Garn Burn Pic
- Thread starter Rick Stanley
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RowCropRenegade
Feeling the Heat
Sawyer
Minister of Fire
Tennman
Minister of Fire
Interesting pic. So does the Garn blow down like most of the gassers here? Like the Econoburn ad directly above me here.
heaterman
Minister of Fire
Tennman said:
I like to tell people that a Garn doesn't "blow" it "sucks". That is to say, the air is not forced into the firebox under pressure but rather it is pulled into the firebox under vacuum. Hence no smoke from the door when open and nice clean firebox walls.
Jim K in PA
Minister of Fire
I have seen a Garn in action in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When the beast was cranking at its rated 400K BTU/hour rate, and the loading door was opened, it was as hot as the blue blazes of perdition in there. This is truly an awesome machine that I would live to have.
Chris Fallis
Colorado Springs, CO
Chris Fallis
Colorado Springs, CO
Hi Tom,
I snapped that pic right before I reloaded. It had been burning for awhile.
Speaking of that. According to the manuals, the firebox is designed for 24"-32" logs. The wood I'm burning this season is 24" because I have a 48" splitter and a tractor pto powered cordwood saw that works nicely with 4 foot sticks. My manual also says not to fill the firebox much above half full.
So, since I'm most always here to tend to things, I haven't minded loading the garn more often than I thought I would have to when I bought it. But I certainly am missing out on the benefit always promoted by garn, which is "start a fire, turn the timer and walk away".
Next years wood is gonna be 30-32" long. So Tom and others, do you pack the firebox full to the top with 32" logs?? Seem like you must, in order to get a days worth of heat from one "load and walk away" like they brag about.
Still learnin'.............. :gulp:
I snapped that pic right before I reloaded. It had been burning for awhile.
Speaking of that. According to the manuals, the firebox is designed for 24"-32" logs. The wood I'm burning this season is 24" because I have a 48" splitter and a tractor pto powered cordwood saw that works nicely with 4 foot sticks. My manual also says not to fill the firebox much above half full.
So, since I'm most always here to tend to things, I haven't minded loading the garn more often than I thought I would have to when I bought it. But I certainly am missing out on the benefit always promoted by garn, which is "start a fire, turn the timer and walk away".
Next years wood is gonna be 30-32" long. So Tom and others, do you pack the firebox full to the top with 32" logs?? Seem like you must, in order to get a days worth of heat from one "load and walk away" like they brag about.
Still learnin'.............. :gulp:
rvtgr8
New Member
Jim K in PA
Minister of Fire
Rick - I am burning splits that are only about 20-24" long. I load mine carefully, stacking the splits so that there is 2-4" of space on the sides, and up to within 4" or so of the top of the firebox. My burn times are usually about 2 hours, depending on the species of wood I happen to be burning. Your heat load will determine how much and how long you burn per day. When it is cold like now, I burn once in the AM and once again in the evening, loading as I described.
It really is "load and walk away" with respect to each burn cycle. But the number of cycles is dependent on how low you can run your temps down to, and how heavy a load you have on your GARN.
It really is "load and walk away" with respect to each burn cycle. But the number of cycles is dependent on how low you can run your temps down to, and how heavy a load you have on your GARN.
Rick, the load ammt is dependant on the m/c of the wood, the best full load burns for me have been mixed size oak splits, slow build up of temp then a long steady high temp time period, no puffing. also with the longer wood too dry near the primary nozzle it will puff, try a short piece of 2x4 infront of the primary nozzle to diffuse the airflow, typically when the 2x4 has burned you are past the problem
Jim K in PA
Minister of Fire
X2 on what Tom said. What are your flue temps Rick?
I am into some pretty nice oak splits right now. Just as Rick said, slow temp rise to a hot (~520 flue temp) sustained burn. I was actually surprised at how well this wood is burning, despite an interior MC of 28-30%. I do mix in some nice dry maple and hemlock, but only about 10-15%.
Last night with one burn cycle I got a tank temp rise from 159-188 on that load of oak, with a pretty big house load on it too. Low teens and windy last night, and tank was still at 150 this AM, 12 hours later.
I am into some pretty nice oak splits right now. Just as Rick said, slow temp rise to a hot (~520 flue temp) sustained burn. I was actually surprised at how well this wood is burning, despite an interior MC of 28-30%. I do mix in some nice dry maple and hemlock, but only about 10-15%.
Last night with one burn cycle I got a tank temp rise from 159-188 on that load of oak, with a pretty big house load on it too. Low teens and windy last night, and tank was still at 150 this AM, 12 hours later.
Sawyer
Minister of Fire
Thanks Jim,
Yup that makes sense with what I'm seeing. The load and walk away thing really is pretty cool. Easiest damned thing I've ever seen to start a fire in. I've just been a little timid about loading her up very much, sense I'm here anyways it hasn't really been an issue, but during cold snaps I probably do load her up 4 times on the coldest days. Like a windy spell we had a few weeks ago. Drafty old farmhouse + highs in the low teens + 20-30mph winds= OMG HEAT LOSS!!
Tom, Thanks. I had experienced the puffing thing earlier when I was burning some bone dry, under cover for two years, small splits, and I wasn't very careful in packing the splits close together, hence, lots of surface area and all of that. So, even though the thing was only half full, I had quite a blaze going for a short time and it puffed bad enough so I had a few sparks blow out from around the loading door gasket. I tightened the gasket, packed the splits tighter and actual BUILT a fire instead of tossing in the wood all helter-skelter and it solved the puffing. I fooled around some with the fire brick they sent us and pretty much have the puffing figured out, especially, like you said, now that I'm burning bigger not as dry wood(seasoned outside 8 months then inside since Nov).
So, I've been really happy with the rig and have had fun figuring out how it behaves, etc. BUT, the reason I asked about maximum loading is because I have big plans for the big boiler. Otherwise I would have bought one of those pi$$ant euro trash down drafters. Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol:
Anyway, if I'm gonna use this boiler to heat multiple buildings and greenhouses and who knows what else, I'm gonna have to learn how to run it to the max or I'll be tending the boiler round the clock. So I'm glad to hear that maximum loads of maximum length splits will work well if you do it right.
This forum is great!!
Yup that makes sense with what I'm seeing. The load and walk away thing really is pretty cool. Easiest damned thing I've ever seen to start a fire in. I've just been a little timid about loading her up very much, sense I'm here anyways it hasn't really been an issue, but during cold snaps I probably do load her up 4 times on the coldest days. Like a windy spell we had a few weeks ago. Drafty old farmhouse + highs in the low teens + 20-30mph winds= OMG HEAT LOSS!!
Tom, Thanks. I had experienced the puffing thing earlier when I was burning some bone dry, under cover for two years, small splits, and I wasn't very careful in packing the splits close together, hence, lots of surface area and all of that. So, even though the thing was only half full, I had quite a blaze going for a short time and it puffed bad enough so I had a few sparks blow out from around the loading door gasket. I tightened the gasket, packed the splits tighter and actual BUILT a fire instead of tossing in the wood all helter-skelter and it solved the puffing. I fooled around some with the fire brick they sent us and pretty much have the puffing figured out, especially, like you said, now that I'm burning bigger not as dry wood(seasoned outside 8 months then inside since Nov).
So, I've been really happy with the rig and have had fun figuring out how it behaves, etc. BUT, the reason I asked about maximum loading is because I have big plans for the big boiler. Otherwise I would have bought one of those pi$$ant euro trash down drafters. Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol:
Anyway, if I'm gonna use this boiler to heat multiple buildings and greenhouses and who knows what else, I'm gonna have to learn how to run it to the max or I'll be tending the boiler round the clock. So I'm glad to hear that maximum loads of maximum length splits will work well if you do it right.
This forum is great!!
Jim,
Normal loading, for me not much more than half-full, flue temp stay around 370-400. Because of this discussion, I just loaded her up to the max, carefully packing splits together, no firebrick, and I just checked it again after almost an hour. I have no puffing and flue temp is dead on 500.So I guess we're good.................??
Normal loading, for me not much more than half-full, flue temp stay around 370-400. Because of this discussion, I just loaded her up to the max, carefully packing splits together, no firebrick, and I just checked it again after almost an hour. I have no puffing and flue temp is dead on 500.So I guess we're good.................??
Jim K in PA
Minister of Fire
Sawyer
Minister of Fire
Rick, I just looked at your photos on Flickr. do you remember how high your walls on the Garn enclosure to the top plate? It appears that you are higher than the manhole cover and if so did you make an extension ring? I am framing the back wall tomorrow and I want to place a header at the height of the top plate for anchoring and also for a removable access panel for future inspections.
Sawyer, Sorry so long to answer. This got lost in the shuffle. I made the walls 7'-4'' tall, anticipating filling the whole thing with loose insulation, figuring that would give me a good 12''plus of insulation over the top of the tank and yes I planned on a sheet metal collar around the manway. But I changed my mind, for the billionth time, and ended up going with two layers of 6" no-face fiberglass batts, which I still haven't completely finished. But I did find that with batts, no collar is really needed. I just placed/semi-packed a couple of layers of cut pieces around the manway and they just kinda sit there in place.
I have made SOME progress beyond what the Flickr thing shows right now and do have pics. I'll update that soon.
I have made SOME progress beyond what the Flickr thing shows right now and do have pics. I'll update that soon.
Sawyer
Minister of Fire
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