E-Classic 2300 is now up and running in Central Mass

[tonto]

I agree with Dr Buck 110%. It sounds like the E-classic has had its share of problems. Tonto.

[doctorb]

Hello to all you CB users.  I'm in Maryland and about to join you for the fall/winter/spring heating season.  New MD state regs do not permit the sale of non-gassification models, so it's going to be an E-Classic 2300 for me.  I have provided my CB dealer with copies of this thread, and he was already aware of the problems.  He told me that the newer stoves have been updated and rectified some of these issues (specifics?)

It is clear that weekly maintenance and diligence is required to heat well with this stove.  Thanks to all of you who have recorded your troubles and your solutions.

I will be heating approximately 4000 square feet plus hot water.  Because of my house's unusual configuaration (2 separate basements, 2 oil furnaces and tanks, 2 hot water supplies, plus one zone of radiant heat) I do not expect my wood consumption to be meager.  I view it like I am heating 2 small houses instead of one large one.  On the other hand, our winters are not as cold as most of you on this thread, so I hope my wood use is reasonable.  Stove to be delivered next week.  I will provide manufacturing date once it gets here.  Maybe we can identify when CB started modifying their manufacturing process to correct some of the design issues raised here.  More to come and thanks again.

doctorb

I will try to chronicle installation and performance on this site.  It has been very helpful.

[MudBud]

doctorb, I hope they have fixed the problems!!!!  I heat approx. 4000sf and all 3 floors are at 70-72 degrees, thats what women want.  I burn approx. 10 cords of wood from mid October thru June 1st.  I burned only 3 cords of regular wood and all the rest was scrap wood from work, mostly pine chocks, 2x4's and 2x6's.  The wood I burned from cord wood was cut and split in August through November.  I threw in up to 8" logs 24" long and it burns real slow.  I load up the stove 2x a day.  I was getting about 12-15 days per cord, depending on temps in southern Maine. 
It took a whole season to figure out the stove and how to operate it.  I recommend cleaning the reaction chamber of ash at least once per week during heavy burning.  It takes about 10 minutes at the most.  Most of mine was nails and staples from the wood I burn.  Pallets burn way too quick but getting the stove to temp it works well, plus its too much work to break them up. A good way to tell the reaction chamber is getting full is when the heat in the boiler will not build quick enough, easy tell tale sign.

I cleaned the turbulators once during the winter, however now the creosote is pretty bad and the brush they want you to buy is junk.  When the stove is hot the fiberglass shaft likes to melt and the brush gets stuck too easy and you can't get it out.  So I still dont have a good way to clean that but am looking for something.

I wish they did something with the front light as mine is melted from the heat when you open the door.  Maybe it should have been a glass cover versus plastic.

Thats it for now, please ask questions when you want to know.

Keith

[JJ]

Hi MudBud,
I agree that reaction chamber needs to be cleaned every week.
When I get lazy and go 2 weeks, my stove will not come up to temp.
The turbulators I also run brush through every week, at same time I shovel out the reaction chamber; so I have not experianced same difficulty with getting the brush through.

One thing to mention, is to turn off the unit and not to have bypass door open while reaction chamber or turbulator doors are off.  I did this (left bypass door open) and fire ran away to the point I think I almost lit the chimney up (lots of goo in there).   While cleaning, I thought I was hearing low flying jet, which kept getting louder; until I realized it was the e-classic rumbleing. 

           JJ

[MudBud]

Interesting and well noted.  When I clean the reaction chamber area I have the bypass open so all the heat and smoke go out the stack and also the loading door, that way the fan is not kicked on and I won't get a face full of smoke.  Once closed up I watch the nice flames shoot out at night and then stop....only for a second!!

[ecrane99]

I clean the reaction chamber with the main door open and just before reloading so the fire is small.  When the main door is open, the blower is off.   Also,  I don't use the cheesey reaction chamber cover as it is a pain in the ass to unclip it in the snow every week.  Also,  the insulation on it is a joke.

[MudBud]

Insulation?  What insulation...you mean that white piece of mass that blew away the first time the cover was removed?

[doctorb]

mudbud-
talked to the people at Central Boiler today.  I was impressed that they knew about the problems that have been reported here, and that they knew about our thread discussions specifically.  We covered all the problems that have run through this conversation. The gentleman took his time and was quite responsive to these issues, I must say.

Changes in actual E-Classic manufacturing have be slight, but address the fan size issue and the firebrick removal issue.  My understanding is that newer models are shipped without the side wall firebrick as creosote built up behind them.  The stove was initially FDA tested without these side wall bricks, so CB is happy with stove performance without them.

The number one thing that he stressed to me was (and this has been commonly reported throughout this thread by people with stove problems), do not use green wood.  He burns tamarack pine!  But is is well seasoned.  He emphasized that weekly cleanouts when burning at high loads were improtant.

He noted the reaction chamber cracks that have occurred and said that they will stand by their stoves and replace them.

All in all, a very comforting conversation for someone who has digested this entire thread and is having an E-Classic delivered tomorrow.  I'm sure that I still have a lot to learn and will update my progress, both good and bad.
doctorb.

[ecrane99]

Insulation?  What insulation...you mean that white piece of mass that blew away the first time the cover was removed?

Yes,  that!!!  haha

[MudBud]

Nice to know DoctorB.....I am heading to a local fair this weekend in NH and CB rep is supposed to be there selling their stoves.  I want to see what they say as well.

[beenthere]

With the concerns discussed here on the forum, I stopped by the CB tent at the Lake States Logging Congress last week. There was a dealer plus a rep from the company in MN.

The dealer says he sells mostly the non-E classic. When he talks burning dry wood in the e-classic to customers, they switch interest to the regular one. But suggested talking to the rep about the e-classic.

I asked the rep about the problem with the inserts warping, and he said the 5 e-classics that are operated by their test employees have not had a problem. Said to burn seasoned wood (cut more than a year before burning when we discussed what "seasoned" wood meant) and clean regularly.

He mentioned the firebrick, and said that EPA originally required the firebrick up the sides, disregarding their company suggestions. So after testing and operation, the firebrick were allowed to be removed by EPA. (I was sure he said EPA, and not FDA).

Said that the Eastern states were requiring the e-classic. Other localities are making rules that have to do with smoke stack height and distances away from neighbors.

Imagine it will behoove the wood burners to do all they can to keep the green wood and other related smoke down as much as possible. Or face regs to do it for us.

[ecrane99]

Is CB claiming that the fusion chambers are failing due to those users burning non seasoned wood?  I would think seasoned wood would burn hotter???

[irallen]

Very glad to have found this discussion thread on the EC2300. We had ours installed over the summer and just fired it up for the first time last weekend. No leaks, the fans and pumps all worked, we were able to keep it at 175 degrees for the whole weekend, and the house stayed warm overnight with our first hard frost on Saturday night.  So I guess we're all set to go. We're up here in northern Vermont but the temps are up in the 70's this week so I let the fire burn out yesterday and we'll try it again once it starts to look like a proper winter is coming on.

[doctorb]

My e-Classic was delivered last week.  It will be 300 feet from my house and the installation is to begin this weekend. 

My stove was manufactured in March of 2009.  I called Central Boiler and asked about the fan upgrades and the firebrick removal and they said that my furnace has had both of these changes.  I also discussed whether to put "hard" water from a spring (supplies my barn only) or my treated well water into the furnace.  They suggested that either would do, but, dependent upon the amount of "hardness" of my water, they would suggest filling it with the treated well water.

Once again, and I emphasize that this is prior to my running this furnace, the people at Central Boiler were patient and helpful.  They again stressed the need to burn seasoned wood.  I'll update when operational.

doctorb

[JJ]

wow, 300';
if you use CB's thermo-pex @ $12 per foot; the pipe cost a signifigant cost added to the boiler.

       JJ

[doctorb]

I know the distance and pipe costs are an issue, but I have to weigh that against other concerns.  I'll bet most people on this thread have wives, and, to generalize, I'll bet most wives are skeptical about this conversion to wood and the daily effort it requires.  (I also think most will come around if the house is warm.  Mine got to like the woodstove after a few years.)  My barn has an old three stall section, sort of like an addition, that is not visible from the house and is perfect, now that the partitions are removed, as a shed for the furnace.  I can store over 10 cords in there, I'll be out of the rain and snow when I'm tending the fire, and my wife won't see this whole affair as an eyesore.

By using this portion of the barn, I saved the cost of building a closer but separate structure to house the stove and I did not negatively impact the appearance of my place.  So I say...BRING ON THE PIPE!   While there are cheaper alternatives, I elected to go with the thermo-pex because my CB dealer is familiar with it.  The data on heat loss over the 300' distance is remarkably good, with the heat loss of only a degree or so.  The difference in cost between the different insulatd pipes is not enough to make me move the stove closer to the house, and is certainly far less than the costs of putting up a new shed.  While the e-Classic is expensive, and the thermo-pex and distance add to that, I'll get my money back soon enough.  So, despite the distance and costs, I'm happy with the decision. 

doctorb

[MNBobcat]

My e-Classic was delivered last week.  It will be 300 feet from my house and the installation is to begin this weekend. 

My stove was manufactured in March of 2009.  I called Central Boiler and asked about the fan upgrades and the firebrick removal and they said that my furnace has had both of these changes.  I also discussed whether to put "hard" water from a spring (supplies my barn only) or my treated well water into the furnace.  They suggested that either would do, but, dependent upon the amount of "hardness" of my water, they would suggest filling it with the treated well water.

Once again, and I emphasize that this is prior to my running this furnace, the people at Central Boiler were patient and helpful.  They again stressed the need to burn seasoned wood.  I'll update when operational.

doctorb

If you're running 300 feet you better use the 1 1/4 inch thermoxpex and not the 1 inch.  Thats a 600 foot round trip loop and 1 inch won't do it.  I just bought a 300 foot role of 1 1/4.  I'm running about 270 feet.

[MNBobcat]

I'm wondering how the OWB in the shed has worked out?  Do the fans clear the smoke? 

How hot does the metal on the outside of the OWB get?  Any concerns of starting the shed on fire?  Now that you've had it in a shed, anything you would have done differently?

[rondojod]

Not to disagree but I am running 411 feet one way with the 1" line and have no problems at all. It is hooked into a heat exchanger going to a hot water boiler.

[MNBobcat]

Not to disagree but I am running 411 feet one way with the 1" line and have no problems at all. It is hooked into a heat exchanger going to a hot water boiler.

That makes my day to hear that!  What pump do you run?  Classic says they want a minimum 6 gallons per minute rate of flow.  According to the TACO pump charts, the highest GPM for a 1 inch pipe at 800 feet is 4.85 GPM.  How many square feet do you heat?