cb e-classic

[rsnider]

just saw the e-classic yesterday at a power show. this is the cb gasification outside boiler.
downdraft gasification
don't know about heat exchangers inside
for outside use like the owb
looks big holds like 400gal water
can be duel fuel if needed
all other features same as there owb.
price 8500 for wood only, 8900 duel fuel

this boiler has the only epa orange tag on the market so far. this is for owb emissions and this is only because they must have beat other owb manf. to it. the salespeople of course didn't know anything about it and i knew more about gasifiers than them which isn't hard. they just kept saying this is knew technology and i kept telling them no its not. i wanted to tear into it and trust me i tried but they kept saying we cant take all the panels off since they are still factory screwed together from shipping. i wanted to see the heat exchange area and ash pan area but no luck. all in all it looked like a solid boiler and a lower price than i thought it would be for a 500 btu rating which is way to big for my needs or a small towns needs. i asked about the smaller boiler that is suppose to come out but he said they prob wont make that one for some reason. dont think this is on my list since so new and cb dont know gasifiers that well yet.

 

[webbie]

Interesting.
One has to wonder if the premature burning out of early models (woodgun, etc.) has been taken into account in the designs of these new units. After all, a price means nothing if the boiler develops leaks in five years!

There is more to this stuff then meets the eye, and I think the idea of being outside can also affect things ( higher humidity, bigger temperature difference). Also, water must be kept very hot or condensation and corrosion will occur much quicker.

I would agree that most folks are best to stick with makers that have a track record and/or a rock solid warranty. Central does have more experience than most, but at the same time they have often fought against clean products.....and these guys telling you they can't make a smaller one sounds a little funny.

 

[sled_mack]

Let's just say you have a tank that could absorb the all the heat from that size boiler in one firing and then heat your house for 2 days. Does that unit have enough insulation to sit idle for that long?

If you have to constantly circulate through it to keep it from freezing, then you will loose a lot of efficiency. No?

I'd be interested in knowing how big the firebox size is. With 2700 gal of storage, I could get more out of one long burn if I could get more wood into the upper chamber of my EKO. Plus, having the boiler outside in a shed means size wasn't an issue. But, I'm sure I'm the exception to the rule with my setup. For most people a bigger fire box would just mean more idling and less efficiency.