Seton Boiler

[John A]

I'm considering a Seton 90 boiler. It appears improvements have been made over the original boiler Fred Seton manufactured. Probably the biggest improvement was the addition of a flue damper that closes along with the inlet air damper. This prevents the stove from doing a slow inefficient burn during idle mode. However, the Seton is not sealed with gaskets. It is just metal to metal. What will prevent smoke from exiting the door, and panels during shut down? Is anyone operating a newer Seton 90 yet? Any other comments on the new Setons would be appreciated.

 

[JMann]

I have a new W-90. Nothing to report yet, as I'm not quite finished with the install. This is a very impressive, solid boiler with a simple design. When that door is shut, smoke is not coming out (gasket or not). I believe that the side panels are sealed but have not done a thorough inspection on that part. I'll have more info by the end of the month. I decided to go with the Seton based on overall ease of operation and simplicity of design (less parts to replace/break). I will be using a combo of dry/seasoned hardwood, primarily whole logs and some splits (for shorter burns) for my fuel. Not taking chances with the green stuff.

 

[gundog24]

I have a seton w-90,installed it in sept. 08, had a couple fires already for those chilly nights, The seton heated my 2800 sq. home quickly, but.... it's not winter yet. I noticed the seton doesn't like idling for a long time, but what boiler does. installed an autodraft fan on the stack to help keep smoke out of my face during loading. The size of the seton is much bigger then i thought. I was worried about the no gasket thing too, so for no problme, i was told you can use hi temp gasket sealer if you need to. Not sure why they call the seton a gasification boiler... To me the seton seems to be a BIG wood stove with water tubes in it. The one good thing about the seton is that it is simple to use. The manual that came with the seton ,,,I used it to start the fire,,,,Bethal engineer, that builds the boiler where great, up until the day the boiler left their factory. Fred seton will answer your questions if you e-mail him,or if he answers the phone. Hopefully the seton boiler will work great for me and make me feel good about my investment,time will tell.

 

[antknee2]

Two of my close by neighbors have brand new Seton W-130 E at there homes getting ready for installations . I have stopped by a couple of times for a installation consultation . I definitely like what I see so far , what I mean is build quality , metal thickness . redesign of flue collar looks very heavy duty . The boilers have not bin fired yet . If I was the owner of the new Setons , I would do my negative air tests to find all air leaks and make seals with High temp silicon . With the massive refractory mass and super low volume of watter in the fire tube heat exchanger the boiler needs a very fast 100% suffocation of that roaring inferno inside the beast . Or else it will turn it self into a steam boiler , maybe that is why they come with a temperature / pressure relief valve and a regular 30 lb relief valve . I am very impressed with the very heavy gauge galvanized sheet metal outer skins they used . They should give the owners many years of good service . Easily removable side access panels, best thing that could happen to a Seton .
Anthony

 

[maddscot]

I have the seton w130 boiler and I'm on my second winter with it. I bought it from Fred himself and it doesn't have the new flue damper. I heat a 4000 square foot home with it with radiant heat and it works like a champ. I am very happy with it. My only problem is a draft issue which I believe is because of my chimney. I have a metal insert but no insulation between it and the bricks. I want to add a larger storage tank to it and am looking for ideas and places to buy them. I presently have a old 40 gallon hot water tank. I notice that my fire doesn't extinguish it smolders. I'm thinking it maybe because my water tank is too small and it doesn't have time to go out or I may need a gasket around the draft door in the rear. I know that the front door doesn't leak air but should I put a gasket there also?? Any help or comments would be appreciated.

Cheers
Ian

 

[JMann]

I'm now operating the Seton and am very pleased with the results. No problems to report about smoke pouring out the door. Just have plenty of make-up air in the room and open the door only when the damper actuator has the flue in the open position. I originally had the actuator attached incorrectly. It was not completely closing the flue and intake upon idle phase which made my temp got through the roof (pressure relief valves pouring H20 and dump zone really cranking). Since I made the fix, things have been very smooth. My flue temps are pretty good (400-500* except for idle times) but still want to test the draft to make sure that everything is configured properly. I do get a little condensation when the temp goes down in the box or during idle times. I haven't found a way to get around that.