Im kind of new to wood burning for heat in my house. Last year I installed an indoor boiler (homemade) and I love it. It exhausts with 6" into an 8 in insulated metal stack. Im not sure on proper cleaning practices etc for metal pipe. I should mention that the entire chimney is indoors except for the last 4 ft. I ve been using rutland creosote remover stuff and brushed the pipe once this fall before winter's use. It came very clean, all except the first and last 3 ft and the joints.
Keep a good eye on the chimney as it will depend most entirely on the wood you burn. After a year or two, you will have a better idea how often your setup will need cleaning. No way to tell you in advance as there are too many variables to second guess.
How about a pic or two of the boiler you built? Sounds interesting.
I have indoor, and brush preseason and try to get a brushing during the season, depending on snow on the roof.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/23720/2012-10-13_20-30-59_53.jpg)
It is roughly 24 in wide 30 long and 36 off the floor with the legs. All 1/4 welded mild steel. Basic latch door with sliding grate draft control. Water jacket on sides rear top and back. Water cooled smoke shelf. The smaller plate above the door is a cleanout opening for the smoke shelf. Firebox is about 24 in deep and 20 high.
I currently have it tied in with my gas boiler, using the existing circ pump, zone vavles and thermostats. Running three zones heating roughly 2400 sq ft. The two upper floor zones I leave thermostaticly controlled with the basement zone open as a dump zone. Aquastat is set at 150 for the pump. Currently burning spruce and balsam, but will switch to hardwood when the real cold weather sets in.
Any and all suggestions appreciated
Neat.
Similar to mine except for not being round.
I put mine up on 24" legs so the feed door is about 30" height. I don't like bending over to see or to load.
Only suggestion I'd offer is to put in a damper that opens when water cools and closes when the temp of the water hits 180 deg (where I have mine set). The damper motor isn't expensive and returns to closed when the power is cut off from the aquastat or the house power goes off (switch or line failure).
I have three pumps to three thermostat-controlled zones and can supply hot water either from the gas boiler or the wood boiler. Or can run both in series so the gas only kicks on when the water temp drops below 100 deg. That is if/when the wood is gone and the wood fire goes out. It is a keep-from-freezing-the-pipes safety, but sometimes I use that feature to just take the chill off in spring or fall times.
This is the damper box for air into the fire.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10180/100_0842_28Large29.JPG)
This is the damper motor that opens the damper when 24v power is supplied.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10180/100_0844_28Large29.JPG)
Im currently running 120 v through the aquastat. Probably will look into the auto damper. Might possibly install another stat to run it with a 24v circuit.
On another note. I've had this in excess of 260 degrees and 30 psi water pressure. It held up fine, but having a stat to kill the fire at 180 would ve been a good thing
QuoteI've had this in excess of 260 degrees and 30 psi water pressure
:o :o
Wow! If the relief valve didn't spew out some water, it might be time to change it out.....I'd think. :)
Mine are set at 210 F deg. 150 psi.
Quote from: 1270d on October 13, 2012, 10:22:14 PM
On another note. I've had this in excess of 260 degrees and 30 psi water pressure.
Please try not to let it happen again.
That is super heated water. If the relief valve let go the water would flash to steam, that is very dangerous.
A nice unit. Yes,260 is warm. I had the option of getting the automatic tamper control with mine, in my other house. I like to keep things simple and just did it myself for about 15 years. Not something that I had to run up and down stairs 10 times a day to deal with.Don't think I even went down much at all to play with the damper.
Nice home-made boiler, did you have to get any inspection or certificate for it to put in your house?
One home-made boiler I had seen had a chain on his manual draft control, the chain came up through the floor and hooked on the wall, just raise or lower the chain to change the setting, my boiler has a hydro draft control no electricity required.
My brother has a Kerr wood boiler that has a over-temp kick off valve that is plumbed to spray the water in the fire box. I always thought it was a neat idea, why dump the water on the floor when you can put it on the cause of the problem.
There is no UL tag. The overheat wont happen again for sure. How does the hydro damper work?
It is a Samson 5D, found a on-line manual that will explain it better than I can.
http://www.samson.de/pdf_en/e05300en.pdf (http://www.samson.de/pdf_en/e05300en.pdf)
QuoteMy brother has a Kerr wood boiler that has a over-temp kick off valve that is plumbed to spray the water in the fire box. I always thought it was a neat idea, why dump the water on the floor when you can put it on the cause of the problem.
That is an idea I like.
Blowing the relief valve happens very seldom (three times in 30+ years), and just keep a pail under the relief valve pipe. But will keep that idea in mind if ever doing a overhaul or repair that can include it. Maybe just drill a hole and plumb in a nozzle fitting (one that will stand up to the fire under normal burning).
Quote from: Hilltop366 on October 14, 2012, 09:28:03 AM
Nice home-made boiler, did you have to get any inspection or certificate for it to put in your house?
Hi 1270d...Did you put this in "under the radar" so to speak? I was told today by a MI state building code guy that the uncertified status that my unidentified wood boiler presents would not pass inspection and the certified professional I would need to hire to put it in would need to pull a permit, thus flagging an inspection. I would love to tell them all where to go and just put this in myself, but for now, I'm just wondering how you dealt with the "home made" label.
I'm only saying,if somehow a house got damaged with a uninspected device,the insurance would not pay. And probably if someone got hurt the health insurance would not pay either. That's how the OWB get by,non pressurized system.
Hey 1270d, I got the chills reading 260 degrees at 150 PSI. That's a potential bomb. Have you ever seen Mythbusters when they blow up hot water heaters, very violent. I agree that your homeowners probably wouldn't cover your home if a home made device blew it up. Besides that potential loss of life or severe injury or burning. As far as the smoke stack I clean mine once a year, but I don't burn much soft wood.Be careful.
Quote from: wood monger on October 15, 2012, 07:54:40 PM
Hey 1270d, I got the chills reading 260 degrees at 150 PSI. That's a potential bomb. Have you ever seen Mythbusters when they blow up hot water heaters, very violent. I agree that your homeowners probably wouldn't cover your home if a home made device blew it up. Besides that potential loss of life or severe injury or burning. As far as the smoke stack I clean mine once a year, but I don't burn much soft wood.Be careful.
I think you got your numbers crossed, it was 30psi. Still plenty hot but pressure was not too bad.
Quote from: beenthere on October 13, 2012, 10:55:19 PM
QuoteI've had this in excess of 260 degrees and 30 psi water pressure
:o :o
Wow! If the relief valve didn't spew out some water, it might be time to change it out.....I'd think. :)
Mine are set at 210 F deg. 150 psi.
Beenthere it sounds like you have a water heater relief valve, I think the pressure for a boiler relief valve should be in the 30 to 35 lb. range.
I did forget to mention,my Father had a cement chimney block,tilled with about 3-4 feet sticking out of the roof. The top was always the worst. I use to do it once a month. Once I got busy and put it off. I did not do that again. I had a had time cleaning it that time.
This was checked out as good by my insurance agent, so good to go there. If it ever does become a problem due to some new code or ordnance, I have it plumbed in such a way that it could be out of the house in an afternoon. I would move it to my garage, fill it with antifreeze and use it for heat in there. I have a natural gas boiler as well so im not saving a tremendous amount of cash by using wood. But at this point in my life i certainly have more time than money so i use wood.
My relief is set at thirty lbs. The pressure was surging between 25 up to 30.
Hilltop
QuoteBeenthere it sounds like you have a water heater relief valve, I think the pressure for a boiler relief valve should be in the 30 to 35 lb. range.
You are right, however the wood boiler is plumbed in with the backup gas boiler, and it has the 30 psi relief valve to protect on the pressure side. It's the temp max relief that I have on the wood side.
My wood boiler came with that relief valve, but I should change it out for the 30 psi one just for the extra backup insurance and not rely on just the one. Thanks for catching that one.
Ok, the water heater relief valve must just be for temp like you said, where there is already a boiler relief valve in the system it would cover the wood boiler as well unless the wood boiler can be isolated from the backup and used on it's own but that is not how they are usually set up any way.