I swear this will be the last episode of this durned boiler! Actually, two good things happened today. Going to work this morning was not a good thing, but the outcome was. I'm finally done with the design, building portion of the 'project from hell' that has plagued me since last March. I finished the last few items that needed attention, and it will leave the premises next Monday!
We got home from work about 1:30 this afternoon and started in on starting the boiler. We added the anti-corrosion goop to the boiler, partially filled it through the pipes running to the house to push the air out of them. Then we stuffed the hose into the top and turned it on....
While we waited for the thing to fill, I gathered some kindling, small wood, etc in preparation for the first fire.
Yeah, I built a nice one with some pine kindling, small hard maple limb pieces and some blocks of well seasoned hard maple.
Meanwhile the water was running in, here we see that we only have about 5" space left in the water level gauge. Peg was cleaning some dead lilac bushes out of the hedge and we added these to the firebox as well.
It took about an hour to fill it, and then we set the kindling ablaze, closed the door and hoped for the best.
First smoke from the Ottertail outdoor boiler! We've been waiting a long time to see that...
So I sat there and monitored the temperature increase of the water in the boiler. It started out at 49°, the temp. of the well water that was put into it.
Smoke drifted into the silver maple and created this scene.
I yelled and cheered as the temperature display neared 185°, the temp we would use for the upper limit.
Hey, hey!! It took 1 hour, 45 min to get 200 gals of water up to 185°. I was surprised it didn't take longer. I turned off the power to the water heater, it's also hooked to the outside boiler. The house is toasty warm right now, no sound of fuel oil vaporizing in the furnace. I'm liking this bunches right now, I wonder how much wood it will take to keep us warm all winter???
Couldn't resist this tree in Phillips. It is unusually dark green in areas, dark red in others. I don't remember seeing such contrast on one tree.
Now to get going on bowhunting. Oh, yeah, and hauling the firewood closer to the stove.....
I gotta go, Carlo
.
5 comments:
thank gawd that is done. i am envious. i think you will be toasty warm this winter. you will even be able to sleep with a window open with no worries!
nice pictures of the changing trees. a really nice fall here too.
What a job - well done!!!!! How often do you have to pile in wood??? The pictures of the trees are lovely. Most of the trees are still green here so we have that to look forward to ( the coloring, I mean). Thanks for the pictures. Mom
Glad to hear the stove is up and running!!! You seemed pretty excited to have the 185 degree reading!! Love the color on the tree by the TimberInn - the color is awesome!!
Kristi
Oh, yeah, 185 is what I've been waiting for for too long.....
It's been an absolutely beautiful autumn in Price County this year, maybe we will have an awesome winter, too?
I gotta go, Carlo
Wood loading will occur morning and night, the only variable will be how much wood gets put in at each loading, that will depend on outside temp.
Post a Comment