Englander 28-3500 question

[kugss]

For those of you that have a 28-3500 how often do you have to clean the glass door? It seems like i do it once a week. Scrape mine with a razor blade.

 

[traditions]

Try dampining a crumpled piece of newspaper .dip it in ash dust and rub on the glass.Finish with a paper towel before the glass dries.

 

[100 Watt]

You probably are using wood that is still a little green. Do you hear a little sizzling when you throw in the logs?

Mine can go a month or so before needing cleaned with well seasoned wood. If I throw in a little green stuff it glazes over in a week or two.

I use a razor blade, it takes about 30 seconds. I keep the shop vac nearby anyway to clean up the wood mess anyway so no big deal.

Good Luck.

 

[mustangwagz]

Yah ditto with what 100watt said. your wood must still have a little moistuer in it, When there aint no logs (just coals) hit it with a razor blade, a SHARP one. IF your fire goes out, and ya aint got no big heat still kickin, use some easy off. Easy off takes it off like magic!! spray it on, let it sit for a minute at and then return with a paper towl or cloth and wipe away!! TADAH!! like new again.

Also, buy yourself a Pipe Thermometer. Keep it cookin around atleast 300..atleast. Place it about 18" above the exit of the stove. This will also do away with a majority of your door poop. It also helps to see how effecient your wood is burning. Once i learned to keep it at safe temps, i virtually get NO door poop. Also, keeping at alteast 300 cuts down on chimney scrubbing/cleaning also.

These burners are great burners, mine kicks major a$$!! One downfall to them is there's no spring loaded damper on them..but, once you learn how to set the drafts just right, i can load mine and not touch it for 5-10 hours depending on the wood i'm burning.

Here's a question, Not to hi-jack the thread, but how do yinz have your dampers set? Just curious? My bottom spin is open about the thickness of a dime. and the top i usually run about 1/2 inch from the right hand side. (but all drafts are different)

 

[mustangwagz]

Try dampining a crumpled piece of newspaper .dip it in ash dust and rub on the glass.Finish with a paper towel before the glass dries.

Oh yah?..whats the purpose of the ash dust? does it create a chemical barrier?

 

[100 Watt]

I set my dampers the same as Mustang. I do crack the ash door open for a few minutes to get the morning logs going again though.

Another thing I did was to install a flu damper. $4 at TSC. This helped slow the draft down giving me longer burn times. I like you, picked up a magnetic thermometer and try to keep it above 300.

Here's a pic of my door glass after 1 month of burning.

 

[pook]

Oh yah?..whats the purpose of the ash dust? does it create a chemical barrier?

May be a romanticized "old way" that may scratch the glass? Bringing in combustion air thru the intake above the door should keep the glass cleaner= air comes in above door & HAS TO dive down ,across the glass, to get to the flame or hottest spot [coals] due to air density factors.
oven cleaner worx great but is nasty smell.

 

[mustangwagz]

I set my dampers the same as Mustang. I do crack the ash door open for a few minutes to get the morning logs going again though.

Another thing I did was to install a flu damper. $4 at TSC. This helped slow the draft down giving me longer burn times. I like you, picked up a magnetic thermometer and try to keep it above 300.

Here's a pic of my door glass after 1 month of burning.

IDENTICAL thermometer i got..lol..looking at your stove pipe picture i spun around real quick and was like..yup..same temp. LOL

These truly are good stoves. I love mine. it saves me 1200 bucks a winter. If i was to save all 1200 up and BUY firewood, holy balls...i'd have a #### pile! lol but i cut so i have a #### pile X10 haha. What you burning in yours in the picture? poplar or locust of some type?

On another note, once the logs have burned up, and i got coals left, i simply close the top slide the whole way and lets the coal's do their job. Leaving the bottom open as it normally is just to keep the embers burning. Its been 2 years of operation with mine. so far, all the seals and stuff are ok for most part. Door seal may need replaced next year.

One last thing before i shut up (i love to talk alot..sorry..) The ashpan size was something that sold me on the stove at the beginning. Its HUGE..like, compared to the hot blast and all the other guys, this thing will hold a weeks worth of ash, if not more. (i burned alotta maple so far this year) and i can get about 9 days of ash in there. Ash burns up so fine and dusty, i just rake it arounda bit, and stuff more wood in.

Ok, so i'm done for now. hahaha. Ill keep a subscription on this thread becuz it pertains to the dragon!! (furnace that is..)

 

[100 Watt]

I'm burning ash. Thanks to a little insect (EAB) I've got a few cords stacked and ready to burn. A dozen or so trees still standing but definately on the way out. They'll burn good next season.

I'm with you on the ash pan. My buddy has a hot blast and the pan is much smaller. I do like the shaker grate though.

This is my first year with the 3500. We love it. It's funny how many times a day I check the house thermostat and shake my head. When using propane we would keep the house 66°. With the add-on it stays above 70°(normally @74°). Have had to crack a window alot so far. Not a bad problem to have. We have a large ranch (3K) with a full basement. So far, the 3500 has kept up just fine. I have been eyeing a magic heat reclaimer for the flue. I think about all the heat going out the chimney. I figured dumping into the basement couldn't hurt. I'm getting greedy with the heat.

 

[pook]

I'm burning ash. Thanks to a little insect (EAB) I've got a few cords stacked and ready to burn. A dozen or so trees still standing but definately on the way out. They'll burn good next season.

I'm with you on the ash pan. My buddy has a hot blast and the pan is much smaller. I do like the shaker grate though.

This is my first year with the 3500. We love it. It's funny how many times a day I check the house thermostat and shake my head. When using propane we would keep the house 66°. With the add-on it stays above 70°(normally @74°). Have had to crack a window alot so far. Not a bad problem to have. We have a large ranch (3K) with a full basement. So far, the 3500 has kept up just fine. I have been eyeing a magic heat reclaimer for the flue. I think about all the heat going out the chimney. I figured dumping into the basement couldn't hurt. I'm getting greedy with the heat.

MH knocks the fluetemp down to 300*f & wont blow unless the thing heats up & theres no power outage. Its also purported to condense more creo in chimni from cooling the fluegas so chimni vigilance is warranted. Nelson2 has 1 ready for the dump [silly] but may be u can get a deal for the MH from him

 

[mustangwagz]

i just sold mine on ebay for like 90 bucks. wasnt anything wrong with it. it was a vogelzang brand. it was the 100cfm version, not the 200 cfm version. Those work good IF your burning really really hot. like..for example in my garage i was cookin close to 500 before magic heat, and after it i was around 400. SO it did knock it down 100. so watch yourself with creo. hate to read about ya burnin down the love shack cuz of it. lol

 

[flotek]

i have had my 28-3500 for around 3 years now ,a good american made furnace for the money that will heat your 2,000+ sqft home 100% without any backup source.dry seasoned wood will keep the glass cleanings down to a minimum and only require a spray and wipe of ovenoff cleaner ever week or so .keep in mind theres cheap ways to improve it a great deal i added another blower ($90 463cfm model 1DTR9 Dayton squirrel unit on ebay) o n the back sheet metal and many more firebrick also a sheet of stainless above the steel baffle to avoid warpage and add mass .i added a flue damper 6 inches up on the pipe also a rutland thermometer.i also adjusted the thermodisk to stay on longer and kick on sooner .these little addtions allow for long burns.i have a chimney whip /sooteater setup (easy 10 minute sweeps )stainless all the way to the cap i only burn clean dry well seasoned wood and clean my flue more often then most (3-4 times per year) i use approx 5.5 cords of wood each heating season.on a hot bed of glowing coals i pack it to the baffle with hardwood ,set my lower spin draft out maybe half turn set my flue damper a quarter of the way shut and slide my top control lever over only about 1/4 open (equals around 3/8 inch gap off the right) ill get warm 10 hour burns this way,i would NOT use a heat reclaimer it will cool the flue too much ,you want that area to be hot for your furnace to function best it will basically just fill the chimney pipe with creosote making it pretty inefficent for a draft and also pretty dangerous to burn if your caked on crud ignites inside(hello uncontrolable chimney fire!)now the mods i did allow for a fairly clean burn that works well and the extra 463 cfm blower really moves out heat to the furthest vents in the outter bedrooms evening things out and making it comfortable for the kids on cold frigid nights.http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dayton-1TDR9-Psc-Blower-463CFM-115V-Replac-4C448-/120654713736?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1794d388

 

[100 Watt]

Flotek, I would love to see a pic of the added blower. I'm assuming you simply cut into the rear panel above the existing, and "piggy backed" (I'm a plumber, not an electrician) off the thermostat?

Yea, I'm definately not going to waste the money on the Magic Heat. The creosote worries me enough.

Thanks, Jay

 

[mustangwagz]

You guys are talkin 70's n stuff..im typin this message now at 86 in my place. i got about 1500 sq ft. runnin on coals right now, no logs. i put a good hard load in it, it'll cook us out to about 90 or more if wood allows. lol

 

[flotek]

when my setup was using my forced oil furnace blower to do the work i could get my englander to get my 2,000 sqft house over 90 if i left it on ,usually for most people high 70's is more comfortable than 90 lol but it can be done ,theres disadvantages to running a giant single blower off your house furnace .the nice thing about running the factory 875 cfm blower and maybe a medium size addon like mine is it wont super cool the firebox or burn up major electricity like a large duct propane /oil furnaces blowers do cause some of them are rated at 2500+ cfm and have a half horse or more engines ,2 squirrel fans are like 1/8 of one horsepower and use less than 10 bucks extra a month in the electric bill.the addition of my added blower (yes its wired in sync with factory one ) is now noticably better in feel of the pressure from the registers and it really doesnt add anything to the electric bill as far as i can tell ,its just enough extra to move more air yet wont prematurely cool my firebox,the longer you keep the firebox warm the longer the you have effective heat instead of thermodisk kicking blowers off 2 hours too early

 

[mustangwagz]

Sweet mod! i like it! although, i dont think i need 2 blowers. lol If i was using ductwork, that may be the ticket for me as well, unfortuanly, i cant plumb into my ductwork, i barely have a basement, nor do i have room and the ability to put the furnace down there. not to mention, steps that lead to it. lol Wish i did though!

 

[kugss]

when my setup was using my forced oil furnace blower to do the work i could get my englander to get my 2,000 sqft house over 90 if i left it on ,usually for most people high 70's is more comfortable than 90 lol but it can be done ,theres disadvantages to running a giant single blower off your house furnace .the nice thing about running the factory 875 cfm blower and maybe a medium size addon like mine is it wont super cool the firebox or burn up major electricity like a large duct propane /oil furnaces blowers do cause some of them are rated at 2500+ cfm and have a half horse or more engines ,2 squirrel fans are like 1/8 of one horsepower and use less than 10 bucks extra a month in the electric bill.the addition of my added blower (yes its wired in sync with factory one ) is now noticably better in feel of the pressure from the registers and it really doesnt add anything to the electric bill as far as i can tell ,its just enough extra to move more air yet wont prematurely cool my firebox,the longer you keep the firebox warm the longer the you have effective heat instead of thermodisk kicking blowers off 2 hours too early

I like that set up. I might do that aswell if after i have it all hooked up and the duct work done and it isnt enough.

 

[traditions]

The ash dust acts as a buffing compound.I got the idea from this site last year.I have a PE summit and the glass need to be cleaned about once a month.I thought it worked pretty good,the ash sticks good to the moist paper,you just have to finish up with paper towel before it dries

 

[Lovin Locust]

I am considering the Englander 28-3500 for my home. My dilemma is that I have 2 ductwork systems, with 2 smaller gas furnaces rather than 1 big 1. Both units are in my basement I want to install the add on furnace into both of my duct work systems. The Englander only has 1 warm air outlet. Could I use a tee for the warm air outlet and tie into both of my ductwork systems?? Also I was wondering about adding a barometric damper to the flue since my chimney is about 25' or so.. Ideas needed.. thanks

 

[laynes69]

The Englander has 1-8" outlet which would produce around 400 cfms. That's not enough flow to share between 2 central furnaces. You need a wood furnace with a large plenum opening that you can split two ways. Many furnaces with plenum openings have blowers in the 1400-2000 cfm range. What's the btu ratings of the two furnaces, and why two?