Polar G2 Plus Downdraft Boiler

[Case1030]

Thought I'd do a quick update.

Polar Furnace G2plus has been treating me well this heating season. The boiler is similar to the Fröling but an open system that is both indoor UL and outdoor approved. Stack temperatures never above 275f. Usually cruises around 250f.

Reloads are Smokeless and convenient, easy sweep takes a flip of the finger.

What I have noticed is very little amount of ash needs to be removed every couple of weeks even with Poplar wood. Which is all I used in the shoulder season.

Definitely recommend this unit for anyone considering a gasser.

 

[chew72]

That 2nd photo makes me think I clean my ashes out too often!

 

[Case1030]

That 2nd photo makes me think I clean my ashes out too often!

What kind of boiler do you own?

 

[Highbeam]

Thought I'd do a quick update.

Polar Furnace G2plus has been treating me well this heating season. The boiler is similar to the Fröling but an open system that is both indoor UL and outdoor approved. Stack temperatures never above 275f. Usually cruises around 250f.

Reloads are Smokeless and convenient, easy sweep takes a flip of the finger.

What I have noticed is very little amount of ash needs to be removed every couple of weeks even with Poplar wood. Which is all I used in the shoulder season.

Definitely recommend this unit for anyone considering a gasser.

View attachment 287665 View attachment 287666 View attachment 287667 View attachment 287668

Is it backed right up against the wall? Those boilers look super heavy and expensive. Pretty darn fancy.

 

[Case1030]

Is it backed right up against the wall? Those boilers look super heavy and expensive. Pretty darn fancy.

Code needed 6". Not enough to access unless a guy cut out the wall behind and put a door from outside.

I left just enough more like 18". Enough for me to plumb the back. Would be nice to have more room but now I have extra space for my skidsteer and wood in front. Only need to go back there once per year to do the fan clean out 10min job in and out.

These boilers are very heavy 2600lbs for the G2plus. Has a built in return protection valve with mixing pump, ECM Genteq fan, 304SS firebox. Wasn't cheap but the way its built I'm expecting it to last a long time.

For anyone in the USA I was told the G2plus, and G3 are approved and can get the 26% tax credit.

 

[SpaceBus]

Is the G3 larger than the G2 Plus? Your G2 is an impressive appliance. Do you need additional storage or can it still "idle" cleanly with the massive water jacket?

 

[Case1030]

Is the G3 larger than the G2 Plus? Your G2 is an impressive appliance. Do you need additional storage or can it still "idle" cleanly with the massive water jacket?

Yes the G3 is larger at 12.7 Cft firebox compared to the G2plus at 9.2 cubic ft.

All I have is the boilers own buffer capacity which holds 200 US Gallon. I have the aquastat set at 180fset Off and 170f On

Only a bit of smoke after it goes into Idle for a minute or two then it nothing comes out. When it kicks back on it goes clean about right away. The trick is keeping a nice coal bed. Instant secondary combustion with a coal bed.

A large storage tank would be more efficient which would be nice but Pros and Cons outweighed my decision. I do 12 hour reloads and never have to touch a match, don't need a 1000-2000gal tank taking up space in my garage or a separate building which would add unnecessary heatloss. So from my perspective I'm as efficient as I can get.

On a side note I'm not against storage. When I set my greenhouse up I do plan on using a 500gallon storage tank (will be placed inside the greenhouse) to get through the very cold nights storing heat during the day. Storage does have it's place.

 

[Highbeam]

These boilers are very heavy 2600lbs for the G2plus.

Plus the 200 gallons of water weight so another 1600#? I like the included/integrated mixing valve and circ pump.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yes the G3 is larger at 12.7 Cft firebox compared to the G2plus at 9.2 cubic ft.

Wow, I didn't realize how much smaller the Polar's are compared to the HeatMaster G series...
G4 is 8.5ft and 68k hr, G7 is 16.3ft and 130k hr, G10 is 23.6ft and 195k hr..

 

[Case1030]

Wow, I didn't realize how much smaller the Polar's are compared to the HeatMaster G series...
G4 is 8.5ft and 68k hr, G7 is 16.3ft and 130k hr, G10 is 23.6ft and 195k hr..
View attachment 287796

Yeah the Polar fireboxs aren't as large. I feel if you need to go that big should consider an autofeed biomass chip burner. I'm looking at a few for my dad's place.

I heard Polar is making a G5 that will have a 17.5 cubicft fire box that dad was also considering but that's alot of wood to be loading every day with a good heatload.

 

[chew72]

What kind of boiler do you own?

Froling FHG 30

 

[Case1030]

Froling FHG 30

Sometimes I let the Vortex get about half full. Don't notice any efficiency differences so I usually let it build up before cleaning.

 

[blueskybill]

Here is an honest review of the Polar G2 Plus. We purchased the Polar G2 Plus from a NW Wisconsin Dealer. After several trips from the installer who was new it finally was installed with my help. The dealer told me not to pay too much attention to the manual and said he would come back to show us what we needed to know. The dealer only lives about 10 miles away but unfortunately after leaving him voice mails he never responded. The unit was sold to us as being the best on the market and we were told all the other available EPA stoves had problems with corrosion, warranty issues etc. Upon reading the manual we found out the wood requirements are under 6" and very dry with specifications made and a moisture meter provided.

We have only used wood that meets the specificiations provided in the manual and measured on the meter. The winter is nearly over and it has been a real challenge to pick through our wood piles and find small dry wood. I ended up having to split most of it by hand. We made several calls to the company who answered our questions. I wish our dealer would have told us we needed to be more prepared with having 2-3 yr old wood and then we would have waited a year when our wood was really dry. Comparing the stove to our previous conventional boiler, the Polar uses about 25% - 35% less wood.

Drawbacks include about 75% more areas to clean and maintain and electricity inefficiency. This unit draws twice as much electricity as our previous similar sized conventional unit made in 2003. It costs us around $50/month to run compared to our previous similar sized outdoor boiler that used around $25 of electricity per month. We were told by our local sales person that the fan is more efficient than our previous model and is variable speed but it only runs on one speed when cycling. We are wondering about changing the factory settings which according to manual do include a lower fan speed. We clean out all areas of the front of the unit every 4-5 days, sweep the heat exchanger twice per day, and have checked but have not yet had to clean out the heat exchanger compartment. Every week I scrape down the steel and the 3 doors of gaskets on the inside to remove accumulating creosote to keep the unit as clean and efficient as possible. We set up the unit with all factory parts included including the short stack and cap. The unit puts out a lot of black debris that is all over the roof sections. Even though our wood meets the moisture requirements in the manual measured by the moisture meter, the company told me that the debris is from moisture in the wood and that I should remove the stack cap. We also were wondering about cleaning the stack which is not mentioned in the manual and were told by the company that we should clean this at the end of the season. Apparently access to the stack is behind the fan that also has to be removed and cleaned. We can see some the inside plates are warping (bulging in) and hope we can get at least a few seasons out of the unit before having to call the company and paying for these, removing the old ones, and installing the new ones. I cleaned the stack of my old unit every 3 weeks, it was really easy, it took only about 1 minute once I had the brush set up. In general we find this to be a very good solid stove.

To use it efficiently you really need very dry hard wood that is cut around 4" in diameter with lots of smaller pieces in between. We find the stove works best if we layer about 4-6" of long kindling front to back on the bottom over a really good coal bed and then gradually build it up with larger pieces around 4" with only a few up to 5-6" and then mix in smaller ones. Using short pieces is not a good idea because they can block the bottom slot fan intake area. Because we get all our wood for free (we work for it), the actual net cost of using the G3 Plus is significantly greater than our previous conventional 2003 outdoor wood boiler because it requires significantly more electricity to run. We find the stove works best with wood around 24" long.

In summary, to use this stove effectively, the process of harvest, cutting, splitting, and curing wood needs to be carefully planned 2-3 years before this stove is operated. The glass sight glass (to view the flame in the burn tube below) has been covered by creosote residue since the first firing in the fall. This feature sounds like a really great way to view the bottom chamber but the small size and location only a few inches above the level of the base of the stove makes it really awkward and since our glass has been covered over since we started using it, this is a feature we have not been about to use. Because the glass is toward the outside of the door that is around 3" thick, it would take a special tool to get into the space and properly clean it with fireplace glass cleaner. We will send another report after it has been cleaned in the spring. We did not use the stove in the fall shoulder season and have only used it when the high temperatures were below 25 degrees F. We started using the stove in early December and plan on shutting it down before the end of March or when the high temperatures are above 25 degrees F. The stove works best in the coldest weather. Burn cycles get too long in warmer weather when the stove is likely to smolder and go out. We find using even smaller wood in the warmer weather above zero works better. The unit also comes with a really nice array of cleaning tools, a shovel, and scoop. Bill

 

[Case1030]

Here is an honest review of the Polar G2 Plus. We purchased the Polar G2 Plus from a NW Wisconsin Dealer. After several trips from the installer who was new it finally was installed with my help. The dealer told me not to pay too much attention to the manual and said he would come back to show us what we needed to know. The dealer only lives about 10 miles away but unfortunately after leaving him voice mails he never responded. The unit was sold to us as being the best on the market and we were told all the other available EPA stoves had problems with corrosion, warranty issues etc. Upon reading the manual we found out the wood requirements are under 6" and very dry with specifications made and a moisture meter provided.

We have only used wood that meets the specificiations provided in the manual and measured on the meter. The winter is nearly over and it has been a real challenge to pick through our wood piles and find small dry wood. I ended up having to split most of it by hand. We made several calls to the company who answered our questions. I wish our dealer would have told us we needed to be more prepared with having 2-3 yr old wood and then we would have waited a year when our wood was really dry. Comparing the stove to our previous conventional boiler, the Polar uses about 25% - 35% less wood.

Drawbacks include about 75% more areas to clean and maintain and electricity inefficiency. This unit draws twice as much electricity as our previous similar sized conventional unit made in 2003. It costs us around $50/month to run compared to our previous similar sized outdoor boiler that used around $25 of electricity per month. We were told by our local sales person that the fan is more efficient than our previous model and is variable speed but it only runs on one speed when cycling. We are wondering about changing the factory settings which according to manual do include a lower fan speed. We clean out all areas of the front of the unit every 4-5 days, sweep the heat exchanger twice per day, and have checked but have not yet had to clean out the heat exchanger compartment. Every week I scrape down the steel and the 3 doors of gaskets on the inside to remove accumulating creosote to keep the unit as clean and efficient as possible. We set up the unit with all factory parts included including the short stack and cap. The unit puts out a lot of black debris that is all over the roof sections. Even though our wood meets the moisture requirements in the manual measured by the moisture meter, the company told me that the debris is from moisture in the wood and that I should remove the stack cap. We also were wondering about cleaning the stack which is not mentioned in the manual and were told by the company that we should clean this at the end of the season. Apparently access to the stack is behind the fan that also has to be removed and cleaned. We can see some the inside plates are warping (bulging in) and hope we can get at least a few seasons out of the unit before having to call the company and paying for these, removing the old ones, and installing the new ones. I cleaned the stack of my old unit every 3 weeks, it was really easy, it took only about 1 minute once I had the brush set up. In general we find this to be a very good solid stove.

To use it efficiently you really need very dry hard wood that is cut around 4" in diameter with lots of smaller pieces in between. We find the stove works best if we layer about 4-6" of long kindling front to back on the bottom over a really good coal bed and then gradually build it up with larger pieces around 4" with only a few up to 5-6" and then mix in smaller ones. Using short pieces is not a good idea because they can block the bottom slot fan intake area. Because we get all our wood for free (we work for it), the actual net cost of using the G3 Plus is significantly greater than our previous conventional 2003 outdoor wood boiler because it requires significantly more electricity to run. We find the stove works best with wood around 24" long.

In summary, to use this stove effectively, the process of harvest, cutting, splitting, and curing wood needs to be carefully planned 2-3 years before this stove is operated. The glass sight glass (to view the flame in the burn tube below) has been covered by creosote residue since the first firing in the fall. This feature sounds like a really great way to view the bottom chamber but the small size and location only a few inches above the level of the base of the stove makes it really awkward and since our glass has been covered over since we started using it, this is a feature we have not been about to use. Because the glass is toward the outside of the door that is around 3" thick, it would take a special tool to get into the space and properly clean it with fireplace glass cleaner. We will send another report after it has been cleaned in the spring. We did not use the stove in the fall shoulder season and have only used it when the high temperatures were below 25 degrees F. We started using the stove in early December and plan on shutting it down before the end of March or when the high temperatures are above 25 degrees F. The stove works best in the coldest weather. Burn cycles get too long in warmer weather when the stove is likely to smolder and go out. We find using even smaller wood in the warmer weather above zero works better. The unit also comes with a really nice array of cleaning tools, a shovel, and scoop. Bill

Switching from a conventional is bit of a learning curve. I went from a Drolet Tundra Wood furnace, to a Heatmaster G100-series, then onto a Polar G2plus.

I monitor my energy consumption on the Polar. The ECM motor is constant torque it varies 60-70 watts when burning. On average my boiler runs approximately 10 hours per day (our winter has been ridiculously cold) you can tell buy the daily graph the colder nights = more run time. In te cold months have taken 23-24 KW. At my current electricity cost at $0.10 perKW×24= $2.40 per month.

My Grundfos 15-58 on setting 2 draws 80watts 24/7. At 0.80kw×24hours×30days=57.6KW per month
57.6KWPer month× $0.10 (cost per KW)= $5.76per month.
In total I use $2.40 (Boiler)+$5.76(15-58
Grundfos 24/7)= $8.16 Per Month Total to run the boiler.

Not sure where your energy consumption is going but the math doesn't add up to be using that much electricity.

 

[brenndatomu]

The glass sight glass (to view the flame in the burn tube below) has been covered by creosote residue since the first firing in the fall

You should not be getting creosote in the bottom chamber if its running right...are you sure it's gasifying properly?
How exactly do you check the moisture content in your wood...do you split it and then probe the middle of a freshly exposed face? Preferably on a piece that is room temperature...the meters are calibrated to ~70*.
And checking a split on the end grain is almost worthless...

 

[sloeffle]

Here is an honest review of the Polar G2 Plus. We purchased the Polar G2 Plus from a NW Wisconsin Dealer. After several trips from the installer who was new it finally was installed with my help.

Using short pieces is not a good idea because they can block the bottom slot fan intake area. Because we get all our wood for free (we work for it), the actual net cost of using the G3 Plus is significantly greater than our previous conventional 2003 outdoor wood boiler because it requires significantly more electricity to run. We find the stove works best with wood around 24" long.

Are you burning a G2 Plus or a G3 Plus ?

 

[cumminstinkerer]

I am going to throw some in here, I will have more on my own thread, I recently switch from an econoburn 100 with 1500 gallons of storage, to a G2 plus connected to the storage, there has been no comparison, the G2 kicks the econoburn into the dirt, I'm am not running the best of wood, and have thrown some pretty big chunks in and it just rolls, the G2 burns half the wood that econoburn did and I'm able to run higher house temps and DHW with less wood

 

[Davematthews]

This past June 2022, I received my Polar G2 Plus from Heatmaster. So far early in the season I have had good sucess. The wood has to be dry , So I constructed a lean two design that encorporates my G2 with the wood ( we get alot of rain here on the east coast of Canada. Anyway my question here of the Polar owners is " There is a switch left of the fan that indiocated High or Low and with this being the shoulder heating season I have switched to low and I seem be be burning less wood. The wood is abnout 14% to 20% moisturer content, so I was wondering if other polar owners have tried the low setting as well.

 

[Case1030]

This past June 2022, I received my Polar G2 Plus from Heatmaster. So far early in the season I have had good sucess. The wood has to be dry , So I constructed a lean two design that encorporates my G2 with the wood ( we get alot of rain here on the east coast of Canada. Anyway my question here of the Polar owners is " There is a switch left of the fan that indiocated High or Low and with this being the shoulder heating season I have switched to low and I seem be be burning less wood. The wood is abnout 14% to 20% moisturer content, so I was wondering if other polar owners have tried the low setting as well.

View attachment 301360 View attachment 301361 View attachment 301362 View attachment 301364

I personally leave my Polar always on High. From my knowledge the Low setting is only used when you have a constant load in the summer time when you want the boiler to stay running (heating a pool). Then when your load is satisfied turn the boiler off. Other than that when the boiler is cycling heating a house the low setting isn't enough to get the flame back in the lower Vortex chamber when going on/off.

Also the stack temperature is extreamly low and will condense on the Low fan setting.

 

[brenndatomu]

This past June 2022, I received my Polar G2 Plus from Heatmaster

You bought a Polar from Heatmaster? Was there a merge here that I didn't hear about?

 

[Davematthews]

Sorry Heat Smart Plus I meant to say

 

[Bill in the U.P.]

Called Polar to ask about a local dealer. They answered the phone "Portage and Main." I was surprised they make the Polar. I'm slowly trying to decide what to heat my shop with next year. Talked with Portage last year about their OWB and recently discovered this thread on Polar.

 

[Davematthews]

Called Polar to ask about a local dealer. They answered the phone "Portage and Main." I was surprised they make the Polar. I'm slowly trying to decide what to heat my shop with next year. Talked with Portage last year about their OWB and recently discovered this thread on Polar.

I have limited experience with my polar, but have been burning wood in my indoor boiler furnace for the last 25 years. It was a Benjamin made in Nova Scotia. The reason I went with the Polar was the simplicity ( the controls of the unit are simliar to what my old unit had and have been around for 60 years. The temperature controllers do not require electricity to function. I like tech as much as the next guy , but I do appreciate the simplicity. Place an arlo next to the temperature gauge on the side to see the temperatures anytime thru the web.
If you want to knoiw the strenghts on the Portage and Main and Polars versus the others call that number again and ask for Brian, ( you will see him on some of the Youtube videos),,,,, anyway they all seem to refer to him for tech questions. I bought from them direct as there are no dealers in my area for the units.

 

[Davematthews]

I have limited experience with my polar, but have been burning wood in my indoor boiler furnace for the last 25 years. It was a Benjamin made in Nova Scotia. The reason I went with the Polar was the simplicity ( the controls of the unit are simliar to what my old unit had and have been around for 60 years. The temperature controllers do not require electricity to function. I like tech as much as the next guy , but I do appreciate the simplicity. Place an arlo next to the temperature gauge on the side to see the temperatures anytime thru the web.
If you want to knoiw the strenghts on the Portage and Main and Polars versus the others call that number again and ask for Brian, ( you will see him on some of the Youtube videos),,,,, anyway they all seem to refer to him for tech questions. I bought from them direct as there are no dealers in my area for the units.

Also on Youtube look at the Froling, the design is bascically the same from what I can see.

 

[Davematthews]

Also on Youtube look at the Froling, the design is bascically the same from what I can see.