Heatmor OWB

[fatfish]

This is my first posting on this website. I have found some valuable info here about several different wood harvesting and wood burning methods.

My 13 year old Heatmor OWB has developed two pin-hole size leaks in the chimney area. Supposedly it is 409 stainless . The area of the chimney that connects to the flue is in the water jacket so it's using a bit of makeup water.

I have contacted Heatmor about the problem and the 'pass the buck' seems to be in full force. Everyone wants you to contact someone else. Being in the state of New York probably doesn't help since all of the Heatmor dealers are out of business.

All I really need to know is the welding material necessary to fix the leak. Being 409 stainless is not a common material for many DIY welders. So before I hire someone I'd like to be able to give them all the necessary info. If anyone has had this welding done ; and help would be appreciated.

[thecfarm]

I have a Heatmor,but have no idea. Sorry to hear about the leak.Welcome to the forum.

[doctorb]

I can not help with the welding question, but I might suggest starting a different post in the General section entitled "Welding 409 stainless steel".  Your question seems to be more of a welding question than a wood burning stove issue.  I realize it would be nice if someone else had experienced this problem previously, but you may not be that fortunate.  Good Luck!

[r.man]

If you are getting the 409 stainless from an official source that should be all the welder needs for info. Sucks to have a leak but consider yourself not too unlucky, I have opened my OWB door in the cold time of the year and had a wave of water and ash wash out.

[fatfish]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Heatmor finally responded with a reply to my email. They say a 309 series wire or basically any stainless will work. My next idea is to look inside with a bore scope to see what the area looks like that will be welded. If I can capture the pictures I'll try to post them here.

[Gary_C]

You need to check around in your area for a welder with experience in welding stainless. Most any welder can do the welding, but doing it right is another story.

TIG welding, also called heliarc welding is the prefered method and for some grades of ss there is a need for pre heat and post heat. So you need an experienced stainless steel welder that knows the right way for the different grades.

I am not a believer in using stainless steel for these water jacketed outdoor furnaces because of these cracking problems and the difficulty in welding. And a 409 grade is not a particularly good grade of stainless for this application. I also think it is the cheapest grade of stainless steel that you can buy.

[Brokermike]

you might want to peel back the outer jacket entirely and take a look. I've seen those old stainless heatmors need to be completely re-skinned in 10 years.

Good Luck

[Ford_man]

I was reading in a Best & Worst Buy column about a boiler sealer (Sid Harvey's Perma-Weld Liquid Sealer) Ph 608-647-5500, www.ashcreekph.com) said he bought it at a local plumbing shop for about $15 a quart. He put 2 qt in his boiler and says it is holding pressure like a new boiler, Hope this will help.

[Local4Fitter]

The issue with welding pinhole leaks is that the steel over time has corroded and become thin everywhere around the leak. When you strike an arc on the material you go from pinhole to pencil hole quickly. I would cutout the corrosion and patch it with the same gauge 304 s.s. 409 ss should be given a slight preheat and welded with 309 filler wire. 309 wire is used  when welding dissimilar metals ( stainless to carbon steel etc.). Most welding companies will be able to come to your place and tig weld your boiler. Hope this helps.

[barbender]

If I get 13 years out of my Heatmor I'd consider it pretty good service life.