When do you shut it down for the year?

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Wayned24

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2017
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Location
New Marshfield, Ohio
I'm sure this has been discussed 1000 times on here, but I'm fairly new to the site. This is my first year using my OWB and I was just wondering if you guys had a date of when you shut it down for the year or do you just play it by ear? I'm running into the scenario where it gets chilly at night in Ohio so it's useful to burn, but during the day, my blower doesn't run and the fire goes out. Anyone have any tips to tackle that or is it just something I will need to deal with?
 
Mines been running 24/7 since 2008. I've shut it down for maintenance a few times. I heat water and pool as well. Burns very little wood in the summer and stays lit no problem.
 
Mine ran into early May last year. I would have shut it down sooner by a couple weeks but I made some changes and wanted to see it run for a couple weeks with those changes. I don't heat my DHW.

With the highs now creeping into the mid to upper 30's and the sun getting stronger it will slow down pretty good. Go to 1/4 loads so I don't get a ton of coals built up.
 
I'm sure this has been discussed 1000 times on here, but I'm fairly new to the site. This is my first year using my OWB and I was just wondering if you guys had a date of when you shut it down for the year or do you just play it by ear? I'm running into the scenario where it gets chilly at night in Ohio so it's useful to burn, but during the day, my blower doesn't run and the fire goes out. Anyone have any tips to tackle that or is it just something I will need to deal with?

Is yours a gassifier? Just wondering if this is why you are having trouble keeping it going as I understand they like to have a good hot fire to operate properly. I have a Central Boiler Classic non gassifier type and I run it as long as I need it. It is basically my only heat source as my furnace oil tank has been empty for 16 or 17 years.
 
Depending on your boiler you can set it to puff air every so often. Mine is set to go for a minute every hour and when it starts to warm more it will go for 4 minutes every hour.
 
I never have problems with my fire going out. I have a Taylor OWB. I’m not burning through much lately, been trying to get rid of junk wood. I usually shut down end of April before I go on vacation for a week. I clean the insides of the firebox and flu out and coat with used motor oil to prevent rust. I will probably have to drain the tank this year and replace the corrosion rod, then refill and use Taylor’s boiler additive. This reminds me, I need to order that stuff...
 
Earlier than I'd like this year. Colder than average winter used more wood, so I only have enough for about another week.
 
We burn year around usually. In the summer we only put wood in it every couple of days and it's usually junk wood or poplar. Might stir it up on odd days just to keep some coals going. We also burn newspaper flyers and cardboard and that help it to flare up when it does finally turn the blower on.
 
Seems to me we had about 3 false starts ( or would that be false stops?) last year. It would be good and warm for a week so I would shut it down followed by a couple of cold weeks so I would fire it up again.

Typically I'm about the same as WCA above - Halloween to Easter. Really depends on the weather and the forecast though.
 
I generally run from Oct - May It is my only heat source. Never had an issue with the fire going out and I'm running a P&M gasifier.
 
Late May. Probably mid May if I didn't use it to give the pool a warm up before we open it. Don't have a problem with the fire going out, put a few logs in it in the morning, few logs in it in the evening. Don't usually fill it unless it is unusually cold.
 
Different stoves, different regions and various setups will yield a variety of answers.

I heat mainly with radiant using a CB 5036 in the mountains of VA.
I fire it up in Nov and shut it down in March then use heat pump.

I have only built 1 fire per year since owning the stove.
 
I have been waiting longer to start burning and shutting down earlier. The reason is it takes $20 a month for the pump to run . I can just put on my gas fireplace and run it a few hours a night in the family room and be fine from April till it is warm. I used to start burning as soon as it got cool but it takes half a load to get the boiler , the water and the pipes good and hot so there is a lot of waste just to get teething going just to shut it down in a few hours. I start Dec. 1st the last few yrs .
 
I dont have a OWB. I have had a lot of people tell me how great theirs is and a lot of people saying just the opposite. Personally, I am happy with my Iwb. Build a fire and instant heat. I made a heat exchanger for the stove to heat water, but it only works in the winter. I cant see burning wood year round just to heat water. I had let my stove go out a few weeks ago. Temps hitting 70F outside. Heck, I had to mow my grass twice in Feb. This week, back down into the 20F's. I looked at the cold snap as a chance to clean up leftover wood I had stored in my basement. Now that I am retired, it no big deal to visit the stove every now and then to throw in just enough wood to keep the fire from going out. And if I pack the stove full, it will easily burn all night, or all day, if I need it to. Wont burn two or three days unattended like a OWB, but I dont need it to. Weather being what it has been this year, I have been lighting fires only when needed. Some days building and maintaining a bast furnace fire, and other days just throwing on enough wood to keep the chill down, and other days just letting the fire burn out.
 
We run our Garn year around to heat water in the summer. Propane hasn't been used in years. I check the furnaces every fall to make sure they will work on propane just in case.
 
Whenever it warms up.

I keep going until May usually since it is still heating domestic water and is available if needed on cold nights. As long as I have some good oak or elm it keeps coals very well even in warm weather.

I turn off the valve to the furnace exchanger on warm days or else the house gets too warm from convection. I turn the floor heat off also when it starts getting warmer.
 
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