What do you have your OWB set at ?

[Viper21]

I'm running a Heatmor 200 series. It kicks on between 165-180. I'm curious to what others have theirs set at, & how that affects your wood consumption.

Looking for pros/cons of adjusting the temp settings.

 

[Duce]

155 is when fan kicks on off at 175.

 

[stihl livin]

160 on 180 off.

 

[Viper21]

155 is when fan kicks on off at 175.

160 on 180 off.

Have y'all always run at those settings..? Or have you tried other settings ?

 

[stihl livin]

Not my boiler but a friends and he has always used those numbers. I’ve never asked him much about it since we put it in. Unfortunately he has passed away so I won’t be able to ask him for you now. We do still have the boiler running and just spilt a bunch of wood this passed weekend with the cold temps coming this weekend

 

[Duce]

Have y'all always run at those settings..? Or have you tried other settings ?

Mine is easy to switch settings. Have run it lower and higher. Lower builds creosote, manufacturer suggests 180 max. Had a runaway once hit 213, not a good thing. Have seen them burn wiring, insulation and tin off of them

 

[Johnmn]

I run my at 165-175, I have messed around with other temps but settled on that.

 

[Viper21]

I was just curious to what was the most efficient. I realize everybody's set up is unique to them but, wondered about others' experience.

 

[Deets066]

160-180

 

[Pincher]

170 to 185 on a gasser. Had an issue once when -15F running 165-175. Exhaust stack froze up. Wood use wise, couldn't tell a difference. Too many variables.

 

[Viper21]

170 to 185 on a gasser. Had an issue once when -15F running 165-175. Exhaust stack froze up. Wood use wise, couldn't tell a difference. Too many variables.

Sure glad it doesn't get that cold here..! I wanna say in the last 10yrs I've seen -1F once. It's common to see teens or single digits a few nights a year, but generally doesn't get that cold where I'm at all that much.

I know this, when it does dip into the single digits, my stove gets extra hungry.

 

[Johnmn]

170 to 185 on a gasser. Had an issue once when -15F running 165-175. Exhaust stack froze up. Wood use wise, couldn't tell a difference. Too many variables.

What do you have for a gasser and how do you like it? I just have a conventional, I like the simplicity but it likes wood!

 

[Pincher]

Portage and Maine 250. NLA model. It was my first experience with any outdoor furnace. After the initial learning curve, I have had few issues.

 

[Johnmn]

Portage and Maine 250. NLA model. It was my first experience with any outdoor furnace. After the initial learning curve, I have had few issues.

I am interested in the real world wood consumption and longevity difference between conventional and gasser. I know the companies claim 30-50% but is that reality.

 

[Pincher]

Like I said, I have no experience with a conventional. I can believe 30% less is believable. When mine fails, will get another gasser.

 

[Duce]

Can only tell you what local welder that repaired my last one said. Units with multiple heat exchangers becomes a chasing game. He was called to work on a 2 year old unit another welder tried to repair and he would not take the job, because of multiple leaks and would cost customer close to a new unit to disassemble and repair/rebuild correctly. Neighbor purchased my repaired unit 8 years ago, still using without issues, should have just kept it. Now it's been heating 6-7 months a year for 18+, same pump and fan.

 

[Pincher]

What brand and model had the issues? Would like to avoid that one in the future.

9 seasons on mine so far.

 

[Duce]

Sure glad it doesn't get that cold here..! I wanna say in the last 10yrs I've seen -1F once. It's common to see teens or single digits a few nights a year, but generally doesn't get that cold where I'm at all that much.

I know this, when it does dip into the single digits, my stove gets extra hungry.

Do not believe that 5-20 degree difference in water temperature will have much affect on wood usage. Believe what temperature do you keep your house set at, how well insulated is your home, how many square feet are you heating, using a plate heater for hot water, how many people in your family and how much hot water do you use for bathing, dishwasher, number of loads of laundry do you do? etc.

 

[Viper21]

Do not believe that 5-20 degree difference in water temperature will have much affect on wood usage. Believe what temperature do you keep your house set at, how well insulated is your home, how many square feet are you heating, using a plate heater for hot water, how many people in your family and how much hot water do you use for bathing, dishwasher, number of loads of laundry do you do? etc.

Cool. Was just curious.

I don't believe any of those factors make a difference in my wood consumption. The blower on my stove doesn't kick on when the temperature in my house changes. It only kicks on, when the water temperature in my system drops below 165. My hot water might affect it a little but, I believe it's insignificant. I have one of those in line heat exchange modules right before my water heater.

I notice the biggest difference in fuel efficiency to be, based on outside temperature. The colder it is, the more wood I burn. I also believe the 2nd biggest, or biggest depending on your perspective, is the fact that I also heat my garage, & it is located 300' from my stove. So the buried water lines that go to my house, & heat exchange in my attic, total approx 100' or so (roundtrip) as a guess. Best I calculate, I have approx 650' of water lines to heat my garage (heat exchange hanging from ceiling). I'm convinced the majority of the temp drop of my water comes from the long haul to the garage.

I'm not really complaining as, I absolutely love walking into my garage at 70 degrees while it's cold & nasty outside. I was just more curious as to whether other folks had found sweet spots in the operating range. As stated, I'm operating at 165-180. I turn my stove on first of October, & run it until late April, or early May. So a full 7 months, & am using approx 15 cord/year on average the last 3 winters. Even a 10-15% improvement would be noticeable but, it's not the end of the world for the time being to continue as I am.

I believe my wood consumption would 1/2 or less if I wasn't running to my garage. So far, it's worth the extra work though. My tractor, motorcycle, & small engines love it too.

 

[Duce]

So, I understand I forgot outside temp, but thought that was obvious. Odd sold my last OWB to neighbor, same pump, same blower and same pump. He uses 3 times the wood yearly as I did. Just can't figure that out.