Bought a foreclosure OWB possibly froze

[Rweaver1214]

I'm new here I think this is the right area for my questions. I bought a house that was a foreclosure. It came with an OWB it's a CB5036 manufactured in 2007 sold in 2009. The stove is about 40 ft from the house and has the good insulated pex running to the house. House is FA heat with a heat exchanger. The stove sat idle for I believe 3 winters woth no heat in the house. The pump is froze up right now, I'm hoping to have the new one tomorrow. The stove has water in it nearly to the full mark when checked in the sight glass. My question is what steps should I take to see if the OWB is junk from the sitting.

 

[Vtrombly]

You would think since it was outdoors they would put some sort of antifreeze in it. The only thing I would worry about is the lines possibly being cracked if that wasn't the case otherwise just inspect the fire box and look for signs of wear. Clean the chimney or throw a ton of cardboard in it and have a 10 foot chimney fire since it's outdoors and go from there. I would think the froze up pump is more of a lack of movement than an internal problem. It is outdoors so even if something catastrophic happens the risk is pretty low for property loss.

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[Rweaver1214]

Yeah the pipes look fine from what I can see, and I agree with the pump being seized due to lack of movement. My biggest concern was that the water jacket could have cracked if it froze? I'm not sire of that's a danger or not. I would have thought it would have antifreeze in it but the liquid is clear and the CB dealer said people rarely put antifreeze in them.

 

[Woodyjiw]

I'd say if the water level stays at the same mark after u get it pumping water then u might get lucky with no cracks. But it could change after putting heat to it as it will expand some. Good luck and welcome to the site....

 

[sam-tip]

Good sign if I it is still holding water. Normally the pump housing would be broken after freezing.

 

[svk]

As the others said, the fact that it is holding water is a good thing. Completely clean out the firebox, check for any wet spots in there and make sure the chimney is clean. Then fire it up and start using it to see if there are any leaks anywhere.

 

[Rweaver1214]

Update: I just got home and pulled the pump off found that the unit definitely did freeze the backside of the pump was broken where the pump mounts to the cartridge. Now I am wondering if it's even worth spending the $100 on a new pump just to fjnd that the water jacket itself is leaking. The firebox is completly cleaned out and there are no wet spots.

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[Vtrombly]

Update: I just got home and pulled the pump off found that the unit definitely did freeze the backside of the pump was broken where the pump mounts to the cartridge. Now I am wondering if it's even worth spending the $100 on a new pump just to fjnd that the water jacket itself is leaking. The firebox is completly cleaned out and there are no wet spots.

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Ok so I would test the system blow out the pex lines with a small air compressor till all the lines are clear. make a fitting for the compressor to attach to either the return or the imput line. Put a ball valve on one end and then pressurize the system and let it sit for a half hour if it doesn't leak down you are good. You could use the same method for the water jacket but my guess is that if you fill the tank and watch the gauge the next day you will receive your answer. Im hoping that it froze and found its path at that connector and broke out it would be odd for it to break underground so I am still hopeful.

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[cantoo]

Ask someone local who knows to come look at it.
Most OWB's are open units meaning that you can't pressure test them very easily.
The lines are pex so freezing isn't going to hurt them. They will just expand when frozen and go back to shape when they thaw. It is possible to pressure test them in most cases. If they installed shut offs it is even easier, again someone local is your best bet.
The water jacket can freeze in several different ways. It could freeze from the top down which could in theory pop a weld on the bottom but that is highly doubtful unless it was a weak weld. OWB's are usually made of decent sized steel and will take a fair amount to break a weld ( age of unit and water properties etc make a difference) It could also freeze from the outside in again doubtful that it would pop welds. Most have an open top on them to add water and a place for excess to go if they boil over. Also very seldom are OWB's filled to the brim so doubtful if it would pop welds. Think of it as being a steel barrel you leave full of water in the winter, usually the ice just pushes up and if it's a thin barrel it might distort some but not likely much. Now if the barrel is sealed and there is nowhere for the ice to expand to then it will break wherever it is the weakest.
The pump is kind of a sealed unit so yes it would freeze, expand and crack the housing.
I bought a used OWB that sat outside for years with water in it, no leaks and no issues. I replaced pumps, thermostat, the fan and fired that baby up.
Spent the few bucks on a pump or jury rig something up with a sump pump and get the water moving.

 

[Rweaver1214]

Excellent explanation, I hope to get the pump tomorrow and see see where I'm at once I'm circulating water. This unit has a digital temperature controller that us currently not working so I will need to replace that also to truly test it but at $55 for the controller it's an easy pill to swallow. Thanks for the advice!

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[Marshy]

Ok so I would test the system blow out the pex lines with a small air compressor till all the lines are clear. make a fitting for the compressor to attach to either the return or the imput line. Put a ball valve on one end and then pressurize the system and let it sit for a half hour if it doesn't leak down you are good. You could use the same method for the water jacket but my guess is that if you fill the tank and watch the gauge the next day you will receive your answer. Im hoping that it froze and found its path at that connector and broke out it would be odd for it to break underground so I am still hopeful.

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I also would recommend he do a pressure test of the system but not with compressed air. It would be best to get input from the stove manufacture on what pressure to test the system with. The idea would be to fill the system with water as much as possible, cap any vents and pressurize the system by adding an air source and check for water leaks. The purpose for doing it full of water is if a line/pipe/water box catastrophically fails you won't have a large volume of pressurized energy as it would be if filled with all air.

 

[NSMaple1]

I don't think I would pressurize. I would just fill & watch for leaks over time. OWBs aren't built to be pressurized, could do some damage with not a lot of air added.

 

[Andy-H]

Excellent explanation, I hope to get the pump tomorrow and see see where I'm at once I'm circulating water. This unit has a digital temperature controller that us currently not working so I will need to replace that also to truly test it but at $55 for the controller it's an easy pill to swallow. Thanks for the advice!

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Check the fuse if the d.r.o. isn't working. Its above the circulation pump, glass type fuse

 

[cantoo]

I tried to pressurize mine to test it and it wouldn't hold air. The top water filling pipe was welded in but wasn't welded very good and it leaked there. I filled it to the brim and let it sit for a week and there was no loss other than a bit of evaporation.

 

[H-Ranch]

If the house was without heat might want to watch the heat exchanger for leaks too. Pumps, rigid pipes, heat exchangers, and the like are the weak points for freezing where the water has nowhere to go. That's good though because those are the easy parts to replace - PEX and OWB tank not so much. The fact that the water is high seems to be a good sign along with no visible leaks. If you do pressure test with air 5 psi is probably plenty.

 

[crowbuster]

Im guessing you are sure the unit has power ? I kill mine inside at the breaker box when I shut it down for the summer.

 

[NSMaple1]

If the house was without heat might want to watch the heat exchanger for leaks too. Pumps, rigid pipes, heat exchangers, and the like are the weak points for freezing where the water has nowhere to go. That's good though because those are the easy parts to replace - PEX and OWB tank not so much. The fact that the water is high seems to be a good sign along with no visible leaks. If you do pressure test with air 5 psi is probably plenty.

Problem with that is, most pressure guages don't even register until past 5, and can be inaccurate at the bottom end of their range. So lots of potential to over do the pressure.

 

[Marshy]

Problem with that is, most pressure guages don't even register until past 5, and can be inaccurate at the bottom end of their range. So lots of potential to over do the pressure.

That's why its best to get the advice of the manufacture about pressurizing it. Gauges can be found online very easily. Heres one 0-15 psi with 1/2 lb graduations for $12. https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-1-1-2-Test-Pressure-Gauge-4FLP8

 

[mohick]

Yeah! Someone who is getting foreclosed on putting antifreeze in outside boiler!!! Must be a nice planet you dream on !!!!!! hahahahaha

 

[Rweaver1214]

Hey they drained the water and put antifreeze in the traps in the house!

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