Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Central Boiler

Hello.

I am in the process of obtaining quotes on obtaining a central boiler outdoor furnace for our home. I figured this would be just as good of place as any to ask if anyone on here has one?

If so, any complaints or issues?

Is that Central Boiler out of MN? Run the other direction I wont talk about this online.

Yes, I do believe that is them.

Feel free to send me a PM.

Dont get me wrong, they really do work well, but you may be in for an un-welcomed surprise in a few years.

PM sent with some info I will not say online.

This unit is just short of five years old.
Pretty nasty corrosion problem.
The back of the fire box is paper thin, and full of holes/cracks. You could pound a nail through it like a tin can.


I am not sure what actually caused this, but believe it had something to do with rain/snow water leaking through the clean out on the chimney. This may have caused a chemical reaction, but I am not sure.




It sure was a PITA to fix.

It was still under warranty at the time (by one month or so) but the local repair guy only had an arc welder, and this needed a bit more attention than that.

I never did get complete repair documentation/photos, or of it when it was completed. By the time I was done, I never wanted to crawl back inside again!

It was a cut/fit type of op., each piece was individually fit and installed, completely welded in individually. These are just some examples:







This plate is 15.75" deep. Everything from the front of this plate back was re-worked with 1/4" plate.

I sure am glad I had my Power Mig 300, else this would have been a welding nightmare. I was opting for dual shield (flux cored wire with C25 gas shield) but the .035 ER70 worked just fine with the 300. I did weigh the wire before I started, and after I was done, just under 21 lbs, and I had the burns to prove it.

I also made new clean out access from 304SS and a new chimney cap to hopefully eliminate any ambient waters seeping in. This was 2 years ago this month, and no problems are evident.

I have been researching this myself. Check out http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/ for alot of great info. One thing they really push is not going cheap on the insulation from the boiler to the house. The recommended option is to dig the trench and then spray foam the pipe into the trench. The guys on the forum say it is the best investment you can make in a system as you dont lose heat to the ground.

Another thing I have read is that gasifiers use the least amount of wood and produce the least amount of smoke.

I dont have any experience with this stuff so I am eager to see where this thread goes.

Toss your questions and concerns up here I'm sure someone there has had one.