Greenwood 100 users without storage

Hello I havent been on the forum in a while, I installed a standard water jacket style wood boiler many years and have been keeping warm with it and loving not hearing the oil boiler kick on. But we burn a lot of wood and generate a lot of creatote, like 10 cords a year.

So im looking to upgrade to a gassifier but without storage, I just dont have space to install that. I see a used Greenwood 100 for sale and looking for owners of these that use them without storage and what sucess you have with it and how ou like it.

Id also be interested to hear what style gassifier works best without storage.

Thanks

~ Phil

Hey, Phil--
I think I've been seeing the same ads you've been looking at. As I've read about the Greenwood boilers on this forum--there are several threads--I've come to think I would have to be a particularly energetic and imaginative mechanical engineer to operate one for a long time. I admire those guys who do, but in the same way I admire pro ball players, with the recognition I'm not in their league. For what it's worth....

Hi so do you have a boiler or are you shopping? Yeah the more I read about them the more I am thinking they would be more problem mattic. I have also heard of one called a Greenfire, I think they were build in Houlton ME, they have a bypass flue at the top to prevent smoking. I dont know if they are built anymore, have you heard of them?

~ Phil

I haven't heard about the Greenfire. I used a Memco water jacket boiler for twenty plus years and now use a Newmac forced air furnace. I suppose I'm shopping, but what I'm really doing in getting ready to shop. I have this steep learning curve before me on hydronic system design (a path along which I've just taken the first few tentative steps), part of which concerns BTU generation (a gassifier with storage, but whether with integral or remote storage and pressurized or unpressurized storage I'm still trying to work out) and the other distribution, about which there are many questions I'm still way too ignorant to answer (or in some cases formulate). My goal is to have a warm house next winter and to sleep through the night on all but the coldest days.

Tom at americansolartechnics.com in Searsport can make storage that will fit most anywhere, so you may want to give the storage issue more thought.

I run a Seton clone ( virtually the same as Greenwood ) without storage, and love it. Simple design with a small learning curve.

if its sized correctly and you can minimize idle times you can run without storage. i ran mine that way at first then added storage later. i like it better with storage.

Hi so what make is it? DO you have issues with creosote buildup as greenwood owners have been saying in threads here? Thanks

~ Phil

Hi thanks for the lead, we have a small basement and really dont want to give up any more space for storage. Plus the cost of it would make a new system expensive. I think sized correctly it can be done. Good luck on your search.

~ Phil

I made it myself, modeled it after a Seton. The biggest problem you have with a unit like this without storage is the shoulder season. You cant let these idle all day or you will have creosote problems.I have been able to manage this pretty well with amount of wood loaded, and water temp. settings. Is it ideal.....no, but very doable..Most times in spring and fall I will only burn at night. During the cold stuff I let her rip...... perpetual fire......
The biggest and best change i made to the unit itself is to eliminate the exposed insulation inside..........and make easy to use access panels for cleaning the pressure vessel.

Couple shots of the interior skin to separate the insulation from the combustion area.....

Jesse-M: You run this as shown in the pictures? How hot does the top get? What clearance do you need for the back? Nice work!

Hi Jesse wow thats an impressive task built it yourself. So are you saying the pipes have the system water in them and the exhaust gasses from the gassification chamber move up past the pipes to transfer the heat? And if its idling this causes creosote to build up on the pipes? Ive seen setups that for loading it has a bypass flue to allow the chamber with the wood in it to vent out to the chimmny directly and bypass the secondary chamber. Would it be possible to set it up when the boiler is idling to have the vlue bypass open and let it run as a convential fire till heating is needed??

Do any systems do this to help prevent creosote?

~ Phil

This is how I did the top inner skin and insulation.......it doesn't get very hot at all, the HX takes all the heat.....

Yes water is in the tubes....... This is down draft,which doesn't help anything in an idle situation. A bypass flue is a neat idea but have never seen one.

From what I see with my WG firebox, those tubes must be COVERED in creosote. You must fight constantly trying to keep them clean for max heat transfer.

ac

Great Job. That is why I modified my heat exchanger in mine. The tubes were basically laying right against the kaowool on the top and back vertical sections of the HX. The first time I went to clean it the back section tubes were virtually glued to the kaowool. Had to replace the whole back section, so I'm sure there was very little heat transfer there. I moved the HX down and forward about 1.5" so the tubes are more in the flame path and are not close to the kaowool amymore. Much easier to clean now without ripping the insulation apart.

I added storage 2 years ago also and that has helped a lot in keeping the tubes cleaner. I still give them a good scraping about the end of January and of course again at the end of the season.

Pat

I don't mess with them at all during the season....and to be honest, don't notice any difference between freshly clean or used all winter. Its gets so hot in there, a little build up around the tubes doesn't slow up the heat exchange.

This is a normal amount of build up for me come spring cleanup........other members with similar boilers have commented in past threads that this is normal for them as well.

Mine looks similar , but not quite that gummed up. I made a tool out of aluminum flat stock that I bent into a "J" that I can loop over the tubes to clean/scrape them. It works good for getting the inside edge of the tubes.

Jesse, what size pipe is that going into the header? Looks like only about 1".

Pat

I love your design Jesse. How much $ would it cost to do that to my gw? Did you ever try refractory over the hex? Does the stainless get red hot?
I have still never taken the back off my gw100 in seven years.

I also have an aluminum j hook.....lol..........and yes it is 1"

I have no idea what it would cost, I stole the pieces from my old man....ha
I don't believe refractory over the HX would be of any help.....the pressure vessel soaks up all the heat before it gets to the top....
The inner panels I made are 14 GA cold rolled......I cant say if they get red or not because they are hidden, but two seasons now and they don't show any signs of worpage or disfigure.
I did build some space shuttle type shields for the top out of asbestos siding panels, but I don't think I really needed them.

7 years.......I think I would put that on my spring to do list..........

I'd be afraid to look !!? LOL