I started a thread on another OWB site about an OWB that I purchased and have had nothing but troubles with. I purchased it as a first time buyer of an OWB from what I read in the advertisement as most of us first time OWB customers do. This unit was/is advertised as "the finest in updraft gasification
" I was referred to this site because saying there were a lot of gassers on here when I requested expert opinions. Therein lies the rub for me as a novice because from all that I have read since my purchase of this unit which has NOT performed even close to what was advertised is the reality that it may NOT even be what the OWB industry would classify as a wood gasification boiler. This unit is basically a tub in a tub with 25 gallons of boiler anti-freeze enclosed that runs an enclosed loop via 3/4" pex pipe. The unit has a fan blower that blows air into the firebox when it calls for heat which appears to me to be something like a BLACKSMITH FORGE. There is absolutely no where for the smoke generated to be reburned and it appears to go up the three inch flue to the point that it shoots a foot or two of flames up the flue and the flue itself becomes glowing red hot. Sparks as well as smoke fly from the unit and then when temp is reached it smolders down to nothing out the flue. I mention that this is like a blacksmith forge because in the 6-8 weeks I burned this unit I went through 7.5 cords of wood, the wood loading door has drastically warped, the seal around it at the bottom is completely gone and the wood grate on the inside has warped to the point of cracking in two in spots. In using so much wood I could only get about a 4-6 hour burn time and here in my state it has not been cold this winter until just last month which I have not even used the boiler because of a leak of the boiler antifreeze from the BACK of it. I am looking for expert opinions and or experience to tell me whether this unit would even remotely meet the industry standards as a wood gasification boiler? In my recent research I see an OWB that uses forced air that this may be more suited to but it used ducts to force the heat into the home and NOT liquid! I'm looking for OWB industry standards or classification that will stand up to legal scrutiny.
" I was referred to this site because saying there were a lot of gassers on here when I requested expert opinions. Therein lies the rub for me as a novice because from all that I have read since my purchase of this unit which has NOT performed even close to what was advertised is the reality that it may NOT even be what the OWB industry would classify as a wood gasification boiler. This unit is basically a tub in a tub with 25 gallons of boiler anti-freeze enclosed that runs an enclosed loop via 3/4" pex pipe. The unit has a fan blower that blows air into the firebox when it calls for heat which appears to me to be something like a BLACKSMITH FORGE. There is absolutely no where for the smoke generated to be reburned and it appears to go up the three inch flue to the point that it shoots a foot or two of flames up the flue and the flue itself becomes glowing red hot. Sparks as well as smoke fly from the unit and then when temp is reached it smolders down to nothing out the flue. I mention that this is like a blacksmith forge because in the 6-8 weeks I burned this unit I went through 7.5 cords of wood, the wood loading door has drastically warped, the seal around it at the bottom is completely gone and the wood grate on the inside has warped to the point of cracking in two in spots. In using so much wood I could only get about a 4-6 hour burn time and here in my state it has not been cold this winter until just last month which I have not even used the boiler because of a leak of the boiler antifreeze from the BACK of it. I am looking for expert opinions and or experience to tell me whether this unit would even remotely meet the industry standards as a wood gasification boiler? In my recent research I see an OWB that uses forced air that this may be more suited to but it used ducts to force the heat into the home and NOT liquid! I'm looking for OWB industry standards or classification that will stand up to legal scrutiny.
