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End of season cleaning

Started by Local4Fitter, May 16, 2013, 10:51:57 PM

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Local4Fitter

First year with my woodboiler. Do you guys have any tips on removing the thin shiny coating of creosote? I tried heating with propane weed burner and scraping but very time consuming. Thanks Doug
1974 John Deere 510, Wood fired pizza oven,2005 Dodge/Cummins,Firearms for all occasions.

sawguy21

The most effective method I have seen is get 'er as hot as you can with flames out the stack.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

beenthere

Why remove it?

I've not in 20 years of the same boiler.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

bowman316

best thing to do is wait till you will need some heat, and make sure your water in the system is cold.  Then make a roaring fire, and it will burn off all the crap and cresiote.  you wanna make sure the damper will not be smothering the fire any time soon. 

If you go look at your chimney when you first light it, you will see a lot of black smoke coming out.  that always makes me feel good. 

i have never tied this, but maybe take a blow torch to it.  then scrape it?  I will scrape the back of the radiator every so often.  when there is no fire of course. 

Isn't the theory that the slimy cresoite can be good?  like it might seal up cracks in your chimney liner, possibly preventing a chimney fire?

gspren

 I'm with beenthere, I remove the loose stuff and leave the tight stuff to burn next winter, I don't see it hurting anything.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

stumper

I also scape all the stuff of I can and leave the rest.  I have now gone added a step after my cleaning.  I now coat everything with a 50:50 mix of kerosene and used motoe oil applyed with a pump type chemical sprayer.

beenthere

Quotebest thing to do is wait till you will need some heat, and make sure your water in the system is cold.  Then make a roaring fire, and it will burn off all the crap and cresiote.  you wanna make sure the damper will not be smothering the fire any time soon.

May be good in your thoughts, but water on the backside of the steel boiler wall will not get above 212 deg so will keep the creosote side at close to that temp too. So the "roaring" fire will not have much effect on the creosote.... just sayin. ;)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Roger2561

Quote from: stumper on May 17, 2013, 09:04:57 AM
I also scape all the stuff of I can and leave the rest.  I have now gone added a step after my cleaning.  I now coat everything with a 50:50 mix of kerosene and used motoe oil applyed with a pump type chemical sprayer.

This is exactly what I do to my CB eclassic 1400.  My main concern is trying to get the welded seams nice and shiny clean.  I don't want anything on those seams that could cause a premature failure of some kind during the summer when I'm not using it.   
Roger

Logging logginglogging

i clean it good and spotless and they spray it down with used moter oil.
As far as that shiny coating on the walls, i dont worry about that

yellowrosefarm

Quote from: beenthere on May 17, 2013, 09:08:23 AM
Quotebest thing to do is wait till you will need some heat, and make sure your water in the system is cold.  Then make a roaring fire, and it will burn off all the crap and cresiote.  you wanna make sure the damper will not be smothering the fire any time soon.

May be good in your thoughts, but water on the backside of the steel boiler wall will not get above 212 deg so will keep the creosote side at close to that temp too. So the "roaring" fire will not have much effect on the creosote.... just sayin. ;)

That's not true with my Shaver. Back when it was cold, I filled it with dry pine and it finally did get hot enough to peel all the creosote off the inside.

stumper

I believe both sides are correct. 

The reality is that the water one side of the metal will serve as a limiting factor cooling the steel, but a very hot fire for an extended time will burn off much of the creosote.  There is a large temperature differential from the fire side to the water side.  The water cooling the steel allows the creosote to build when the fire is slow or smoldering.  The high heat allows the outer creosote to burn off.  Keep the fire hot enough long enough and it will continue to burn off the outer most layer until much of or almost all the creosote is burnt off.

WmFritz

Quote from: beenthere on May 16, 2013, 11:38:47 PM
Why remove it?

I've not in 20 years of the same boiler.

I've been wondering if I need to give mine a good bare metal cleaning, when I shut down for the summer. I'm still burning... 70° daytime but, down to 30° last night. My first year on an indoor boiler. Wasn't sure how caustic creosote is on steel. If its not hurting anything, I'll vacuum the ash out, check the flue and call it good. I'll be more than happy to get 20 years out mine.
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

bowman316

this may be a stupid idea,  but what if you drained the water out of the system?  would that break stuff?  if you lit a fire with no water in the system, and you had the furnace shut off from the rest of the heating system.

AsaG

Quote from: bowman316 on May 18, 2013, 04:05:47 PM
this may be a stupid idea,  but what if you drained the water out of the system?  would that break stuff?  if you lit a fire with no water in the system, and you had the furnace shut off from the rest of the heating system.

I know person who unintentionally did this to his Hardy and it didn't work out too well.  It wasn't a pretty sight!  At the end of the day, it was a $5K screw up.  If it happened here, it would be a $16K screw up.  Personally, I'd rather have some creosote in the firebox.   ;)


bowman316

would that crack the steel in the radiator?  since there is no water in it?

beenthere

Likely crack it, and for sure would distort it.

Leave the creosote alone, IMO. It does no harm.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Local4Fitter

I ended up using the gorilla bar that came with the central boiler to scrape what I could. I got most of the inside down to bare metal. I vaccumed everything out and then brushed on a coating of motor oil. Messy job, glad its only once a year. I also scraped out the combustion air tubes and vaccumed the air box, and oiled the fan motor. During the winter if the timing was right (at the end of heating cycle) I could scrape the creosote off the walls in a long black ribbon. Looked like black licorice.
1974 John Deere 510, Wood fired pizza oven,2005 Dodge/Cummins,Firearms for all occasions.

bowman316

the combustion air tube?  Do you have forced air heat?  I have hot water radiatiors.  makes for a really simple furnace design.

petefrom bearswamp

8 seasons and counting no problems.
I leave it.
I remember in boy scouts boiling water in a paper cup.
The cup burned to the water line and the water boiled.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Local4Fitter

Quote from: bowman316 on May 20, 2013, 01:49:09 AM
the combustion air tube?  Do you have forced air heat?  I have hot water radiatiors.  makes for a really simple furnace design.
No forced hot air here. A squirrel cage blower is mounted to the outside of the airbox. During the heating cycle this box gets pressurized by the blower. On the inside there are three solenoids that lift steel dampers and allow air to be pushed through the air tubes directly into the firebox. These tubes had a bit of creosote in them.
1974 John Deere 510, Wood fired pizza oven,2005 Dodge/Cummins,Firearms for all occasions.

bowman316

That sounds really complicated.  That is essentially just a draft regulator, to keep the water temperature in check? 
My furnace is sooo simple.   At the bottom of the firebox is a little door, tied to a chain.  This chain is tied to a steel arm, which ties into a valve.  and as the water temp goes up, the arm goes down, closing the door.  which smothers the fire.   

IDK what kinda system you are talking about. 

Richard PM

Hey guys I see a few of you are using used motor oil that is brushed on, what a mess, I have a suggestion for you to try that I think works much better and no mess.  Purchase a good quality,(about one quart)  spray bottle from your local hardware store, fill it with 30% fuel oil 70% automatic transmission oil, shake it up and spray a coating of it on any exposed areas in the firebox, heat exchanger, and air tubes. The transmission oil has anti corrosive agents in it that protect the steel much like gun oil.

Roger2561

Quote from: Richard @ PM on May 23, 2013, 10:50:53 AM
Hey guys I see a few of you are using used motor oil that is brushed on, what a mess, I have a suggestion for you to try that I think works much better and no mess.  Purchase a good quality,(about one quart)  spray bottle from your local hardware store, fill it with 30% fuel oil 70% automatic transmission oil, shake it up and spray a coating of it on any exposed areas in the firebox, heat exchanger, and air tubes. The transmission oil has anti corrosive agents in it that protect the steel much like gun oil.

I'll keep in mind the mix of fuel oil and tranny fluid.  I use an old automotive paint sprayer that's connected to the compressor.  Works great.
Roger

Logging logginglogging

Quote from: Roger2561 on May 23, 2013, 12:56:17 PM
Quote from: Richard @ PM on May 23, 2013, 10:50:53 AM
Hey guys I see a few of you are using used motor oil that is brushed on, what a mess, I have a suggestion for you to try that I think works much better and no mess.  Purchase a good quality,(about one quart)  spray bottle from your local hardware store, fill it with 30% fuel oil 70% automatic transmission oil, shake it up and spray a coating of it on any exposed areas in the firebox, heat exchanger, and air tubes. The transmission oil has anti corrosive agents in it that protect the steel much like gun oil.
i spray my used oil with no mess at all and its free.
I'll keep in mind the mix of fuel oil and tranny fluid.  I use an old automotive paint sprayer that's connected to the compressor.  Works great.

bowman316

air tubes and heat exchanger?  do you guys have hot air heat?  or radiator heat? 

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