DIY Heat reclaimer

martin

short of cutting in new inlet to chimney the heat reclaimer has got to go.

bill nye_3

Unsafe IMO

It was like this for years, the oil guy never did or said anything. I pulled it down and told the lady I couldn't put it back like it was . She said OK but her husband did it ten years ago. He's been dead for 6.

bill nye_3

the chimney

The chimney was 90% blocked. The cool temps and poor draft probably is killing the chimney. I tried to get a picture of inside the chiminey.

Timco

Just what is inside the magic heat box? fins? Is it supposed to heat the basement?

Tim

martin

Neat venting arangement

that arrangement made that oil burner into a non viewable ventless oil fireplace 100% effic. but soetimes fatal.

martin

Magic heat

Just a box with a bunch of tubes thru it, they used to sell them the same place you could buy the fittings to make your spare 50 gal. barrells into wood stoves. those were winners also.

Bruce Stevens

No fins

a fan blows through the tubes you see for basement heat and the knob you see is attached to a plate that you pull to clean of the tubes. They were put in by the cart full in the seventies, flue temp has to be over 500 degrees to prevent condensation the the chimney

Charlie Taylor_2

http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5SA-1442

bill nye_3

well

It isn't the reclaimer that bothers me. It is the venting arrangement, the flue connecter is supposed to slope UP to the chimley.

Bruce Stevens

Bill I agree

was just trying to answer a question

mtfallsmikey

Thanks!

I needed a good laugh this morning!

Eric Johnson

woodstoves

They made those for woodstoves back in the '70s. Real creosote machines. Nothing like killing the draft to cool things off and really get the black stuff growing in your chimney.

I've never seen one on an oil burner before but, as noted, that's a tragedy waiting to happen.

Unknown

One Homeowner's View: Magic Heat for Gas

After installing a new 175,000 Btu Burnham Independence natural draft gas-fired steam boiler in my Boston-area home, I wanted to try and recapture some of the significant waste heat going up the flue, and discovered Magic Heat for Gas. I read many of the very skeptical posts on HeatingHelp, and approached the decision cautiously. My basement is about 1,000 sq. ft. and used to be about 62 degrees; after installing Magic Heat the temperature is now about 67 degrees, which makes the space quite comfortable for use, and un-musty. The heat from the basement also rises, and warms the floor above, helping the boiler run less often. I expect the Magic Heat will pay for itself in fuel savings in one heating season. And with less fuel being burned, the overall emissions from the boiler are reduced as well. Installation was a little tricky given the tight space and horizontal orientation of the unit, and took me about 5 hours. The manufacturer's installation instructions specify that for safety reasons, the flue gas must be at least 280 degrees F and that the flue draft must be at least 0.06 W.C before the installation (and at least 0.45 W.C BELOW the Magic Heat after the installation). For additional safety, I installed a carbon monoxide (CO) detector right next to the boiler, and have had no problems at all. The First Alert CO614 model I purchased includes a memory feature that records the highest CO level in a 24-hour period, which gives added information to ensure CO is not a problem.  Magic Heat is a U.L. listed Heat Reclaimer (915U), seems well made, uses only 20 watts of electricity (when the fan is running), and requires very little maintenance because natural gas produces virtually no soot. I would probably not have been able to use the Magic Heat (due to aforementioned draft and temperature restrictions) had I not previously installed a stainless steel chimney liner when I put in the new boiler. I got great customer service from Magic Heat with my installation questions.