new to gasifacation world--Greenwood questions

[emuman]

hi, i got a greenwood 200 a few weeks ago and i seem to have a "goo" issue that my supplier doesn't really seem like he has the answers for me
My chimney is quite high (14') above the roof but still does not draw good. would a draft inducer fix the problem of the lazy type fire that does not seem to get hot enough to eliminate creosote build up and massive leaking on floor ?
has any one else had this problem?

 

[Valhalla]

I sense unseasoned wood as a primary cause!

What are you burning and how was it seasoned?

Leaking on the floor, as in moisture/wet creosote stains? Please explain further.

Was this device designed to burn "green" unseasoned fuel? Hence the brand name.

 

[emuman]

My wood is at 12 %
there is a mixture of water &creosote;that comes from the door,stove pipe ,entire outer box (seams ,bolt holes etc.) and in 1 month it clogged my first elbow of my stove pipe
this thing smokes back all the time . its gonna ruin my house

 

[Eric Johnson]

That's not an uncommon complaint with Greenwoods. I'm not sure what the fix is, if any, but there are a few old posts discussing it, and a few Greenwood owners who might help out. I'm going to put "Greenwood" in your post title to see if we can get you some help.

 

[emuman]

Thanks i'm new at this

 

[Valhalla]

Back to the basics.

1. Poor draft
2. Low temperature output
3. Heavy moisture residue

Something very fundamental is wrong. I would continue to have the dealer resolve it. Did they just install it?

There has to be a fundamental cause of this.

 

[emuman]

The piping is A1 according to every one
it is tied into my oil fired boiler (continuosly circulates )
i don't over load the fire box so i get a complete burn
i have a tekmar control on the return to mix the return temp above 150 deg
the problem is the gasifacation doesn't seem to be taking place

 

[webbie]

Is it cold enough outside yet?

Keep in mind that such a boiler (and, actually, ALL the boilers we are discussing) are not gasification. They MAY be high efficiency of enhanced combustion or semi-complete combustion. Without running them at full boat and having storage - or very cold weather - they are unlikely to burn cleanly.

 

[emuman]

yes i can see that being some issue but when the house is calling for heat and the damper is open it should be performing properly then ,shouldn't it
this thing is supposed to burn at close to 2000 deg???

 

[webbie]

All wood fires rely on some kind of critical mass - the amount of embers and the full heating up of the ceramic interior....especially that design (Seton?).

A wood boiler cannot have a wide range of BTU's in which to operate efficiently. The same unit which cranks well at 100,000 BTU cannot burn clean at 30,000.......that is the whole concept of storage. Also, many with central heat do not fire their units up until it gets really cold.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I fire mine up on a rumor of cooler weather. The EKO burns clean across a pretty wide range. As long as you feed it dry wood and keep it from going into idle, you can pretty much count on a clean burn even in moderate (40-60 degree) weather.

 

[steam man]

It sounds to me like you just need more air. Are you building the fire close to the air inlet ports? If so, keep the wood some what away from them. Where's Anthony when you need him?

Mike

 

[Nofossil]

My wood is at 12 %
there is a mixture of water &creosote;that comes from the door,stove pipe ,entire outer box (seams ,bolt holes etc.) and in 1 month it clogged my first elbow of my stove pipe
this thing smokes back all the time . its gonna ruin my house

12% is amazingly low. How did you measure it? How and where do you store your firewood prior to burning?

I don't want to be obnoxious, but the problem sounds a lot like wood that's too moist, and 12% doesn't seem like a typical number.

 

[antknee2]

I am here guys , I could imagine what your going through Nova66, you got me thinking , give me a little more time . Is it possible you can take some pics of the heat exchanger tubes and most important the hidden tubes in back of the rear refractory wall. If they are restricted to much the boiler can not aspirate fully .
Anthony

 

[DKerley]

Hi Nova 66,

I have a GW 200 and will do my best to help you. Try a PM to me and I will give you my phone number. Too busy and too slow a typist to help out on the forum right now.

 

[Duetech]

Would a draft booster paired to your draft/call for heat control help? It would only come on when there is a call for heat and when the call is satisfied would shut down just like the draft.

 

[emuman]

Thats what i was wondering myself ! Ijust didn't want to order one until I got some advice because like I said before my suppliers aren't much help .

 

[tigermaple]

Sounds to me like you need more heat load or wet wood. If the MC of your wood is really 12% than it should disappear in a GW200. Is your water temp reaching 180º?

 

[jpowell1979]

First you need to accurately measure your draft. I bought a draft gauge on ebay for cheap, or you could maybe borrow one from your dealer or wood stove installer. You will need this gauge to adjust your draft fan as well. My model 100 needs .05-.07 draft and I was able to achieve this by adding additional height to my stack. I now use the draft fan only for starting a new fire and for loading wood to prevent excess smoke from coming out the door. It is well worth the $160 for the draft fan for these two reasons alone. I had similar problems as you are describing and when I first measured the draft it was only around .03 and I was using wood that was a little too green.

The real easy way to install the fan is to punch out one of the knockouts in the electrical box attached to the boiler and wire the fan to the same wires that are going to the dampener actuator. This will supply power to the blower any time that the dampener is open.

 

[henfruit]

alaska, how tall is your smoke pipe on the 100?

 

[jpowell1979]

I think that it is 16' from the ground to the top with 6" pipe. (8' to ceiling and then 8' of metalbestos.)

 

[emuman]

alaska i will send you pics via email cause i don't know how to get my picts on this site

 

[emuman]

The supplier came down last week to see what i was complaining about and he tested what wood i had at 12 % he said ??????

 

[gundog24]

Hi, I have a seton w-90, no water storage. I had the same problem, " Goo leaking onto the floor and water dripping from the bottom elbow on the exhaust stack. " Before installing the boiler I measured the draft in the chimmey .06 is what i got. What i did to help with the " Goo" problem is installed an auto draft fan and wired it to the damper circuit, when the damper opened the the draft fan came on, I installed a flue gas temp gage near 18" from the rear damper on the exhaust pipe. That way i can watch the temp of the stack and adjust the draft fan as needed. I have found once the chimmey gets warmed up i don't need the draft fan untill I have to load the boiler. hope this helps..

 

[heaterman]

As a general rule, I try to avoid any non- draft induced wood burning equipment like the plague. Many manufacturers of both OWB's and the more "modern" types make W A claims about how their unit doesn't need a draft blower or inducer. In my humble experience I have found that to be absolute BS. Try to find a European made unit that doesn't use a fan.
Think about the old blacksmith in his shop heating a piece of iron. When he needs the fire really hot what does he do? He grabs the bellows and pumps the air to it. Same principle applies to your wood boiler. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that a forced air draft makes a cleaner and hotter fire.

I realize this doesn't help you with your predicament but I hope it helps others who may be making a decision regarding what type of boiler to purchase.

The best advice I can give you would be to run your water temp as hot as possible and use as much temperature differential with your on/off cycle as you can. This will help by keeping your chimney warmer for better draft and the wider temp spread will give you a longer burn time.