buying a KP Pyro

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slug86

New Member
Feb 20, 2008
6
central Ohio
I am considering buying a KP Pyro #38. Is there any one who has strong oppions about the KP Pyro one way or the other. My big concerns are low maitanance, easy to use, and not to smokey.
 
Hi slug. Welcome to the Boiler Room.

We have at least one member with a KP Pyro. Hopefully he'll be able to help you out. It's a nice looking boiler. Are you buying it new or used. If new, where?
 
I have a KP Pyro 32. I like it. Its the right size for me since I dont really have storage.
It wants to go-go-go. The controls are simple. I added a control to turn off the fan when the stack temp came down too far. this saves coals for a restart.
It took me a little while to get the lighting procedure figured out. Takes about 30 minutes. After that, another hour to get up to full output with a stack temp fo 300 deg. At that point, the secondary combustion chamber is white hot, there is no smoke visible coming from the stack.
 
Do you have to restart your fire every morning because from the sounds of things that's how a gasification stove is suppose to work? If that is the case it just doesn't sound that ideal to spend forty five minutes every day starting a fire. Do you have a water storage tank with your system and what size?
 
I'm looking to buy a gasifier from a guy in New London, Ohio. He usually sells them new but it just so happens where he gets his Eko's in West Verginia has a KP Pyro#38 that was used as a demo for a couple of weeks or so. To save a little on the money side I was thinking about going with that one but obviosly I don't really know excactly how you run a gasifier let alone what brand is good and not so good.
 
Yes, it takes about 45 minutes to get the boiler output up, but not all that has to be attanded. This is my startup process:

1. build and light fire. lower door cracked. (5 min)
2. warmup unattended lower door closed, upper door cracked, air inlets wide open, flue damper on bypass (5 min)
3. close bypass damper, upper door still cracked (1 minute) leave for 10 minutes
4. close upper door (1 minute) leave for 20 minutes
5. poke down fire, add wood, close air inlets to half, leave for half an hour (2 minutes)
6. if stack temp is over 300, close air inlets to 1/3, check in an hour. (1 minute)

To keep the output at full, I check it about every 1-2 hours.

If there are any kind of coals left, startup is much easier. I just load in come kindling, dump a shovel of hot coals on top, load in the rest of the wood, ant its done. Still takes a half hout to come up though.
 
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