Help - fire keeps going out!

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BillNH

New Member
Dec 12, 2010
8
SW NH
I went away hunting, leaving my wife in charge of our new central boiler outdoor furnace. This is the new generation type with the reburn.

I don't think she shook down the ashes enough and I did not clean out the ash pan before I left. The stove got entirely plugged up with ash and the fire went out. Comedy of errors - our oil backup did not come on automatically either, but that's another story.

I have cleaned out every bit of ash I can find, have poked around in the air holes since there was some creosote buildup but the fire still is going out every time I close the door!

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
 
I don't have a clue how outdoor burners work, but I do know fire requires three sources. Wood, ignition and air. My guess here would be "air" seeing you have the wood and iginition. Have you tried getting it going well before closing the door? << if that's even possible?
 
Actually, it looks like the air tubes (ventilation holes?) are clogged with creosote.

Any ideas on how to clear them?

Thanks.
 
BillNH said:
Actually, it looks like the air tubes (ventilation holes?) are clogged with creosote.

Any ideas on how to clear them?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Try a propane torch to light off the creosote and let it burn out. Your stove should be able to handle the heat and its outside so no burning down the house. But first i would ck the manual or contact the Mfg or the dealer for ideas.
 
What is the make and model of the boiler?
 
Central Boiler E-classic 2400

Thought I had made some progress by getting the fire really going with the door wide open (a no-no!) to burn the creosote. Now smoke is coming out of all the air holes, so I'm assuming the creosote problem is OK but it still won't stay burning and the water temp won't go up and the reaction chamber temp starts to drop. It makes a huge smoke buildup in the firebox. And smoke is leaking around the door frame.

I am so frustrated!
 
Have you checked the blower fan and the tube that goes from fan to fire box. If it's a squirrel cage fan they need to be really clean to work at capacity.
 
You burning dry wood?
 
It makes a huge smoke buildup in the firebox. And smoke is leaking around the door frame.
Click to expand...



Sounds like the chimney is obstructed.
 
Is there a screened cap on the flue? If so, check the screen for clogging. If not, check the heat exchanger passages.
 
The ash is built up around the secondary air tube.This prevents the air going through the fusion chamber. When raking the ash in firebox use the hook end of rod that came with stove and run it under and along the secondary air tube. I find the pulse setting every 20 min for 40 sec works well. Hopes this will help ya out.
 
Let us know when you find the answer.
 
BeGreen said:
Is there a screened cap on the flue? If so, check the screen for clogging. If not, check the heat exchanger passages.
Click to expand...

No screen and already checked the heat exchanger tubes. Thanks for the advice.
 
Only reason for wood to smoke is that it is wet or it is not getting enough air. Must be an air inlet on the furnace, may be plugged. You said it went well with the door open and your chimney and wood are good. Must be the air intake. Is their an air control handle? If it is indeed EPA then their is a air inlet that you don't control, may be plugged, any snow lately?
 
Believe it or not, we finally found the problem. In the back of the furnace, there are 2 solenoids. One was working fine, the other one was working BUT the nut that holds the cap which moves along with the solenoid to let air in had fallen off. Luckily we found the nut and put it back on and lo and behold the furnace works perfectly. Apparently, someone at the factory failed to tighten this up when it was being built.

I called my dealer and he had, of course, never heard of this happening before.

Thank you all for your suggestions!
 
Thanks for the update (too often people never say how things work out for them) and I'm glad to hear it was a simple fix.

pen
 
Good to hear you got it fixed Bill. Stuff like this happens when we first start using these units. If your weather is like ours, now is not the time to have fire problems!

Please consider mentioning the brand of hydronic in your post heading . . . makes it easier for others with similar units to troubleshoot.

Welcome Aboard, and Happy Burning!
 
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