Aspen 175

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lazeedan

Feeling the Heat
Dec 14, 2006
287
SW Michigan
I have been considering buying an Aspen 175 from a friend. It has a leaky tube. I went and looked t it. I am confident I can fix. I figure I will replace all the tubes while I am in there. I was wandering is this a common problem. It was manufactured in 2008. How much wood should I plan on using per season. I have about 8 cords ready for this year. That is 2 years with my Homestead in the house and a Grizzly in my shop part time. I was thinking I would heat my 1500 sq ft ranch and my 24x32 insulated shop.

I know a whole lot of variables. I just want some thoughts. I appreciate your input.

Thanks
Dan
 
I know you posted this a while ago, but here's some info for you.
I bought and installed an Aspen 175 in the Summer of 2008. In the Fall, when i put my boiler on-line and register it, Greenwood informed me that they were out of business nd my warranty was useless.

Fortunately, it isn't a bad unit overall. We did have some bumps along the way though. The combustion fan quit within a month and the dealer replaced it for me as a warranty issue. A month later the new fan burned out and the dealer replaced it again. I did notice that the second "new" fan was designed differently. The second fan lasted about 18 months. I purchased a new fan, and the new dealer I started using told me about a flapper/damper kit to fix the fan problem. He gave me a kit with my new fan. That fan lasted for three years, with the furnace running all year long making heat and DHW. I assumed that the flapper kit fixed my problem.
The grates/bricks in the firebox floor need to be kept clean of ash deposits and clinkers. The rake that hte factory gives you isn't long enough to push the clogs down far enough. I suggest making a hoe type tool with a long blade.
The fan and combustion ventilation ducts need to be cleaned out regularly. They get clogged with creosote and the fan won't blow hard enought to burn efficiently.
Mine eats door gaskets. I seem to replace them at least two or three times a year. (just did it again yesterday)
The main door and door sealing edge have rotted out and need replacement. (2014)
I have only burned about 15 gallons of home heating oil since Fall of 2008. :)
My 2100 square foot house is 70 degrees all the time. It doesn't matter what the temp is outside.
I go through about 10 cords of wood a year, but I burn all year for DHW. Probably 7-8 of that is during the cold season.
I clean the secondary burn chamber faithfully every weekend and the tubes every other week. Or the boiler doesn't burn right.

Good luck on your machine if you ended up getting it.

Like I said, its a good machine, but it takes a fair amount of upkeep, maintenance, etc. Like anything.

Keep in touch if you need any other advice
 
I have been considering buying an Aspen 175 from a friend. It has a leaky tube. I went and looked t it. I am confident I can fix. I figure I will replace all the tubes while I am in there. I was wandering is this a common problem. It was manufactured in 2008. How much wood should I plan on using per season. I have about 8 cords ready for this year. That is 2 years with my Homestead in the house and a Grizzly in my shop part time. I was thinking I would heat my 1500 sq ft ranch and my 24x32 insulated shop.

I know a whole lot of variables. I just want some thoughts. I appreciate your input.

Thanks
Dan

From the info from the above post....maybe it'll be ok if he gives you the unit. I wouldn't pay money for it. Just my .02
 
Thanks for the feedback. I decided against it. We continue to heat with our Homestead.
 
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