September
2012 Page
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8)
AUXILIARY “DUMP ZONE”
A safety limit aquastat should be used. Set the safety limit aquastat below water
temperature. In a hot water base board system the zone valves should open and the circulating pump should start.
Reset to 15° above the solid fuel boiler aquastat setting. Never set safety limit aquastat above 200°F.
9) Monitor water pressure. Maintain about 15 psi (hot water pressure) by adding water as air is purged from the
system. It may take several days operation to purge all the air. ENSURE the vent opening on the automatic air vent
is clear and the cap is loose to allow air to escape. This vent always stays open with the cap halfway unthreaded.
Condensation in the fi re box will occur for the fi rst 3 or 4 days of operation resulting in water or water/ creosote
combination running out of the ash door. This should clear up in less than a week. You may want to place a pan
under ash door to keep concrete clean.
10) When fi ring boiler remove ash pan, place next to boiler for safety reasons.
Burn only split cordwood that has been seasoned for 12-18 months. Burning unseasoned wood is wasteful and inef-
fi cient it uses increased combustion energy to boil off the excess moisture. Ideally the wood should be split to aid in
seasoning and should be around 25% moisture content by weight.
The following are general guidelines for wood selection:
• Hardwoods burn better than softwoods.
• Larger pieces burn better than small pieces.
• 25% moisture content is optimum:
- Higher moisture content wastes energy boiling off water.
- Lower moisture content burns rapidly and ineffi
ciently.
The type of wood will determine how often the unit will have to be refueled. It may take a week of close
attention to set up a time table for refueling. Generally eight to 10 hours between fi llings can be expected, depending
on the heat loss of the building being heated. The best time for refueling is when the wood is burned down to about
4” to 6” bed of coals. It is important to maintain a 4” to 6” bed of coals for re-ignition of new wood when refueling.
REFUELING
1) Place the FAN switch in the OFF position.
2) Pull smoke bypass damper rod out and wait one minute.
3) Open the fuel loading door slowly. Pausing 3-5 sec at double latch point.
4) Work ashes down through the grate with a poker and shaker grate. Ensure that a 4”-6” deep coal bed remains.
5) Fill fi re box “full” with wood. Do not load past the top of the loading door opening.
6) Close fuel loading door.
7) Open the ash door. Insert the ash pan and scoop out ashes.
8) Empty ashes into a safe container.
DO NOT STORE THE ASH PAN IN THE UNIT DURING OPERATION.
9) Ensure that the ash door is tightly closed.
10) Place the FAN switch in the ON position.
11) Push the smoke bypass damper rod in.
BOILER CONTROL (CONT.)
*** DO NOT LOAD WOOD ABOVE THE LOADING DOOR OPENING ***
BURNING WITH WOOD
