Econoburn First Fire Tips please

Congratulations ! If they don't have recommendation in the manual I would suggest to start with a couple small controllable fires and work up from there. You will probably get some off gassing of paint and oil for the first couple of fires too. Don't think you can go wrong by taking it easy at first.

Way to go Beeper - all of us who have been through one of these big projects know how good it feels to be finally firing up. It's not unusual for the first fires to be not-so-great, due to the refractory needing to dry out. +1 on the small fires at first. Lots of small kindling helps get the fire going fast. Don't try to put larger splits on until a good fire is underway. Stay with the boiler and check that things are happening as they should (near loop circ off at 155, fan dropping to low speed at your target water temp, etc.). If you can make sure there are no calls for heat, then you will be able to see how much heat is being lost in the loop from the WB to the OB (after it circulates for a while). You would need someone in the house on the phone reading the OB temp at the same time you watch the WB temp (the gauge on the side, not the front). After that you can open the zones one at a time to see what the effect each has on the system. You want to make sure something doesn't cause the return to the WB to drop below 140* while it's running hot (you will need an IR gun, or some other way to measure the pipe temps). It would also be good to test your power out/overheat loop as soon as possible. Post anything that appears to be a problem, and make sure your plumber will be available if necessary. Good luck with it!

Great info above. Lots of dry kindling. Get boiler and water within warmed up in good shape before pulling back(closing) bypass flap and going for gasification. Helps to warm up chimney for good draft. Don't be suprised, as Willwork noted above if the first fire acts strangly. Good luck and Enjoy!

Here's a few more thoughts.

1. Don't be surprised if you see some dripping creosote on the very first burn. Your water is cold, you will condense smoke out until you get up to temps. With your return water control, this should be minimized....but since you are so cold initially, don't be surprised. It will go away when you are warm and burn up...

2. My experience with an IR gun on copper has been very poor. Maybe I bought a cheap unit (I did indeed!) but it doesn't seem to give me anything i can really believe. I bought a multimeter with a thermistor that I can tape to a pipe with a piece of Aluminium tape...and I believe that much more. I can walk around with the same piece of tape and thermistor and monitor temps in various places, using the same thermistor. $50 at sears, clamp on meter model. Yet another cost to add to the overall system! It never seems to end....I just installed a Garn.

Bruce

Just as a note, the IR guns don't work well on shiny or reflective surfaces. I put masking tape on my pipes where I want to take readings, and get much better results.

Thanks for the masking tape idea Twitch I have been doing some headscratching mysely on how these things work

Same problem with the IR gun. I was thinking flat spray paint (I have some) in the place I want to monitor. Tape is easier.

Good luck with the burn. It took me a week or two before I could make consistent fires. Now it is pretty routine although I do forget a step once in a while (like closing the bypass).