Change from CB classic T E-Classic

[Ford_man]

Has anyone changed out their Central boiler to an E-classic unit? they are advertising 70% less wood in the E-Classic. Or is this just somebodys dream?

[doctorb]

I have never had a non-gasification unit, as my CB 2300 is the only OWB I have ever owned.  I would ask where your 70% figure comes from. i.e. who is the proverbial "they" that is making this claim?  Does CB have this in some ad somewhere, or is it a dealer or current owner of a CB unit that is saying this?  I do believe, from all I have experienced with mine compared to other non-gassers that I know, that I use less wood then they do.  But a 70% reduction in fuel is a huge reduction, and is pie-in-the-sky overstatement, IMO.  If you asked me to guess at the amount of wood that I save versus a non-gasser, and it would only be a guess, I would say 20%, 25% tops. 

[r.man]

I have heard fairly large percentages as well but I don't remember the source which makes me think it was heresay. I believe the number being bandied was 50 percent.

[Logging logginglogging]

Has anyone changed out their Central boiler to an E-classic unit? they are advertising 70% less wood in the E-Classic. Or is this just somebodys dream?

If I were you I would keep the old style.... if you were close by i would trade you. My e-classic is great, dont get me wrong. But you have to have dryer wood and clean it more often

[albirk]

I think Doc is about right 20 to25% BUT like logging said your wood has to be well seasoned with a classic you always hear cut it and burn it (well seasoned wood in a classic) I would say about 10 maybe 15% more you can see the cut and burn stoves from a long ways away with the smoke I no mine was that way the first year but now 3 to 5 years ahead on wood not a lot of smoke

[Logging logginglogging]

I think Doc is about right 20 to25% BUT like logging said your wood has to be well seasoned with a classic you always hear cut it and burn it (well seasoned wood in a classic) I would say about 10 maybe 15% more you can see the cut and burn stoves from a long ways away with the smoke I no mine was that way the first year but now 3 to 5 years ahead on wood not a lot of smoke

Even the E-classics smoke tho.... Yes some times they run and all u see is waves of heat and not smoke.... but they still smoke quite a bit and if someone is telling you difrent they are not being honest. I have mine because it was a good deal on a used stove.. not because of someone sellimg me eficiency... I honestly dont care how much the stove smokes as long as it heats my home well.

[r.man]

I have no experience with the gasifiers but from what people are saying they sound finicky. Old style will burn green wood and tend to be more forgiving about the whole process.

[doctorb]

Logloglog...

I would not totally agree with your assessment of gasification stoves and smoke.  Sure, some smoke occurs on all OWB's.  But from my direct observation of both types, the difference between the visible smoke from a gasifier versus a nongasifier is quite large.  My 2300 can give off some smoke when:
1.  Wood bridging occurs
2.  Just after loading (especially very cold wood)
3.  Just after stove cleanout (every 2-3 weeks)
4.  Just before stove cleanout (ash bed to thick and dense)
5.  Air holes get obstructed.

The vast majority of time with this stove, if maintained adequately, is pretty much smoke free.  Only at the beginning of a burn cycle, if the idle time was prolonged, or at the end of a burn cycle, (low burn leading up to shut-off) do I see any smoke during normal working hours, and this amount is minimal.  I see those heat wafts above the chimney as the norm for this stove, not the exception.  If these stoves are smoking "quite a bit", they need attention and itthe problem can be easily rectified.  When non-gassers are smoking, there's nothing you can do but let them burn.

One might ask, "Why does this issue matter to me?"  It's because OWB's have a bad enough rep as it is, and lumping gasifier stoves in with the old technology models, as if there is no real difference, is a denial of the differences between the two.  I do care how much my stove smokes.  I don't want my neighbors to ever complain (they never have) and I don't want to knowingly pollute the air when I can avoid it.  While the comparison tests on particulate matter pollution from both types of OWB may not be under "real world" conditions, the amount of pollution from non-gasser stoves is unquestionably multiple times greater than seen with the newer technology.

Not meant to be picking a fight, so if you read this that way, I apologize.

[superwd6]

Manufacturers always use the lowest possible efficiency unit ever made to compare to, including the gas furnace industry :D. But , with that said an Uncle bought an Empyre standard 250 last year and I have laughed a few times about how many times the fire went out .Wet wood,wood to large and just not loading it right to me, seem to be the same issues an E-classic has till you learn the stove."You can burn any wood in regular boilers"-so do I, spruce ,ceader beach or whatever . Regular boilers smoke almost all the time during the "off"cycle where my Eclassic doesn't.  Funniest part is his plan to build a shelter to keep his wood dry :D. I'll gladly take a little more cleaning and use about 35% less wood. Anybody burning wet wood is wasting heat, it's a fact :P

[martyinmi]

Going from a Classic to the "E" series should easily net a 40% savings in wood. The few folks that I know that have made the switch from a conventional to a gasser (my self included) have noticed bare minimum 35%-40%. I've done my own redneck comparisons and I've came up with an honest 40% - 45% savings on wood consumed. The conventional OWB that I had before either of my gassers had a heat transfer design that was quite a bit more efficient than the "ripple top" design of CB's classic, so the CB conventional boiler to CB gasser percentages will be a bit higher than mine where fuel savings are concerned.

I'd be real surprised if the switch from a Classic to the E didn't net at least a 45%- 50% reduction in fuel usage- if not more.

A 70% reduction, however, is quite unrealistic.

I'm with wd6 on the cleaning frequencies. They're really not much of a time consumer as compared to hauling and processing a bunch more wood.

 

[Logging logginglogging]

I do have my stove running properly as I am pretty good about cleaning and taking care of it. Useing good wood and so on.... I do resent them pushing the "E" stoves on people and I do like the older models better. I dont have any neighbors in fact I am so far off the road that people dont know there is even a house there. . Most people around here have the old models and they dont smoke enough to bother anyone. If people complain thay just want to cause trouble. Its winter people burn wood. Around here these stoves dont have a bad rap, infact people love them and always want to get one. 

[Logging logginglogging]

Going from a Classic to the "E" series should easily net a 40% savings in wood. The few folks that I know that have made the switch from a conventional to a gasser (my self included) have noticed bare minimum 35%-40%. I've done my own redneck comparisons and I've came up with an honest 40% - 45% savings on wood consumed. The conventional OWB that I had before either of my gassers had a heat transfer design that was quite a bit more efficient than the "ripple top" design of CB's classic, so the CB conventional boiler to CB gasser percentages will be a bit higher than mine where fuel savings are concerned.

I'd be real surprised if the switch from a Classic to the E didn't net at least a 45%- 50% reduction in fuel usage- if not more.

A 70% reduction, however, is quite unrealistic.

I'm with wd6 on the cleaning frequencies. They're really not much of a time consumer as compared to hauling and processing a bunch more wood.

I do agree I do use less wood than a convertional stove.....

[thecfarm]

superwd6,I have a Heatmor,brought before gassers were on the market. Mine does not smoke hardly at all on the off cycles. When it's not cycling,I can open the door and you would think the fire is out.So I have no idea what you mean by regular boilers smoke almost all the time during the off cycles? Mine does not.I would think if the fire is going,on an off cycle,the OWB would boil over. I heat my hot water in the summer time. But you are right about the wet-green wood. The smoke will bellow out of mine with green wood. I tried it at 2 diffeant times,both soft and hard wood. Just playing to see what and how it would do.I don't plan on doing it again.Took alot more wood.  I have burned good dry wood in mine too. It does make a diffeance. Not that it matter,but old pine is being burned now. It will smoke when I first fill it up,but once it gets the mostiure out of it,the smoke is alot less. I've seen smoke come out of a normal wood stove in a home. Now if that was a OWB the neigbors would have a fit.  : I believe and can understand why the "E" burns less wood. A good idea the way I see it. Maybe when this one dies on me I will get a gasser from Heatmor.

[stumper]

I wood  boiler actually burn are burning gas.  Wood does not truely burn, it gasses then the gasses burn and the heat causes more gas to be emitted.  The new style just eeks out as much energy as they can from that gas. 

We are seeing the same need to eeke out all the energy possible with engines.  An older diesel engine produced considerable smoke because some of the gas was not fully burnt.  The newer engines produce comparatively very little smoke because they burn the gassesmore completely.