Rookie here. Why isn't this thing getting hot?!

[TheNuh]

My husband and I recently bought a home with a wood boiler located in the pole barn. The previous owner had us over prior to closing to help explain to us how to use it, among other household things. He said he added a couple layers of wood every 12 hours, which seems normal based on what I've read.

We were able to get our hands on some seasoned wood, but it's not ALL hardwood and it's not completely dry. The guy we got the wood from said its what he uses and works fine. He said his gets wet outside and it's not an issue. There are some split pieces, and some round. Some large, and some small.

The problem is, it's not getting hot enough. The previous owner here said he kept it at 170-180 in there. The other night my husband put a lot of wood in, and it got up to over 210! I got concerned with sleeping like that and it was our first time running it, so he took some out and since then we have been struggling to get it hot enough. It took forever (as in several hours) to get it hot that first night. Now we're lucky to get it to 160, and the only way we pulled that off was by adding that Redstone ecobrick stuff. Aside from being pricey, is that ok to use? Not only is it not getting in the 170-180 range, but we're having to add to it every several hours, no where near 12.

Anyways, I'm having a hard time finding resources, as most things I find are in reference to a regular indoor wood burner or stove. How full is this thing actually suppose to be? Is there a specific stacking method? Is it plain just an issue with the wood (even though the guy we got it from uses the same thing just fine)?

Any help is great. We're cold, stressed, and I'm pretty sure my husband and I will end up killing each other over not agreeing how to fix the problem!

 

[E Yoder]

What model of furnace is it? It's very hard to troubleshoot without pictures and details.
Any additional info will be great!

 

[maple1]

Yes, almost impossible to trouble shoot from here. So many possibilities. Not enough (hardly any) info presented/shown.

Sounds like your wood is likely wet, for the first fundamental thing, from the way you described it. I would also suspect poor underground lines. But we have no data - like, accurate in & out temps everywhere the boiler water goes in & out of something.

But what are you doing different, between that first 210 night, and now not seeing over 160? You should be able to fill it up, without it boiling, if it is working the way it should be. But you also shouldn't have to fill it fill it. If working & installed & operated right.

 

[TheNuh]

I don't have a model number or anything. I looked to see if there was a plate with info on it, and i couldn't find one. The previous owner left the info for the company who makes/sells these. They are small and local, so if things keep up I might call them.

I think he might have filled it too much that first night. It's slowly getting better, but requires a lot of tending to. We have to add quite a bit of smaller pieces to keep it going, and add the eco brick as well. We're leaning towards the fact that the wood isn't dry enough, and we need more hardwood. Filling it about 1/3 full will eventually get it hot enough, but we're still cold come morning.
Thank you.

 

[E Yoder]

If it's a local shop type model it's a bit of a guessing game, if you had pictures it would help.
Every stove has its quirks so talking to the builder could really help. I've seen a few good homemade ones, and some pretty bad. It takes some experience.