Another OWB water pump Question

[loadthestove]

Good info... can you guys give a rough estimate as to how much wood you save by cycling???? Or give an estimate in the increase in burn time?

How long did you run the pump 24/7 and how long have you been cycling?

It would be easy to wire in a control that would allow you to switch back and forth.... That way... if temps dropped really low and you did become concerned about freezing... you could switch over to full time pump operation... but then again.. if temps drop really low, your gonna have more demand, and the pump will be cycling more anyway... With my installation, and the way my lines are insulated, I doubt very seriously mine would ever freeze.... and I suspect that is likely with most installations ?

Several things have to be considered about different pump setups.

First thing,I don't have winter like a lot of folks on this board do.they might consider my winter just a cold snap.it's 28 degrees outside here now temp got up to about 36 today.I think we have only had two nights where temp got below 20.
the ground here is still not solid frozen,just a few inches on top
and we have had three snow falls so far this year with a measurable accumulation.1 inch.4-5 inches,about 1 over the weekend.
So basically We just get the --edge -- of winter.

As for wood savings .I have tried it both ways this winter.when i run my pump continuously I will use about 1 large wheel barrel load of wood more every three days compared to cycling the pump.
Also the stove temp is about 10-15 degrees hotter at the end of a cycle(time for reload) with the pump cycling versus pump running all the time.

This is my second winter with my OWB and I'm in the process of building another stove and plan on making several changes to my system.I made several mistakes with my current setup that time and experience have pointed out to me.

Ask me this question again in about 12 months and maybe I can give you a better answer

 

[mtfallsmikey]

My primary loop pumps run 24/7, just like the CB manual calls for...if they didn't, there would be mucho steam generated, and a busted boiler from excessive heat warping. I have secondary loop pumps going to the HX's in the house/shop that run on a call for heat from the t-stat.

I'm really surprised how much less wood I've burned this year by keeping the setpoint on my CB at 165 deg.and lower as the outside temps. change. Glad I oversized the HX's too!

 

[uglydukwling]

My circulating pump has to run continuously. If it shuts down, the water overheats and starts to boil, even with the firebox blower off. With the blower off AND the air inlet plugged, (fire just smouldering) the boiling is postponed, but it will still eventually boil (I've never timed just how long it takes). Maybe I did too good a job of insulating the water jacket.
I've been planning to add a solenoid-operated,normally-closed air valve to the air inlet so the air would automatically be stifled when the blower is off, but I havn't gotten around to it yet. Now, when we have a power failure, I go out and manually plug the air inlet. If it looks like the power is going to be off for a significant length of time, I start the generator.
I suppose if the pump were off long enough, I'd have to worry about freezing, but the immediate problem is boiling,

 

[ghitch75]

My circulating pump has to run continuously. If it shuts down, the water overheats and starts to boil, even with the firebox blower off. With the blower off AND the air inlet plugged, (fire just smouldering) the boiling is postponed, but it will still eventually boil (I've never timed just how long it takes). Maybe I did too good a job of insulating the water jacket.
I've been planning to add a solenoid-operated,normally-closed air valve to the air inlet so the air would automatically be stifled when the blower is off, but I havn't gotten around to it yet. Now, when we have a power failure, I go out and manually plug the air inlet. If it looks like the power is going to be off for a significant length of time, I start the generator.
I suppose if the pump were off long enough, I'd have to worry about freezing, but the immediate problem is boiling,

i would look for a air leak into the firebox....