So far I am filling it half full every Wednesday and Saturday to keep my DHW hot. So far it is working well.
FWIW - if you go with the E-Classic, the dry wood is supposed to work better in these units.
Pete
I wonder if such long burns will end up rotting out the steel prematurely. This has been an ongoing problem with many wood boilers.....
Certain chemicals tend to build up as well as a lot of condensation. It is almost impossible to do life-cycle testing on this stuff prior to putting it in the field, which means they will only know looking back.
I would like to know which of the other CB boilers you had prior to install of the E-Classic that you are comparing it with?
Have you run it enough to have even a rough idea of the difference in volume of wood used yet? Percentages if yes?
In the past week I’ve talked to two different CB dealers within easy drive of my home, both seemed to know a bit about the E-Classic, but sadly, neither of them had one on hand or has sold any yet.
So I’m VERY interested in your results.
I’ve a large wood supply cut between Aug. 07 & May 08 dry’n out back. Need to decide soon between sell’n it and install of a OWB of some type.
Hi Outdoorsman -
I previously had a 5036. Can’t really compare wood usage because I have used it for so little and it is summer time use now. I will keep the boiler posted as I get more results in.
So far I am filling it half full every Wednesday and Saturday to keep my DHW hot. So far it is working well.
FWIW - if you go with the E-Classic, the dry wood is supposed to work better in these units.
Pete
RE: the statement about dry wood. Let me just say that truer words were never spoken. Dry wood (no greater than 25% moisture content) is absolutely, positively, mandatory in any gasification unit if you want to avoid creosote problems and achieve maximum efficiency. I for one do not envy the operator of any gasifier that is being fed wet wood. It’s not pretty and It doesn’t matter what brand it is, none of them like it.
In fact, I’ll go as far as to state that if owners of OWB’s would have used properly seasoned wood in the first place, we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion about gasification equipment. Emissions are far less in any burner with properly seasoned wood.
I live in Central Mass, and have an E-Classic being delivered on 8.7.08. I have 100’ of thermopex run underground with electrical in conduit, and I will heat 4000 square feet with it, using 5 zones. Three zones are hydronic air, and 2 zones will be hot water base board. I use 2000 gallon of oil per year, so I am excited to get this system installed. The dealer told me that this unit will use 40% less wood than the CB6048, while putting out the same amount of heat output. Has anyone else heard this sort of figure thrown around?
Thanks for a great thread. By the end of this heating season there should be a lot of info out there. Right now, this seems like a gamble...a safe one, but a gamble nonetheless.
I take this statement from any dealer of anything with a grain of salt. True real world experience is the real test. Keep us posted on your results. The type of wood your using and what the MC is will help too.
Will
I will post a complete thread of the install, and data as I gather it. What is MC? I will be using 24” rounds and splits of oak and maple, which have been seasoning for a couple of months.
I am not quite sure how to measure the MC, but I will post a pretty complete thread, starting with the install at the end of the week. I have a cord of standing dead wood to get started with, and then I’ll go to the stuff that’s been seasoning in full sun since May/June. It sounds dry and is full of cracks in the ends. I know, I am a bit of a novice, but the wood is getting light, and sounds dry, if that makes sense.
I will start a brand new thread toward the end of the week. I shouldn’t have cluttered this one, but its my first day of posting.
If you dont mind me asking, why did you switch from the 5036?
I was having too much trouble with smoke. I attributed this to the smaller amount of water storage in the unit among other things. The E-classic more than doubles the storage - meaning I can go for a few days between firing for summer DHW - primarily. It burns noticeably cleaner.
The 5036 was a nice stove - but my neighbors are close enough that I have to be careful.
I’m not sure if you ever ran the GW for summer DHW production, but if you did, how would you compare wood consumption?
Jimbo
I did run it for awhile into warmer weather in the spring and found I was feeding it almost as much as winter - perhaps once a day rather than two. I am now able to go about three days between loadings for DHW. The water storage in the CB let’s me do that.
I’m not sure if you ever ran the GW for summer DHW production, but if you did, how would you compare wood consumption?
Jimbo
I did run it for awhile into warmer weather in the spring and found I was feeding it almost as much as winter - perhaps once a day rather than two. I am now able to go about three days between loadings for DHW. The water storage in the CB let’s me do that.
I should add that I am only filling the CB firebox half full of wood. I suppose if I did it all the way I could get the 5-6 days like the fellow above notes.
I should note that the reason I have the firebox filled to the top is because I am burning GREEN wood. It was cut less than 30 days ago. This gives the wood time to dry out before it gets to the bottom and into the reaction chamber. The E-Classic is said to like seasoned wood, but I am saving the seasoned wood for the winter when the furnace will go through it faster, and have less time to dry it out before being used. This stove doesn’t actually have a fire in it....the top of the stove is cool and the very bottom would melt your hand off.
Just read your post from the other site - very good information. After reading it, I am guessing that the air pule feature is only one available on the dual fuel model. Mine is wood only - minimal controls.
I have been having to relight the fire when I need to get the jacket temp back up for hot water. Oh well - not that hard to do.
