Keep it Clean

[willyswagon]

Wow what a difference!!

The local dealer came up today to put a Handle Upgrade Kit on the boiler.
I took the chance to do the newly suggested Air Duct Cleaning that was mentioned in another Empyre Elite thread
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/empyre-elite-boiler-corrosion.104788/

I also cleaned the tubes with the wire brush as I do every 7-10days.
After getting the handle all set up the dealer asked if he could clean my tubes while he was here?
I said sure but I just did them 10 min before you got here.
He came in with this rig you hook to a drill. It chews the creosote out.
I couldn't believe the stuff that it got out of the tubes!

I asked if he had another one? He said yes. I said sold!

I cleaned every bit of ash out of the fire box. Something I hadn't done in months.
Pulled back my fire brick looking for creoste.

The boiler went down to 144*F while it was shut down. I placed some kindling in the box to get it going. After about 5 min added a couple of small spilts and off to the races. It instantly started gasifiying and the smoke from the pipe went away. I opened up the lower door and WOW what a blast of focussed blue flame!

I don't know if it is the wood being right down on the nozzle, or the air passages being cleared out and now providing the correct amout of air.

Either way I know what is now part of my weekly cleaning

As they say HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

 

[willyswagon]

I grabbed this pic from another thread. I've never seen anything clean tubes like it!

 

[logger6644]

Wow what a difference!!

The local dealer came up today to put a Handle Upgrade Kit on the boiler.
I took the chance to do the newly suggested Air Duct Cleaning that was mentioned in another Empyre Elite thread
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/empyre-elite-boiler-corrosion.104788/

I also cleaned the tubes with the wire brush as I do every 7-10days.
After getting the handle all set up the dealer asked if he could clean my tubes while he was here?
I said sure but I just did them 10 min before you got here.
He came in with this rig you hook to a drill. It chews the creosote out.
I couldn't believe the stuff that it got out of the tubes!

I asked if he had another one? He said yes. I said sold!

I cleaned every bit of ash out of the fire box. Something I hadn't done in months.
Pulled back my fire brick looking for creoste.

The boiler went down to 144*F while it was shut down. I placed some kindling in the box to get it going. After about 5 min added a couple of small spilts and off to the races. It instantly started gasifiying and the smoke from the pipe went away. I opened up the lower door and WOW what a blast of focussed blue flame!

I don't know if it is the wood being right down on the nozzle, or the air passages being cleared out and now providing the correct amout of air.

Either way I know what is now part of my weekly cleaning

As they say HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

Glad to hear such great results. As an owner of an earlier model, I have a couple of questions. Did you have signs of creosote when you removed the bricks? Did the air duct under the bricks have a cleanouts built in? The new models have an access port on the side of the door frame and a removable plate on top of the duct. Did you have a factory procedure telling you about the air duct and how to clean it? Everything I'm learning points to two critical areas when running a boiler. Good air supply to both primary and secondary chambers and keep the return temperature above 140 F. Dry firewood makes the boiler more efficient and to the extent wet wood contributes to lower burn temperatures it is also important. One other question, what exhaust temperatures do you see?

Keep on burning,
Mike

 

[willyswagon]

Glad to hear such great results. As an owner of an earlier model, I have a couple of questions. Did you have signs of creosote when you removed the bricks? Did the air duct under the bricks have a cleanouts built in? The new models have an access port on the side of the door frame and a removable plate on top of the duct. Did you have a factory procedure telling you about the air duct and how to clean it? Everything I'm learning points to two critical areas when running a boiler. Good air supply to both primary and secondary chambers and keep the return temperature above 140 F. Dry firewood makes the boiler more efficient and to the extent wet wood contributes to lower burn temperatures it is also important. One other question, what exhaust temperatures do you see?

Keep on burning,
Mike

Hi Mike, I pulled the bricks forward and only saw a slight amount on the top 1/4" of the insulation. I pulled the insulation and it is not sooked through to the metal. I may look at replacing the insulation each year to ensure that no creosote lays against the metal.

I did the Air Duct cleaning as was listed in your thread. There was quite alot of creosote in the divertor box. I made up a little tool out of sheet metal to lossen up the creosote, it worked great. I asked Ben about pulling all the bricks out to see if I was getting enough secondary air. He stated that I should be able to notice a significant amount of air flow after cleaning out the divertor box. It was indeed the case.I will keep an eye on it from here out.

As far as flue temps go, I just have a cheap mag type gauge. It reads abut 150-175 while burning. It will go up to 300 while I am filling it with more wood.

 

[logger6644]

Hi Mike, I pulled the bricks forward and only saw a slight amount on the top 1/4" of the insulation. I pulled the insulation and it is not sooked through to the metal. I may look at replacing the insulation each year to ensure that no creosote lays against the metal.

I did the Air Duct cleaning as was listed in your thread. There was quite alot of creosote in the divertor box. I made up a little tool out of sheet metal to lossen up the creosote, it worked great. I asked Ben about pulling all the bricks out to see if I was getting enough secondary air. He stated that I should be able to notice a significant amount of air flow after cleaning out the divertor box. It was indeed the case.I will keep an eye on it from here out.

As far as flue temps go, I just have a cheap mag type gauge. It reads abut 150-175 while burning. It will go up to 300 while I am filling it with more wood.

Thanks for the info, I will keep you posted as I try to get back up and running. I too had flue temperatures in the range you have. I'd like them a little higher but I'll just make sure I keep the flue cleaned out too. By the way, do you have manufacture and model for the flue cleaning tool?

 

[foamit up]

The flue cleaning tool is sold by the Empyre dealers, can't remember the price i paid. It is a rubber hydraulic hose, but ends can slip in hose over time. I made my own out of a piece of 1/2 tubing, welding a, cut off bolt, in each end of tube ( one to attach the cutter on) and the other end to chuck the drill on, The cutter can be bought at Home Depot as a drain cleaning snake end. That is it. I am at school in the shop now so sorry no picture. Foamit UP

 

[logger6644]

The flue cleaning tool is sold by the Empyre dealers, can't remember the price i paid. It is a rubber hydraulic hose, but ends can slip in hose over time. I made my own out of a piece of 1/2 tubing, welding a, cut off bolt, in each end of tube ( one to attach the cutter on) and the other end to chuck the drill on, The cutter can be bought at Home Depot as a drain cleaning snake end. That is it. I am at school in the shop now so sorry no picture. Foamit UP

Thanks, sounds like homemade is the way to go. Love the networking on this website.

 

[willyswagon]

Hey Mike the part # is 816264. It is called a Flue Active Cleaning Tool
$80. Im not sure if I could put one together for that price here. By the time I bought the hydrolic hose, the two other hoses that go over it so you can hold on to it as you work it into the tubes and the fittings and a cutter.
Ready made was proven to work yesterday.

Be sure to double nut the cutter on there or when you run into a problem and put it into reverse you can spin the cutter off, leaving it stuck in the tube.

 

[logger6644]

Hey Mike the part # is 816264. It is called a Flue Active Cleaning Tool
$80. Im not sure if I could put one together for that price here. By the time I bought the hydrolic hose, the two other hoses that go over it so you can hold on to it as you work it into the tubes and the fittings and a cutter.
Ready made was proven to work yesterday.

Be sure to double nut the cutter on there or when you run into a problem and put it into reverse you can spin the cutter off, leaving it stuck in the tube.

Thanks, Willyswagon, I was just notified my replacement boiler is on and truck and on it's way to me. Should be here tomorrow. Now I understand how it works I should have a better experience. It took some negotiating but Pro-Fab is honoring their warranty.

 

[willyswagon]

They seem to be a fairly upright and honest company. That's why I went with them.

 

[logger6644]

Hi again Ken,
It was you who posted about the Handle upgrade on the Elite. How much was it?

 

[willyswagon]

Hi again Ken,
It was you who posted about the Handle upgrade on the Elite. How much was it?

They replaced it under warranty. My boiler was allowing a small amount of smoke out of the upper handle on certain occasssion.

 

[willyswagon]

Here are a few pics and a video of the before problem. The smoke was only happening every now and then so it was hard to find. Click on the first image to see the old smoker. The new system places everything out side of the firebox. The old handle gets cut off. You drill a hole in the door for the new handle. Remove the side panel to put the new filler piece in, then reassemble.

 

[logger6644]

Here are a few pics and a video of the before problem. The smoke was only happening every now and then so it was hard to find. Click on the first image to see the old smoker. The new system places everything out side of the firebox. The old handle gets cut off. You drill a hole in the door for the new handle. Remove the side panel to put the new filler piece in, then reassemble.

The new design makes more sense. I'll upgrade if my 25 cent solution doesn't work.

 

[willyswagon]

The number on the box was 818480 Replacement Handle, Elite 100 V1 with V2