How Often Do You Add Water?

[Uncle John]

I add water to my Heatmor every 2 weeks or so. I'd guess about 5 gals. I see no leaks. I keep the temp at 180 max. (According to the gauge). Is this not more than I should be losing?

 

[fixit1960]

I add water to my Heatmor every 2 weeks or so. I'd guess about 5 gals. I see no leaks. I keep the temp at 180 max. (According to the gauge). Is this not more than I should be losing?

Wow, I add maybe 3 gallons a year. I've got the 400 series. I run 50/50 antifreeze and water and add cooling treatment every year. Or test with a coolant test strip.
Do you have the weighted rubber fill/vent stopper on yours at the top of the tank?

 

[Marklambert61]

I add water to my Heatmor every 2 weeks or so. I'd guess about 5 gals. I see no leaks. I keep the temp at 180 max. (According to the gauge). Is this not more than I should be losing?

Far too much check your blader on top of the stove.....
Also make sure your weighted ball on the roof of the stove is sealing to the pipe. Heatmor designed the stove to run at 2 psi to stop loss of water my stove needs a top off fill about 1 time a year.

 

[SteveSS]

I don't run the same brand as you, but I filled it up when I started the first fire and check the level once a week. It's still showing full.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I've had my CB online 11 years now. I've added water once as it was on the getting towards the low 5 years ago. Nothing since. the stove is 100ft from the house. Ph is still fine and I added a little to bring it up to the middle of the range when I added the water 5 years ago. So from my experience, that is not normal.

 

[Uncle John]

Do you have the weighted rubber fill/vent stopper on yours at the top of the tank?

Yes. And I have never really checked to see if it's sealing properly. I'll do that when the wind chill gets above zero.

Thanks to you all!

 

[Dogsout]

I've had my CB online 11 years now. I've added water once as it was on the getting towards the low 5 years ago. Nothing since. the stove is 100ft from the house. Ph is still fine and I added a little to bring it up to the middle of the range when I added the water 5 years ago. So from my experience, that is not normal.

You added water one time in 11 years. I have a very hard time believing that if your system is open to atmosphere/vented. Sure there are ways to limit the amount lost but I think with any discharge of pressure you are going to lose some liquid. (And you have to discharge pressure or you will have a boiler making steam) Again it may be true but I am not buying what your selling. As for my OWB it is a local mom and pop version so not a lot of bells and whistles but I still add 2 to 3 gallons a month to keep it at level.

 

[SteveSS]

2 - 3 gallons a month seems real extreme to me as well. I run a Central Boiler, I think the same as Kevin, and I haven't added a drop since I fired it off a few months ago. Not a drop. I keep the cap on it, and it's all good. I get the impression that as the unit condensates, it hits the cap and drips right back in. Is there a possibility that you may have a faulty cap?

 

[Joesell]

I haven't had to add to my new CB since installing it in the fall. And I just checked it the other day.

I did have to add to the old one though. But no where near as much as some of you guys.

The difference, this one has a cap, the old one didn't.

Check your cap

 

[Landmark]

Yep used my CB for 6 yrs now and never added a drop.

 

[Mistyblades]

i never know when to add water. The indicator moves up and down all the time. Feels okay as far as i know. But, tends to not always keep temperature and from my research that typically means it needs water..

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

You added water one time in 11 years. I have a very hard time believing that if your system is open to atmosphere/vented. Sure there are ways to limit the amount lost but I think with any discharge of pressure you are going to lose some liquid. (And you have to discharge pressure or you will have a boiler making steam) Again it may be true but I am not buying what your selling. As for my OWB it is a local mom and pop version so not a lot of bells and whistles but I still add 2 to 3 gallons a month to keep it at level.

Its a Central boiler 5648 SB stainless. It has a cap and is non pressurized. I run my temp at 178 -185 degrees. Boiler is in a building.

The cap is loose on the top of it but it never has steam coming out of it. I was REALLY picky with my system when I built it to not have any mild steel in it. There is some on the pump, filters and such but all the rest is stainless, poly or copper.

This is NOT a steam driven boiler so maybe that is where we are on different pages here. Sorry, but I'm not lying to you. What kind do you have?

 

[legg28]

This my fourth year with a central boiler and the only time I have added water since filling it was when something settled with the underground thermopex and it was pulled off the valve at the stove. Other than that I haven't added a drop !

 

[Landmark]

This my fourth year with a central boiler and the only time I have added water since filling it was when something settled with the underground thermopex and it was pulled off the valve at the stove. Other than that I haven't added a drop ! View attachment 405353

hey legg28, why don't you have a spark arrestor on the top of your stack?

 

[legg28]

hey legg28, why don't you have a spark arrestor on the top of your stack?

I looked into it at one point and read that they get clogged and were more of a pain . That's an older picture, I try not to put some much wood so close to the stove now in case of any flying sparks, which hasn't been a problem .

 

[fixit1960]

I looked into it at one point and read that they get clogged and were more of a pain . That's an older picture, I try not to put some much wood so close to the stove now in case of any flying sparks, which hasn't been a problem .

I put a cheap simple rain cap with a wrap of chicken wire on top of my 8" stack on my OWB to keep the damn birds out during the summer off time. First year they built a nest in the pipe. Hole are big enough to not creosote up to bad during the the season. Kinda acts like a spark arrestor. During real cold nights with quick cycle times and the stove "booms" on light off it will blow all the creosote off.

 

[Landmark]

I don't have screen on mine just top with metal band around it. never had a problem. does rain cause any issue going down pipe?

 

[fixit1960]

I don't have screen on mine just top with metal band around it. never had a problem. does rain cause any issue going down pipe?

No, the purpose of using the simple rain cap was to give me something to form the chicken wire around and secure to. Birds during the summer building nests in the stack is a problem.

 

[legg28]

I don't have screen on mine just top with metal band around it. never had a problem. does rain cause any issue going down pipe?

Never had any problems because of rain , in the summer I put the blank cover on the stack when not in use . Dealer said that any water that does make it down the pipe while in use will just vaporize. Never had any water laying in the fire box below the pipe either.

 

[SteveSS]

Birds during the summer building nests in the stack is a problem.

And also just flying in and not being able to get back out. I had two dead blue birds and a dead sparrow in mine when it was time to light up for the winter.