E-2300 Does not get up to heat

[needful]

Hi everybody,
I am stumped my E-classic worked flawless for a year and all of a sudden it won't come up to the set heat. Of course it burns now twice the amount of wood since the fan is going 24/7. The boiler is clean, the coalbed is there and everything else seems to be like before.
My Dealer does not know a thing about the E-Classic, he only sold 2 so far and he considers that particular boiler a piece of ....., so no help there!!
I read most the treads about the same problem, but so far, i found nothing that would apply to me.
I hope somebody has an answer.
Cheers
Robert

[MudBud]

Needful, a few things to understand first....what is your setpoint and whats the highest it gets to?
Does it ever lose temperature while running?

A few things to check besides what you already did? 

Is the hole going to the reaction chamber clear?  can you see down through it?

Is the reaction chamber cleaned out?

Have you insured the turbulators, all 6, are cleaned all the way to the reaction chamber

Did you insure the area near the turbulators to the stack is cleaned out?

Can you build up to temp with the bypass door open?  If so and you close it and start losing temp, then look at the areas above.

Usually when I can't bring to temp its usually a cleaning of the reaction chamber.

Are your air holes on the side of the firebox open and clear?  any blockage of those won't allow to get a full fire going.

Have you used the boiler during the summer? I use my oil boiler in the summer and have to move all my temp switched around.  If I don't switch back then the boiler has limited control and my boiler wont come up to temp.

Just some ideas....

Keith

[needful]

Thanks Keith,
 The set temp is at 175 and has been all last winter. After it cools down 5 it starts to heat again. Now, it does not reach the set temp anymore. It stays between 168 - 172. Everything is clean and was working fine just a few days ago and all last winter. The fire is good, the coal bed is 4-5" deep the holes are visible, the half moon is clear and the reaction chamber is clean. The tubulators are clean nothing blocked. The fan and the solenoids work fine.
Rob

[stumper]

What is the condition of your reaction chamber.  Some have had issues with it cracking and the air not flowing correctly so the secondary burn did not occur.  Open the bypass, then remove the reaction chamber door and watch when you close the bypass.  If it is working correctly you will hear and see a blow torch like flame.

Another thing to check is the bypass door closing correctly.  If it is not then it may not function correctly.  I remember someone's broke.

[dva]

Needful, a good suggestion here was to try to get the boiler up to temp by opening the bypass and letting the unit work in a conventional mode. It will smoke more during this time, but try it and get back to us with the results.

[needful]

Thanks for all the advise.
I opened the bypass and it heated up. Once it reach the set temp. i closed the bypass and it cooled down like normal. Set temp -5 the blower started to work again. The boiler does cool down to 168 and never goes over that temp again. To me it is pretty clear that there is no gasification happening because there is only smoke coming out of the stack all the time. I just can't figure out why.
I have to do the test with the reaction chamber yet.
Cheers
Rob

[rondojod]

I would suggest that you take the back door off and then loosen the clamps on your air tubes Take tubes off and see if they are plugged with creosote. Usually is the top one that plugs up.

[dva]

Something bound to be plugged up, or there is a failure in the forced air system.

Assuming that you have cleaned everything well reaction chamber, tubinators, the hidden passage area behind the top access door in the back that goes from the top of the tubinators area across to the chimney opening... etc., then look to see if air is really flowing in to the firebox and reaction chamber.

With a hot load in the firebox, shut off the master switch in the back. The remove the reaction chamber cover. Being very careful and making sure that the area outside the open reaction chamber is clear of anything that can burn, turn the master switch back on. If the fan is not running, readjust the set poinjt to be 6 degrees above the current temp.  After a moment, very carefully look in to the open reaction chamber and see if a flame similar to the picture below is occuring.  If not, open the door to the firebox and poke a hole through the ash bed into the half-moon area. You're trying to force a hole for gasification. Restart the unit.



If you cannot get this gasification to happen, you need to make sure that there is nothing blocking the airflow out of the solenoids in the back air chamber. You have insure that the fan is blowing air and the integrity of the air system is good. Open that cover on the air system and make sure that the solenoids are actually opening when the unit is running. The bottom solendoid will only open if the temp is 10 degrees or more below the set point.

Get back to us. Be careful, with the reaction chamber door open you expose yourself to hot stuff and bad things.

Dave

[stumper]

DVA nice picture of the reaction chamber working.  It clearly show what I describe as a blow torch like flame.  You seem to have few fire bricks lining the side of your reaction chamber then I do.  My side bricks come all the way to the point were the last brick over hangs the end of the bricks on the bottom of the chamber.

[dva]

Stumper - the firebricks in my reaction chamber are as they were when the boiler was delivered. There have been a few modifications to this lower system since the introduction of the 2300. My was built in Dec 2008, but before I took delivery I insisted that the reaction chamber be replaced with a current updated model due to me hearing about all the problems. CB and my dealer gladly obliged.

That may be the difference you see.

Dave

[muckamuck]

Hi Needful,
I'm not sure you have a problem.  If your set temp is 175 and while running you see temps of 168 to 172  what are you complaining about?  3 degrees??  I think the stove shuts off at 175 and quickly cools to what you observe as the normal temperature of 168-172.  If you want to see about 175 all the time put your set point at 180.  As for smoke, try getting a wheelbarrow load of bone dry hardwood, get it fired up for 20 minutes then look for smoke.

[JJ]

Hi,
Check the air tubes at the solonoid in the air intake in back of unit.
I talk to neighbor who has same unit and his had similar issue.
The bottom tube was plugged near the elbow, where the solonode is (low point), but is easy to clean as there is just hose clamp holding it together.

       JJ

[superwd6]

   :oMaybe your dealer needs to pull his head out of his butt and get in the game. As a furnace technician for the last 19 years I can tell you the E-classic is desperatly needed in the wood boiler industy. I've had mine going now since September and love it. 

[rondojod]

Needful

What is the latest on your boiler?
Please fill us in on what is happening.
Have you found the problem?

[rondojod]

Again what happened to needful and his problem?

[ldcub56]

I'M new to this forum, first time post. Also new e- 2300 user, about three month's.I was starting to have same problem, i had a spark screen that was geting pluged,pulled it off seemed to help problem.

[doctorb]

I too am having trouble maintaining water temp.  This unit worked well for the first 6-7 weeks.  I have maintained the unit regularly.  I have read all the suggestions above and would like some clarification, if possible.
1.  Wood is dry - fire is hot - hole in reaction chamber is clear
2.  Reaction chamber, turbinators cleaned, and chimney cleaned of ash
3.  Scraped bypass door - still hard to see if it's cracked open or not
4.  Solenoids open at the different cycles
5.  Spark screen off of chimney cap (from the start)

I can increase water temp with bypass open, but water temp drops to about 172 -175 under "gasification" mode.  Set point is 195 degrees and has been working well prior to now.  Fan now runs all the time.  Smoke, although not a huge amount, is continuous from stack (unlike when working well)

No gasification seen when reaction chamber inspected with unit on. (Thanks to  Dave for his previous picture / posts).

I am unsure what has been described as the "solenoid airt tubes" and how to access them.  I am sure that I am daft but a little further explanation would be helpful.  Any other suggestions? 

Doctorb

[rondojod]

Take off the back doors of unit. Take off panel to solenoids. Top solenoid at back you will see a clamp. Loosen clamp and pull the solenoid out of the tube. Sometimes the tube and solenoid will fill up with creoste and not allow the blower to deliver the air inside the firebox. With firebox door open and blower running can you tell that the air holes are producing air through them?

[doctorb]

Thanks Rondojod-

Just started snowing like crazy.  I'll give it a try when it lets up and let you know.

Doctorb

[woodmills1]

I really have sympathy for all the problems you guys have

I put wood in mine, it rarley smokes, heats the house, but does like wood.  I would rather cut more wood then clean out passages.

It does seem like the dealer and manufacurer should be ready to keep you happy.

it does seem like the thing is a good idea, but it should work qnd work quite well.