Been looking at CB's Edge since it came out a few years ago. Really like the added changes to the new HD. 409 stainless, easy access to all the exchangers, FireStar with built in XP wifi and steppers instead of solenoids. My dealer buddy found a buyer for my 2010 Eclassic 2400 and persuaded me to pull the trigger. We will be making the changeout this weekend. Nothing wrong with my 2400 its been flawless and I've have been totally satisfied with it, but my buddy says this one is even better with added features and easier maintenance. Will share my results. Time to burn!
boilerman101 - I went from a E-Classic 1400 to the new Edge 550 HD. Same as you, nothing wrong with the 1400 I simply wanted to upgrade to something a bit easier to operate and maintain and I cannot be happier with the change I've made. I have a small issue with the temperature creeping up between 10 and 17 degrees after it has reached it's high set point. I called my dealer and he believes the problem is in the controller but he needed to call CB first. Later that day, 6:00pm to be exact, a CB rep called me and said a new controller is on it's way with a call tag so I can return the old one at no cost to me. I fired up my 550 this past Saturday so come this Saturday I'll be performing a bit of cleaning to give myself an idea what kind ash built up I can expect to find. The one thing I really like is the wifi feature. I can monitor it from where ever there is a wifi signal. That's how I learned there is a temperature creep after the high set point has been reached. Keep us posted on your new Edge 750 HD. Roger
Boilerman 101, Keep us posted on the operation of your new OWB. I am in my 13th season with my CB 6048 and know the clock is ticking. Trying to stay current on several different models to be ready when the time to switch comes.
New Edge up and running. Change out went smooth, water came up to temperature quickly. Will send in required water sample after 48 hours of circulation for the 25 year warranty coverage. Have not tried hooking up the xp wifi yet. My techie son said he will come by tomorrow night and help connect up. Will keep you posted after getting a couple of days operation under my belt to compare it with my E2400.
Sounds like you will like it!!
Had you been running seasoned wood in the old unit? I assume the new one requires seasoned wood to make it operate correctly. I know my Garn likes seasoned wood a lot better.
XP wifi up and running. Connected easily to my router. I'm attempting to attach a screenshot of XP chart. Seems to run very similiar to my 2400. Fan shuts off at 185 and water temp overshoots by 4-5 degrees just from the intense burn and coals which is about the same as my 2400 at current 30 degree temperatures. Will probably overshoot less once get more of a winter heat load on it. No problem. Very stingy on wood usage, best guess is pretty similar to the 2400, but can better compare when gets colder. Firebox seems to be burning a little drier than the 2400 and burn recovery time may be quicker. My wood all has been seasoned for about a year which I've been ahead on now for many years, so getting nice reaction chamber temps of 1,000 - 1,400 degrees each burn cycle.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18654/chart.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1541560549)
Update - Been running for a week now. Running great as my chart from previous post shows consistant reaction chamber temps and fast 10 degree water temp recovery cycles. Firebox continues to run much drier than Eclassic did with very little if any creosote build up on sidewalls, air channels or air holes. Very litte ash powder found in the reaction chamber. Owners manual says shovel out when chamber gets 1/3 full but that looks like it could take many weeks. We'll find out as outdoor temps get colder and if it starts burning more wood. Filling firebox about 20-25% once a day right now and have A nice coal base to throw next wood load onto.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18654/Chart_28229.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1544760085)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18654/Dashboard.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1544759991)
My Edge 750HD is still running perfectly for 6 weeks now. Very little creosote building up on the air channel outlet holes. Nothing but a little fine dust in the rear access heat exchangers. I have no intention of taking off the primary elbow or pulling the air channel panels until the end of the heating season. Small amount of ash scooped out of reaction chamber. Very easy to do through both the front and now rear access doors. The wifi XP is a great feature and chart looks great. I attached a shot of the dashboard and chart so you can see what they look like.
Boilerman101 - Your reaction chamber temps are very similar to what I'm seeing with the Edge 550 HD. So far I've removed the covers of the air channel twice to try to gauge how much creosote build up I can expect over the winter and both times they have been clear, nothing building up whatsoever. I did remove the primary elbow to inspect the intake and there too, nothing built up. With the colder temps and using more wood, I am seeing a bit more ash in the reaction chamber so I make sure it's cleaned every 2 weeks, that takes about 5 minutes to complete. I think I've been removing about 3 to 4 shovels full of fly ash. As with your 750, my firebox in the 550 appears to be drier too. What I did see was if you have any creosote building up a simple putty knife will remove it without any effort at all. I wish you continued success with the Edge 750 in the up coming new year. Roger
sounds like they are good units.
If I were younger I would consider an upgrade.
When my 2005 classic dies I will go back to oil for the sunset of my existence.
I see 16 cycles in a 24 hour period on your chart. That is certainly better than my 2009 E-2300, which cycles about once an hour. Further, the time to regain your 190 degree water temperature is really quite short. love it! A lot will vary upon the heat extraction by your house, which is dependent upon multiple factors, the most important being ambient outside temperature. But I'm certainly impressed by the technology and the efficiency. If I were younger I might take a bite of that apple.....
I have the OLD 750 edge. wish i could justify changing to the newer one.
when i went to CB in 2016 i made a suggestion about adding the rear door and stainless steel.
when i made the suggestions i stated that their competitors where using stainless steel, then asked him to remove the rear HEAVY steel panels from inside the firebox of the 750. then made the suggestion of the rear door.
I am glad they listen to their customers.
NEW Central Boiler Install in Firewood and Wood Heating (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,92218.0/all.html#top)
The charting is awesome. The time stamps under the History Chart show it going from low mode to medium mode when reaction chamber temp went over 550 and then into mode 3 when reaction chamber temp went above 750. I'm burning a mix of wood that is about 1 1/2 years seasoned. Very pleased with performance of this furnace and even easier to run and do maintenance on than my 2010 Eclassic 2400.
Can someone explain just what CB changed from the initial units. When I first looked the 750 Edge had not been approved by the EPA yet. That was when a sales rep told me that if I was switching from my current CB 6048 to the Edge 750 I would have to install the new larger thermo pex or it would not work right. Maybe he was just trying to sell existing units (older models before) the EPA dead line. Have any of you had to change your piping diameter?
here is the old 750
inside the firebox looking at the heat exchanger cover plates
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/GEDC1284.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1485028972)
at the top is the by-pass door
back center is the two plates to remove to expose the hear exchanger.
bottom sides are the side air tubes
and hanging on the sides are two rods to help prevent firewood from forming a "bridge" over the center air chamber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/GEDC1292.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1487824031)
fan on the left blows air into the air box, then air tubes are opened with solenoids
The newer Edge 550's heat exchanger is accessible through a door at the rear of the boiler. You simply open the door and there it is, no panels to remove. The combustion elbows on the Edge 550 are no longer opened by a solenoid, they are opened by stepper motors.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/28784/Hx_after_use~0.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1545227637)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/28784/Primary___secondary_elbows_with_elbow_removed.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1545227689)
i am planning to purchase a flir C2 or C3 thermal camera.
will use it for the CB 750, house, bee hives, both wooden hives and for cutouts, and anything else.
Great pics of the new rear exchanger access and stepper motors Roger. I have been meaning to post them too but had not gotten around to it. Look the same as my 750HD. Cleaning cannot get any easier than that. So far I've really had nothing to clean out of them!
This morning with the outdoor temperatures in the 50's I decided to clean the Classic Edge 550 HD. It it's been about a month and half since I gave it a good cleaning so I was anxious to see what kind of creosote build up I was going to see. I removed the air channel cover plates and there was maybe a 1/8 inch of creosote in them. I left it alone and re-installed the air channel cover plates. I removed the primary elbow to check for creosote build up, nothing there too, put it back. It's been 2 weeks since I checked the ash build up in the reaction chamber and it was time to clean it. I removed approximately 5 or 6 shovels full of fly ash. I then removed the cover on the chimney "T" and found a small amount fly ash there too so I removed it. I then checked the heat exchanger and it was nice and clean. I removed the charge tube and it was nice and clean so I re-installed it and got a nice fire going in no time. Roger
I got the Flir C2
I used Paint to increase photo size by 300%
top left = temp in center circle
Right side = Max and Min temp
will re-take the photos tonight
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0015_a.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546214237)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0014_a.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546214240)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0013_a.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546214237)
same locations after sunset
photos have not been modified
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0039.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546219953)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0038.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546219956)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0036.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546219954)
I wonder it those photos are good or bad? Looks like hottest areas around the various door panel accesses which I would expect. I wonder what other heating objects look like? Or what an outdoor furnace insulated with fiberglass batts would look like?
more insulation = less heat loss
here is my laptop
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0045.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546624297)
my chihuahua
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0049.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546624317)
OWB heat exchanger
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/FLIR0052.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546624353)
and the regular photo of the heat exchanger
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27421/GEDC1573.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1480879563)
Cool camera pics!
I have a 1st gen 550. I clean ash every two weeks and do a deep clean at the end of the season. Check my primary elbow every month. I run a 20 degree difference (172-192) as it seems to help with creosote.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52823/firestar.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1546629684)
My Edge has now been running for 11 weeks and I'm totally impressed with how easy it is to run and more forgiving on coalbed depth. As long as I keep the coals below the firebox side and front air holes and push the rod through the coals once a day, that is about all I have to do. About every 3 weeks I remove 3-4 small square faced shovels of powder ash out of reaction chamber through the front and rear access. Nothing but a little light powdery ash on the rear exhangers. That hinged rear access door sure eliminates the rear exchanger cleaning issue knock that most gassers have had over the years. Still no creosote buildup on the side or front air channels inside as it seems to just burn off. As previously stated, the stainless seems to operate much drier. My intent is still to not pull off the primary elbow or channel covers until spring shut down unless performance says I need to. Continuing to get 1,000+ reaction chamber temps every burn cycle. Even with colder temps it does not seem to be burning any more wood than previous. At current usage I should have wood from my estimated 2018 allotment carrying over for next season. I could not live without the XP wifi after having it on my smart phone showing me current temps and history charts. It becomes addicting and almost like a game trying for new high reaction chamber temps and performance charts! Will keep you posted as we go through the 2nd half of the heating season.
Update - Here we are on March 11, still cold and still snowing. My Edge HD continues to perform without any hiccups. Reaction chamber temps on my XP chart continues to show 1,000-1,200 degree temps each burn cycle. I still have found no need to remove or check my primary elbow or behind any air channels inside the firebox. Just brush a little light dust out of the rear heat exchanger through the rear hinge door every 2-3 weeks when I shovel out some ash powder from the reaction chamber. Love this furnace and couldn't be easier. Looking forward to calling it the end of the heating season though. Been a long cold and snowy winter but thankful for a warm comfortable house. I will remove the primary elbow and firebox channel covers for the first time when I finally shut down and see if there is anything behind them. Will continue to keep you posted. Days are getting longer and sun it getting closer. It has to warm up soon right?
looking forward to your end-of-season shutdown and cleanup to see what the good and the bad are.
We are finally above freezing over night here. My Garn started leaking water into the air intake some where in Dec or Jan. I just added another couple hundred gallon of water yesterday bringing the total up to around 1,000 gallon I have added since the leak was spotted. Trying to get it threw to May until corn and bean planting will be done and I should have some time to drain it and hopefully I can repair the leak. If not it may be time to quite burning wood. I am getting too old to make that kind of investment again. The unit is only nine years old.
Curious to know approximately how much wood is being saved in a burn season going from a Classic to an Edge.
I burn 8-10 cords with a CB 5036 so can i expect around 5 cords with new Edge ?
And yes....i burn dry 2 year oak.
That would be consistant from what I experienced when changing from a traditional Classic to a gassification model. Went from 10-12 cord down to 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cord.
Quote from: boilerman101 on March 14, 2019, 09:10:43 PM
That would be consistant from what I experienced when changing from a traditional Classic to a gassification model. Went from 10-12 cord down to 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cord.
Impressive
Had furnace shut down for 10 days or so, got cold and fired it back up. Still had not given the Edge it's end of season cleaning. Fired right up. Free hot water again!
I forgot to give my end of 1st season update. Bottom line very impressed with my Edge 750HD. Very easy to use, operate and clean. Easily achieved 1,000+ degree burn temps each cycle which seemed to keep creosote accumualtion to a minimum. Never had more than a fine powdery coating on the rear exchangers which are easily seen and accessed by opening the rear hinged door. Taking out the side air channels for end of season cleanup (only time I removed all heating season) was very easy, again some powder accumulation and back right corner had a little creosote buildup that easily scraped out. Probably because I neglected the back corners a little, but not enough to effect perfomance. The new stepper motors worked great and I had almost no creosote built up in the bottom of those elbows. So right now she is scraped out, cleaned out, vacuumed out, put back together and has a bucket over the chimney and ready to go next season. I would have to give it a 10 out of 10 on a rating scale. Did everything I expected and great improvement on maintenance requirements over the Eclassic.
Getting cold, extended forecast looks worse and like the cold weather is going to stay. I plan to fire up this weekend. Looking forward to turning off the electric breaker for my hot water heater. Free hot water and as nice warm house ahead! Wood pile is ready to and I'm looking forward playing with my Edge and XP charts again.