Good advise for OWB's and Stoves

[Deleted member 117362]

Many may have already seen this, but good advise.
Don’t be THAT guy - he thinks he knows everything. He says: “This doesn’t apply to me!”

If you have an outdoor wood boiler, this applies to you. Period.

This procedure may extend the life of your boiler an additional 20 years! (Not doing this may cut the life of your boiler by 75% or more!)

We call this procedure the “Dry Burn”.

These are the top three reasons you should “Dry Burn” your Outdoor Boiler every day:

1. Longer Boiler Life - Condensation inside boiler kills it. Short life costs money. Long life saves you money!
2. Less Maintenance – Your time is valuable, isn’t it?
3. More efficiency=lower cost – get the biggest bang for your fuel!

How do you get a DRY BURN?
As wood burns, the moisture is slowly burned out of the wood. Unfortunately, that moisture is coming out of the wood for most of the burn cycle – it is only at the very END of the burn cycle when the wood is just dry hot coals that all the moisture is out of the wood. This is theDRY BURN state.

But many outdoor boiler owners never allow their boilers to reach this state. The load up their boiler in the morning with a huge load of wood, and by the end of the day, the wood is only half-burned. This wood has NEVER reached a DRY BURN state, and is still giving the inside of your boiler a moisture bath. Then they “TOP OFF” their firebox burn chamber with more moisture-filled wood, adding even more moisture to the process. This boiler never experiences DRY BURN.

The solution is simple! Only load into your firebox the amount of wood needed to get you to your next fill. You want your wood to burn down completely to coals and burn in that DRY BURN state for the last few hours of every wood load.

Don’t be the guy who says this: “This doesn’t apply to me. I only use SEASONED wood! My wood was cut two years ago!” THAT DOESN’T MATTER! Even the most seasoned hardwood contains about 20% moisture. That is a lot of moisture, and you gotta deal with it, before it deals with you.

1. Unfortunately, boilers that don’t get a DRY BURN every day, will begin to experience damaging corrosion. The parts of the boiler that are cooler (such as the perimeter of the door) start to show corrosion damage. The ASH will absorb this moisture and if not removed often, will form an acid paste that eats through steel. Steel in the corners can begin to show pitting damage that, if left unchecked, will lead to a leak in your steel.

Dry Burn will extend the life of your boiler, possibly for several decades. Now THAT is worth knowing about!

2. Also, boilers that don’t get a DRY BURN every day, will require cleaning much more often. This is because the DRY BURN will dry up and burn off accumulated creosote. Normal creosote forms while normal wood is being burned until it reaches the Dry Burn state. Then in Dry Burn, that creosote dries up and often flakes off. Without a Dry Burn, that creosote builds up thicker and deeper layers.

3. Finally, the Dry Burn process saves wood! This is because it burns your wood fuel more efficiently and this saves you time and money.

DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!
The solution is simple! Only load into your firebox the amount of wood needed to get you to your next fill. You want your wood to burn down completely to coals and burn in that DRY BURN state for the last few hours of every wood load. This will dry out all the components that may have become moist from condensation. This will protect your boiler – and your INVESTMENT!

Use this DRY BURN technique to keep your boiler healthy, and SAVE YOU MONEY for decades to come!

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[Wood Hound]

I thought we all knew this??

 

[Deleted member 117362]

I thought we all knew this??

All is a big word. But, I am sure most do.

 

[Wood Hound]

I get a little crazy with my keyboard...

 

[jimdeere]

I’ve considered adding thermometer in my house to measure the temperature of the water. When I see the temperature drop a few degrees below the set point, I’d go out and add a few sticks of wood.
Right now I fill up before bedtime and again in late morning when there’s nothing but coals. The problem with the article above is that few can feed the stove 12 times a day. They have other things to do...like work and sleep.
FWIW, my stove is 7 years old and shows no signs of rust. The water is crystal clear.

 

[quotedraven]

I’ve considered adding thermometer in my house to measure the temperature of the water. When I see the temperature drop a few degrees below the set point, I’d go out and add a few sticks of wood.
Right now I fill up before bedtime and again in late morning when there’s nothing but coals. The problem with the article above is that few can feed the stove 12 times a day. They have other things to do...like work and sleep.
FWIW, my stove is 7 years old and shows no signs of rust. The water is crystal clear.

I think he is saying loading it less then 12 times daily is ideal. Dry burn

 

[cantoo]

By the time you notice rust it's already too late.

 

[NSMaple1]

I’ve considered adding thermometer in my house to measure the temperature of the water. When I see the temperature drop a few degrees below the set point, I’d go out and add a few sticks of wood.
Right now I fill up before bedtime and again in late morning when there’s nothing but coals. The problem with the article above is that few can feed the stove 12 times a day. They have other things to do...like work and sleep.
FWIW, my stove is 7 years old and shows no signs of rust. The water is crystal clear.

12 times a day? I didn't read that. I read that you only put what wood in it that will burn up by the time you want to load it again. Which should be standard operating procedure anyway. As opposed to constantly putting fresh wood in when there is still fuel in there - which 12 times a day would be.

Also rust in water or not doesn't have anything to do with firebox corrosion. It will corrode away from the fire side, not the water side.

Good idea about the thermometer though. You can get wireless BBQ thermometers, and tie the probe onto a pipe and wrap it with pipe insulation. The display unit could be anywhere in the house, you could even take it to bed with you. I have a Maverick, dual probe. I likely wouldn't go exactly by set point though, I would go by whatever the supply temp drops to when the house starts not being warm enough. Then load up.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

12 times a day? I didn't read that. I read that you only put what wood in it that will burn up by the time you want to load it again. Which should be standard operating procedure anyway. As opposed to constantly putting fresh wood in when there is still fuel in there - which 12 times a day would be.

Also rust in water or not doesn't have anything to do with firebox corrosion. It will corrode away from the fire side, not the water side.

Good idea about the thermometer though. You can get wireless BBQ thermometers, and tie the probe onto a pipe and wrap it with pipe insulation. The display unit could be anywhere in the house, you could even take it to bed with you. I have a Maverick, dual probe. I likely wouldn't go exactly by set point though, I would go by whatever the supply temp drops to when the house starts not being warm enough. Then load up.

You are correct, it does not say 12 times a day. I typically fill mine once or twice a day, depending on weather (outside temp and wind). Do allow it to burn to ash and want to see bottom of fire box and scrape it down, daily or at least every other. Current owb has 6 years burn time and sold larger previous owb to neighbor and been going for 16 years now. He heats home, pole barn and domestic water with it, I only heat home and domestic water. 16 year owb has original pump, aqua-stat and blower on it.

 

[jimdeere]

I think I get it, now. Load it, let it burn down to coals before loading again? That’s pretty much what I do now.
I was thinking an old school automotive temperature gauge with the sending unit on the end of a capillary tube, installed directly in the water.

 

[NSMaple1]

I think I get it, now. Load it, let it burn down to coals before loading again? That’s pretty much what I do now.
I was thinking an old school automotive temperature gauge with the sending unit on the end of a capillary tube, installed directly in the water.

Yup - coals, another likely more straightforward way to put it.

External sensors tight against a pipe under some pipe insulation can work just as good, without needing to cut into the water or pipe at all (which I try to avoid at all costs). My Maverick BBQ thermometer has been going for 3 years now. Batteries last a full season. I use it for my storage tank temps, top & bottom. (Has 2 probes). It wouldn't have the range to reach from an OWB, but from a pipe in the basement should be pretty doable.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

You could read my owb's water temperature from inside of house with a cheap pair of binoculars. New owb has a flashing display if temp drops too low, and light to warn if water level is low. A lot easier to fill and maintain than our older indoor furnace, mess outside, chance of fire reduced, less moving of wood, less splitting, etc.