New Portage / Main boiler, looking for some help.

[ian_L]

Replacing a 26 year old Central boiler with Portage and Main BL25-34 shaker.

Rural Yukon. It has just been placed on a nice new concrete pad.

I have 120 Volt line passing. The Central boiler was wired into a junction..
The same circuit as 3 outdoor outlets in carport.

Connected to manifold with 1" pex.
My circulating pump is 100ft away in the house.

To start. Is there any other documentation? The manual supplied and online are very thin on detail.
None match my back panel.
There are only two 1" ports on the back. All seem to refer to four.
Filling, all there is, vague sentence saying to use the "top". I assume that means the upper 1" port.

Next. Power.
With a fan system, in a place with frequent power outages. Is it possible to wire a 3wire plug, rather than directly wiring it"?

 

[salecker]

Hi Ian
I am in Haines Junction.
I found this site before i started to build my system.
Glad i did as what i was going to use wasn't the best choices.
Do a bunch of reading and you should find some answers,the experts will show up a bit more as heating season draws closer.

 

[ian_L]

Goodness , small world.
Judas Creek, Marsh Lake.

It isn't the system itself I am wondering about.
Just the boiler itself.

This is it for guidance. They have a video, it spends 45 seconds on the back of the unit, vaguely referring to the feed and return lines.
There are 4, and none in the same place as mine.
The entire guide is about what happens in the firebox and to the water after the boiler.

Same with the power.

The power feed lines are just 2 wire dangling. There isn't even a preset hole for cable in or out.
We got a generator(after 2nd winter, very cold 20 day heatless period) , for the circ pump alone.
The Central boiler , although a pain, draft could be controlled just by propping door open.
This with a fan, I am not so sure about the door as a draft.
Wiring this with a plug would solve the -49 and no power problem.

 

[brenndatomu]

I wouldn't hesitate to wire a 3 wire plug on it, if it can be in a dry location...and its not in a place where people would screw with it...unplug it because they want power for the shop vac (or whatever) and then forget to plug it back in...

 

[hobbyheater]

Three prong plug.

one is utility power.

two is power from my generator.


With this system there is no way power can feed back down the utility's companies line .
Have used this set up for years to run my boiler system when there is a power failure .
I use a Honda inverter generator because my boiler has a computer in it .

 

[ian_L]

Okay, heating season is upon us. Yukon, for some reason has a firewood shortage.
This Portage & Main is impressive so far.

The manual this machine came with, is very thin. A quarter of it deals with what to do with the water after it leaves.

There is not even a diagram listing exterior features , I would have also looked for, some form of interior diagrams. What is in the manual needs some proof reading. Index says pg 11, something as important as cleaning out the ash. It is actually a small paragraph on pg 10, describing why to clean, but not how.

Is there anyone who may have something or know where.
SHaker Grate Outoor Furnace.

And, a very long story, which I am still baffled (how it grew so immense), a conflict arose with the distributor and ourselves.
For some reason, will no longer reply. So, my dealer is out, for further info. Too bad, I thought he did a great job selling us.

 

[salecker]

Yukons firewood shortage can always be traced back to the goberments ineptness.
Myself have no shortage of firewood,as i go cut my own.

 

[ian_L]

This is impressive so far. Probably 1/2 the usual fuel.

How common is the Portage & Main brand?

More curiosity now, but somewhere there must be schematics of the interiors.
I am getting some dripping in the ash chamber, be damned if there isn't even some instruction/demo on cleaning the ash.