Bought a Rayburn 620 today

[350RRC]

Hi All,

I grow a fair bit more wood than I've used, so in a round about way I've ended up with one of these:

171085

The boiler in the firebox has been very professionally replaced with a fire brick in the past, but one will be made by moi in 316, or by a mate who does aly and stainless stuff.

Has had very little use and even came with installation and operating manuals.

cheers, DL

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Mrs Pedro childhood on King Island had an aga in the house,,

Amazed they are still made,,

apparently they are good in winter.... [bighmmm][bigrolf]

[DieselLSE]

Hi All,

I grow a fair bit more wood than I've used, so in a round about way I've ended up with one of these:

171085cheers, DL
They are brilliant. Is it a wetback (for heating water)? Wonderful in a cold central Victorian winter and great heat for stews, roasts and bread. Anything really. And with a kettle on the top you're always ready for a cuppa. Will eventually heat up a fair sized room, too.

[dero]

I am no metallurgist , but maybe check that S/S or ally are good for your purpose .
I see mostly cast iron in these sorts of fires .

[350RRC]

They are brilliant. Is it a wetback (for heating water)? Wonderful in a cold central Victorian winter and great heat for stews, roasts and bread. Anything really. And with a kettle on the top you're always ready for a cuppa. Will eventually heat up a fair sized room, too.

It was a wetback originally and advertised as such, but the 'boiler' (as they are called with these) has been replaced by a purpose replacement firebrick at the back of the hot hole. Price was adjusted down because of this.

These things can run several radiators as well as normal hot water.

Glasgow Engineering have made a 316 replacement for this model and either I'll do the same or get a mate to do it if the price is ok.

https://www.picuki.com/media/2136181895512533103

I have a much older double oven 1920's 'Galliers & Claire' (sp?) 'The Rapid' , made in St Kilda, in storage that I want to sell at some stage, no wetback and needs all the sheetmetal redone.

Have cooked a couple of roast dinners (........ chicken, pork, turkey, beef & lamb) for 36 people with that, including warming the plates on top, etc.

Wetbacks are great these days coz we have 316 stainless.

As I write this I'm sitting out the back of chez moi next to a glowing Miele front loader drum that has had over 500 fires in it, glowing red, and is still A ok. Good grade of stainless.

You can buy a length of double wall stainless flu (i.d. 150) with copper tube wound inside, plumbing fittings each end of the copper, for $500. Not as good as a wetback but can go on anything straight out of the firebox.

cheers, DL

[350RRC]

Mrs Pedro childhood on King Island had an aga in the house,,

Amazed they are still made,,

apparently they are good in winter.... [bighmmm][bigrolf]

Fuelled with mutton bird oil on KI no doubt, rendered down on the same stove. [biggrin]

Imagine being conceived on the sheep skin rug in front of that! [biggrin]

Thanks for relaying the story, I know a few cray people down there from a past professional life.

The attraction for wood fired is the amount of it that grows and dies on the bush half of my 10 acres, hence the forum.

cheers, DL

[350RRC]

I am no metallurgist , but maybe check that S/S or ally are good for your purpose .
I see mostly cast iron in these sorts of fires .

Thanks mate,

Would never use ally.

Pls read the following post re: the Miele stainless tub........... it's only maybe 1.5mm thick and still fine after 500 fires.

Boiler in the Rayburn........ maybe 4/5mm in the firebox.

cheers, DL

[JDNSW]

My Stanley is damped down for the night, and after cooking dinner and heating the water for the shower I have just finished, it is now keeping the house nice and warm overnight via the pipes under the floor!

Going to have to cut some more wood in a couple of days.

[NavyDiver]

OMG, had one as a kid on the farm. Hated it as I had to spit the wood extra to get it in[thumbsupbig] Loved the tea cakes and .... so shall not hate the getting the tiny fire box going[thumbsupbig]

[Fattima]

Grew up with one of these in the kitchen, wet back so heated our water too.
Brilliant bit of kit. Great memories of coming home from school to the smell of freshly baked bread, yum.

[dero]

Wood heating is the best . The stoves with a small firebox can be hard work , but the oven is the big plus .
I have a wood heater with a plain flat top , more hot water than I can use , cooking for 1/2 the year & a lovely warm house .
I love getting out & cutting firewood , its a nice day out .

[windsock]

Imagine being conceived on the sheep skin rug in front of that! [biggrin]

Can you imagine the next generation saying the same about their parents heat pump?! [bighmmm]

[3toes]

Was one of those cultural things to come to the UK to find that a Ray burn or Aga are considered to be a ‘posh’ option

[dero]

I live in a farming area and some of the better off homes that have been kept up over the years have some beautiful examples of these stoves , still in use , some with 3 ovens & 2Meter long cook tops .

[350RRC]

I am no metallurgist , but maybe check that S/S or ally are good for your purpose .
I see mostly cast iron in these sorts of fires .

Thinking about this............... Rayburn original installation manuals (for the 510 and 620, i.e.1951 and 1962) are very specific about using copper pipe only for the hot water system.

This would make a steel / cast iron boiler effectively the anode in the system, so it'll never last.

I dunno how long copper pipe has been in mainstream use, but I suspect the use of iron in the boiler tanks is a throwback to the days of iron pipework.

DL

[350RRC]

Was one of those cultural things to come to the UK to find that a Ray burn or Aga are considered to be a ‘posh’ option

Same with western district squatter descendants in Vic.............. and the Aga owners look down on those who 'only' have a Rayburn.

DL

[JDNSW]

Thinking about this............... Rayburn original installation manuals (for the 510 and 620, i.e.1951 and 1962) are very specific about using copper pipe only for the hot water system.

This would make a steel / cast iron boiler effectively the anode in the system, so it'll never last.

I dunno how long copper pipe has been in mainstream use, but I suspect the use of iron in the boiler tanks is a throwback to the days of iron pipework.

DL

More likely simply easier and cheaper to make a complex shape out of cast iron - especially when designed a century ago. From the electrolysis point of view, the cast iron is also less likely to have local variations in composition that form a good electrochemical couple, such as sheet steel and the weld material.

[3toes]

Same with western district squatter descendants in Vic.............. and the Aga owners look down on those who 'only' have a Rayburn.

DL

Do they not know it is the same company that makes both

[JDNSW]

Probably not but does it matter? Same difference with the Lexus driver looking down their nose at the Toyota driver, for example, or the Rangerover driver looking down their nose at the Defender driver.

[speleomike]

Hi

We have a Everhot DeLuxe 204 in our kitchen at the farm. To tell the truth we haven't fired it up since we bought the place a bit over a decade ago. We use the Westinghouse electric stove (one of the last made in Orange, NSW) and the microwave.

I looked up Rayburn stoves and was so surprised there are still being made Rayburn - Slow Combustion Stoves - Free Delivery - AGA Australia (https://agaaustralia.com.au/rayburn-stoves)
They look fantastic.

Mike

[fredd63]

OMG, had one as a kid on the farm. Hated it as I had to spit the wood extra to get it in[thumbsupbig] Loved the tea cakes and .... so shall not hate the getting the tiny fire box going[thumbsupbig]

I was in the same boat as a kid. Had to chop all the wood for the house. We had a similar stove, with a small fire box at the top left. As much as I tried, could not get it to stay alight overnight. Had to restart it every morning.

[350RRC]

Took the top and back plate off it.......... yes boiler has been replaced with firebricks, all seals are fibreglass rope. Has been done professionally, except on the firebox door where it is in the wrong place to seal on the lip of the frame.

It wouldn't have kept alight overnight because of this.

Fixed a casting flaw with the pin in the lower grate, which was cone shaped and wouldn't let the rotating grate turn properly.

Had a chat with a friend who does all things stainless and I'll cut all the pieces in 316 for him to weld up, like in these 3 pics:

Added by @glasgowengineering Instagram post New 316 stainless boiler manufactured today for an old Rayburn 620 wood fired cooker @glasgowengineering
.
#machineshop #fabricationshop #jobbingshop #repairworkshop #rayburnboiler #rayburnrepair #rayburn #rayburnaustralia #rayburntasmania #launceston #launcestontasmania #tasmanianbusiness - Picuki.com (https://www.picuki.com/media/2136181895512533103)

In my collection of 'stuff' was a 319 stainless wall mount handrail that'll be perfect for the pipes when cut in half.

Going to look for some 316 plate at the scrappies when lockdown is over. Need 1000 x 300 in 3 - 5mm if anyone has any kicking around.

The new stuff (like in those pics) looks too pretty for something like a boiler, but that's what it'll be if necessary.

cheers, DL

[NavyDiver]

I was in the same boat as a kid. Had to chop all the wood for the house. We had a similar stove, with a small fire box at the top left. As much as I tried, could not get it to stay alight overnight. Had to restart it every morning.

I think Iron Bark some times left a few coals but most of the time it was a cold start at our place as well. I do miss those tea cakes, scones and mulberry pies from it[biggrin] I was happy to chop the wood for all of those items [bigrolf]

[350RRC]

My Stanley is damped down for the night, and after cooking dinner and heating the water for the shower I have just finished, it is now keeping the house nice and warm overnight via the pipes under the floor!

Going to have to cut some more wood in a couple of days.

Does it circulate the water under the floor just through having a header tank feed set up or is there a pump helping the circulation?

cheers, David L

[JDNSW]

There is a small pump, although there is some circulation when the pump is off, but not fast enough to prevent the jacket boiling when the fire is turned up. There are temperature switches on the hot water riser to turn on before it boils, and on the hot water system return to preferentially heat the hot water system (which also has a solar collector. The solar collector directly heats the hot water, the stove heats it via a coil of large diameter copper pipe in the tank. The circulating water in the heating system had a small header tank cistern with a float valve and cold water feed to replace loss by evaporation (system must not be sealed in case it boils! (and to allow for expansion)

Edit - spelling

[350RRC]

My sister is off grid and her solar set up (about 7 copper tubes in glass) will boil all by itself at least half the year.

The rest of the system is designed to accommodate this but it is a bit disconcerting to hear it gurgling away in the roof cavity.

DL

[edddo]

Love our Wetback Rayburn. Hot water, beautiful floor heat via hydronic system (polypipes in slab) with pump and thermostat..and a good hot cooktop and oven. For the warmer months the hot water is via an electric system fed by our panels and battery.
The house with all this ( not the solar system) was built in 1985...and very well built at that.
And the 25 acres it sits on provides the firewood😎
Apparently the water jacket was replaced with a stainless steel one about 2010.

[350RRC]

Love our Wetback Rayburn. Hot water, beautiful floor heat via hydronic system (polypipes in slab) with pump and thermostat..and a good hot cooktop and oven. For the warmer months the hot water is via an electric system fed by our panels and battery.
The house with all this ( not the solar system) was built in 1985...and very well built at that.
And the 25 acres it sits on provides the firewood😎
Apparently the water jacket was replaced with a stainless steel one about 2010.

The diagrams I have of the 'boiler' on the 510 and the 620 show the boiler only going halfway across the back of the firebox on the 620, but going the whole way across on the 510.

Parts diagram I have shows all dimensions (inc. firebox) the same for both. Boiler 7" across, 11.5 vertical.

Does yours go right across the back of the firebox?

cheers, DL

[edddo]

Gday DFL

Water Jacket on the 355 Supreme sits across the whole width of the firebox.

Rayburn Supreme/Nouvelle/355sfw/345w - Boiler for Rayburn 355 Nouvelle Supreme Royal Regent (http://www.goddardfabrication.com/product/rayburn-supreme-nuvelle-355s/)

[350RRC]

Gday DFL

Water Jacket on the 355 Supreme sits across the whole width of the firebox.

Rayburn Supreme/Nouvelle/355sfw/345w - Boiler for Rayburn 355 Nouvelle Supreme Royal Regent (http://www.goddardfabrication.com/product/rayburn-supreme-nuvelle-355s/)

Ooooh.... you have one of thooooose! [biggrin]

Very nice!

I was thinking a 510 or 620............ pov pack Aus made in Clayton.

I acquired the stainless today to go full width of the back of the firebox or kinda halfway as the 620 diagram shows.

It might sound funny, but I'm worried if I go full width it's going to make too much hot water which could be a pita.

Thanks for the link and info.............. further investigation needed by me.

cheers, DL

[edddo]

Yes makes sense.
We needed to upgrade the control manifold for the floor heating as The old (plastic) unions were leaking too much to use it the first winter we were here (moved in mid winter and the Stove had not been used at all for 8 years) So the 300 litre hw tank often boiled....especially as the thermostat to run a pump to cycle the water through the stove had also failed. Can heat a lot of water these things, especially with good wood. Boiling is no problem,apparently, other than the noise it makes.....time to let the fire slow down or have a very deep bath to cool the water or both....