EB-150 Refractory concerns

[b33p3r]

Hello all! Was doing a cleaning and inspection of my 2 year old EB-150. What I found concerns me. I've attached a picture of the refractory on the ceiling of the secondary chamber. If you guys could take a look and let me know what you think I'd appreciate it. The cracking in my mind is quite substantial. Got an email into the factory already, just looking for expert opinions.
Thanks, Beeper

 

[Eric Johnson]

A crack by itself is no big deal, as long as the steel is covered, and thus protected by refractory, which in this case, it is. What happens next might be cause for more concern, if it starts to come apart. I guess I'd see what they have to say in Buffalo, but a short-term fix might involve patching it up with Stovo or some other refractory patch material. Best to do it before the heating season starts. Then, see what kind of help you can get from the mfg. My experience with cracks is limited to a big crack in the secondary burn chamber door refractory, but it never got any worse, and that was about 5 years ago. So I don't worry about it anymore.

 

[b33p3r]

Thanks for the reply. Have to stick my head in with flashlight to get a real close look. I'll see if I can see any steel. That picture was just a point and click. I'll feel better with it patched which I will probably end up doing depending on the manufact reply. I didn't expect that to happen on a 2 year old boiler? I guess that's what surprises me most.

 

[mikefrommaine]

Doesn't look like a big deal to me. On my biomass 60 the lower refractory is actually four separate pieces so there are two seems on the top that are as big as your crack.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I didn't expect that to happen on a 2 year old boiler? I guess that's what surprises me most.

That refractory is funny stuff. My door cement cracked within a few weeks of the first firing. There's water in the cement when you get the boiler, and the process of baking it out of there can cause the refractory to do unpredictable things, as I understand it. That's also why, in opinion, most gasifiers don't seem to work the first couple of times you fire them up, because moisture in the nozzle is killing the reaction--just like trying to burn wet wood.

 

[b33p3r]

Thanks for the replies guys! Dale from EB got back to me real quick today. He said they are fill forms where the refractory formed around the pipes going from the left and right sides. This is normal due to the fact that the refractory doesn’t flow around objects like cement. So Thanks to his answer and your opinions I feel better about it. I obviously didn't stick my head in far enough during my first year cleaning. Just getting more curious I guess. Thanks again.

 

[b33p3r]

I'd also like to point out that EB and Dale replied back to me in less than 24 hours. I'm guessing it would have been quicker but I emailed them on a Sunday. I'm so impressed with how fast they responded to my concern especially 2 years after the sale. If all companies had customer service like that after the sale there would be a lot of happy consumers. I can honestly say I have no regrets buying the Econoburn whether it be for performance or customer service. Thanks EB and Dale.

 

[woodsmaster]

I think the wear on the refractory has more to do with how many cord you burn than how old it is.