Non-used HEATMOR froze up?

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Hi all,
Brand new to forum and brand new to outdoor wood furnace.
Bought house 2 1/2 years ago with Heatmor already installed.
Have not used it!
Want to use it this winter...but seems all my lines might be froze up.
All valves are turned to the "on" position and I can't get them to turn back.
Last night we got down to about 5 degrees with a wind chill of -12. So very, very cold.
The pipes are wrapped but not with any kind or electrical heat tape or anything like that.
Breaker has been turned off to the furnace since we bought the house. We had no idea we needed to keep the pump running, which is what I was told when I called the guy that did the install 5 years ago. He is no longer in business so couldn't help me further.
What do I do?
My neighbor (also has a outdoor furnace but not a Heatmore) said for me to turn the breaker back off and not run that pump because it would be too hard on the pump with no water flowing (it's froze)

What do I do? Heat lamp to thaw it? Keep the pump on and take a chance of burning it up since the water isn't flowing? How to thaw the pipes?
Sorry, I'm rambling I'm just trying to get this all typed while it's fresh in my mind.
I just don't know how to fix the frozen problem.
After the pipes thaw I'll see if there are any leaks......if so then I'll have a whole other problem.
Thanks for any info or insight you can give me.

 

[jer427]

where is the pump at, in the house or at the wood burner? You could start by building a very very small fire in the wood burner to try to start the thawing process. you can't build a very big fire due to you can't circulate any water yet.

 

[blakey]

If you didn't run it at all last winter you likely have a lot of damage. You might as well leave it till spring now.

 

[laynes69]

:agree2: Sounds like your in trouble...

 

[Angel4JohnnyB]

where is the pump at, in the house or at the wood burner? You could start by building a very very small fire in the wood burner to try to start the thawing process. you can't build a very big fire due to you can't circulate any water yet.

Yes the pump is in the 'back' of the wood burner.
This is also where the water feeds in and the start of the pipes. Then I assume the pipes run through the ground over to the house.
Could be froze the hole length, that would be my luck anyway.

Guess I could wait till spring but I hate to since I just bought wood and they delivered it this morning.

 

[leon]

boiler etc.

Hi all,
Brand new to forum and brand new to outdoor wood furnace.
Bought house 2 1/2 years ago with Heatmor already installed.
Have not used it!
Want to use it this winter...but seems all my lines might be froze up.
All valves are turned to the "on" position and I can't get them to turn back.
Last night we got down to about 5 degrees with a wind chill of -12. So very, very cold.
The pipes are wrapped but not with any kind or electrical heat tape or anything like that.
Breaker has been turned off to the furnace since we bought the house. We had no idea we needed to keep the pump running, which is what I was told when I called the guy that did the install 5 years ago. He is no longer in business so couldn't help me further.
What do I do?
My neighbor (also has a outdoor furnace but not a Heatmore) said for me to turn the breaker back off and not run that pump because it would be too hard on the pump with no water flowing (it's froze)

What do I do? Heat lamp to thaw it? Keep the pump on and take a chance of burning it up since the water isn't flowing? How to thaw the pipes?
Sorry, I'm rambling I'm just trying to get this all typed while it's fresh in my mind.
I just don't know how to fix the frozen problem.
After the pipes thaw I'll see if there are any leaks......if so then I'll have a whole other problem.
Thanks for any info or insight you can give me.

First:

You should purchase a very small kerosene salamander, open the access panels on the boiler, and let it heat it up that way prior to doing anything. It will warm everything up, and then you will be able to see if the water in the boiler is water or ice by opening the drain valve.

Do not put it to close, 5-6 feet away is plenty- and remove any loose insulation in the access panel area. the heat from the salamander will heat the boiler and the pipes simply by heat exchange-heat energy going to the cold water.



Let the salamander run for 3-4 hours and then check the drain valve to see if you have water or ice. If it is not unfrozen yet just let it keep working and heating everything up.


leon opcorn:

 

[jgoodhart]

If it's froze up, it's still holding water from last winter freezing and thawing so I would start a small fire and thaw it out, can't do much more than leak.

 

[nametrux]

Welcome

Welcome to the site. Yes, it's too late. I would say all damage has been done for the year. The good thing is found your way here. spend the rest of the winter reading and learning about wood heating, fire wood, building fires. what a cord is, free wood, saws, splitters. wood cook stoves, and everything you can't even think of now. You will find the people here to be a great bunch that are happy to give any information you may need. As for your wood, it will be better burning next year as it prob. will be drier. It will keep. Heck you can even learn how to stack it. Hope repairs won't be too costly for you. Check back and ask any question you may have.

 

[STLfirewood]

Where in Missouri are you located?

Scott

 

[dan365husky]

how much water is in your heatmore stove i have one and know some about them. have you pulled the rubber ball off the top it has a short rod hooked to it pull it out if you can if its frozen then never mind but if not stick a broom handle in the hole it should go down a ways or better yet look in there see if the stove is full of water or not if it is it may have done alot of damage to the stove the pipes under ground if they are the same as i have should not freeze so you could try burning some wood in it to thaw it out any damage done is done already.

 

[reaperman]

I'd start by pulling the pump off of the water lines and see if the lines are frozen right there. With the pump off, you have access to bare water lines. Maybe you could melt enough water in the lines before they enter the ground and run some kind of rigid wire or cable into the line and see if the lines under the ground are froze as well. If the lines are fairly deep they may have escaped from freezing so far. The only way to know the status of the lines is to access them by removing the pump. Good luck

 

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Where in Missouri are you located?

Scott

Hi Scott,
I'm a little over an hour from Lambert. West. Up I-44. Appx. 1/2 way between St. Louis and Fort Wood. Little bity place called Leasburg, probably wouldn't even be on the map if not for Onondaga Cave in Onondaga Cave State Park.

 

[STLfirewood]

I've been through there before but can't remeber exactly where that is. That's about an hour and a half to 2 hrs from me I think. How far past St.James are you?

Scott

 

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Thanks for all the info.
The more I think about it, the more I wonder if it even had water going to it.
This past summer I remember messing with the valves (probably why they are ON instead of OFF...oops)
But point here is.......there was no water in those pipes when I turned on the valve that would run the water out of the stove. Well, I say no water, there was a few drops that came out and then nothing.

Could that mean that the water was turned OFF.

Where would the water to the burner come from? Would it be hooked in under my house with a on/off valve where it is connected to the house?

If that's the case and the water WAS turned off to the stove and the lines were drained then I MIGHT be okay, right???

I'm going to call a heatmor dealer tomorrow and explain my situation and see if they can come fire it up for me and give me the "new owner walk-through"
Once it's up and running I can throw wood in it a few times a day.

 

[Angel4JohnnyB]

how much water is in your heatmore stove i have one and know some about them. have you pulled the rubber ball off the top it has a short rod hooked to it pull it out if you can if its frozen then never mind but if not stick a broom handle in the hole it should go down a ways or better yet look in there see if the stove is full of water or not if it is it may have done alot of damage to the stove the pipes under ground if they are the same as i have should not freeze so you could try burning some wood in it to thaw it out any damage done is done already.

Dan,
I know forsure that the "bladder" is empty of water.
No, I have not messed with the rubber ball, I can't reach it (guess I should invest in a ladder)

I was told that when I have a fire going that I should open the bottom door (ash door) before opening the main fire door. I do not have a 'bottom door'. My as access is not a door but has to be unscrewed, do you open that before you open the main door to feed the fire? Is there a "back draft" of sorts if you don't open something first?
Just curious so I don't get fire in the face.
I'm sure I'll figure everything out with time and usage, but I will forsure taken any info I can get before I get it going.
Also, I was told to burn GREEN wood and not seasoned or dry wood. What do you burn? And why?
My neighbor has one (not a Heatmor) and he ONLY burns green. As a matter of fact, he cuts all winter long so it is very green.
Thanks so much!

 

[ericjeeper]

Holy batman

If it was not drained prior to you purchasing the house 2.5 YEARS ago.. It is tooooooooooooo late to worry about it now.. It likely froze up and burst last year. But if it was drained by any snowballs chance in heck.. you might be one of the luckiest people on earth.

 

[Angel4JohnnyB]

If it was not drained prior to you purchasing the house 2.5 YEARS ago.. It is tooooooooooooo late to worry about it now.. It likely froze up and burst last year. But if it was drained by any snowballs chance in heck.. you might be one of the luckiest people on earth.

When I did the "walk-through" on the house and land I'm pretty sure that the previous owner said it had been 'winterized'.
But there was sooo much going on and sooo many things he told me about sooooo many different items around and in the house that I can't be 100% positive.
I did call him and left a message on his answering machine but I never really expected a call back. Why would he want to come mess with it? I can't blame him.
I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that I get lucky for once!

 

[ericjeeper]

If it was in fact drained

You make sure you go get a handful of lottery tickets.. How many lines go out from the basement or crawlspace to the boiler? If only two. It might have to be filled with a hose.
I agree with who ever said to remove the pump and see if they are dry or frozen. if they are dry. You might be closer to being a bazillionaire.

 

[fletcher0780]

if you have the ability, take many pictures of the pipes coming in the basement and where they tie in to your heating system, I'm sure we can figure out if there is a fill valve by looking at the plumbing. are there drain valves on either of the pex pipes going into the basement?

 

[ericjeeper]

Yeah run down and take pictures

I like this sure beats thinking about going out to feed my magic box outside temps are 0 currently with a pretty strong wind out of the west. I edited to add. it is now -1 with a -20 windchill... Brrr
titbitnipply out there