Update on Magic Heat maintenance!

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73blazer said:
There's one installed in a friend of mines cabin we visit a few times a year. It's installed on a circa 1940's Montgomery Ward freestanding fireplace.
While I'd never put one on a newer high efficiency stove, I think in this application it works very well. It really brings the temp of the room up far quicker than without it in that application. (We measured)
I will note, however, that pipe is swept several times a year (since it's fairly easy to get to) and the fireplace just isn't used all that much, a few 4-day weekends a year while people are there.

Thanks, Blazer. Cool pic.
 
mikepinto65 said:
Dear VCBurner,

Why do you " " when quoting someone??

Thanks,

Mike

I haven't got a hold of all these techniques. Also, how do you quote multiple people on the same reply? So I could respond to multiple people without having to repeat posts. Thanks, Mike.
 
BeGreen said:
My concern would be the flue gas temps after they leave the unit. How are the flue temps being measured? What are the flue gas temps after they leave the MH? If they are only 400 going into the unit and less than 250 heading out, one would expect to find creosote condensing somewhere up the flue pipe.

I've got a Rutland magnetic thermometer above and one below the MH. The upper temp is only 75 °F less than the lower temp.
 
brokeburner said:
There killin you vc if there aint no creosote in the smoke it aint gonna cause no more. It will just slow down the draft this thing does not actually make creosote all by itself like people are thinkin it does. Thats almost comical. Hey this magic heat makes so much creosote it was drippin when i took it out of the box hahahah. If your comfortable burn bro just really keep an eye on it for a couple months and burn as clean as possible.

I know, man! I didn't intend on this post becoming a MH bashing post. I just want to share my experiences. After all, THAT IS WHY WE ARE ALL HERE!! :cheese: But I've got some thick skin, if my wife's badgering hasn't killed me yet, a couple negative comments aren't going to. :lol: Anyway, if these people are so against these things why don't you go lobby against them in Washington or something. Or call your state representative, HA, HA HA! Live and let live! These things are being sold currently and have been for quite sometime. Until they become illegal people will continue to use them, weather the majority of hearth.com members like it or not.
A couple questions I've got for all the haters: have any of you had a chimney fire as a result of a heat reclaimer? Or do you personally know someone who has? This type of evidence would certainly be more valid than rambling on about something you may not have any experience with. Please tell me if you've ever had one of these in your home, so I can validate your comments more seriously. This being said, I still appreciate the concearns and questions presented to me. They make me think of more ways to make it a safe wood heating endeavor. Thanks for all the posts and burn on!
 
BeGreen said:
My concern would be the flue gas temps after they leave the unit. How are the flue temps being measured? What are the flue gas temps after they leave the MH? If they are only 400 going into the unit and less than 250 heading out, one would expect to find creosote condensing somewhere up the flue pipe.

Love the T6 BeGreen, If I had one I definetely wouldn't use the MH!! :lol:
 
Iv got one of these on a coal stoker and it works like a charm as the stoker is fan forced draft,so there is no downside to it however

I would NEVER use this on my Hi Tech harman wood stove as per the company it will kill the draft thereby keeping the afterburner from doing its job and thus forming creosote and creating a dangerous situation. As other posters have said ,if your using an old stove with runaway draft ,it may be of benefit but also always have it plugged in cuz if the fan don't come on to keep the unit cool it will damage the components. Modern wood stoves are NOT designed with these devices in mind as they reduce flue temps and draft requirements. My harman likes a strong draft , the stronger the better.
 
Pat10 said:
the proof's in the pudding & i'm waiting to see how your chimney cleaning comes out. typically the chimney gets creosote deposited from the top [coldest area] down. wonder how the mh might affect that

I'm curious to see the results too. Tomorrow makes a week with the MH. My plan is to take the connectors appart and check for build up. I'll also check the chimney.

There are definetely pros and cons to having a reclaimer. The pros are pretty obvious: more heat
(up to 30,000 btu), and faster heating. The cons: unsightly appearance, noise, more frequent cleaning, increased electricity use.
I really miss my quiet basement retreat! Also, I've yet to see the electric bill. I almost feel like I'm cheating, I can no longer say that I heat only with wood because of the electric being used to blow the heat. That is also weighing in on my pros and cons list.
 
trump said:
Iv got one of these on a coal stoker and it works like a charm as the stoker is fan forced draft,so there is no downside to it however

I would NEVER use this on my Hi Tech harman wood stove as per the company it will kill the draft thereby keeping the afterburner from doing its job and thus forming creosote and creating a dangerous situation. As other posters have said ,if your using an old stove with runaway draft ,it may be of benefit but also always have it plugged in cuz if the fan don't come on to keep the unit cool it will damage the components. Modern wood stoves are NOT designed with these devices in mind as they reduce flue temps and draft requirements. My harman likes a strong draft , the stronger the better.

Thanks Trump, if I had a stove newer stove with a blower I wouldn't use the MH either. I plan on getting a newer stove next month and will cease to use the MH. The newer stove will not have a blower but does have the option. Take care.
 
Pat10 said:
VCBurner said:
trump said:
Iv got one of these on a coal stoker and it works like a charm as the stoker is fan forced draft,so there is no downside to it however

I would NEVER use this on my Hi Tech harman wood stove as per the company it will kill the draft thereby keeping the afterburner from doing its job and thus forming creosote and creating a dangerous situation. As other posters have said ,if your using an old stove with runaway draft ,it may be of benefit but also always have it plugged in cuz if the fan don't come on to keep the unit cool it will damage the components. Modern wood stoves are NOT designed with these devices in mind as they reduce flue temps and draft requirements. My harman likes a strong draft , the stronger the better.

Thanks Trump, if I had a stove newer stove with a blower I wouldn't use the MH either. I plan on getting a newer stove next month and will cease to use the MH. The newer stove will not have a blower but does have the option. Take care.
then theres this to consider http://www.gulland.ca/florida_bungalow_syndrome.htm

Pat, I read the link you sent, there was some good info in there. Could you explain what part you think I should consider? Thanks for the info.
 
Ok, for those of you who were interested to know the results, it was dirty. But, that was expected. With this MH connected I'd have to clean the connectors once a month. I've been burning a lot of pine in it too! So the results were not unexpected. The next time I clean it, I'll take some pics so everyone can see exactly how much soot gets deposited in the connectors above the MH. Not as much fell down into the lower connectors as I thought. Even with daily scraping of the blower pipes. With monthly cleanings the connector pipes should be fine and the chimney was as clean as a whistle! It was black but had no build up all the way up! My chimney has really good draft, which helps. I've also been burning around 300-400 flue temp as much as possible during the day. I'd say 7-8 hours with those temps. So, to sum it all up, dirty, but not incendiary results! Just as I thought. Frequent cleanings, with a lot more heat. Faster heating and increased air circulation, Which is perfect for heating a house from a basement stove!!!

Good luck to those in the Mid-Atlantic snow storm, burn on!!
 

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next time u clean the chimney, try to burn the scrapings so u get some idea of what chimney fire hazard might be in the scrapings.

Thanks Pat, I'll try that! I still have the debris.
 
VCBurner said:
Ok, for those of you who were interested to know the results, it was dirty. But, that was expected. With this MH connected I'd have to clean the connectors once a month. I've been burning a lot of pine in it too! So the results were not unexpected.

What does pine have to do with it.?
 
I was under the impression that pine releases more particles than other hard woods. At least that's what people around here preach. My father in law always told me that it was all people out west burn. So, I've been burning pine with great results. Am I wrong in thinking the pine could result in more build up?
Thanks North
 
VCBurner said:
I was under the impression that pine releases more particles than other hard woods. At least that's what people around here preach. My father in law always told me that it was all people out west burn. So, I've been burning pine with great results. Am I wrong in thinking the pine could result in more build up?
Thanks North

Like any wood, if it's dry, shouldn't matter much.
I burn pine too, and it's dry.
 
VCBurner said:
I was under the impression that pine releases more particles than other hard woods. At least that's what people around here preach. My father in law always told me that it was all people out west burn. So, I've been burning pine with great results. Am I wrong in thinking the pine could result in more build up?
Thanks North

Like any wood, if it's dry, shouldn't matter much.
I burn pine too, and it's dry.
Previous owners here burned mostly oak with some maple, yet since they didn't dry it well, the flue was clogged to about half it's normal size.

Edit: guess I didn't stop the first post fast enough.
 
PapaDave Posted: 06 February 2010 07:05 PM
Like any wood, if it’s dry, shouldn’t matter much.
I burn pine too, and it’s dry.
Previous owners here burned mostly oak with some maple, yet since they didn’t dry it well, the flue was clogged to about half it’s normal size.

You wouldn't believe if I told you how anti-pine people around here are! I tried to tell the owner of our local market to burn some dry pine in his stove (the only convinience store in town, also serves as the post office). Another customer disagreed and went as far as saying "people out west have different stoves than us." I felt compelled to tell him to go on-line and check out this site, but the old timer probably didn't have a computer! Well, my point is, people are scared stiff to throw in a pine log with their hard wood. I'll always burn the stuff now, people give the stuff away like it was the plague.
 
Someone here proposed a theory as to why people believe pine causes chimney fires that makes the most sense to me. If you've been burning underseasoned hardwoods and damping down to get longer burns in an older-style stove, (therefore building up a nice layer of creosote,) and then you toss in some hot burning pine, you'll have an instant chimney fire. Pine gets the blame.
Alternatively, it has been pointed out that wet pine weighs less than dry hardwood, so it might be harder to tell when it's ready if you're used to hardwoods. In that case, the pine might be causing creosote, but no more than any wet wood would.
Enjoy the free pine!
 
Just thought I'd throw this thread back out there and rattle the bee's nests!!

I have long since removed the MH to learn how to burn my stove without any possible added factors. The stove acted the same with or without the MH on it. The little build up that the connectors had was all dry fly ash type never wet, flaky or glaze like compound. I now realize that burning it hot was the best thing I did. The MH did put out some major heat! and I would not hesitate installing it again on another stove. The things I hate about it are the looks and the noise. I could see how they would be a problem for someone who burns smoldering fires and wet/green wood, especially on low burns. These create a perfect condition for a chimney/house fire to occur.

Lets see if anyone will pounce on this one! :)
 
Like the stock market, past performance is no prediction of future gains. I think the main reason the MH wasn't a major PITA is because of the cat cleaning the smoke before it went through the MH.
 
have magic heats changed in their configuration??? how is it that they now "block the chimney"? (shari from wis.) i know they would get too hot and the electric parts would be in danger of damage if and when the power failed, but where and when did they start blocking the chimney????

i used to have one in a garage that worked great and really helped out with heat distribution...along with the box fan trick. but i don't think i would like one in a finished basement....unless the room was pretty isolated so the sound wouldn't transfer. but, they sure do work! wasn't there something like this for clothes dryers also??
 
BeGreen said:
Like the stock market, past performance is no prediction of future gains. I think the main reason the MH wasn't a major PITA is because of the cat cleaning the smoke before it went through the MH.

Point well made BeGreen!

This was taken from an article I read:
Combustors can destroy up to 90% of the creosote associated with wood combustion and remove 90% or more of the harmful pollutants found in wood smoke.

If that is true, I assume it is safer to put reclaimers on an EPA catalytic or non Catalytic stove. EPA stoves burn cleaner.


yooperdave -24 January 2011 03:19 PM
have magic heats changed in their configuration??? how is it that they now “block the chimney� (shari from wis.) i know they would get too hot and the electric parts would be in danger of damage if and when the power failed, but where and when did they start blocking the chimney????
i used to have one in a garage that worked great and really helped out with heat distribution…along with the box fan trick. but i don’t think i would like one in a finished basement….unless the room was pretty isolated so the sound wouldn’t transfer. but, they sure do work! wasn’t there something like this for clothes dryers also??

They don't block the chimney, but provide a bigger place for the smoke to circulate while on their way up the flue, thus reducing the draft. To further aid draft reduction they cool the gasses off in the process. This is a minor reduction in draft. IMO, if you have a good chimney that allows good draft, it is not a problem. Certain stoves require more draft and may be more sensitive to draft reduction.

I think I've seen the clothes drier thing you're talking about. My friend down the street has one of these filter boxes that allow you to vent it inside the house. This would be a great addition to people with stove installs that have problems with negative air. It also puts out heat and humidifies the house.
 
vc, i don't think the dryer thing to reclaim heat would help people with negative air issues since all it is doing is allowing the dryer to be vented inside of the house as opposed to discharging it to the exterior. if it draws air from the outside, then that would be different.
 
yooperdave said:
vc, i don't think the dryer thing to reclaim heat would help people with negative air issues since all it is doing is allowing the dryer to be vented inside of the house as opposed to discharging it to the exterior. if it draws air from the outside, then that would be different.
The one I was talking about doesn't draw air from anywhere, it simply discharges the exhaust inside the house and filters the discharge. So it's not a reclaimer more like a filter. If a stove is competing with a drier that is sucking air out of the house then it would help. Probably not a good thing during the summer months.
 
VCBurner said:
yooperdave said:
vc, i don't think the dryer thing to reclaim heat would help people with negative air issues since all it is doing is allowing the dryer to be vented inside of the house as opposed to discharging it to the exterior. if it draws air from the outside, then that would be different.
The one I was talking about doesn't draw air from anywhere, it simply discharges the exhaust inside the house and filters the discharge. So it's not a reclaimer more like a filter. If a stove is competing with a drier that is sucking air out of the house then it would help. Probably not a good thing during the summer months.

I believe what he ment is that the dryer draws air from inside, so all the indoor discharge for the dryer does is discharge the air that was taken from the room back into the room; versus if the dryer drew in air from outside & discharged it inside, it would result in a positive pressure to off-set the negative pressure caused by the stove drawing combustion air from the room.
 
From Magic Heat to clothes dryers.

This one is going to bed.
 
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