Greenwood boiler problem
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This is my first year with my Greenwood 100 and I just got done cleaning out the chimney because so much ash had collected at the elbows (2) and in the back of the unit at the exit that I could not get a draft. Wow, that really improved things and my temps are running much better.
It certainly begged the question, how did so much ash collect in the chimney? I can't tell if the soot had collected during idle times and then burned later dropping the ash, or if the ash had blown up the chimney and been too heavy to actually exit.
I am burning green wood (pun) and the moisture is certainly a problem. However, I have to agree with jebatty with slight modification. You HAVE to let the fire burn down and the coals to burn out, otherwise the coals build and build. A deep pile of coals maintains temp pretty well, but it won't take the house from 62 to 72 in any big hurry.
I have my thermostats set to go down to 62 at night and then to go back to 72 at 5:15am - 8:30am. This makes it nice for my wife later in the morning. Then the temp is set to drop a bit during the day and heat up again at 5:30 pm to 9pm. This causes my furnace to work hard during 2 times of the day. What I have found is that I need to time my loads and select my woods and quanity acording to the temperature outside. The goal is to have the fire burned to coals and dwindling (150 - 170) 1 hour into each of the 'heavy heating periods' Then I load the stove at 6-7 am and pm to ensure that the new (wet) wood has about 2 hours of burn time to help evaporate all of the water. If I do this properly, I am left with logs in a 'coal' state and no moiture left during the idle times at night and the middle of the day. This has REALLY helped stop the black gooky water running out onto the floor everywhere.
Well, just my 2 cents.
It certainly begged the question, how did so much ash collect in the chimney? I can't tell if the soot had collected during idle times and then burned later dropping the ash, or if the ash had blown up the chimney and been too heavy to actually exit.
I am burning green wood (pun) and the moisture is certainly a problem. However, I have to agree with jebatty with slight modification. You HAVE to let the fire burn down and the coals to burn out, otherwise the coals build and build. A deep pile of coals maintains temp pretty well, but it won't take the house from 62 to 72 in any big hurry.
I have my thermostats set to go down to 62 at night and then to go back to 72 at 5:15am - 8:30am. This makes it nice for my wife later in the morning. Then the temp is set to drop a bit during the day and heat up again at 5:30 pm to 9pm. This causes my furnace to work hard during 2 times of the day. What I have found is that I need to time my loads and select my woods and quanity acording to the temperature outside. The goal is to have the fire burned to coals and dwindling (150 - 170) 1 hour into each of the 'heavy heating periods' Then I load the stove at 6-7 am and pm to ensure that the new (wet) wood has about 2 hours of burn time to help evaporate all of the water. If I do this properly, I am left with logs in a 'coal' state and no moiture left during the idle times at night and the middle of the day. This has REALLY helped stop the black gooky water running out onto the floor everywhere.
Well, just my 2 cents.
My experience has been that programmable 'stats don't work that great with radiant. My oil boiler has a daytime and a nighttime desired temp, and I've found it's best to just set it for the desired daytime temp and leave it alone.
They can if they are the right kind, a simple bang on bang off normal controller won't because it doesn't know the slab is slowing down the warm up or that it will cause the temp to overshoot. A programable differential controller is needed.
jebatty
Minister of Fire
PowerView said:
I'm not too familiar with the Greenwood. I have a Tarm and coal buildup is not an issue. The Tarm burns from the bottom up from the super-heated refractory tunnel, so all coals are reduced to nothing as the wood load burns down.
i'm not sure this will solve your problem, but i believe it is worth a try. i had a very simioar problem with my wood stove in my garage. the problem is not the " recommended height " you have to get the chimney above the highest point on the building. if your "recommended height " is 13 feet, and your building at it's tallest point is 15 feet, it just won't work, you have to be around 18 feet. think about every chimney on every building you've ever seen, they are above the tallest part of the building for a reason. the building messes with the airflow. it's an easy cheap, "try " .
but now i have a question for you... would you recommend the greenwood 100? i would like to discuss (via email) this stove w/you.
i am thinking of purchasing one, and would like to discuss with someone who owns one other than the dealer. please email me.
thank you
but now i have a question for you... would you recommend the greenwood 100? i would like to discuss (via email) this stove w/you.
i am thinking of purchasing one, and would like to discuss with someone who owns one other than the dealer. please email me.
thank you
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