Char-Lite wood burning boiler, ceiling radiant

[metalfingers]

My new to me home was built in 1962. It has an LP boiler and a Char Lite wood burner hooked into the same system. Copper lines are embedded in the plaster of the ceiling of the main floor & in the concrete of the basement floor, so there are no registers. I'm doing my best to figure out the system and make it as efficient as possible in the future.



I picked up a cheap thermal camera which has been worth it's weight in gold. I've been using it to bleed lines after I had to drain the system, locate pipes for remodeling, and just learn the system in general.






I started burning wood but was not getting the results I hoped for. I believe my main problem is wet wood, but the first thing that helped was emptying out the ashes. The previous owner probably hadn't done that in years and I scooped about 15 gallons of ash out. I believe this was keeping some of the heat from the system.

I could use some advice on the next attempt. I noticed a box of fire bricks in the basement and the wood burner had a lining of them in the bottom. I removed them thinking they could be insulating from heat and they weren't meant to be there. There is a hole rotted through the metal floor so I can see the benefit of them eliminating that. Should I put fire bricks back in?

 

[huffdawg]

Yes they are refractory bricks ,they are there for a reason.

A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractoryceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency.

 

[Highbeam]

I picked up a cheap thermal camera which has been worth it's weight in gold.

Holy crap that's cool! Just how "cheap" was this camera? I would love one too but I thought that they were very expensive.

 

[maple1]

I just ordered the Flir, to plug into my new Samsung S7. Supposed to be on it's way via courier. $329 CDN, not sure what they are in US bucks.

 

[Highbeam]

I just ordered the Flir, to plug into my new Samsung S7. Supposed to be on it's way via courier. $329 CDN, not sure what they are in US bucks.

Ouch, 286$ and only reads up to 248 F.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VILVV62/?tag=hearthamazon-20

 

[metalfingers]

Ouch, 286$ and only reads up to 248 F.

I paid $214 for mine, looks like the price has gone up since, but I have an android.
I don't really use the temp feature on it much, that's what your IR gun is for. It's a lot more useful for actually SEEING
where your house is losing heat. Or, if you have a heat system like mine, it's invaluable.

The sensitivity is amazing, put your hand on a cool block wall for a few seconds and the heat stays there for a long time


my ceiling without thermal camera

and with...

 

[Karl_northwind]

very cool. How are the ceiling emitters put together? I have been looking for opportunities for radiant ceiling that my wife will agree to, but haven't found one yet.

thanks
karl