Guru
Joined: 11/02/2018
Location: AustraliaPosts: 2165
| Posted: 08:59am 22 Sep 2023 |
Long ago had a Rayburn stove / oven with a wetback. In that the wetback was the back of the firebox.
When it rusted out found a replacement way too expensive so replaced it with a slab of firebrick. Wood consumption dropped dramatically. In summer the hot water power bill also dropped.
It turns out this type cools the fire before combustion is complete so much of the wood was going up the flue as unburnt gasses and soot. When the fire isn't burning the thermosyphon continues, taking heat from the HW tank, wasting power.
The type to get is a pipe grid that sits between the top of the firebox and the hotplate. Instead of thermosyphon use a small circulating pump and check-valve to prevent reverse flow when the pump isn't running.
Another option is a flue heat exchanger. Can be added to any wood heater. Use circ. pump as above.
The electronics connection is the thermostat to stop - start the pump.
That should justify my ramblings in this forum.