Mar 12, 2019

3 Ways You Slowly Destroy Your Outdoor Furnace Firebox Door!

Outdoor wood furnace Firebox doors require special care. They are complicated. They contain sensitive components, and if your firebox door is damaged, the entire system is compromised.

The following are 3 ways you may be damaging your firebox door:

1. Too Much Wood / Too Close To Door - This will WARP your door, and the door frame. If the wood, coals and ash are too close to the door, then the air from your blower will be forced back towards the door. Once that wood starts to burn, the air blowing back at the door contains FLAMES directed at the door which will warp the door and door frame steel.

RECOMMENDATION: Keep firewood, coals and ash at least 8 inches back from the INSIDE of the front firebox wall.

2. Too Much Moisture - Don't be THAT guy who says "This is not my problem - my firewood is dry and well-seasoned!" Even the most seasoned firewood still has 15-20% moisture - and that is a LOT of water!

Ideally, that moisture all leaves the firebox in the form of steam, but in reality, some of that moisture will condense on cool surfaces and into the dry ash. The door and door frame are the coolest surfaces (not possible to avoid) so you will have moisture there.

RECOMMENDATION: Follow the "DRY BURN" procedure every day to dry out your firebox. Do NOT add more firewood to your boiler until the previous load has burned down to coals in the DRY BURN state for at least 2 hours.

The moisture in wood is slowly burnt out as it burns. Unfortunately, that moisture is pouring out of the wood during most of the burn cycle — only at the very end of the burn cycle, when the wood is just dry hot coals, is all of the moisture out of the wood.

Unfortunately, boilers that don’t get a DRY BURN every day, will begin to experience damaging corrosion. Dry Burn will extend the life of your boiler, possibly for several decades.

Use this DRY BURN technique to keep your boiler healthy, and SAVE YOU MONEY for decades to come! Read more about the "DRY BURN" procedure at this link HERE.

3. Not Replacing That Old Door Gasket - Most people replace their door gaskets every 2-3 years. Old door gaskets will cause the door frame to leak, rust, and corrode, and they will cause you to waste firewood! Door gaskets can be replaced any time of year, even during the Winter operating season.

RECOMMENDATION: If you have not replaced your door gasket in 2-3 years, order one today by clicking HERE, or call our office at (231) 861-8200. And don't forget the High Temp Caulk which is also needed for this simple maintenance item.

Simple 4-Step Instructions on how to replace the door gasket are found at this link HERE.

Please avoid these "Door Killers" and your outdoor wood boiler will stay healthy for decades, allowing you to Turn UP Your Thermostat, Stay Warm, and Save Money on Your Heating Bills!

Some Outdoor Wood Stove Operation FAQs:

Am I burning too much wood?

You may be. Is the wood properly seasoned? Have you cleared the firebox? High wood consumption can be caused by a number of factors. Click HERE for more information.

What does the water treatment chemical do?

The chemical coats the inside of your outdoor boiler to reduce the effects of corrosion on the metal. To order our Liquid Armor Water Treatment click HERE.