Help in NY: Outdoor Wood burner

[sw18x]

I live in western NY, Rochester area, and we bought a house last spring with a Mahoning outdoor woodburner. I know nothing about the unit other than what the previous homeowners told me, a few short conversations with Mahoning, and an installation/maintenance manual most of which is Greek to me. I'm looking for someone to come out and take a look at the unit, because it's about 9 years old and I've got some concerns. Also, I want to make sure it's plumbed right: when we moved in, it hadn't been fired for a week and we had no hot water, no flow at all at the faucet in the house, until we fired it up and thawed the unit out. Can't see how that was right, and given the fact that the tap in the house wasn't flowing, it makes me think the homeowner might have plumbed the water from the unit directly into the drinking water. The manufacturer calls for an anti-rust inhibitor, but there's no way I'm adding that until I know for sure what's going on.

I fired her up today for the first time this season and have it set at 140 degrees, but the gas boiler in the basement is still kicking on now that we turned the heat on. I called a guy I know who does heating and cooling (but not outdoor burners), he said baseboard heat usually runs at 180 - how hot can I run the water in the outdoor boiler? All I know is the homeowner said they ran it at 130.

So you can see my dilemma. Anybody know a company in my neck of the woods that services OWB's? Thanks. I worked too hard to lay up my 30 facecords this summer, I want to make sure I'm doing things right.

 

[fdoberman]

You're right, something is definitely wrong if the hot water is flowing through the OWF and not a heat exchanger inside the house. Probably smebody went cheap.

Rochester's a big area, PM me with a location and if I'm close I may be able to help.

You're right on being able to heat with 140° water at this point of the season.

 

[sw18x]

Thanks, PM sent. Another problem now, think I got a dead pump. Better to deal with this stuff now than December!

 

[leon]

Mahoning

I live in western NY, Rochester area, and we bought a house last spring with a Mahoning outdoor woodburner. I know nothing about the unit other than what the previous homeowners told me, a few short conversations with Mahoning, and an installation/maintenance manual most of which is Greek to me. I'm looking for someone to come out and take a look at the unit, because it's about 9 years old and I've got some concerns. Also, I want to make sure it's plumbed right: when we moved in, it hadn't been fired for a week and we had no hot water, no flow at all at the faucet in the house, until we fired it up and thawed the unit out. Can't see how that was right, and given the fact that the tap in the house wasn't flowing, it makes me think the homeowner might have plumbed the water from the unit directly into the drinking water. The manufacturer calls for an anti-rust inhibitor, but there's no way I'm adding that until I know for sure what's going on.

I fired her up today for the first time this season and have it set at 140 degrees, but the gas boiler in the basement is still kicking on now that we turned the heat on. I called a guy I know who does heating and cooling (but not outdoor burners), he said baseboard heat usually runs at 180 - how hot can I run the water in the outdoor boiler? All I know is the homeowner said they ran it at 130.

So you can see my dilemma. Anybody know a company in my neck of the woods that services OWB's? Thanks. I worked too hard to lay up my 30 facecords this summer, I want to make sure I'm doing things right.

A licensed plumber is fully capable to service your Mahoning
and bring it up to code.

First things first; what do you mean thaw?
Is the water really near freezing temperature, or are you simply
starting from a cold water starting temperature?
You may be dealing with a lot of scale that has clogged the water pipes.


1. How is the water replenished when it time to add water?

2. Is there a manual feeder valve labeled for the boilers
water supply, or is a step ladder and garden hose used
to fill it from the top of the boiler?


3. you should have had potable drinking water at the faucet at all times.
There is definetly a problem if there is no freee flowing water.

4. It seems very strange that you would have to thaw it out in
any case as it should not be frozen.

a. you will need a plumber to check your home water supply as
it may not be up to code.


5. The boilers hot water output should not be hooked up to the
hot water tap under any circumstance as it would allow cross
contamination of your water supply to occur.

a. You should have a heat exchanger of some type connected to
the cold water inlet line of the water heater- If not you are in
big trouble.

b The other issue is the buried piping to the boiler,
do you know what was used? the really bad stuff will leak
heat like water through a colander

6. The boiler feed water supply has to be separated by a
backflow preventer which is the plumbing code law
to prevent the boilers heating water from entering(siphoning)
the potable drinking water supply.

The outdoor boiler has the exact same components as a boiler used
for hot water heat. The only difference is the use of a squirrel cage fan
used for the insertion of combustion air from the surrounding air.

 

[leon]

pump

Thanks, PM sent. Another problem now, think I got a dead pump. Better to deal with this stuff now than December!

you either have a slug of air or a closed valve to the pump or its burned out or the cartridge is bad and the impellers volutes are worn out.

 

[russhd1997]

140 degrees is a little low. The factory setting for the water temp in my Central Classic OWB is 185 degrees. It can be adjusted up or down but works fine for my needs at 185. I set the temp on my inside oil fired boiler at 130 degrees so that it never comes on. I run my OWB year round to heat my hot water.