New house came with EKO 80, totally lost

[UpperPeninsula]

My wife and I recently bought a house that came with an EKO 80 installed in 2008 with a 1500 gallon storage system. Previous owner said he ran the system last year with no problems and that it was ready to go for this year. I bought ten cord of oak and have been cutting that up, but reading on here I have quite a few questions and I hope someone can help.

The wood isn't totally dry, is this ok to still burn?

After reading a bit on here I decided to tear into the boiler a little bit and it seems like the damper would never fully close. The lever to clean the exchange tubes will not move. The top of that chamber was totally filled with ash (picture included) and I'm not sure how to clean it more.

I don't see any "nozzles" between the chambers, are those the holes in the sides of the firebricks? They are also filled with ash. How do I clean them?

One of the fans vibrated and broke off, it has been welded back on, is this going to be ok?


I'm afraid to fire up the boiler because it looks routine maintenance has been lacking and I don't want to hurt or damage the boiler. We have fuel oil for a backup so I can burn that this year if needed.

Thank you for your help in advance. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go.

 

[BoiledOver]

The nozzles are the two slotted openings in your pictures, they actually look good. The tunnel refractory below does not look too bad either, not 100% but useable.

The whole apparatus in the exchange tubes needs to removed and cleaned by whatever means get it done. You may very well get rid of it after removal, many owners do. The alternate way to slow the path through the tubes is by hanging chains.

If the fan spins and gets air inside, use it till it croaks. Ya might want to get at least one backup blower, just in case. They are available from Zenon over at New Horizons website. They are the main importer and supplier of the EKO line.

http://www.newhorizoncorp.com/

It would be best to buck and split your wood now but save for next heating season. Most folks split smaller than what is used in outdoor boilers but larger than cook stove for sure. 1,500 gallons is good, congratulations.

Best wishes on getting it up and running.

 

[Woodfarmer1]

I can't help you with the Eko, but I know for sure the oak won't be ready to burn until next year.
Hopefully there is a dealer in your area that would be willing to come over and have a look at it.

 

[NateB]

The nozzles are the rectangular holes at the bottom of the top chamber. They need to be clear, and the air ports that go into the nozzles. The Heat exchange tubes need cleaned. To do that you need to remove the handle and all the turbulators. After you get them out you need clean the tubes. I use a wire cup brush. I only have an eko 40, so I can't say how yours comes apart. Maybe others can guide you on that. Get a moister meter for the oak. Try collecting some skids or other dry wood to mix in with the not so seasoned oak

 

[UpperPeninsula]

How do I clean out the air ports on the sides of the nozzles? They are full of ash. Any tricks?

Sounds like it will be best for me to eat the high cost of fuel oil this year. The house is large and the old owner said this system really cuts down on the cost, I just want it to be running well and clean.

I search for a dealer before I found this forum, can't find any in my area of Michigan.

Thanks again everyone, gives me another step to work on tomorrow. I was really afraid to remove those turbulators.

 

[maple1]

I second the above mention that the oak won't be ready to burn this winter if you're just cutting it up now.

 

[NateB]

Strange that the air ports are clogged. Try a wire to poke out that ash.

 

[maple1]

Could blocked air ports (& other dirtiness - tubes & turbs) be a sign of a fan problem?

 

[velvetfoot]

Could blocked air ports (& other dirtiness - tubes & turbs) be a sign of a fan problem?

Is that dripping creosote in the fan picture?

 

[UpperPeninsula]

Is that dripping creosote in the fan picture?

Yes. He did not have a rope installed in the upper chamber door.

Do the air ports connect to the secondary intakes?

I also cleaned out the upper chamber and pushed some ash down to the lower chamber, don't know if that could be part of the reason for the clog

 

[BoiledOver]

There are ports for the primary (upper) combustion chamber located on each side, just inside the door opening. The secondary ports run through the refractory and enter within the nozzle. In the fan plenum there are primary ports to each side and are rectangle in shape. The secondary (lower) ports are round, like a stub of black pipe with the adjustable large flat washer mounted to the green panel that the blowers are attached.

Before you try a fire, you will want your boiler clean to the steel all the way through, with the exception of the primary (upper) chamber. It will have creosote on a perpetual basis.

To get a better idea for us here and help you better, after a thorough cleaning you can post more photos.

 

[hobbyheater]

http://www.newhorizoncorp.com/PDF/ekomanual.pdf

Boiler manual may help .

 

[Nofossil]

Looks pretty dirty, but solid. Good boiler, and great storage capacity. As others have suggested, a good cleaning is obviously in order. If you remove the panel with the fans on it, you can blow Or use a vacuum cleaner) on the pipes that feed the nozzles. I expect that will immediately dislodge the ash that you see.

Green oak is a sad thing in this case - it's a triple whammy:

1. Gasifiers in general and the larger EKOs in particular need really dry wood to burn well.
2. Oak dries more slowly than almost anything else.
3. The condensate from wet oak is acidic and bad for anything made of steel.

You could probably get by with a 50/50 mix of your oak and some other really dry hardwood once the fire is going well.

Given the lack of maintenance, are there any other worrisome issues?

 

[UpperPeninsula]

The oak was cut down in 2015 but never covered, I have about 6 cord cut and the bigger pieces split, they've been under cover for about 3 months. As of now I think I'll be better off running fuel oil this winter. Just had so many projects with the house I didn't get around to the boiler as soon as I should of.

The biggest issue I have is my lack of experience. We first looked at the house in March so I did get to see the boiler running and heating and house, the owner was just getting up in age and didn't have it in him to do all the upkeep on the property.

If I decide not to run the boiler, do I just drain the water from the boiler to protect it from freezing and it will be good? The system isn't pressurized so do I just test the storage tank pH and adjust it from there if needed?

I still have the manual, I just wasn't impressed and I didn't feel it explained things well. Poking around this forum taught me more in 2 hours than anything else I've looked at.

 

[Nofossil]

Two questions:

1. Is the boiler outside in an unheated space?
2. Is the boiler itself unpressurized, or just the storage tank?

 

[UpperPeninsula]

Two questions:

1. Is the boiler outside in an unheated space?
2. Is the boiler itself unpressurized, or just the storage tank?

Boiler is in its own room off the garage, but unheated.

Storage tank is unpressurized.

 

[Nofossil]

Boy, that's a tough call - see what other folks have to say. I really hate to drain a boiler because it exposes all the internal surfaces to oxygen and moisture.

 

[UpperPeninsula]

Boy, that's a tough call - see what other folks have to say. I really hate to drain a boiler because it exposes all the internal surfaces to oxygen and moisture.

Storage tank is below the boiler in the heated basement, just run the pump all winter to keep the water moving?

 

[Nofossil]

Like I said - tough call. Wrap the boiler in insulation, maybe, and anything else you can do. Then run circ on low speed, or maybe 15 minutes every hour. Love to get some other thoughts on this.

 

[stee6043]

I believe your vintage EKO will have an anti-freeze routine built into the controller. You may want to check the manual but I think if you leave the controller on all winter it will cycle the pump if/when it see's temps approaching freezing.

The only issue with the boiler protecting itself is that it won't likely help your pipes. If your boiler is plumbed correctly with a Danfoss or other thermic valve the primary circ will only circulate water through the boiler when the water temp is below 140. So unless you have a second pump for your storage you're non-primary loop plumbing will never see water moving when the boiler isn't heating.

I'd probably insulate and/or buy some cheap heat tape for anything you think is likely to freeze. Only run it when the temps get really harsh. I'm betting you'll be good for most of the winter without doing anything. Unless, of course, we have a really awesome Michigan winter coming up.

My last bit - my experience with oak and an EKO is that one year isn't enough to properly get it ready. I tried burning one year seasoned oak and it was a miserable, miserable experience. After two years cut at stacked it was pure heaven. This was red oak, for what it's worth.

 

[maple1]

Re. the winter issue - can you find anything at all that is dry, that you can burn this winter? Even old pallets? Or someone selling dry wood? Thinking you could burn maybe a couple times a week with that - that would give you some heat you could use, and get/keep enough into the system to prevent freezing. Failing that, sounds like maybe, as suggested, some heat tape in vulnerable areas plus two circs on timers (one for boiler, one storage/piping). But also thinking that the boiler protection thing mentioned above will prevent any water from moving thru your piping no matter how you try to pump things, if everything is cold - unless you can bypass the Danfoss (or whatever is there). If you can bypass it, then one pump on a timer should do it. I would still likely do heat tape in suspect spots - and also agree draining the boiler is likely something I would try to avoid if at all possible.

 

[Fred61]

Use compressed air to blow out the secondary air tubes. Just remember the position of the "washers" that limit the air flow and replace them in the same position as they were. That will get you into the ballpark on the secondary air flow.
I think you still have plenty of time to clean it up, replace the door gasket and get her fired up. Find yourself a supply of dry wood and start with a few small fires. When you feel confident that it is working correctly, charge your storage and the heat loss should keep the boiler above freezing if the tank is below the boiler without running any pumps. It may only need to be fired once a week.

Split, stack and cover your oak. Split or at least remove some bark on even the smallest pieces. I use the tip of the chain saw bar to cut a strip down the length of the piece to expose the wood to the air. Bark on wood is like your skin. It keeps your innerds (not a word) from drying out.

 

[UpperPeninsula]

Thanks for all the replies, I'm in the process of cleaning out the boiler and made a wire brush tool for the heat exchange tubes and cleaned out the bottom chamber tonight. New door gasket and tubes will be done tomorrow and then from what I can tell I'll be close to done.

To answer questions : I see nothing in the manual about an anti-freeze system. To me the manual lacks alot of basic things, but I guess they assume you have a working knowledge of these systems.

I deliver bread for a living and have access to many pallets, and don't think I'd have a problem getting as many as I needed. I'll search the paper this weekend, no shortage of under employed people up here who add to their income by cutting wood.


I have a few more questions now (of course): I talked to the previous owner, he said once in started a fire in the fall he tried to never let it go out until the next spring, this sounds like the incorrect way to operate the boiler? Reading replies it sounds like I could/should burn a load, live off the stored heat, then burn another?

Another thing, and this worries me, he said he drained the boiler when he was done using it in the spring, not every year but he said he drained it "a few times". From what I've taken apart it looks solid and doesn't show rust or anything, but I can't say I've torn down the boiler like you guys have.

What is the general life expectancy of a boiler like this? Thanks again, I plan on showing everyone a clean boiler saturday night or sunday morning!

 

[velvetfoot]

Just out of my own interest, how does that tank work? Is it an insulated SS milk tank with built in coils like I've read about, or are you going to put insulation on it, what are the coils like, etc?

 

[woodsmaster]

With proper water treatment, these boilers can last over 20 years.