Eko 25 cold start procedure?

[stefan66]

How long does it take to get the Eko 25 refractory hot enough for a full on firing when the boiler is cold (30F)?
What procedure do users have for cold firing?
The reason I ask is because it's not unusual for us to not fire for a day mid winter.
With a gasser the time between firing might be two days.

 

[Clarkbug]

In the middle of winter there shouldnt be any issue with skipping a day. The refractory wont have absorbed any moisture, and there is probably some residual heat in it still.

Ill let an Eko owner chime in with how they handle their first fire for the season...

 

[maple1]

How long does it take to get the Eko 25 refractory hot enough for a full on firing when the boiler is cold (30F)?
What procedure do users have for cold firing?
The reason I ask is because it's not unusual for us to not fire for a day mid winter.
With a gasser the time between firing might be two days.

Is the boiler not in a heated space? I think I would worry about freeze breaks if the boiler could get to 30f in a day or two.

 

[stefan66]

Is the boiler not in a heated space? I think I would worry about freeze breaks if the boiler could get to 30f in a day or two.


The boiler is in my garage.
The only heat in there is what radiates off the boiler.
We went away for a week from march 31 till april 7 and the temp in the garage went down to about freezing.
Using a glycol mix good to aprox. minus 10C..
Was able to coast on storage (still 69deg.F. when we got back)
1000 gallon storage was at 150deg. when we left.

 

[woodsmaster]

Your storage will last the same time no matter what you heat it with, maybe I'm not understanding something ? I Don't have an eko, but I routinely let my similar boiler get down to 80 F before lighting and I don't do anything different when its hotter.

 

[stefan66]

Your storage will last the same time no matter what you heat it with, maybe I'm not understanding something ? I Don't have an eko, but I routinely let my similar boiler get down to 80 F before lighting and I don't do anything different when its hotter.

I'm asking about cold starting.
Cold as in 30 F not 80F
My concern/question is about the procedure to get the refractory up to temp so as not to damage it.

 

[ihookem]

I've had mine 5 whole heating seasons now. The bottom is is real good shape. The top is eroding though. I just start with lots of kindling and a few logs. It gassifies better with only a few logs for some reason instead of loading it to the top with logs. Seems to smoke too much to gassifiy. I don't go wide open though. I keep it @ 50% fan speed. and 3 turns out with the air , and 3/8" main air openings. This way it doesn't get so hot so fast. I have been leary of real hot burns with a cold boiler. A few times I did it and I could hear noises in it., like it was creaking. I believe this can be hard on the welds ETC. I also don't have storage so my boiler is hot form mid December to mid March. It just seems a boiler would last longer if it was the same temp all the time instead of being stressed from 30 degrees to 1,500 degrees in 1 hour.

 

[woodsmaster]

the boiler

I've had mine 5 whole heating seasons now. The bottom is is real good shape. The top is eroding though. I just start with lots of kindling and a few logs. It gassifies better with only a few logs for some reason instead of loading it to the top with logs. Seems to smoke too much to gassifiy. I don't go wide open though. I keep it @ 50% fan speed. and 3 turns out with the air , and 3/8" main air openings. This way it doesn't get so hot so fast. I have been leary of real hot burns with a cold boiler. A few times I did it and I could hear noises in it., like it was creaking. I believe this can be hard on the welds ETC. I also don't have storage so my boiler is hot form mid December to mid March. It just seems a boiler would last longer if it was the same temp all the time instead of being stressed from 30 degrees to 1,500 degrees in 1 hour.

The boiler dont get that hot but the refractory does. the boiler is only a little hotter than the water in it. Might not be a bad idea to start out at low power with a small load, but I don't have the time or notion to mess with it. I fill it, set it, and forget it. The refractory is replaceable.