Right click and choose "save target as" to download
Download manual in PDF format

INTRODUCTION

The Hicks Waterstove is the easiest, safest, cleanest and least expensive way to heat with wood. Fuel costs can be reduced substantially! The Hicks Waterstove is also the most versatile heating system on the market.

The Hicks Waterstove is basically a steel tank in which water surrounds a firebox with boiler tubes. The water is heated by a wood or coal fire in the firebox, by an oil or gas automatic back-up, or by the sun using solar collectors. The entire Waterstove, except for the firebox door and the clean out box, is insulated so that the water remains hot until needed. Nearly all the heat generated in the firebox and boiler tubes is transferred to the water.

The Waterstove is non-pressurized, for safety and simplicity. A small pipe at the top of the stove vents off any steam which might be generated in the process of heating the water, and must remain open at all times. Any water which might evaporate can be replaced by simply turning the manual fill valve on and observing the water level in the sight glass until it registers the correct level and then turning the manual fill valve off. (This process is automatic on the optional UL listed stoves.)

The water in the tank is chemically treated to keep the water from rusting the metal and to clean all pipes and pumps through which the water travels. The water in the stove is circulated out of the tank only to heat exchangers, baseboard heat radiators, and solar collectors. Independent water systems, such as domestic hot water, swimming pools, or hot tubs, are heated through additional water-to-water heat exchange coils inserted in the Waterstove. This method of heat transfer allows separation of the different water systems.

Combining the Hicks Waterstove and quality solar collector panels gives the customer a unique, unbeatable heating system. Sunshine is free and wood is renewable. Heat can be obtained by solar collectors or by a fire in the firebox. When using wood alone during cold weather, it will usually be necessary to build a fire only once in the morning and once in the evening, if the stove is properly sized to the area it is heating. (Other determining factors are: amount and type of wood used per firing, the size of the house and how well-insulated it is, and the temperature you are attempting to maintain in your house.)

The owner of a Hicks Waterstove can provide his home or small business with heat and domestic hot water, plus take care of those special requirements, such as heating a shop or swimming pool or hot tub or greenhouse. No other heating system is this versatile!

INSTALLATION & OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

WARNING: FAILURE TO INSTALL AND OPERATE YOUR WATERSTOVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL NOT ONLY VOID YOUR WARRANTY BUT MAY ALSO RESULT IN INEFFICIENT AND UNSAFE CONDITIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have selected the appropriate solid fuel burning equipment and/or solar equipment to meet your present and future energy needs.

All solid fuel heating equipment and /or solar equipment should be installed and used exactly as recommended in this manufacturer’s installation and operations manual.

Have your equipment installed by a qualified installer. Even then, you should read this manual and double check to be sure the installer did not deviate from these instructions. The slightest change through installation could delay your installation or cause problems with your equipment. Save all these installation and operating instructions for future use.

Check with your local building code official, fire department, and insurance agent. They are usually in the position to provide vital information about safe installation and operation, and to inspect the entire system to help assure your family’s safety. Depending on where you live, a building permit and inspection may be required to legally install and operate solid fuel burning equipment. There may also be local code restrictions prohibiting certain types of installations. For these reasons, it is important to contact your local building code official before you choose your equipment.

HICKS WATERSTOVES OWNER’S MANUAL

SOLID FUEL HEATING RECOMMENDATION:

WARNING: Heating with solid fuel can be dangerous if you do not exercise precautions regarding the purchase, installation, maintenance, and operation of your solid fuel equipment.

The recommended solid fuel to burn in your Hicks Waterstove is hardwood or high quality coal (if you have an ash pan with grate.)

The outside temperature and the temperature you wish to maintain in your home will generally determine the frequency of refueling. Other influencing factors will be the type of fuel used and how well your home is insulated.

INSTALLATION PLACEMENT:

We recommend that your Waterstove be installed in a separate building 40 to 100 feet from the house. To protect the exterior surface of the tank from weather conditions, the outside building should be constructed with four sides and a roof. The Waterstove may be installed in your basement, provided there is enough room to do so safely, but you can get all the mess and danger from wood heating completely removed from your house by putting the Waterstove in its own separate building.

If the Waterstove building (or basement) is airtight, you will need to provide a fresh air inlet, as the fire must have sufficient air to burn and to exhaust.

Since the Hicks Waterstove has an insulated water storage tank surrounding the firebox, only the door and the flue radiate heat outside the stove. Thus, the other areas of the stove require no clearance for safety, but only room to maintain the stove’s operation. For safety clearance requirements for door and flue, see “Smoke pipe Installation”, pg. 13 of this manual.

WATER TREATMENT

A rust preventative is used to clean all pumps and pipes and to prevent the inside of the tank from rusting. The recommended water treatment for your Hicks Waterstove is listed below along with the proper installation and maintenance levels.

Rust Preventative: C-10 Rust Inhibitor

At Installation Add: 2 gallons per 500 Model Waterstove

3 gallons per 700 Model Waterstove

4 gallons per 1000 Model Waterstove

At least one gallon of C-10 should be added each year at the end of cold weather conditions. If frequent boiling of the stove occurs, another gallon of C-10 should be added. If for any reason the Waterstove is drained of water, C-10 should be added at the quantity of a new installation.

If you do have to drain the stove, be sure to prevent the treated water from getting into any clean water systems, such as wells, ponds, or streams. We recommend that you pump the Waterstove water into a holding tank until it can be pumped back into the Waterstove. If that is not possible, you will need to use a filter to remove the water treatment. Even then, drain stove water well away from your well or other water systems. Return filter to us for disposal or dispose according to EPA guidelines.

WARNING: Failure to maintain adequate concentrations of rust preventative will result in the eventual rusting out of the bottom,sides, or firebox of your Waterstove.

WARNING: C-10, also known as B-220, is listed as a “Hazardous Material.” A Material Safety Data Sheet is available upon request. Keep water treatment out of reach of children. Do not ingest. Do not allow contact with skin or eyes. Do not breathe vapors. If you get it in your eyes, flush with lots of water and see a physician. If anyone ingests the liquid, call a physician or your nearest Poison Control Center. Ingredients are Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Bichromate, Morpholine, and Trisodium Phosphate.

OIL BURNER/OIL BURNER ADAPTER

If you rely on an oil burner on your Waterstove to help get you through severely cold weather, you should have the burner serviced each year, including changing the filter cartridge and the nozzle. If you only use the oil burner as a convenient back-up, you may want to wait until the burner malfunctions before getting it serviced.

Do not allow your oil tank to get very low on fuel, or your filter and nozzle may clog up.

If you have an oil burner adapter on your Waterstove but do not have an oil burner mounted into it, your should cover the outside of the adapter with sheet metal or board insulation to minimize the side-drafting.

The oil burner, firebox, and exhaust should be vacuumed out each year.

Burning green wood in the primary firebox, without the oil burner coming on once in a while, may result in your oil burner becoming fouled with soot and cresote and the oil firebox metal becoming moist and rusting.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Select a good location, within 100’ or less from the house, if possible. Provide a 4” cement foundation with shelter. Leave a 1’ round or 1’ square hole in corner of foundation, to run pipes down through to the house. Door of Waterstove building should be big enough to get stove in and out of building. Place stove on foundation, in desired position. Make sure stove is level, using metal shims under feet if necessary. Fill Waterstove with water, to within 4” of top(water level mark on front at sight glass). Install smokestack. (See pg. 13 of this manual.)

Dig a ditch from Waterstove building foundation to house foundation, deep enough to get all piping below the frost line in your area. Knock a hole through house foundation for piping assembly to pass through. Sleeve this hole. Put insulated water lines through sleeve into basement or crawl space, and up through hole in Waterstove building foundation and over to connections on Waterstove. You may want to contain the insulated pipes inside a drain pipe. Four insulated pipes require a 6” drain pipe.

Attach dhw supply and return to dhw coil in Waterstove. Attach heat zone return line to heat return valve along bottom row of fittings on Waterstove. Attach pump to heat outlet along top row of fittings. Pump should be elbowed down at least 18” from outlet, to prevent steam from entering pump if stove boils. Make sure arrow on pump is pointed in direction of desired flow, down away from stove. Attach heat supply pipe to bottom of pump.

On the other end of system, run additional piping from foundation of house to cold water inlet piping on existing electric or gas water heater, or directly into dhw piping, if you do not have a water heater. (See diagram on p. 17 of this manual.) Also, run additional piping to location of heat exchanger in duct work, or to baseboard radiators. Make sure all sides of coil are sealed off, allowing air flow only through the coil, and not around the coil. Connect heat supply pipe from Waterstove to the inlet near the bottom of coil and the heat return line to the outlet near top of coil. If heat exchange coil is to be installed in the duct work of an existing furnace, install coil in the warn air outlet of the furnace. DO NOT install coil in cold air return inlet of furnace duct. After lines are tested for leaks, replace new metal over the hole into which the coil has been inserted. Attach with sheet metal screws or pop rivets. Duct tape will not hold this metal securely.

If you do not have duct work, and are not installing duct work, hot water baseboard may be used instead. If baseboard is to be pressurized, a water-to-water heat exchanger must be installed in the Waterstove. If new baseboard is being installed, connect heat supply from Waterstove to inlet side of first baseboard unit and the heat return to the outlet side of the last baseboard unit, and connect all units in between to each other.

Install new thermostat and relay. (See diagram on p.19 of this manual.) If an automatic forced air draft assembly came with your Waterstove, install the hot water control and blower. (See diagram on p.18 of this manual.) If an oil burner came with your Waterstove, mount the burner according to the instruction booklet that came with burner. Install hot water control for oil burner. (See p.18 of this manual.)

Using paper and kindling and dry wood, build a small fire, adding to it as necessary to bring the temperature up. When temperature gauge reaches 150° F, turn thermostat on to circulate water to check for leaks. Repair leaks. If return line fails to heat up, there is an air blockage in the system. Air can be purged from lines by cutting thermostat off, closing heat outlet valve, and opening manual fill valve, until air enters the bottom of the Waterstove and bubbles up to the top. (This process will add more water to the stove. After air is removed, drain this extra water from stove.)

When water level is at 4” from top of stove, all connections have been tested for leaks, and air has been purged from system, add water treatment through vent at top of stove, and insulate all remaining bare piping.

IMPORTANT: Like other central heating systems, your Waterstove system requires electricity. For those wintry times when your electric utility cannot provide you with electricity, you will need either a generator to power the pump on your Waterstove, or some other source of heat, such as a wood stove, fireplace, or kerosene heater to keep you and your pipes from freezing. Everyone should have a back-up heat source that does not require electricity.

SOME DO’S AND DON’T’S

DO follow installation and maintenance instructions in the manual.
DO inspect your equipment often and make necessary repairs.
DO teach children to respect your equipment and don’t allow them to operate it.
DO build small fires for the first few days, until you become familiar and comfortable with the operation of the Waterstove.
DO make sure that the proper fuel is used in the stove.
DO burn seasoned hardwoods, using paper or cardboard as fire starters.
DO provide adequate combustion air to burn the fuel properly. Learn to use the draft controls to maintain proper air flow patterns for the type of fuel burned.
DO keep firebox door, and ash pan door if you have one, closed whenever there is a fire in the firebox.
DO have a workable dry chemical fire extinguisher readily available.
DO clean out flue tubes and clean out box and chimney regularly.
DO dispose of ashes in a metal container with a tight fitting lid, and keep them well away from combustible materials, including combustible floors, since hot sparks and burning embers can remain in ashes for several days. After they are completely cooled, ashes may be buried or added to compost pile or hauled to landfill.
DO keep “clinkers” cleaned out of grate when burning coal, to allow air flow through grate. Once a year, lift grate and thoroughly clean ash pan trough.
DO allow a hot water spigot, during extremely cold weather, to drip slightly but continually, to prevent freezing of lines from wind chill.

DO NOT over fire the stove. Keep water temperature under 200° F.
DO NOT touch the door or clean out box or chimney when there is a fire in the firebox.
DO NOT keep kindling, newspapers, or other flammable materials near the door of the Waterstove or at the clean-out box.
DO NOT use gasoline or other flammable liquids, such as kerosene or liquid fire starters, to start or rekindle a fire. Keep such liquids well away from stove.
DO NOT dispose of ashes in combustible containers or dump ashes with ordinary trash.
DO NOT start a fire in the Waterstove unless the tank is filled with an appropriate amount of water.
DO NOT use water treatments other than the recommended type.
DO NOT drain the storage tank and leave it dry. A dry tank will corrode rapidly.
DO NOT allow open vent to be capped, plugged or in any way closed off.
DO NOT burn plastic or any kind of trash or garbage in your Waterstove.
DO NOT let ashes build up into grate, as this shuts off air flow under grate.
DO NOT use anti-creosote chemicals in your Waterstove, as they many cause corrosion.
DO NOT allow anyone who is unfamiliar with the Waterstove to operate, service, or do maintenance on your Waterstove.

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES:

Although the Hicks Waterstove is designed for minimum maintenance, close attention to the operation of your system will yield more satisfying results. It is wise to inspect your system periodically, using the following checklist:

1. Check all piping to be sure there are no leaks. Check all pipes for excessive heat loss or missing insulation.

2. If you have a hot water control on your stove, for automatic forced air draft, or for automatic oil or gas back-up, occasionally check the control to determine that it is cutting on and off at desired temperature differential. (Refer to temperature gauge, however, for more accurate temperature readings.) Listen to your transformer relay occasionally. If is begins to “chatter” when it clicks on, it needs to be replaced.

3. C-10 Rust-preventing water treatment should be added each year. (See p.3).

4. Make sure flue tubes stay in working condition, without leaks or creosote build up. At least once a month, and more frequently if you are not burning the best grades of wood, you should push your clean-out brush all the way through each horizontal flue tube, and then pull it all the way back. (Do not try to reverse direction when the brush is inside the flue tube, and do not twist the brush, or you will damage the brush.) Do not let the flue tubes get so clogged that you cannot push the brush through.

5. Whenever you clean out the flue tubes, also scrape out the clean-out box, down to the metal, paying particular attention to the area below the flue tubes where clean-out box attaches to the tank. Once or twice a year, you may want to re-paint the clean-out box, inside and out, with high-heat black spray paint, to prolong the life of the clean-out box.

WARNING: Failure to clean out the clean-out box regularly may result in the ruination of your Waterstove.

6. When wood burns slowly, it produces tar and other organic vapors, which combine with expelled moisture to form creosote. The creosote vapors condense in the relatively cool chimney flue of a slow-burning fire. As a result, creosote residue accumulates on the flue lining. When ignited, this creosote makes an extremely hot fire. The chimney connector and the chimney should be inspected at least once every two months during the heating season to determine if creosote buildup has occurred. If creosote has accumulated, it should be removed to reduce the risk of a chimney fire.

7. Periodically during the off season, turn the thermostat on to allow the pump to operate for about five minutes to reduce the likelihood of pump malfunction.

FIRING YOUR WATERSTOVE:

Start a fire with a small pile of paper under some small kindling. Open draft knobs fully for air intake. When optional fan assembly is available, use it for assistance. When kindling is burning, add small amounts of dry wood and build gradually to a hotter fire. (The Hicks Waterstove will accept wood up to 34” in length.)

To increase the efficiency of the horizontal flue tubes, try to keep the fire at a moderate to high heat, providing enough air to the fire for complete combustion and cleaner exhaust. An oxygen-deprived fire increases the smoke and the creosote buildup, which can reduce or block the draft, resulting in a smoke-filled area and the release of carbon monoxide gas. It also provides the fuel for dangerous chimney fires.

Creosote is caused from the condensation of the vapor that exits within escaping smoke. The amount of vapor depends on the moisture content of the fuel. The clean-out box on the Waterstove has a drain for the purpose of letting the liquid creosote drain out. Set a 5-gallon non-combustible bucket under this drain. When cleaning out the back box, make sure the drain is not filled with dried creosote.

Down drafts aid in the formation of creosote. “Open-vented” chimney caps will often correct a down draft problem. It must be noted, however, that this will not correct problems from a poorly constructed flue pipe or one needing repair.

To reduce the risk of fire, accumulated creosote should be removed. Hicks Waterstoves will not accept liability, implied or other wise, for creosote fires.

A glowing red flue pipe is a danger signal. Never stoke up the fire so hot that the flue pipe turns red. If it should turn red, cool the fire quickly by closing the draft knobs and turning off the fan. If that does not cool it fast enough, use a dry chemical fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

Softwoods like pine, spruce, and fur are easy to ignite. They burn rapidly with a hot flame and burn out quickly. For a longer lasting fire, use heavier hardwoods such as ash, beech, maple, and oak.

Select wood to be burned that has been seasoned for a year or more. Dry wood has a greater heat value than green wood. Burning unseasoned wood may increase creosote buildup, thus necessitating more frequent cleaning, and reducing the efficiency of your Waterstove.

HEATING GREENHOUSES WITH HICKS WATERSTOVES

A. Hot Water Piping, with Benches

1. Slats across bench

2. Fine Mesh Wire over bench

3. Plastic over wire

4. Soil & Styrofoam particles over plastic

5. Several lines of pipe are run through soil along bench

6. Pots on top of soil mass

7. A sensor in one of the pots, where roots will be located

8. Sensor can be set within 1 or 2 degrees of desired Temp.

9. Sensor activates relay; relay activates pump

10. Hot water from Waterstove is pumped through pipes, warming mass of soil and roots in pots

11. 1 pump, 1 sensor, 1 solenoid, and 1 set-point controller

B. Hot Water piping, through Unit Heaters: Hot water from Waterstove is pumped through a heat exchange coil in Unit Heater. Fan blows across coil, sending hot air across that section of greenhouse. Several Unit Heaters are needed. All the Unit Heaters can be activated by a single pump, single thermostat, & single relay. Or two or more Unit Heaters can be put on one zone (with pump, relay, & thermostat), with two or more Unit Heaters put on another zone. Or each Unit Heater could have its own pump, relay, & thermostat, if variations of temperature are needed for each section of greenhouse.

C. Hot Water piping, through Large Air Handler: Thermostat turns on relay; relay turns on pump; hot water from Waterstove is pumped through heat exchange coil in air handler; fan blows air across heat exchange coil, inflating plastic tubing which has holes around its bottom half, sending warm air down onto plants.

NOTE: Hot water piping does not dry out the air in a greenhouse.

HEATING SWIMMING POOLS

We can equip the Hicks Waterstove with a copper heat exchanger that will heat a swimming pool. The size Hicks Waterstove needed depends upon the size of the pool and how far and how fast the temperature of the pool is to be raised. The larger the stove, the less often it has to be fired.

A tee and a gate valve (#1) are inserted in the pool filtration line between the existing filtration pump and the main cut-off valve (#2). A line is then run to the inlet side of the pool coil in the stove.

Another tee and a gate valve (#3) are inserted in the filtration line on the other side of the main shut-off valve. A pipeline, of copper, black steel, or CPVC, is then run to the outlet side of the pool coil.

To circulate the water through the pool coil, the main shut-off valve (#2) is cut almost all the way off, valve #1 is opened all the way, and valve #3 is opened almost all the way.

To stop the circulation of water through the pool coil, valve #1 and valve #3 are closed completely and valve #2 is opened.

BTU OUTPUT OF NUMBER 1 WATERSTOVES (BTU OUTPUT DETERMINED BY FREQUENCY OF FIRING, TYPE OF WOOD AND MOISTURE CONTENT OF WOOD)

I. 500 Model: Actual water capacity is approximately 420 gallons. 420 gals. of water at 200°F equals 697,200 btus. With usable heat of 100°F, btu storage would be 348,600, even if there was no fire in the firebox.

II. 700 Model: Actual water capacity is approximately 566 gallons. 566 gals. of water at 200°F equals 939,560 btus. With usable heat of 100°F, btu storage would be 469,789, even if there was no fire in the firebox.

III. 1000 Model: Actual water capacity is approximately 750 gallons. 750 gals. of water at 200°F equals 1,245,000 btus. With usable heat of 100°F, btu storage would be 622,500, even if there was no fire in firebox.

We use White oak as an example for the output. To find the BTU content of other types of wood, click here

One cord of white oak has 29,100,000 btus.

One cord = 4’ x 4’ x 8’ = 128 cu. ft.

29,100,000 divided by 128 = 227,343.75 btus per cu. ft.

Multiply by 12 cu. ft. of firebox equals 2,728,125 btus.

Multiply by .60 (actual capacity of firebox) equals 1,636,875 btus.

Multiply by .75 (efficiency) equals 1,227,656.2 btus.

Divide by 12 (for twice a day firing) equals 102,304.68 btus per hr.

So, the firebox could generate 102,304.68 btus per hr. (firing twice a day), in addition to the btus stored in the water once you raise the water temperature to 200°F. (Standard firebox: 2’ x 2’ x 3’)

Ash pan firebox, w/10.8 cu. ft. will generate 92,074 btus. 2’ x 2.5’ x 3’ firebox will generate 127,880.25. 2’ x 2.5’ x 4’ will generate 170,507.8. (Firing twice a day)

NOTE: 200°F is the maximum recommended temperature for a Waterstove. Temperatures above 200°F will produce steam, thereby wasting fuel and possibly damaging pumps.

NOTE: An oil burner, with an output of 75,000-200,000 btus per hr. can be added to any of these stoves, as an automatic back-up. (Gas can be used instead of oil, but only with a separate flue.)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. How often do I have to add wood to the Hicks Waterstove?

Twice a day, ordinarily. Unless the outside temperature is very cold or there is an unusual demand for hot water, once in the morning and once in the evening is sufficient during the winter months. In warmer months, once or twice a week is sufficient to supply you with domestic hot water.

2. How often will I have to clean out the boiler tubes?

About once a month during prime heating season if you use dry,seasoned hardwood. (We provide you with a clean out brush.)

3. How do I remove the ashes in the firebox?

With a shovel, just as you would from a woodstove. (The big difference is that, with a Hicks Waterstove, the mess remains outside your home or business.) We offer an optional ash pan assembly.

4. Why doesn’t the firebox rust out, surrounded as it is by water?

A chemical water treatment coats the metal, preventing the oxidation that causes rust.

5. How about emissions? How badly does a Waterstove pollute the air?

Other things being equal, the Hicks Waterstove will produce less smoke and particulates than the average woodstove. If you burn only dry wood, and burn it hot, there should be little pollution produced.

6. Why doesn’t the water in the Waterstove and in the pipe line freeze if the Waterstove is left unattended for a week in subzero weather?

The pipe lines are snugly insulated and buried below the frost line. The Hicks Waterstove is well protected by two inches of Celotex insulation all around the tank, and is enclosed by its own building. The house or business being heated by the Waterstove would freeze (water lines, plants, etc.) long before the Waterstove itself. We know of no instance in which a Waterstove has frozen. In the very unlikely event that such did occur, there is ample space at the top of the tank to allow for the expansion of water molecules as they turn to ice. If there is any doubt in the customer’s mind, he should have an oil or gas burner port built into the Waterstove so that he can have an automatic back-up system in case he is unable to fire with wood.

7. Is the Hicks Waterstove UL approved?

We offer UL listing as an option. Although UL listing is required for all NC inspections, many other states and localities do not require it. Our standard stove Is not UL listed, but it is built in conformance with all pertinent NC codes, and it has been customer-approved for over a decade, and has been proven to be the safest, cleanest, most economical way to heat with wood.

8. Where do I put my Hicks Waterstove?

Although the Hicks Waterstove can be set in your basement (if the basement is large enough), the usual, and recommended, procedure is to locate the Waterstove in an outbuilding some distance from your home or business. One of the advantages of the Waterstove is that the mess and danger of your heating system is out away from the building being heated.

9. What size outbuilding do I need?

A 12' by 16' building will accommodate a 500 gallon, 700 gallon, or 1000 gallon Hicks Waterstove, and provide room for maintenance of the Waterstove and for some storage of wood. If putting up four solar panels, 18ft. is required on the roof (4-1/2' per panel).

10. How far away from my home or business can my Waterstove be set?

Although we have run pipe lines over 200ft., and although we have set stoves right next to the buildings being heated, we do not recommend either extreme. We recommend that the Waterstove building be located between 40ft. and 100ft. from the building being heated.

11. What size should the cement slab be to support the weight of the Hicks Waterstove?

Four (4) inches thick and at least 12 inches more than the outside dimensions of the stove size you need.

12. How wide and deep should the ditch for the water lines connecting my Hicks Waterstove to my home or business be?

Six (6) inches wide and thirty (30) inches deep.

13. In case I get the Waterstove hot enough to steam off some of the water, how do I add water back to the Waterstove?

By opening the manual fill valve between the pump line and the domestic hot water line. When the sight glass shows the water level of the Waterstove to be as desired, cut the fill valve back off. (There is a check valve in that connecting line to prevent the treated water in the Waterstove from flowing into the domestic hot water line.) This process is automatic with UL listed stove, available as an option.

14. What other maintenance is required on the Hicks Waterstove?

One gallon of C-10 rust-preventing water treatment should be added each year. Before pouring chemical into vent on top of stove, make sure solar panels control is cut off to prevent backsplashing.

15. I have a heating system already. Can I hook the Hicks Waterstove up to it?

Except for Electric Baseboard, all existing heating systems can be converted to a Hicks Waterstove system without much trouble. Our Waterstoves can also be used to heat greenhouses, swimming pools, hot tubs, etc.

16. What is the main advantage of the Hicks Waterstove?

It is two appliances in one, providing both space heating and domestic hot water. Another advantage is that the Waterstove can be used as a solar storage tank.

17. Why should I buy a Waterstove from Hicks?

Because of our superior products and our superior service.

18. What all do I need to install a Hicks Waterstove myself?

The basic stove itself, with whatever extra options you choose; a chimney assembly; rust-preventing water treatment in the stove. Inside the house or building; hot water baseboard, or a heat exchange coil in the duct work, or unit heaters. To connect the stove to the heating elements: a pump, thermostat, transformer relay, pipe, pipe fittings, pipe insulation, and electrical wire.

19. What do I do if I get my Waterstove too hot?

First, close the drafts. If you notice the temperature approaching 200° and there is still a hot fire in the firebox, turn your thermostat up and waste some heat. (Open a door or window if necessary.) If the stove is already boiling before you notice the rise in temperature, turn the thermostat down so that the pump will not try to pump steam and there-by be damaged, and waste the heat through the domestic hot water system, by washing clothes, taking a hot shower, etc., or add cool water to the stove through the manual fill valve. Once the temperature on the temperature gauge falls below 200°, you may turn your thermostat back up.

SMOKEPIPE INSTALLATION

A. If the Waterstove is located in a separate, non-residential, building, single-wall flue pipe may be used, if it is placed inside a 10” air space pipe where it goes through the roof, as illustrated below:

Flue pipe should extend at least 3’ above roof. Air space pipe should extend at least one foot (1’) above roof and at least one foot (1’) below ceiling.

Flue pipe should be at least 18” from any combustible material. Air space pipe should be at least 9” from any combustible material.

Both flue pipe and air space pipe should be at least as thick as 24 gauge sheet metal. We recommend 24ga(.024") stainless steel stovepipe as the flue pipe.

B. Factory-built double-wall flue pipe may be used in lieu of the arrangement in A. Clearance to combustibles should be at least 9”.

C. If Waterstove is placed in a building attached to a residence, factory-built triple-wall flue pipe shall be used. Clearance to combustibles can be reduced to 1”, unless otherwise recommended by pipe manufacturer.

D. If the Waterstove has a separate flue for an oil or gas burner, flue pipe installation may be the same as the installation of the flue pipe for solid fuel. Burner gun should be at least 18” from any combustible material.

E. Some waterstoves (#1 style) have a clean-out box supporting the smoke pipe. All surfaces of this box should be at least 18” from any combustible material.

F. When closed, the firebox door should be at least 3’ from any combustible material. For convenience in loading the firebox with fuel, an even greater distance may be desired.

G. Proper maintenance of your flue pipe is a must if you want to avoid a disastrous fire. This involves frequent inspection and cleaning of the pipe when necessary to remove excess creosote.

NOTE: To connect the Waterstove flue system to a brick or concrete block chimney, we recommend an 8” thimble in the masonry chimney, but this may be reduced if necessary. Regular galvanized or stainless single-wall flue pipe may be used from Waterstove to thimble, with clearances from flue pipe to any combustible material of at least 24”. Both flue pipe and chimney should be examined for creosote formation several times during the heating season, and cleaned out whenever necessary.

1. Top of storage sensor

2. Bottom of storage sensor

3. Collector sensor

4. Power supply for solar pump (No. 2)

5. Goldline solar control

6. 110v power supply for controller

7. Sight glass and valve

8. Temperature gauge

9. Power supply for pump No. 1 (To relay)

10. 24v relay (see p. 16)

11. 18-2 wire (To thermostat)

12. 14-2 wire (To fan)