My BioMass 40 Sucks

[jhunter19]

I am giving up on my Biomass 40. Have used 3 winters now and have never been able to get it to run correctly. If I was in the creosote makeing business, I would be a millionare. I have broken 5 cleanout handles, have to use a 440 pound wench to unstick my turbulators. All I get from Cozyheat and New Horizons is my wood is not dry enough. Bull, I am using good wood that was cut 4 years ago, split and stacked 2 years ago, if this is not good, then nothing is. Now Cozyheat will not even return my calls, and all Zenon at New Horizons does is give me attitude and says I should have purchased from him. I will most likely remove my boiler in the spring and take in for scrap metal. I'll replace with a Central Boiler outdoor unit. If you are thinking about doing business with Cozyheat, New Horizon, or BioMass... DON'T. I cannot even get them to recommend a service tech to assist. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] before you make the mistakes I made. You can see photos of some of the issues I have had in the fine-tuning a biomass thread.

 

[Fred61]

When you do decide to throw it out let me know. I'll let you throw it in the bed of my pick-up. Save you the trouble of disposing of it.

 

[BoilerMan]

Do you ever get secondary combustion? Does the lower chamber goo up? Secondary air plugged?

TS

 

[GENECOP]

Work with some of the guys here before you give up....these guys know more than the dealers......

 

[BoiledOver]

I can think of three things that would develop creosote in the exhaust tubes. Choked from oxygen, cold water return or excess moisture in the fuel. I see that you have had issues from the start and have not resolved them in over two years of use. All of the information is here and there are plenty of experienced and very helpful members to assist. If someone is close enough to you, maybe you could offer a fee for them to come and troubleshoot for you. There is great satisfaction in having a wood boiler heating as it should. Could be that you are close to achieving that. It would be a shame to be so close and bug out just shy of success.

 

[__dan]

I can think of three things that would develop creosote in the exhaust tubes. Choked from oxygen, cold water return or excess moisture in the fuel. I see that you have had issues from the start and have not resolved them in over two years of use. All of the information is here and there are plenty of experienced and very helpful members to assist. If someone is close enough to you, maybe you could offer a fee for them to come and troubleshoot for you. There is great satisfaction in having a wood boiler heating as it should. Could be that you are close to achieving that. It would be a shame to be so close and bug out just shy of success.

I would second this. You have a boiler that is made to gasify and burn the creosote. Try to make it run within its design parameters. I would probably be looking for a ripping orange or yellow flame, not blue.

An IR gun is $20 to $40 if you want to try to confirm the the loading unit or return water protection valve is working. Also, try to post a few pictures of the near boiler plumbing, the loading unit, and the woodpile. I would say as long as the wood is covered and up on pallets, it is dry. If its been rained on, it could be difficult and balky to burn.

Most likely, the guys here have already experienced the trouble you're having and can advise you. I can certainly understand how frustrating it can be it have trouble with a critical system like heat.

Maybe try something like small dry splits and maybe biobricks to get it gasifying and see what works and what does not. Definitely there's a huge loss of heat output if you cannot get it consistently gasifying and burning that creosote. There should be no creosote production leaving the secondary chamber.

http://www.amazon.com/Raytek-MT6-Non-contact-MiniTemp-Thermometer/

 

[cityboy172]

Why is everyone thats throwing cool stuff away always so far away.

 

[mr.fixit]

From the looks of the one picture,that thing is so gunked up in the HX tubes that it will never operate correctly until it has a very thorough cleaning down to bare metal.

 

[maple1]

Don't scrap it - put it in the classified section.

 

[Fred61]

I am giving up on my Biomass 40. Have used 3 winters now and have never been able to get it to run correctly. If I was in the creosote makeing business, I would be a millionare. I have broken 5 cleanout handles, have to use a 440 pound wench to unstick my turbulators. All I get from Cozyheat and New Horizons is my wood is not dry enough. Bull, I am using good wood that was cut 4 years ago, split and stacked 2 years ago, if this is not good, then nothing is. Now Cozyheat will not even return my calls, and all Zenon at New Horizons does is give me attitude and says I should have purchased from him. I will most likely remove my boiler in the spring and take in for scrap metal. I'll replace with a Central Boiler outdoor unit. If you are thinking about doing business with Cozyheat, New Horizon, or BioMass... DON'T. I cannot even get them to recommend a service tech to assist. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] before you make the mistakes I made. You can see photos of some of the issues I have had in the fine-tuning a biomass thread.

I really want to scold you. If you ever try to actuate that lever and you feel resistance, it's time to dismantle the thing to see what's wrong. I can't believe you made the same mistake 5 times. Take it apart and clean it out 'til it shines. If you can't figure it out spend some time looking it over an scratching your balls until you do figure it out or get someone with some mechanical aptitude to help you. There should not be any build-up of crap in those tubes for whatever reason that is yet to be determined.

We're willing to help but don't go ripping through the process like a bull in a china shop. Start by posting the information that _dan requested a n we'll go from there.

 

[skfire]

FRED FOR PRESIDENT....NOW!

In all seriousness, I understand the O.P's frustration....especially if one is a beginner in this universe of wood gassing.
Certain dealers are not knowledgeable, others are not friendly and some are very disconnected to the "frustrated beginner's state of mind",
especially when the S.H.T.F. in the poor guy's boiler room at 2:00am in the middle of Jan...on the flip side some dealers are phenomenal, great people and very friendly and connected to the plight of the newbie..

So yes, above said given, more homework and preparation should have been done...but we are not all mechanically inclined or equally gifted, not too mention "Life is what happens while we plan for life", so the best laid plans.....etc...blah blah blah...

Hang in there Jhunter and heed the advice of the crew in here....no one better....get this thing going right and don't look back...IMHO scraping this and getting a OWB will leave you more frustrated...or not...pending on how you see your world.

Philosopherus Retardius Maximus....Out

Scott

 

[avc8130]

We're willing to help but don't go ripping through the process like a bull in a china shop.

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[Fred61]

BUSTED

 

[Fred61]

When Confucius say "No BULL in China shop" he was actually saying "Do not lie while visiting any retail establishments in China".

 

[taxidermist]

that post is kinda like..... I have a problem with my car..... i put gas and oil in it? My car co sucks.

I would say it's not the biomass........

 

[NateB]

I think the answer may be in here somewhere https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/waste-oil-in-a-wood-gassifier.78258/

 

[skfire]

I think the answer may be in here somewhere https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/waste-oil-in-a-wood-gassifier.78258/

Ok..on second thought....ged rid of it and let some one doctor it up and put it to good use.

SK