Hearth.com Forum

Hydronic radiator advice

2008-05-13T09:47:57-05:00

Hi all ....Does anyone have any advice on hydronic radiators ....how well do they work, what to buy, how should they be piped in, should they have their own control thermostat etc. Thx again, RH

Tarm is getting busy

2008-05-13T19:46:40-05:00

I spoke with Daloris at Tarm this afternoon, she said they are starting to fall behind. With the price of oil shooting up and their sale that ends mid-month she has stacks of orders.

Temperature sensors

2008-04-22T16:41:49-05:00

I am thinking about buying some digital temperature sensors that I will use as aquastats and thermostats for my heating system. The devices I am interested in getting are available at DigiKey (Dallas Semiconductor DS18S20+-ND). They have 0.5*C accuracy and are simple 3 pin devices that output a 9 bit temperature reading serially out of one of the pins. One nice feature is that they each have a 64 bit id which allows a bunch of them to be put on a single bus which means you can connect them all to the same input on a controller board and use the controller to scan through the temp sensors using the ids.

They cost $5.04 each in quantities up to 25, $3.80 in quantities from 25 to 50, and $2.28 from 50 to 100. I want to get about 15 of them for myself, and I was wondering if there are any electronics/computer geeks out there who might want to split an order with me so that we can get the $2.28 price.

Multi fuel/Biomass Boiler

2008-05-11T21:07:49-05:00

Brand new to the forum and have already spent hours reading past posts. I was in the market for a OWB but found out my town already has a “no burn” season(may31-sept1st). I then turned my attention to corn/pellet boilers which eventually lead me here. I have a free supply of wood and heat my 3000 sqft home mainly with a central wood stove. I use my oil burner for hot water and still hate to see the oil truck pull up and pay $770 for 200 gal. @ a shot. Are there any boilers out there that can burn wood/pellet/corn/wood chips? I want to diversify my supply of fuel as much as possible. I have a walk out basement so wood could be stored a cord at a time, but it would still be a pain. Can I install any of these gassifiers with a SS chimney in a barn 150-200ft away using plex pipe underground? I see that some have mentioned burning corn/pellets/wood chips with the EKO’s? Thank you in advance. Great forum!

burning grass (no not that kind)

2008-05-13T19:42:59-05:00

I probably have the smallest yard of anybody in the boiler room (9600 sq ft), but it still seems like I produce a lot of grass that ends up in the community compost. Anybody know if it is possible to dry out the grass clippings and burn them in a Tarm? Maybe they could be compacted to form a semi solid mass.

NEWBIE WITH A GREENWOOD 200 UP NORTH - HELLO

2008-01-31T00:56:43-05:00

Hello Everyone,

My name is Doug and yes I have a Greenwoood....

Greetings from Whitehorse, Yukon where my recently installed GW200 is heating my house, DHW and energy inefficient workshop in -43 deg C (that’s -45 F) for those of you south of the border. I have just recently come across this forum while searching the web looking for others who have a GW with hopes of being able to share experiences about the GW. Any of you out there who would like to correspond I would welcome the communication.

So far my unit has come with a very steep learning curve, not the fault of the unit directly, but as a result of issues that cropped up from a “professional” installation. Looks as though I will have to open up the 200 soon to clean the tubes of creosote that built up over the three weeks of operating with a partially blocked chimney....

I could go on but I will keep it short for those of you that have interest. I thank all of those responsible and who contribute to this site. I wish had known about it prior to my purchase and subsequent install/operation. This site is a gold mine of information.

Cheers,

Doug

Found two free 500 gallon propane tanks

2008-05-13T16:51:36-05:00

Lucked into two used 500 gallon propane tanks that I’m now considering hooking up to my (soon to be purchased) tarm 40/60 for use as pressure tank(s). Couldn’t believe my luck when I approached the guy and asked him how much he wants for them and said “take ‘em, do you need me to drop them off for you”?

Now, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but other than filling them with compressed air and seeing if they will hold the pressure, anything else I should do to them to get them ready? Do these things corrode on the inside? and can I assume that if they will hold 30lbs of pressure there is not much else to worry about?

When is a garage not a garage? (or what makes a garage into a shop)

2008-05-13T06:19:48-05:00

Hi all.

I am certain my local (and maybe state) building code will not allow a woodstove/wood boiler to be installed into a garage. (Makes sense, gasoline and open flames in the same room, not a good idea). My garage however, is a “woodshop”, couldn’t get a car into it if you wanted to....BUT, as far as the building inspector is concerned (who must inspect the final install), what can be done to a garage to make it no longer consider a garage in the eyes of the law? Is it the overhead door that makes it a garage?

Anyone dealt with this issue as part of their wood boiler setup?

Tarm without tank - maybe add later

2008-05-09T15:26:37-05:00

Hi folks...Newbie here.

Hoping to get a Tarm Solo very soon, but as you are all well aware the tank almost doubles the cost of setup, so my plan is to get by without it for as long as I can. I’ve read thru a lot of the archives and it seems an awful lot of folks start without a tank and end up getting one - I am wondering if there is anyone that doesn’t have a tank, and is happy to keep it that way for the time being?

The tarm is roughly $7500, the tanks brings it close to $15,000 which is a huge incremental cost. What I don’t know is if what percent of my oil I will save with just the boiler, versus the boiler with tank. I use about 1100 gallons of oil per year (thats with a wood stove already saving me 900 gallons). If the first $7500 investment saves me 90% of that oil cost, then that tank investment doesn’t make a lot of sense...on the otherhand if the boiler-only solution saves me just 50% of my oil cost, and the boiler+tank saves me 100% of the oil, then the story becomes more compelling....anyone shade any light on this for me?

Also, I am really struggling with the in-the-house versus the in-the-woodshed choice. In either case, (if I get a tank), the tank would be in the basement. Question is, what is the difference in plumbing setup (assuming no tank) of an inside the house versus in the basement setup? Since the outside boiler would need anti-freeze, I assume the setup would be different.

last question for now - besides the cost of the boiler, what should I budget for miscellaneous parts (if I do it myself) or for parts and labor if I hire someone???

Thanks!

PS: Currently have an oil fired FHW with baseboards in the house and domestic hot water is directly off the oil-burner.