Found something to do right after I light the fire and before I click on the Eburn 150

[Huskurdu]

A friend of mine was giving away a Weider exercise machine and asked me if I wanted it. I said sure I'll take it.

I put it about 5 feet from the boiler. After I light the fire I work out for 10-12 minutes until the flue temp reaches ~350 deg F and then click the boiler on and leave. I do this twice a day, morning and night. It's really making me feel better and it's a good way to kill that wasted time.

Thought you would enjoy.

np

 

[Tony H]

Good idea a little extra workout never hurts and now you don't have that idle time on your hands where you might go out and cause some trouble :wow:

 

[stee6043]

I have a very similar routine.....but I typically spend the 10-15 minutes during startup drinking a beer. 12oz curls....

 

[mtnmizer]

Interesting idea, my lightoff on the same boiler as you takes at the most a couple of minutes.

Might be the difference in the wood type. I use douglas fir mostly. I open door and place folded
newspaper on the bottom edge to keep clean. Place 2 small splits on each side of nozzle, wad up newpaper
place between two pieces and add handfull small >1/2" kindling then add more smaller splits to half full and one
more wadded newspaper page. Open bottom door, scrape ashes into pan, place one piece of newspaper
in trough and light top and bottom, close top door and go out and grab an armload of wood for firebox.
Close bottom door/bypass and hit fan----start to finish at most 5 minutes including making kindling.
Wait 15-20 minutes and refill and alls good. Pine is not as good as fir for me.

I have a clean stack , no smoke with only a couple of minutes between light off and fan.

Between feeding/making hay, hiking/skiing/running/riding in the mountain and heating with wood my
waistline is the same as when I was 20 (34") and eat anything/all I want. The mountain lifestyle.. MM

 

[flyingcow]

I have a very similar routine.....but I typically spend the 10-15 minutes during startup drinking a beer. 12oz curls....

Ditto. I got it a little easier, once unit is lit and filled with wood, all done. I have to becareful to to get "lit" myself. Try to only have one can of beer.

 

[Hydronics]

I have a very similar routine.....but I typically spend the 10-15 minutes during startup drinking a beer. 12oz curls....

Ditto. I got it a little easier, once unit is lit and filled with wood, all done. I have to becareful to to get "lit" myself. Try to only have one can of beer.

Hmmm....You guys may be onto something, I might have to get a small fridge for the wood boiler building...

 

[brad068]

Wow!, that is really a long time. I can go out and be back in during a commerical break and not miss one minute of the program!

And Hansson asks, "Whats so special with the Garn?"

 

[wantstoburnwood]

Jeepers the first beer in the basement is the best quiet refreshment to have all evening.

 

[wantstoburnwood]

Think I already had too many

 

[Huskurdu]

I'm sure my boiler would fire up sooner, but I wait till the flue temp hits 350 deg. just so I don't have to unload/reload/relight. It gives me time to exercise! (and drink a Blue Light)
This year I am using ash kindling on top of newspaper. I've used some pine lumber scraps before and they do light faster. Wish I had more pine, that wood be cool.
I load 150 up to near the top and shut the top door. That way I don't have to reopen it again for several hours until it's time to reload or relight. Keeps the smoke out of the room.
I've never had any issues with creosote in the flue. I get some dry white ash in the bottom of the flue, it is heavy like sand. I clean that out about every couple months.

Happy burning!

np

Interesting idea, my lightoff on the same boiler as you takes at the most a couple of minutes.

Might be the difference in the wood type. I use douglas fir mostly. I open door and place folded
newspaper on the bottom edge to keep clean. Place 2 small splits on each side of nozzle, wad up newpaper
place between two pieces and add handfull small >1/2" kindling then add more smaller splits to half full and one
more wadded newspaper page. Open bottom door, scrape ashes into pan, place one piece of newspaper
in trough and light top and bottom, close top door and go out and grab an armload of wood for firebox.
Close bottom door/bypass and hit fan----start to finish at most 5 minutes including making kindling.
Wait 15-20 minutes and refill and alls good. Pine is not as good as fir for me.

I have a clean stack , no smoke with only a couple of minutes between light off and fan.

Between feeding/making hay, hiking/skiing/running/riding in the mountain and heating with wood my
waistline is the same as when I was 20 (34") and eat anything/all I want. The mountain lifestyle.. MM

 

[kieth4548]

I have a pool table near my stove so I go over and play a game of pool. By the time i'm done (which isn't very quick) my fire is a going

 

[Jim Post]

Working out is a good idea but I lit a fire in my tarm...Sunday...probably light another in two weeks when I shut it down to clean the tubes...Not sure I will get much out of a workout on that schedule. ;-)

I just don't light alot of fires...3 so far this year since mid October. My wife and I are much better at firebox management these days. The first year with our tarm (2005) I think we went through 4 boxes of stick matches. :bug:

If there are any coals at all in the firebox, I can usually resurrect a fire by placing a 3 inch or less round on the slot and raking the coals along side of the round. Put a few smaller splits over the round and coals and then put some larger stuff on top depending on the expected heat load. Close the door, close the bypass and we're back to gassifying in short order.

 

[SnowTraveler]

A great way to kill time, but I am gassifying within minutes from lighting. Am I doing this too soon?

 

[flyingcow]

A great way to kill time, but I am gassifying within minutes from lighting. Am I doing this too soon?

No i think you're fine. The same with me. I'm all of 10minutes at most. I grab slabs of cedar, split into kindlin', throw paper in, light paper, turn on fan, go gather wood. By the time I'm back with a wheelbarrow of wood, the cedar is really starting to crackle, and I add wood until firebox is full, shut door. At this point, I'm gasssifying pretty good. This is done is easily in 10 minutes or less. Within 30 to 40 minutes I'm getting 160, soon to be 185+ running thru baseboard. If i had my kindlin' all split it would save a few minutes.
-
I have my boiler next door in my garage, err I mean wood storage facility. The boiler room is seperated from wood pile, and keeps the beer cold. This is when I enjoy the peace and quiet and have a cold one.

 

[Huskurdu]

I'm thinking that the reason that mine takes a bit longer than some of you is because I fill the top chamber right off the bat, rather than start a small fire then refill after a short period of time. I think it takes more time for the fire in the bottom to burn its way up the pile and out the flue shutter in the back of the chamber. I don't think one is more/less correct than the other but to each his/her own.

np

A great way to kill time, but I am gassifying within minutes from lighting. Am I doing this too soon?

No i think you're fine. The same with me. I'm all of 10minutes at most. I grab slabs of cedar, split into kindlin', throw paper in, light paper, turn on fan, go gather wood. By the time I'm back with a wheelbarrow of wood, the cedar is really starting to crackle, and I add wood until firebox is full, shut door. At this point, I'm gasssifying pretty good. This is done is easily in 10 minutes or less. Within 30 to 40 minutes I'm getting 160, soon to be 185+ running thru baseboard. If i had my kindlin' all split it would save a few minutes.
-
I have my boiler next door in my garage, err I mean wood storage facility. The boiler room is seperated from wood pile, and keeps the beer cold. This is when I enjoy the peace and quiet and have a cold one.

 

[sorethumbs]

After I light the fire I work out for 10-12 minutes until the flue temp reaches ~350 deg F and then click the boiler on and leave. I do this twice a day, morning and night.

I know little to nothing about gassers, but isn't there some type of automatic switching controll, like a snap disk, that could do this autonomously?

 

[Hansson]

Wow!, that is really a long time. I can go out and be back in during a commerical break and not miss one minute of the program!

And Hansson asks, "Whats so special with the Garn?"

I start my boiler every second day. 500 gallons tank..
(broken image removed)

 

[Gooserider]

After I light the fire I work out for 10-12 minutes until the flue temp reaches ~350 deg F and then click the boiler on and leave. I do this twice a day, morning and night.

I know little to nothing about gassers, but isn't there some type of automatic switching controll, like a snap disk, that could do this autonomously?

In theory yes, but the fire starting process is a somewhat failure prone process (i.e. it goes out sometimes...) so I think the idea is to make sure the user sticks around long enough to make sure the fire is well established before leaving...

Gooserider

 

[Huskurdu]

After I light the fire I work out for 10-12 minutes until the flue temp reaches ~350 deg F and then click the boiler on and leave. I do this twice a day, morning and night.

I know little to nothing about gassers, but isn't there some type of automatic switching controll, like a snap disk, that could do this autonomously?

In theory yes, but the fire starting process is a somewhat failure prone process (i.e. it goes out sometimes...) so I think the idea is to make sure the user sticks around long enough to make sure the fire is well established before leaving...

Gooserider

And for God's sake......don't leave before you click the damn thing on or you'll make a crap-load of steam!! Don't ask me how I know.

np