Woodgun Owners Only...Looking for first hand feedback, no knocking from others Pleeeeeease.

[infinitymike]

You put directional deflectors on yours. Didn't you! God damn cheater.

Aimed perfectly south/west. Right for his front door!

 

[slowzuki]

A gasser attempts to have some control of fuel supply using primary air on a ventilation limited fire to gasify then the right balance of secondary to complete combustion in the nozzle. The jetstream uses only fuel configuration (size species moisture) to have a fuel limited fire with the total air governing the excess air available. The same hot turbulent mixing and secondary combustion occurs in the nozzle when the mixtures are close. With forced burn these style of units all share simplicity, ease of light off of the nozzle, ash carryover issues, heat exchanger tube crud up on poor fuels/temps and don't respond well to idling during full load.

Has anybody put a combustion analyser to a wood gun at any phase of the burn cycle, i have not seen any posted results on this? In a gasifier secondary air is needed to convert carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide, a high burn temp on primary air alone is subject to high co and nox concentrations. A o2 sensor will show excess air in the fluestream but will not readily recognise the co change fast enough due to the resolution of the scales, o2 , 0-20.9% and co in the ppm range. The easiest way to mitigate high co without the ability to monitor is medium sized dry wood and not to overload the firebox. just wonder how clean any boiler can run without some secondary air

 

[hobbyheater]

The Jetstream refractory base. The cylindrical section is the burn chamber. The air injection tube that pressurizes this chamber is slotted across the end and is also recessed on the right side, giving a swirling action in the burn chamber for good fuel air mixing, as well as driving any ash from the burning pieces of wood so there is always a fresh surface to be burnt.



The air that passes through the air injection tube is preheated before it enters the burn chamber.
The pathway that any unburnt combustibles must travel through the nozzle is long ensuring almost complete combustion before passing up through the heat exchanger. The burn chamber section that is visible through the loading door will usually glow red, yellow, white through the burn cycle.


This picture says that maybe I've done this a few too many times! This is midway through a burn cycle!

 

[TCaldwell]

gotcha, is this the same principle the wood gun operates under.

 

[Fred61]

gotcha, is this the same principle the wood gun operates under.

No.

 

[hobbyheater]

gotcha, is this the same principle the wood gun operates under.

This is looking down into the burn chamber at the end of a 6 hour batch burn , the refractory is red ,yellow and still white in the nozzle entrance. . The elusive blue flame always shows white when you take a picture ?
When it gets down to a 1/2 inch or so of coals , baked potatoes in 15 minutes.

 

[Gasifier]

Now that's cooking Alan!

 

[Quentin Fleurat]

I been using my wood gun on and off for 24 years. Bought it used in 1989 then used it for about 3-4 years, stop because oil was 0.65 gallon. With the price of oil going up around 2003-4 we fired it back up.
Not sure where to start, I've had great times and bad times with the old beast. I have a smoke hood above the loading door, don't have water storage. The unit is a little under sized for our house, heats 4200 sqft hot water system and produces all our domestic hot water in winter. We use about 6-10 cords of wood each year. We fill it up 3- 4 times a day in cold weather (5-32F) and 1-2 times in warmer weather (32-45F). Without the wood gun running we burn about 1000-1400 gallon of oil a year, with it we burn maybe 200 gallons, mostly when we go away. This unit has severed us well and has out lived it's lifetime, I am planning on replacing it for the 2014-15 season.

The biggest issue I had is the loading door gasket leaking and having to re-caulk it 2 or 3 times a year. I double the frame thickness where it meets the door gasket and that has help a lot. When leaking it can cause creosote and acid build up. I have fixed 3 major water leaks in the boiler one in the lower steel plate in front clean out area, one in the back fire refractory and then the biggest one, replaced the bottom large tube that runs from front to back. Replaced the center fire bricks twice, once shortly after I got it and then about 4 years ago. It occasionally backfires when opening the door but that's not a big deal. When opening the door, first turn on fan and count to 6 then open the door. I also replaced the fan motor 3 times mostly due to bearings going bad and I did not replace them in timely manner so it killed the motor. This was due to the bearings getting hot, so last year I remounted the motor so it is 6" off the boiler, will post picture at a later date.

My next unit will have storage and be located out in the a small barn, mostly want the get the wood and ash out of the house. Getting the wood into my basement is a real pain in the ass and a lot of work! I am designing my barn, with a 5' X 7' hatch in the roof it opens into a wood stall designed for the dropping firewood, then I will use my bobcat to move the wood, dumping into the stall right next to the boiler.

Quentin
Wood Gun 140 Since 1989
2 Stilhl 036 Saws
Home made 4 way Splitter power by Bobcat
2 Bobcats 473 & s150
A Great Family

 

[muncybob]

First, welcome Quentin!!
Replaced the nozzle brick only twice...wow! I have replaced mine already after just under 4 years. I have yet to replace the fan bearing as it seems to work fine and no noise coming from it and I'm assumng I can go until it gets noisy? Looking forward to those pics!

 

[Gasifier]

First, welcome Quentin!!
Replaced the nozzle brick only twice...wow! I have replaced mine already after just under 4 years. I have yet to replace the fan bearing as it seems to work fine and no noise coming from it and I'm assumng I can go until it gets noisy? Looking forward to those pics!

It looks like he has only used it for 13 years total. Is that correct?

 

[Coal Reaper]

Quentin, do you have return water protection for your WG? And the million dollar question: Will you be replacing it with another WG?

 

[Quentin Fleurat]

In total I used it about 13 years and it is almost 30 years old, not sure how much it was used before I got it. The center nozzle bricks should be replaced now if I was to keep the WG. Also replace the bearing before they start making noise.

The design is older, it's all carbon steel, the fire chambers bottom curve is really flat, the air intake is at a low angle and door does not have the fire plate. I'm on my second loading door. I don't have return water protection. The wood gun is looped into an exiting oil boiler with the low cutoff on the oil boiler set at about 150, that stops the cold water going back to the wood gun. I did not know about the RWP until recently, need to know more about it.

I am still deciding what to get, was hope to fine some answers here. When I first hear about the Tarm or FHG I thought it was prefect, then I learned about the small firebox, cutting wood so short, lots of electronics and the price. The wood gun is simple design, the newer models are built better today, I still have more research to do before I decide.

Quentin

 

[Gasifier]

Although I love the fact that the heat radiating from my Wood Gun helps to heat my house, I like your idea of putting it outside in a dedicated building. I may eventually move my Wood Gun just outside my cellar where I have it now. But I don't know. It works well where it is. If I build a ground level boiler room attached to the side of the house I could incorporate enough room to add more storage and then all wood moving could be done with tractor. Set the wood next to the boiler in a crib made of pallets and no more handling it.

Whatever boiler you go with design your space large enough to put storage in with it. Being able to batch burn and heat all your storage up and then shutting the boiler down is the most efficient way to burn wood. Flat out, high temperature fire the whole time. Do the right heating calculations to find out how much storage you need and the size boiler to heat that storage at a reasonable time of burning of course. To heat everything you need to heat, now and any future needs you may have.

 

[Quentin Fleurat]

Same here on heat loss, last night when I went to the basement to feed the fire, the first thing I thought of is how warm the basement is and if the boiler is outside I would lose that heat. The WG definitely needs insulation on all 6 sides not just 3. Maybe the next model will have better insulation?

If I can find some used propane tanks I plan to put the storage in a crawl space under the den, any heat loss from storage would then be in the house.

Q

 

[Gasifier]

Same here on heat loss, last night when I went to the basement to feed the fire, the first thing I thought of is how warm the basement is and if the boiler is outside I would lose that heat. The WG definitely needs insulation on all 6 sides not just 3. Maybe the next model will have better insulation?

If I can find some used propane tanks I plan to put the storage in a crawl space under the den, any heat loss from storage would then be in the house.

Q

Good idea. I would like to keep my storage inside the house in the basement for that reason. I wonder if it would be better though to insulate it as best as possible so the heat goes exactly where you really want it. To your baseboard or whatever heater you are using. I would think the best insulation possible would be the way to go.

 

[Quentin Fleurat]

Yes I agree, I would still insulate the tanks, just the heat loss would be in the house.

Q

 

[Pologuy9906]

What's the cost of the unit? I don't see pricing put there that often.