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  1. norman3741 New Member

    joined: Mar 29, 2012
    2 posts
    maine
    This is my second season with the boiler and I can only get 6 hours of burn time out of it. Anyone have any suggestions they are welcome. Thanks.
    #1

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  2. maple1 Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 15, 2011
    1,969 posts
    Nova Scotia
    The downfall of extending burn time with 'dirty' boilers is that is usually done by increasing idling time & amount of creosote generated. That's from 17 years of using one (although not a Biasi). The main thing I would do is put the wood right to it during the day to get the house as warm as I could, then load it right full before I went to bed and have the thermostats set back a couple of degrees about the same time. That got me through the night, with a bit of fire left to start with, but the house was cooler in the morning, and I had to start the cycle all over again. And I made creosote like crazy.

    If your Biasi satisfies your heat loads fairly easily, you might consider adding storage if your conditions would allow it.
  3. If you are going to add storage, you will have to add boiler protection to keep the water in the boiler at 160 degrees or higher. When you add storage to a dutch oven type boiler without keeping the water in the 160 to 170 degree range, the creosote the boiler will create will become unmanageable. Been there, done that!
  4. maple1 Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 15, 2011
    1,969 posts
    Nova Scotia
    Yes, absolutely on the boiler protection.

    I just figured present the simple concept first, then address the intricacies of the concept if the concept was accepted.

    (BTW - 140 isn't high enough for return temps to help with the creosote issue? Is that due to the water jacket? I was thinking 140 was the magic number for that.)
  5. peakbagger Minister of Fire

    joined: Jul 11, 2008
    1,048 posts
    Northern NH
    I have a bottom draft design burnham with a lower refractory section then water cooled tubes. I dont have protection or creosote issues. I do have storage and run it so the damper on the boiler is only closed if I run out of storage. I have cleaned my chimney out of guilt but not because I needed to once in 20 years (I do inpsect it yearly). I think it has large gas passages with turbolators compared to Biasi so its efficiency is lower but I got it for free.

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