Thinking Wood Gun...any advice or experience?

I like it too!

Here's the SESTOS B2E, same idea, just search for digital timer on ebay and it'll come up. Has a configurable 'reset' input to hold off the timing cycle until woodgun shuts down, but still going to need a spare set of contacts to gate the call to heat signal.

http://sestos-hk.com/english/download/B2E-en.pdf

DIGITAL things on my Wood Gun?!?!?! Unacceptable. What do you think this is, a BMW?

LOL

But look, it's SHINY!

Too much bling! It seems that you WGers are more about KISS than any of the other boiler operators. Dont stray from that!

Another thought: the NC relay would need to be comtrolled by the call for heat signal, not the power for the blower or damper. If i get some time i will look at the manual for WG and try to draw this up so it makes a little more sense. Need to make a trip to their shop too to do some hands on research.

you can upgrade a woodgun all you want...

but it will never be a bmw

I agree completely. I'd be slow to start installing electronic gadgets for the lone reason of eliminating puff-backs. If your air intake is plumbed to the outside there's no reason to worry about it. If you are worried about it, I'd fabricate and install a gravity controlled door on the intake that opens with the draft but would slam shut in the event of a puff-back.

Yes, the idea of a resetting timer is a good one, but like a BMW, everything electrical eventually fails. That is an absolute truth. Keep it simple.

Eh, I'd liken it more to putting electric windows in this.

I'm not saying this to bash Wood Gun but I think you guys are confusing simple with primitive. My EKO is simple. Two boxes stacked atop one another with a hole between them. No motorized damper, several fewer lineal feet of door gasket, burns up, burns down, less heat radiation due to better insulation and simple designs on the interior. Take another look with an open mind and you'll find more. I think you'll find that Wood Gun is much more complex with more things that can go wrong.

I hope the guys that I have been conversing with on here get a long life out of their Guns. My opinions are obviously affected by my past experiences.

Sorry, the KISS line starts behind me.

For me it is less about things to "go wrong" and more about "parts availability".

I like that all of the controls and gaskets are easy to find and readily available from many local and internet suppliers. I don't have to worry about a control box that is made specifically for my wood boiler in another continent, imported by one source in the US.

That very well may be so maple. Smokeless heat is also on my list of places to visit to help me decide what boiler is right for me.

Not to bash the EKO, but I just did a quick search. Within the 1st page of results I found the following:
1. Failing silicone seals.
2. Proprietary control system failures.
3. Nozzle failure (to the point that some are cobbling together fire brick).
4. Complete refractory failing.
5. An entire "sticky" devoted just to trying to get one running properly.

My point? Certainly not that the EKO is a POS, just that all wood boilers have their issues. The "technology" is advancing faster than it is possible to get long term data on a given design. The sales are too small in comparison to oil/gas boilers to really prove out and move changes quickly. One thing that is common with all modern wood boilers: their owners are happy and warm. I KNOW I am.

ac

Pr

As far as primitive is concerned, remember that we are dealing with the original method for creating heat. Yes you are messing around with downdraft gasification now, but it all started from rubbing two sticks together before even the wheel was around.

Primitive can easily be fixed or have controls bypassed temporarily and run manually in order to make heat perhaps. I am just starting my journey to explore all options (preferably local manufacturers).

Seems like most of you are fairly new WG owners. How long has everybody had theirs?

I ran mine for 9 years before I disposed of it. One advantage the present owners have is this site. There was nothing like this when I had mine. I was all alone out there with with the problems and had to diagnose and overcome them on my own.

EWD,

It's good to have you back brother.

Ahona sells a made in the USA controller that is a direct replacement.

http://www.ahona.com/products.html
Parts was why I initially wanted the woodgun but I figured for about the cost of a cycle timer I could have a spare rk2001 on the shelf. And it's not like i couldnt convert my boiler to run off aquastats and cycle timers if I wanted. Others have done it.

And I'd say the fine tuning stickies are pretty similar to this thread, users figuring out how to get their boilers to run smooth. Though it didn't take quite as long!

In an emergency I can get my boiler to run with a couple of wire nuts.

Good to see AHONA stepping up and offering parts. However, that is still just 1 US source. Honeywell aquastats and damper motors are common components. Lowes and Home Depot sell the aquastats in stock, Grainger and MSC sell the damper motors. The draft fan is a std AC motor, Dayton or Baldor will always have something that fits.

Quite as long? I made a spreadsheet when I first started running my boiler. Within 2 days it was completely obvious that I just needed to put enough wood in during both the morning and afternoon loading. There is nothing to "tune" with the WG. The only learning curve to running it was "enough wood". Just about everything else discussed here has been installation.

ac

4th year with my boiler, going on 17+ cords burned thus far. Replaced door gasket after year 1(still looks good today), made my own flap for the air intake box after year 2.....that's it for "repairs".

No doubt this forum and the internet as a whole is a great help no matter what brand wood burner you own. I can appreciate the situations Fred and others may have had in the past without these resources. Using a little help from my friends I have been able to correct a few initial issues I had with the WG and I know many others have done the same regardless of the unit they run. For some an "issue" is a big deal and for others it is not. As an example, it has been printed in this forum that the creosote build up in the fresh air intake box was an issue...seems a big issue at that. To me the creosote is not an issue at all, I use the tool AHS supplies to push any build up in the intake tube back into the firebox during my weekly cleaning...simple and quick.

I was surprised that AHS did not supply my boiler with the rope type gasket and that the flap was not a better build quality but those issues were resolved easily and fairly cheaply. Other than those I don't see any signs of what I would consider premature wear, perhaps the next few years will show otherwise. YMMV.

Where are you surprised about the lack of a rope gasket? Both of my gassification chamber doors have a rope gasket. The wood door uses the fancier silicone on mine.

Care to elaborate about the flap?

How do your nozzles look after 17 cord?

I do the same thing during my cleanings: the AHS tool seems to work perfect for just about anything. I rally haven't noticed much creosote after my initial build-up from the first firing from 50F boiler water.

ac

They installed the silicon one on my rear door...it didn't last too long!
The flap metal piece that faces the firebox was thin and wore away. Had a buddy cut up some thicker SS ones(both interior and exterior) and also cut some rubber seals.
Nozzles are starting to show wear but I think I'll be good until next heating season. If I can find some metal grates that can handle the temps in the firebox I may try to get another year or 2 out of them.

For me it was alot of bad things that added up. You have done well with your center bricks. Your mention brought to mind one thing that rubbed me wrong. There were years when I replaced the bricks every year. At that time in the mid 80s the cost of the bricks was equal to three to four hundred gallons of fuel oil. The bricks are cheaper now and you know where oil went.

Yeah, that would be stupid. The whole point of burning wood is to be "ahead" of burning oil. If the math didn't work...
ac