Hawken Energy Quality Control and Standards

It’s a story we’ve all heard many times around the office here at Hawken Energy. A long, long, long, long, long time ago Bruce, Hawken’s Executive VP and co-founder, used to work at a car factory. His job was to drive the vehicles from the end of the production line into the gigantic, tightly packed storage lots. With barely enough room to open a door he would race these brand new cars down narrow lanes and into slender little parking spaces.

Once he broke off a rear view mirror. He didn’t report the mishap to a superior or get the broken mirror replaced. He simply added a line to the note on the windshield of things that the dealer would have to fix before selling the car.

His point with this story was to tell us how things used to be. The dealerships were expected to correct the actions or mistakes of the factory. Cars were regularly shipped in less than perfect condition and it was up to the car dealerships to correct the problems. 

With time came improvements in quality control and higher expectations of dealers and customers alike. Today everyone expects something from a factory to look and work like new. And they should.

We at Hawken Energy take the quality control of our products very seriously.  Every product undergoes many inspections as it moves through the levels of production. From the initial steel inspections to weld testing and pressure testing all the way up to the final paint touch ups, every unit we make is handled with care and shipped in tip-top shape. 

Our HE furnaces have 121 points of inspection throughout the production process.  The GX10 has almost twice that as they are more complicated to build.

Every furnace we build is tested for strength in the welds. Right from the start, red dye and a drawing agent are used to test welds before they are part of a sealed tank. Pressure tests are done not once but twice to insure that no unit leaves with a potential problem. Every unit is powered up and reviewed for proper function. We do our best to insure that every furnace works the way it’s supposed to when it arrives at the customer’s location.

Cosmetically, every unit is reviewed as well.  Before any furnace leaves our facility we make sure there are no scuffs or unsightly blemishes. Every unit is expected to look fantastic before it leaves the Hawken Energy lot.

As a lead manufacturer of outdoor wood furnaces we have high standards and we strive to exceed the expectations of our customers with quality products at prices that beat the competition.

For more information on Hawken Energy or to find out how you can purchase a Hawken Energy outdoor wood furnace to heat your home or business contact us today. (231) 861-8200 or visit us on the web. www.HawkenEnergy.com.

Posted by Don Squire - Hawken Energy Outdoor Wood Furnaces

Financing to Save Money

By show of hands, who wants to save money? OK, now who has thousands of dollars set aside for their outdoor wood furnace? Some of you may say, "I do". Most of us are not so blessed. Why, because we're spending so much money on propane or fuel oil, I would guess.

Worry no longer. Did you know that there are numerous ways to finance your Hawken Energy outdoor wood furnace purchase? Here's just a few of the ideas.

You could get a home equity loan. It's not a lot more work but the rate will probably be lower than other forms of financing.

You could get a loan from your bank. Most banks have some program or another that an outdoor wood furnace will qualify for. The rates will vary depending on your area and your bank.

You could look into financing offered by your local Hawken Factory Rep. Hawken Energy has made great efforts to find financing options for you and we do our best to train all our reps on these options. We work with Farm Credit Services, Access Equipment Financing and others to bring the best options in the industry to you.

Why would you want to finance your outdoor wood furnace purchase? Here are a few reasons.

Lets say you're on a budget plan with your local propane company. You pay a monthly rate so that you don't get stuck with a $2500 bill twice a year when you fill your tank. Your budget plan is $400 per month. Ouch right?

If you finance an outdoor wood furnace your payments, at a rate of 6% could be as low as $150 per month (for an 1100 with basic installation). I know a lot of people will look at this and say, "I'm sure they're just using the lowest possible numbers to make this look better." And we are. But let's look at it another way. Even if you double that monthly payment you're still better off than $400 per month for propane.

So what do you want to do, pay big bucks for propane or fuel oil (even more expensive) or burn wood, save money and keep your house as warm as you like?

Call us today and we'll tell you more about how much money you can save with a Hawken Energy outdoor wood furnace. (888) 564-2876.

Posted by Don Squire - Hawken Energy Outdoor Wood Furnaces

Why is the Pump Mounted on the Rear of the Outdoor Wood Furnace

It doesn’t come up often but we’re sure many people would like to know.  Why is the pump mounted on the rear of the outdoor furnace? 

The simple answer is that this is an easy place that every installation can utilize. 

There is a little more to it.  The circulator pumps used by Hawken Energy (and probably all circulator pumps used in the industry) can not PULL water to feed themselves.  Water must be supplied by gravity to lubricate and feed to the pump impellers which PUSH water through the loops. 

The circulator pumps sold by Hawken Energy use the water provided as the lubricant around the internal rotor.  This wet rotor design spins an impeller that pushes the water through the system. 

By installing the pump on the back of the outdoor furnace, on the lower fitting to be exact, we insure that water will always be gravity fed to the pump.  Installation on the upper lines from a Hawken unit may allow air to feed into the pump causing problems with the circulation.

It’s commonly asked if the pump can be installed inside of the home or building.  The answer is: As long as gravity will feed water to the pump without airlock. 

If the building is higher than the pump location on the outdoor furnace or if the lines dip and rise considerably then gravity might not push the water all the way to the pump because of air lock.  If the lines feed downhill to a basement or lower location then placing the pump inside the building is acceptable.  The pumps are quiet when operating normally. This option appeals to some for maintenance or access reasons. 

It is also important to note that the pumps should be installed so that the shaft of the motor is level to the ground, with the faceplate plumb (see fig 1).  The volute, the end of the pump that receives and feeds water, may be mounted in any orientation as long as the shaft is level.  Improper mounting may reduce the life of the pump.   

Fig. 1

Posted by Don Squire - Hawken Energy Outdoor Wood Furnaces

Letter From Someone Who Isn't a Customer - Yet

We received this letter from a someone who likes our newsletter and we wanted to share it with everyone. 

 

Hi,  

Even though I do not own a Hawken yet I am amazed of the tips you

 present in your newsletter about how to care for and why your stove is acting in this fashion.  I own a Central Boiler and have since 95.  Never has the manufacturer ever contacted me concerning issues that have arisen with their stoves during this time.   I  especially like this months newsletter where you describe why the stove smokes.  Mine does every time the damper opens, I use it to gauge the amount of wood left in the firebox.  When it starts to turn blue I know I have a couple of hours until all that is left is ash a coals.  

I know that the Hawken will be the next and last stove I buy.  Thanks for the monthly news letter and all the information you supply.

Sincerely yours,

David N. J.

Posted by Don Squire - Hawken Energy Outdoor Wood Furnaces

How to Purge Air From Your System Lines

This is generally a problem associated with a new installation.  It doesn’t come up very often because usually a pump can push air out of the lines without any trouble.  In some circumstances air can create a lock in the lines that will prevent circulation and heat transfer. 

There are some simple steps to purge the air from your outdoor wood furnace system lines.  These steps assume you’ve used Hawken installation parts and have the necessary valves in place.

Make sure all the valves are open.  It’s been known to happen that people have a feed valve or a return valve or both closed when they thought they were opened. Also be sure that the pump is connected correctly, on the feed or lower fittings pumping away from the Hawken unit and towards the building to be heated. 

Shut off power to the pump.  At this point there should not be any fire in the firebox.  No fire should be started in the firebox until after water circulation has been confirmed. 

Close the feed valve.  This will prevent water from back feeding through the lines when we do the next step.

Open the In-House Fill valve.  This will force water from your house or building through the return lines pushing air out with it.  The air will be forced into the water jacket of the Hawken unit and will escape through the fill tube. 

After the air has been purged from the system close the fill valve and open the feed valve near the pump.  Turn the pump back on and verify circulation using either a magnetic rotation tester or checking for air bubbles spinning in the spin down filter. 

The pumps run very quietly but water can usually be heard moving through the lines. 

If you need to purge air from the lines of a secondary building or a loop without direct water pressure from an outside source there are some solutions.  One example is to tie your primary and secondary loops together using tees in the back of the furnace.  If you have any further troubles or if you have other questions just let us know.  We’re always here to help.

Posted by Don Squire - Hawken Energy Outdoor Wood Furnaces

Who's Into Guns and Preparedness?

Not everyone who owns an outdoor wood furnace is the same.  Still, many of us share some similar interests. 

For example, If I were to ask how many of you own a gun, I'd probably get a pretty positive response.

Some of us also own more than one gun, for different reasons.  Well, here's  a gun unlike anything we've ever seen before and we just wanted to share it.  Why? Because it looks cool.  I doubt it will win any shooting contests though. 

 

 

The Henry US Survival AR-7.  MSRP for $275.  Not bad for an emergency tool. And it only weighs 3.5 lbs.

Posted by Don Squire - Hawken Energy Outdoor Wood Furnaces