Eko Loading Smoke Baffle

[barnartist]

Sounds like we all agree the inducer is a waste.

I think Stee, most of us are just having the smoke problem during loading, not so much during the burn as that is a seal issue. I need to re-seal mine as well.

This is how it works for me. Particularly this time of year when it is not that cold out, I need to start new fires after my tanks are out of heat. So, a guy can't load the boiler full of wood then start the fire and leave. It has to be done slowly as we all know- start fire to kindling, wait. Small splits in, wait. then when its time to filler up, thats when the smoke really starts a rollin. I don't know, maybe some of us have a super good natural draft, and maybe when installed in the house the pressures help with that draft, thus less smoke.

 

[rkusek]

Seriously, how can people stand it installed in their house?

Ha. How can people stand to walk in the snow to load their boilers?

You mean putting all those clothes and boots on is not just kicks and giggles? He He.

My wife is complaining about the boiler being located in the barn down the hill. I hope with 1000 gal of storage her fire tending should be unnecessary. Growing up with a wood stove in the living room was great but I hated the inside mess and wanted to avoid that. If it's too cold I plan to drive my truck into the barn maybe even in a T shirt and shorts.

 

[Tony H]

I have mine in a shed about 75' from the house but it sure would be handy in some ways to have it in the basement. If I had a walkout basement that would be nice to build a boiler room with one door to the basement and a double door to outside where I could back a small trailer in full of wood right into the room.
Maybe I could build a covered heated walkway from the house to the boiler shed ! Also my wife does not care one bit about the boiler location it could be on the moon and it wouldn't matter because she will never go near it . She got fire flashed one time lighting an old furnace and burned so she stays far away from that stuff anymore.

I purchased a draft inducer and now with all the comments am thinking maybe should return it after all all I wanted was to get rid of the smoke in the shed when reloading. Anyone tried to return anything to Zenon ?
I had planned to use a hood to get rid of it plus maybe the cave mod also and that would probably work well enough.

Cave's barrier looks like it would work pretty well just wondering if it limits loading at all.

With the baffle sticking issue have you guys reversed the handle on the upper door ? This allows you to open the baffle before opening the door and it sure helps to open the baffle and open the lower door for a couple of minutes before opening the loading door I have only been smoked out 3 or 4 times so far this year.
The baffle still sticks but instead of using the poker to push it open while getting smoked I just give it a couple taps on the end / corner of the hancle with a 3lb maul .
BTW on reversing the handle you have to drive the pin out and if like mine you can't see it under the collar but it's located same as the pin in the lower door that you can see.

 

[barnartist]

What kind of draft inducer did Zenon sell you? If it is a standard kind that simply mounts on the side of the stack, that is what I have and it did little to help the smoke. The problem with the eko design is that the loading door is higher than the rear flu exit, so naturally everything wants to go out that way. I wish I had the cash back for mine. I also left the inducer running on accident one time and I overheated my system. It was bad. My fix was a 15 min timer for the inducer.

Maybe the inducer could be used on the overhead hood. I wonder if a guy could just put a small2-3" pipe, cut out an opening the length of the door, mount it immidiately above door, and then tie into the stack. Use the inducer to act as a vaccume for the smoke. Yup. I think it could work.

 

[Duetech]

Sounds like a mod barnartist. Sort of a home made vent hood.

I high temp siliconized my uppper door seal and am really happy with the results. It works so well I don't think I will ever need to buy another rope gasket for the door. The price for one tube of high temp silicone is way less than a siliconized mfg seal. The repairs for the seal are pretty quick and easy too. No more "taking the old seal out" and putting the new seal in. I haven't tried the high temp silicone on the bottom seal because the heat in the lower chamber is so much higher than the upper but I know if it worked it would eliminate a lot of fly ash that comes out of the bottom seal.

 

[barnartist]

I forgot about that stuff Cave. Update me, and tell me where to buy or what to buy. Sounds like you recommend it.

 

[willworkforwood]

Even though this thread is talking about baffles and inducers, the main issue is smoking boilers, so I'm going to offer my .01 (can't afford the .02 these days). I rarely get any smoke from my EBW150, and maybe most of that is due to a naturally good draft. But I'm wondering if the loading technique has something to do with it as well. We load just on a coal bed, as nofossil mentioned earlier. I use a wheelbarrow to caddy the load from one of the piles, and bring it right next to the boiler. Now all I have to do is transfer from left hand to right - no turning, reaching, or steps. With most partial loads, this will only keep the door open for 5-20 seconds. One thing I've noticed is that even though smoke starts immediately coming from the splits touching the coals, if I keep loading quickly, the next layer(s) of wood create a blocking effect on the smoke. Just for laughs, tonight I went down and timed fully loading to the top. It took 55 seconds for 36 smallish splits (6 cu ft). On the coldest Winter nights I load a bit less than that, and still no smoke. Loading on a new fire with no coals might let a small amount of smoke out, but again when I can get the wood on the fire quickly, it tends to stifle the smoke long enough to get the loading done ok. So my question for those with smoke problems - are you able to load quickly, and if so, do you still get big smoke doing it that way?
Smoking boilers are a boil on the backside- just looking to offer something that might help.

 

[barnartist]

Yep, loading on a nice bed of coals things go well. But for me and maybe some of us with heat storage and this shoulder season, I have to start new fires because I am a couple of days between loads. As it gets colder out, it will get better for me because it will be more of a twice a day routine and then there will be a nice coalbed ready and waiting.

 

[Tony H]

What kind of draft inducer did Zenon sell you? If it is a standard kind that simply mounts on the side of the stack, that is what I have and it did little to help the smoke. The problem with the eko design is that the loading door is higher than the rear flu exit, so naturally everything wants to go out that way. I wish I had the cash back for mine. I also left the inducer running on accident one time and I overheated my system. It was bad. My fix was a 15 min timer for the inducer.

Maybe the inducer could be used on the overhead hood. I wonder if a guy could just put a small2-3" pipe, cut out an opening the length of the door, mount it immidiately above door, and then tie into the stack. Use the inducer to act as a vaccume for the smoke. Yup. I think it could work.

The one he sold me is the new EKO model that inserts into the chimney pipe and I think that's what Medman , Rob , and others were talking about. I recall the inducer plus speed control being around 200.00. I just have not had time ti install it and it looks to be a tight fit with my low shed roof.
If it doesn't solve the problem I was thinking it might be better to go with a hood and /or cave's modification.
I see what you mean about the door and flue heights . Adding the extra panel sounds alot more effective and less expensive than the inducer.