Update on Magic Heat maintenance!

[VCBurner]

I just got one of these from another hearth member for free. I did not get the manual so I figured I'd ask. Does anyone have one of these? I was wondering how far off the stovetop to instal and what the slidding bar is for in the middle of all the heating vents? Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[madrone]

was it Pook?

 

[begreen]

Search on Magic Heat for more info

 

[Jags]

A.) Don't do it.
B.) that slide thingy is to clean the goo off of the unit. Imagine whats above that unit???????

EPA stoves have already been designed to minimize waist heat going up the stack. Adding another box to pull out MORE heat is a bad idea.

 

[Fsappo]

Mounts 18" to 24" above appliance
Clearance to combustibles is 18". The electrical cord must be kept 12" from the stove/stovepipe. In addition, the Magic Heat can only be used with single wall connector pipe.

Owners manual. I found it by typing "Magic Heat Owners Manual" in google

(broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/Images/Pdf/MagicHeat_OwnersManual.pdf)

 

[VCBurner]

was it Pook?

No this guy's name is Scott

 

[VCBurner]

Mounts 18" to 24" above appliance
Clearance to combustibles is 18". The electrical cord must be kept 12" from the stove/stovepipe. In addition, the Magic Heat can only be used with single wall connector pipe.

Owners manual. I found it by typing "Magic Heat Owners Manual" in google

(broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/Images/Pdf/MagicHeat_OwnersManual.pdf)

Franks, do you use one of these?

 

[Fsappo]

No, I never used one of them.

 

[firefighterjake]

I just got one of these from another hearth member for free. I did not get the manual so I figured I'd ask. Does anyone have one of these? I was wondering how far off the stovetop to instal and what the slidding bar is for in the middle of all the heating vents? Thanks for the help in advance.

Let me have a crack at this . . .

If izzen youse INsist on upon uzing ta Majick Heat-uh (the #1 mostest & bestest thingy ev-uh) youze needan to know ther sliddding barze is usen to clean out creaosoote by workin it back & forth.

OK, sorry . . . I just am no good at channeling Pook . . . instead it sounds like I'm either a) Jar Jar Binks or b) some Nigerian scammer about to ask you to send your bank account and credit card numbers to me on-line so I can send you a million dollars in return.

So . . . putting on my serious face . . .

There are very few members here who have Magic Heat reclaimers . . . and very few who advocate the use of these . . . especially with the newer stoves. There was one member here who was a staunch proponent of these . . . but he is no longer here . . . mainly because he was also giving some very questionable advice on other topics as well . . . some of which was just downright dangerous.

The reason most folks do not advocate the use of the MH reclaimers is that in principle they sound good . . . and perhaps they might work for the older stoves. But truth be told, most folks that have had actual experience with these say that in "removing" the heat from the chimney pipe you cool down the escaping gases too much to the point where creosote forms and as such many folks that have had these end up removing them due to the mess of the creosote and the potential danger of cresoote build-up.

 

['bert]

FFjake - thanks for the laugh as Pooks expense. I do miss some of Pooks humor, hopefully one day he will return.

 

[polaris]

They work and work well but only on old barrel stoves with rust holes and Vogelzang box stoves both of which burn in such an out of control fashion as to never risk any kind of build up. (creosote doesn't adhere to glowing metal).
Joe

 

[VCBurner]

Thank you for all the responses: BeGreen, Jags, Franks and Bert.

I am feel proud and lucky to be part of this knowledgeable and helpful community we call hearth.com. I downloaded and printed the manual for the reclaimer, thanks to franks . I now understand the correct way to instal and operate this thing as well as the dangers it presents. I installed and will maintain the unit as to maximize its capabilities and minimize its ill effects. Planning on installing a clean out T at the rear exhaust to replace the lower 90 as well as frequently checking the connectors and chimney for build up. This thing was free, so I'll at least give it a shot for the rest of the season, as long as the benefits continue to outweigh the harms. The previous had it connected to his oil furnace to take the chill off the basement. He recently replaced the furnace with one that used 5" connectors so he couldn't use this 6" reclaimer. He used it for six years with positive results. I also understand that using this with a wood burning stove will warrant more frequent cleaning.

Again, thanks for the helpful answers and burn on!

 

[VCBurner]

Thank you for all the responses: BeGreen, Jags, Franks and Bert.

I am feel proud and lucky to be part of this knowledgeable and helpful community we call hearth.com. I downloaded and printed the manual for the reclaimer, thanks to franks . I now understand the correct way to instal and operate this thing as well as the dangers it presents. I installed and will maintain the unit as to maximize its capabilities and minimize its ill effects. Planning on installing a clean out T at the rear exhaust to replace the lower 90 as well as frequently checking the connectors and chimney for build up. This thing was free, so I'll at least give it a shot for the rest of the season, as long as the benefits continue to outweigh the harms. The previous had it connected to his oil furnace to take the chill off the basement. He recently replaced the furnace with one that used 5" connectors so he couldn't use this 6" reclaimer. He used it for six years with positive results. I also understand that using this with a wood burning stove will warrant more frequent cleaning.

Again, thanks for the helpful answers and burn on!

I don't want to forget FirefighterJake too!!

 

[VCBurner]

So tonight, only four days after the magic heat install I've got this to report:

The general feeling so far is good. I'd give it a 70% approval rate.

In the mornings when the house is cold, the MH kicks on right around 100-150 according to the mag mounted 4" below the unit. It only takes about three minutes to throw some good heat from the time the fire's started. It brings up the temp in the house much quicker. Supposedly it harvests up to 30,000 extra Btu's. It circulates the warmth well.

On the flip side: the thing is pretty ugly! And I don't like the fact that I'm using electricity to blow the heat (it is not too loud but does add some noise to the equation.) I would be unlikely to install it in a living room. Once you install it has to stay on at least the automatic mode. I wish I had the option to turn it off whenever I wanted to. If left unplugged, the electrical components could get damaged among other things. I feel it should turn on at 300-400 flue temp instead of 100-150. I think it may decrease burn length (due to increased air circulation), but i'm not sure, too many other variables to tell. The increased air circulation also makes the cooler air to move faster, thus increasing the cool draft down low (where cool air travels in the direction of the stove.) I do know that the temp above the MH is about 75 °F lower than below the unit. So the cooling effect is not as bad as I thought. However, I find myself burning the stove slightly hotter to avoid build up in the connectors and chimney. I plan on checking in three days for build up (one week after the installation.)

So far, so good. I'll continue to update as things progress,

Take care everyone and burn on!

 

[North of 60]

So tonight, only four days after the magic heat install I've got this to report:

The general feeling so far is good. I'd give it a 70% approval rate.

In the mornings when the house is cold, the MH kicks on right around 100-150 according to the mag mounted 4" below the unit. It only takes about three minutes to throw some good heat from the time the fire's started. It brings up the temp in the house much quicker. Supposedly it harvests up to 30,000 extra Btu's. It circulates the warmth well.

On the flip side: the thing is pretty ugly! And I don't like the fact that I'm using electricity to blow the heat (it is not too loud but does add some noise to the equation.) I would be unlikely to install it in a living room. Once you install it has to stay on at least the automatic mode. I wish I had the option to turn it off whenever I wanted to. If left unplugged, the electrical components could get damaged among other things. I feel it should turn on at 300-400 flue temp instead of 100-150. I think it may decrease burn length (due to increased air circulation), but i'm not sure, too many other variables to tell. The increased air circulation also makes the cooler air to move faster, thus increasing the cool draft down low (where cool air travels in the direction of the stove.) I do know that the temp above the MH is about 75 °F lower than below the unit. So the cooling effect is not as bad as I thought. However, I find myself burning the stove slightly hotter to avoid build up in the connectors and chimney. I plan on checking in three days for build up (one week after the installation.)

So far, so good. I'll continue to update as things progress,

Take care everyone and burn on!

After reading all the wise suggestions that have been given to you and even though you are running a pre EPA stove (I think) It seems you are not following them to well. Therefore I figure that your eyes have been P00Ked out. :gulp:

 

[VCBurner]

So tonight, only four days after the magic heat install I've got this to report:

The general feeling so far is good. I'd give it a 70% approval rate.

In the mornings when the house is cold, the MH kicks on right around 100-150 according to the mag mounted 4" below the unit. It only takes about three minutes to throw some good heat from the time the fire's started. It brings up the temp in the house much quicker. Supposedly it harvests up to 30,000 extra Btu's. It circulates the warmth well.

On the flip side: the thing is pretty ugly! And I don't like the fact that I'm using electricity to blow the heat (it is not too loud but does add some noise to the equation.) I would be unlikely to install it in a living room. Once you install it has to stay on at least the automatic mode. I wish I had the option to turn it off whenever I wanted to. If left unplugged, the electrical components could get damaged among other things. I feel it should turn on at 300-400 flue temp instead of 100-150. I think it may decrease burn length (due to increased air circulation), but i'm not sure, too many other variables to tell. The increased air circulation also makes the cooler air to move faster, thus increasing the cool draft down low (where cool air travels in the direction of the stove.) I do know that the temp above the MH is about 75 �F lower than below the unit. So the cooling effect is not as bad as I thought. However, I find myself burning the stove slightly hotter to avoid build up in the connectors and chimney. I plan on checking in three days for build up (one week after the installation.)

So far, so good. I'll continue to update as things progress,

Take care everyone and burn on!

After reading all the wise suggestions that have been given to you and even though you are running a pre EPA stove (I think) It seems you are not following them to well. Therefore I figure that your eyes have been P00Ked out. :gulp:

All due respect North of 60, I'm running a machine that is disliked in this forum. But, it doesn't mean that in some cases, it's not useful. My 20 year old Surdiac burns more efficiently than a lot of stoves on the market today. I've learned not to always follow advice but to learn from it and draw my own conclusions. I'm not familiar with Pook or his practices. I hear he was comical, though. However, I assure you, any heating equipment I use is done so with great care. My family's safety is of utmost importance.

 

[North of 60]

Burn on.

 

[tcassavaugh]

i used one on my vc/cdw cat stove for years....i'm not sure it helped me all that much. a box fan behind the stove was better i think. it did get dirty thats for sure. it got the "glow" a couple of times but i had a small one and it was only a 3 holer with no cleaning rod. im sure if you check it regularly you'll be fine. my brother has one and his rod sticks because of the build up...but he has an old mother earth stove, necked down from 8 to 6....what a burner.

good luck with it....

cass

 

[Shari]

After reading all the wise suggestions that have been given to you and even though you are running a pre EPA stove (I think) It seems you are not following them to well. Therefore I figure that your eyes have been P00Ked out. :gulp:

The above is worth repeating!

If left unplugged, the electrical components could get damaged among other things.

...because the chimney is blocked allowing creosote accumulation at an accelerated rate with only one burn.

My family's safety is of utmost importance."

Have you considered what would happen in a power loss situation? Given you have chosen to continue the use of this item, it is assumed you have assembled your family, explained the risks to them (and they agree to these risks)? Have you laid out a 24/7 surveillance schedule and instructed family members, in your absence, how to handle an iron box full of flames if/when your power goes out and the magic heat is blocking the chimney?

Shari

 

[Shari]

http://czarcar-magicheatassafetydevise.blogspot.com/

That is pook's blog. Pook is no longer a member here.

Shari

 

[73blazer]

There's one installed in a friend of mines cabin we visit a few times a year. It's installed on a circa 1940's Montgomery Ward freestanding fireplace.
While I'd never put one on a newer high efficiency stove, I think in this application it works very well. It really brings the temp of the room up far quicker than without it in that application. (We measured)
I will note, however, that pipe is swept several times a year (since it's fairly easy to get to) and the fireplace just isn't used all that much, a few 4-day weekends a year while people are there.

 

[VCBurner]

After reading all the wise suggestions that have been given to you and even though you are running a pre EPA stove (I think) It seems you are not following them to well. Therefore I figure that your eyes have been P00Ked out. :gulp:

The above is worth repeating!

If left unplugged, the electrical components could get damaged among other things.

...because the chimney is blocked allowing creosote accumulation at an accelerated rate with only one burn.

My family's safety is of utmost importance."

Have you considered what would happen in a power loss situation? Given you have chosen to continue the use of this item, it is assumed you have assembled your family, explained the risks to them (and they agree to these risks)? Have you laid out a 24/7 surveillance schedule and instructed family members, in your absence, how to handle an iron box full of flames if/when your power goes out and the magic heat is blocking the chimney?
Shari

"I appreciate your concearn. Any stove can cause a fire. My stove can only burn up to four hours and the primary air intake is shut when we leave the house, flue temps never get over 400 with the air shut. In case of a power outage, they recommend pulling out the electrical parts. I am always minutes away from my family at all times, not long enough for the box to catch on fire even if unplugged. I left the MH unplugged for a burn cicle just to see if anything would happen. It was perfectly fine with flue temps up to 500 �F. It only cools off flue temps by 75 �F when turned on and does not seem to reduce draft, but I'm curious to measure the draft to see how much it affects it. Thank you for bringing up some valid points. I have two fire extinguishers in the house and a chimney fire damper stick you can throw in the stove if one occurs. I have also devised a fire drill in case something happens, everybody knows it down to my 3 year old. ;-) "

 

[begreen]

My concern would be the flue gas temps after they leave the unit. How are the flue temps being measured? What are the flue gas temps after they leave the MH? If they are only 400 going into the unit and less than 250 heading out, one would expect to find creosote condensing somewhere up the flue pipe.

 

[mikepinto65]

Dear VCBurner,

Why do you " " when quoting someone??

Thanks,

Mike

 

[brokeburner]

There killin you vc if there aint no creosote in the smoke it aint gonna cause no more. It will just slow down the draft this thing does not actually make creosote all by itself like people are thinkin it does. Thats almost comical. Hey this magic heat makes so much creosote it was drippin when i took it out of the box hahahah. If your comfortable burn bro just really keep an eye on it for a couple months and burn as clean as possible.