Trouble starting Econoburn 300

[mark cline]

This is my second season with my Econoburn 300 and I have been having a heck of a time getting the boiler to gasify at startup. Airlina had shown me the way he lights his with the paper wick down through the gasification nozzle. This is hit and miss and lately at about the 1 hr mark the stack temperature starts to climb. Salecker , you had mentioned in a previous thread that it takes about 5-10 minutes to get yours to gasify. Please enlighten me as how you can do this. I was thinking about a top down fire to start.

 

[salecker]

Hi Mark
Yes mine is simple to get started.I use a piece of regular paper and make a roll out of it and push it through the nozzle.The i bridge across the nozzle with a couple of chunks,getting them across is nice i like to have some air room under the first layer of splits.I place a smaller split on each side of the nozzle and build my kindling in the middle.Mine needs very little,but i find you need smalls to get some coaling quick.Then i just keep building the fire placing the splits in a way that hopefully the fire doesn't bridge.
I will let it run with the bypass open for 5-10 minutes about the time it takes to load the wood cart.
I don't remember if you have storage?
My boiler is fairly warm when i start my fire each day.The gasification begins right away after closing the bypass i can hear the roar.Smoke takes a bit to clear and it will smoke if the fire bridges and collapses the coal piles on the sides.
Hope that helps feel free to PM if you like
Thomas

 

[cumminstinkerer]

@salecker that is pretty much how I start mine too, since I redid my chimney last week and added 3 more feet of insulted pipe, I have better draft now, i use the paper roll trick, then some cardboard, then from there just like Thomas does, I now get gassification with 5 to 10 minutes as well, where as before the chimney upgrade it would take like 20-30 minutes. @mark cline how much draft do you have cold and when firing?

 

[mark cline]

I have 1500 gallons of storage with 24’ of flue pipe so draw is real good . I think my problem is that I let the fire get going too much then the fire collapses and blocks the slots. A few times I would get it to gasify real quick but then I head back inside the house and see it smoking bad .Then back out and mess with the bypass and blower, then usually give up. Is there any proven ways to keep the coals from bridging? I was thinking of making some sort or grate out of 1/2” or 5/8” rebar. I’m happy with the stack temperature only getting up to 450 and hovering 400 to 450 ,the barometric damper was the key to that control. My radiant floor heat has been running 110 to 115 degree so my storage lasts to where I don’t have to reload most days with one burn getting the storage up to 175. Thanks for the help and have a nice Christmas, stay safe and warm.

 

[cumminstinkerer]

@mark cline I can promise any metal that I have tried around the nozzle are is destroyed in very short order, I have that happen with small splits and the initial load at times, I can't seem to find a cure either, I think you have my number shoot me a message later, I may or may not be free but will try, I have to go home and fire up after work in a few minutes

 

[airlina]

Mark , I build my fire just as Salecker says and within 10 minutes I am gasifying (that sweet low rumble that sound like my intetines after a few bean burritos) and no smoke from the chimney. You will have to stir the pot occassionally because of the bridging that will occur as the wood burns over the slot to nothingness. I can tell this has occurred when i look out the window and see smoke from the chimney. In a 4 hour burn I usually check it twice after start up. A good Christmas too you and don't let Santa plug up your chimney on his way down. Bruce

 

[mark cline]

Stirring the pot as you say won’t happen because I fill the boiler to top with wood before it’s lit. Tomorrow I may fire it up with about 4-5 splits and light it , then reload to the top after about 30 minutes. With my knee surgery, it’s not like I can do much , but really hate to sit and watch tv for more than 30 minutes. Knowing I was going to have both knees done over the winter, I figured I would need help moving the wood into the boiler room. So I bought myself a power assisted wheelbarrow. Yep it runs on 24v , has 3 forward and 1 reverse speeds , so I can load it up and move the wood in while the boiler heats up, a couple loads and I’m good for 3 days.

 

[Tonty]

So I bought myself a power assisted wheelbarrow. Yep it runs on 24v , has 3 forward and 1 reverse speeds ,

Don’t tell my son about that. Who knows what all would happen if he had one of those when he hauls in the wood.

 

[airlina]

Mark, I had to go back to your other post to see that you had your surgery Dec 16 and can't believe you are getting around already . Hope you're doing OK. Your plan to get the boiler gasifying with less wood is a great plan , especially with your gigantic 300. I fill my 100 about 1/2 full and after an hour or so go stir it that add the rest to complete the burn. This technique has seved me well for a cmplete burn with quick gassing. Great idea with the powered wheelbarrow , my tractor forks and sided wood pallets do the same for me -save the back. Bruce

 

[mark cline]

Yeah my surgery was on Thursday morning the 16 then physical therapy the next day . We stayed at my sister-in-laws place in Boston to eliminate the extra hour to and from home both days, after the surgery even with all the pain meds in me , I said to my self it’s going to be a month before I can get out to the boiler shed . Every day was like a new miracle happened , my pain reduced dramatically, my mobility increased daily, as of yesterday I was getting around without crutches and the pain ,just a tired achy feeling . Today is 5 days out from the surgery , I’ll be on my way out to load the boiler to try some new starting ideas . PT says I should be able to drive next week. Everybody, be safe ,warm and thanks.

 

[salecker]

Hi Mark
I am glad to hear the the surgery went well and the recovery better.It sounds like you have a great state of mind as well.Positivity helps so much.I have a friend that had knee surgery and still has pain and issues,but he has never had a positive attitude about the ordeal.
Bridging...
Wish i could get away from it as well.I try to add wood according to the time of the burn.I also fill my box to the top when i start a fire.I find the my spruce burns differently depending on the type of split or in the round.I try to put my rounds in the middle above the nozzle.I find rounds burn slower.Also i find a difference between slit side up or down.Split side down seems to burn faster.
Has anyone tried loading cross ways?
My burns seem to take out the back of the box,when i go to reload if it hasn't bridged whats left is leaning towards the rear of the box.My spruce splits tend to be large compared to the recommended size for hardwood.

 

[mark cline]

Going out soon to fire my boiler, I think I will give the sideways loading , I call east west a try , I’m always up for trying something new . 🤙

 

[mark cline]

Before I get out there , one thought. I’m not to the point yet where I can kneel to clean out the ash in the lower chamber . I can scrape a little out at the front , what are my options or what can I expect if it’s not cleaned regularly?

 

[salecker]

Hi Mark
I don't get much in my lower chamber after a night of burning
i sometimes go a few days without cleaning it.Do you have a tee in the flue pipe from the boiler to the chimney?I get a lot of ash in my tee.I also get a lot of ash coming out of my chimney.You can see it in the snow especially in the spring when snow clearing happens.You can plainly see the different snow falls with the ash in them.

 

[mark cline]

Yes , I have a tee in my pipe that I clean out on a regular basis .I’m going to make a tool to clean out the lower. I did load my boiler easy to west this morning, seems a little easier to load but didn’t see and difference in the burn

 

[salecker]

I got less than a average dustpan yesterday
took a picture to send but it was blurry.

 

[mark cline]

Soon as I can kneel to clean mine out properly, I ll clean my clean out cap and the lower chamber . It was looking pretty nasty today

 

[filthymic]

Hey guys, first time on here. Been burning an Econoburn EWB 200 for 3 seasons with much of the same frustrations you all describe in this thread and other threads I've read. Glad to see that all the techniques I'm trying are in line with what others are doing. One thing I have found as gospel is having seasoned firewood. I'm talking 30% moisture is on the upper end of what burns well. When I don't have that I've been throwing 2 of those Fuel Blocks that Tractor Supply carries on top of my kindling and then building my fire up from there. It's worked really well for me.

Wondering if anyone has found any good solutions for door gaskets? I've used the factory 7/8" braided gasket to replace mine but I've been seeing a few people using silicone coated door rope that lasts quite a bit longer. Just seeing if anyone else here has tried the silicone coated stuff.

Happy New Years, thanks for any input.

 

[salecker]

30% is way to high,no wonder you are having issues,my wood runs around 15% any more and i see a difference immediately if i use anything remotely close to 30%
High flue temps has been my only issue with my Ecocnoburn 200 ,but with a couple modifications they are way down this year.
The door gaskets work when the doors are adjusted,the only issue is adjusting the opening side,i have a bearing place that is looking for a bigger outside diameter bearing for the door catch to address the lack of adjustment on that side.

 

[filthymic]

30% is way to high,no wonder you are having issues,my wood runs around 15% any more and i see a difference immediately if i use anything remotely close to 30%
High flue temps has been my only issue with my Ecocnoburn 200 ,but with a couple modifications they are way down this year.
The door gaskets work when the doors are adjusted,the only issue is adjusting the opening side,i have a bearing place that is looking for a bigger outside diameter bearing for the door catch to address the lack of adjustment on that side.

salecker, I hear ya on the 30%. The manual recommends 15%-25%, I try to get away with the upper number with alot less efficiency. I feel the manual should say nothing over 20%. My main issue is getting my firewood cut, split and stacked in time for the season. I have a load coming in February, I'm determined to get a year ahead with my firewood. I'm guessing burning dryer wood, would cut my usage by a third. I had a tough first 2 years burning this thing, this year is my best year yet. Quite the learning curve. I'm guessing if I could my firewood dried in time, I'd have a much easier time.

 

[salecker]

The majority of wood burnt in the Yukon is spruce
I want to do a month or tow burning poplar to see what it is like,it isn't used much up here.
One nice thing is there is lots of standing dead spruce,once the bark starts falling off it is dry,right around 17%.

 

[mark cline]

I have been starting my boiler with 5 splits on top of paper and kindling and light up through the gasification nozzle , leaving the lower door open a bit , I let the fire burn up to 300 stack temperature. Then I close everything down and it’s got the low rumble and a little blue smoke, I let this go for 45 min to an hour, then fill it to the top. It then burns with no smoke for about 6-7 hrs and storage gets up to 185 -190. I cut my wood 22-24” and a full load is 8 cu ft or about 200 lbs. Very happy with the way it runs now and wood consumption is down considerably.

 

[airlina]

I have been starting my boiler with 5 splits on top of paper and kindling and light up through the gasification nozzle , leaving the lower door open a bit , I let the fire burn up to 300 stack temperature. Then I close everything down and it’s got the low rumble and a little blue smoke, I let this go for 45 min to an hour, then fill it to the top. It then burns with no smoke for about 6-7 hrs and storage gets up to 185 -190. I cut my wood 22-24” and a full load is 8 cu ft or about 200 lbs. Very happy with the way it runs now and wood consumption is down considerably.

Thats great Mark, I knew you would find a good technique(thats pretty much how i do it as well) for your monster 300 and in the nick of time too with a nip in the air this week. Hope you're healing up well from your surgery . Gotta go load the boiler.

 

[MickMorley]

Wondering if anyone has found any good solutions for door gaskets? I've used the factory 7/8" braided gasket to replace mine but I've been seeing a few people using silicone coated door rope that lasts quite a bit longer. Just seeing if anyone else here has tried the silicone coated stuff.

@filthymic - I have not tried the silicone stuff, however, I did find that 1" rope will fit in place of the square rope.

High flue temps has been my only issue with my Ecocnoburn 200 ,but with a couple modifications they are way down this year.

@salecker - what are high temps and what are they down to this year?

I have been starting my boiler with 5 splits on top of paper and kindling and light up through the gasification nozzle , leaving the lower door open a bit , I let the fire burn up to 300 stack temperature. Then I close everything down and it’s got the low rumble and a little blue smoke, I let this go for 45 min to an hour, then fill it to the top. It then burns with no smoke for about 6-7 hrs and storage gets up to 185 -190. I cut my wood 22-24” and a full load is 8 cu ft or about 200 lbs. Very happy with the way it runs now and wood consumption is down considerably.

@mark cline - this sounds like where I was at last year. What size chimney are you running?

Last year I had a 6 inch chimney due to a temporary install. And I had to be sure that temps were high before I closed and damper and turned the fan on. It took a lot of time. This year, now that I am permanently installed, I finally have 8 inch chimney and can gassify in a few minutes. My lighting is similar to @cumminstinkerer

 

[mark cline]

Honestly, my whole problem was that I didn’t understand how the boiler gasification process worked, after research and reading the Eko sticky, I realized that the coals need to be covering the nozzles . This loading and firing technique, has increased my efficiency, tremendously. One full load of wood gets my storage from 130 up to 185-190. My goal was to just load , light and go , but I learned that you need the coal bed , in order to get good gasification. Left knee replacement surgery is scheduled for March 17 . I need to clean the turbulators in the next few weeks. I’m looking for the materials to make the cutter head , I don’t have any broken bandsaw blades to work with , but I’ll come up with something. 8 in double wall pipe 20 ft . Thanks Mark