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AHS Wood Gun - Ash out the chimney

Started by eesiason, June 12, 2014, 09:24:30 PM

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eesiason

I see plenty of posts about the AHS Wood Gun blowing ash out the chimney.  We have an e-140 in service for a little over two years, and love it.  It heats out 4500 sq ft off-grid log home wonderfully.  Almost zero oil burned since we moved in.  Really super solid machine, no doubt.  BUT - has anyone solved the ash blown out the chimney problem?  Our stack is close to 40 feet tall, so the draft is strong - prolly too strong - and even with the input air damper closed i wind up with a LOT of little balls of carbon all over the deck out front.  I'm thinking of welding up a fat pipe with some baffles in it for on top of the swirl chamber to try to knock down some of the ash...  Thoughts?
Solar and wind powered log home, wood gun heat, '87 Woodmizer LT30, '87 Kubota, '87 Deere 550b, and '50 Pettibone.

beenthere

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.

Puzzles me that ash from burning is usually white/grey dust-like.  Not little balls of carbon.

The little balls of carbon seemingly would be soot, like from incomplete burning of oil, or from incomplete burning of wood.

Maybe others have experienced the "little balls of carbon".

Then again, I'm not familiar with the AHS wood gun either.

Update your profile for us pls.   thanks
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

eesiason

The ash from the wood gun is an incredibly fine powder, likely because of the completeness of combustion.  They say that their heat transfer ("swirl chamber") is scoured clean by the forced air and ash particles.  I'm guessing that this process may pack some of the ash together if it picks up any creosote along the way.  The wood gun actually goes out between burns, making it really efficient.  No smoldering, but likely a short period when reigniting where it's not fully up to temp (see http://alternateheatingsystems.com/wood-gun.html).  No way to prove it, but my guess is this is the burn phase that produces this stuff.  Any other ash that is blown out the chimney is going to blow away in the wind...  Their tech guys have only offered 'close the damper more', and you can't close it more than all the way...  :-)
Solar and wind powered log home, wood gun heat, '87 Woodmizer LT30, '87 Kubota, '87 Deere 550b, and '50 Pettibone.

treetech

I'm sure that you have done this, but just in case; make sure that your ash separator isn't plugged. Sometimes mine will plug up at the bottom of the cone. Pull out the ash tray and feel around. If it is plugged, the ash has nowhere to go but out the stack.

711ac

I get the same thing with a very short chimney, like up from the cyclone 7', horiz. through the wall 4' to an open (bottom) tee to vertical again. I think it is just a result of that beast of a fan that get's the fire going again after shutdown. It's bound to pull a few loose embers from the nozzle area occasionally that make it through the cyclone.

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