central boiler dealer yesterday.. he said "You only have to fill it once in 24 hours".. I said My god that thing will hold four wheel barrels of wood" He agreed.
Mine is homemade will only hold one heaping wheel barrel load.. and only on the coldest days do I need to feed it twice.

 

[myzamboni]

Many years burning in an airtight, first timer with a wood boiler. I will have the Shaver in a month or so and I have a couple of cords cut and split in varying
lengths and sizes ( 24 to 28 inch by 4 to 8 inch round/split ) Was splitting the 17 to 19 inch round oaks in half enough or should I have at them again ? The Shaver has an 18 by 18 inch door so they should go in fine. The stupid weather here in NE Pa. ( raining, high 49 degrees today ) kept me from being done with the wood cutting. So... I have a few more to cut in the next week or so, hope
they dry out enough for this winter. I expect to have 6 to 7 cords for the winter. Enough ?


:greenchainsaw:

The larger the split/round, the longer for it to season. I realize OWBs will burn green wood, but you will get better burns/less smoke from seasoned wood. For this winter, your oak should have already been split by last winter (minimum). Get ahead on wood as soon as you can and you will benefit.

I would split the halves again to allow for additional seasoning.

 

[tanker]

A little food for thought,this coming winter will be my 4th with my c.b.and I'am well pleased .When we first got it,I was making them as big as I could handle.After the first load, my wife asked what her and the kids would do if something happened to me,so I started splitting small enough that she could handle them and sure enough,I blew a rotator cuff a year ago last Jan. and had surgery in April and her and the kids had to finish out the year.Use the splitter,make them smaal enough that you can get someone to feed the boiler if you can't.Makes a hell of a difference and really isn't that much more work and it is a lot easier to handle

 

[HardyOWB]

I am in my 3rd year with the Hardy. I like it a lot. Year 1 was mostly smaller cuts of wood. Year 2 I used the biggest pieces I could fit into the stove. I learned my lesson. Its too difficult to maneuver the big logs and get them to stack nicely in the stove while the smoke pours out the door. This year I will be splittling everything at least in half. For the smoke I learned to wait until the blower was going before loading the wood. Makes it a lot easier.

 

[beerman6]

That is an outright lie.. Two times.. heck it is at least 3 times as much..LOL
OWBs waste a lot of wood. I do not call mine "The magic Box" for nothing.
I was talking to a central boiler dealer yesterday.. he said "You only have to fill it once in 24 hours".. I said My god that thing will hold four wheel barrels of wood" He agreed.
Mine is homemade will only hold one heaping wheel barrel load.. and only on the coldest days do I need to feed it twice.

:monkey: The 2 times as much is what I've read here(I've never heated with wood until I bought the OWB) I fill mine twice a day,unless the temp is in the 40's then it's usually once per day.I dont know what size the firebox is on this CB you speak of,but it must be HUGE heating a HUGE house with no insulation.

 

[urhstry]

So here's the famous question.... how much wood did you guys use last year or the previous years and what is the square footage you are heating?

 

[LTREES]

Hey Ngzcaz

I guess it is time to call Ben again. I bugged him cause he didn't take my down payment. He told me they wont for awhile and I ordered may 19. I didn't get the call from the shop yet. The water has got to be simmering? NO??

No, I didn't know that there is a 3% charge for the credit card. If they are going to nickle and dime me I'll send it back and get a CB.

I too am a stickler about communication. If it's not going to be on time just tell me, then that's ok, dont ignore me.

Also, I intend to put in 18" rounds by 20" length. I'm not that big. That way if I need it for the inside stove I can split it. I'll try to roll the piece in, thats why I ordered the 22" x 24" door.

Don't be confused with what I'm saying. I think the stove will be great, just agree with the lack of communication. Ben says he talks to 100 people a day!
That alone says there is alot of work to do.

 

[urhstry]

I agree. He is proabably more busy now than he has ever been in the business but they need to hire another guy or two or have longer hours of operation. One guy can't do it all.

 

[ngzcaz]

Well, how's this for an update.. I go tomorrow morning ( approx 8'oclock ) to Ohio for the weekend. Today there's several messages on my answering machine from Shaver furnace and my dealer. The stove is coming TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!!
LESS than one day's notice !! And I'm supposed to have cash, certified check or M.O. Suppose I were already in Ohio ?? Or on vacation somewhere ?? I still have the email that the stove HAD been scheduled for the 23rd ( unaware of that until I inquired ) but was changed to the 30th July.. Am I supposed to screw up my plans because of their lack of communication ??
I mean come on.. what would they have done when they pulled in the driveway and no one was home? Take it another 1120 miles back to Arkansas ?
This was beyond poor, this was ridiculous... Now I have to wait until the banks open and do my business, then come home and wait for them ? I don't think so. I'll figure out some way to do this but I'm definately not happy.

 

[urhstry]

Between the local dealers and other stoves headed your way, maybe they figured they could save some money by loading it on the truck with another order and delivering it. I agree with your situtation but it does keep our costs down and not too many people are upset with getting something they ordered early. Again, we feel your pain, but hey man... you got your stove!:greenchainsaw:

 

[ShaverFurnace]

We don't charge a credit card fee!

I guess it is time to call Ben again. I bugged him cause he didn't take my down payment. He told me they wont for awhile and I ordered may 19. I didn't get the call from the shop yet. The water has got to be simmering? NO??

Ben: With the recent sky-high fuel prices and the extreme demand for our furnaces - it is currently taking 8 weeks for orders to be processed and the furnaces to be custom built. You need to add 2-3 weeks to get the furnace shipped. Furnaces are being shipped in which the order they have been received.

It appears that a dealer handled this and they often wait until they have a number of furnaces ready, before they are shipped.

With more particulars, I can tell you exactly what is going on.

No, I didn't know that there is a 3% charge for the credit card. If they are going to nickle and dime me I'll send it back and get a CB.

BEN: We, at Shaver Furnace NEVER charge a credit card fee. You must have bought your furnace at a dealer. We do charge the dealer for handling the card because they should have their own credit card processing. This is what we are charged and we can't absorb the cost as it is just about what we make on a dealer sale!

Do you really want a Central Boiler with no ash pan, a thinner (1/4") firebox, square with 12 welds to make it? AND lots of electronics to fail and no forced air blower? ...and more money?

I too am a stickler about communication. If it's not going to be on time just tell me, then that's ok, dont ignore me.

Also, I intend to put in 18" rounds by 20" length. I'm not that big. That way if I need it for the inside stove I can split it. I'll try to roll the piece in, thats why I ordered the 22" x 24" door.

Don't be confused with what I'm saying. I think the stove will be great, just agree with the lack of communication. Ben says he talks to 100 people a day!
That alone says there is alot of work to do.

BEN: I don't know who you are talking to or who you ordered from, but I sure can't handle all the calls I have to take plus the same number of e-mails a day AND take all the calls that the dealer is supposed to be handling! That's why we have dealers! )

I have the longest hours around (12 hours a day) and I work weekends too! Remember, this is a family run business and there are two of taking and making calls during those 12 hours. We do our best!