Heatmor 200 help needed

[SJB2024]

I bought a house last month with a heatmor 200. I tried following all of the manual instructions, but need help. I am completely new to this and confused...

When my blower kicks on I get a bit of sparks out the stack and it sounds like boiling coming from the door. What am I doing wrong? I just had the water pump replaced and I have circulation. When I turned off the blower and opened the door, I was met with flames. I loaded the boiler with a few logs, but am wondering if it was tooo many.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[H-Ranch]

I don't have a Heatmor so I'm not familiar with them but I have been running my own design for 14 seasons. If water is boiling then I would first verify water level. Would also check the water temperature set point - if it's too high it may boil in hot spots such as the door if it is plumbed for water. Also check flow/restrictions through door if possible.

Sparks with the blower on may be normal for Heatmor. Without my internal baffle I get sparks also.

If the blower is shut down the fire is starving for oxygen when you open the door and you may get a flare. I usually open it a crack slowly before opening all the way to fill. Again, normal.

Regarding fill volume, I try to estimate the amount needed until the next tending. At -5°F forecast tonight, I filled it with black locust. At 35° I might put 8 pine splits in for the morning fill to get to the afternoon.

Lastly, do your best to burn seasoned wood. It's tempting to use just cut rounds, but they contain lots of moisture and water doesn't provide much heat when you have to burn it off. Get a year ahead (or two!) and stay there. Split and stacked wood exposed to sun and wind is optimal.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

 

[Acoustic Awards]

Hold off on using your boiler! Flames are a serious safety hazard, so shut it down completely and don't try to restart it yourself. There are a few things that could be causing the problems you're describing, but it's important to have a qualified technician come take a look to ensure everything is safe.

 

[blakey]

The flames coming out the door are from opening the door when there has been no air supplied to the fire for a while and still lots of unburnt fuel. The solution to this is to be careful when opening the door or don't open it until it is time to reload. I try to only load enough wood for 12 hrs and still have a good bed of coals left so I rarely have a flashback like that. But I have singed my eyebrows in the past.

If you are overloading that may be one reason for sparks out the chimney as well. My Central Boiler doesn't have a blower fan but I have still had sparks on a windy day and with a roaring fire.

What is your water temperature? I know the Heatmor units have water jackets in the doors so maybe don't load fuel right against the door. I like to leave 6" of space when loading mine just to avoid door warpage or cracking.

 

[Khntr85]

Sparks will happen, more so with wet or different kinds of wood….Keep eye on on the temp of water, it it just kicked off and you go to load the stove, if you take your time, the water temp is still on the rise, and eventually will over heat…just got to get to know her, and what makes her tick…

 

[SJB2024]

Thank you all - I have been slowly learning and realize I was overloading.