DIY Fröling install

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ktm010

Member
Dec 23, 2012
38
Albany, NY
After viewing this site for the last two years decided to tackle this project, with lots of help of course. First bit of advise plan your project well in advance if possible(something I never do well). I'll try to explain things as I go with pictures hopefully giving someone else ideas or info as this site has given me. First picture is house to be heated and the location of the garage which the boiler will live in. Also where my first of many mistakes was made. First plan was to have the garage radiant run off the house boiler as a zone, using 1" pex not even tru 1" ID non oxygen barrier of course (mistake). DSC03083.JPG
 
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I'll try to bring this project up to date since the garage was started two years ago. Garage is now complete on the exterior just not finished inside . I decided to tackle the heat project first making it easier to finish inside later.
After viewing this site for the last two years decided to tackle this project, with lots of help of course. First bit of advise plan your project well in advance if possible(something I never do well). I'll try to explain things as I go with pictures hopefully giving someone else ideas or info as this site has given me. First picture is house to be heated and the location of the garage which the boiler will live in. Also where my first of many mistakes was made. First plan was to have the garage radiant run off the house boiler as a zone, using 1" pex not even tru 1" ID non oxygen barrier of course (mistake). View attachment 112662
 

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I'll try to bring this project up to date since the garage was started two years ago. Garage is now complete on the exterior just not finished inside . I decided to tackle the heat project first making it easier to finish inside later.

What did you use for siding on the gable end as well as the vertical wood?

TS
 
[Alsoquote="ktm010, post: 1527760, member: 25623"][/quote]
What did you use for siding on the gable end as well as the vertical wood?

TS
Wood siding is 1 x 6 T&G cedar siding to match the house, the rest is same metal as used on pole barns 38" wide x length you specify when ordering. Also some more pics to try to get up to date. Mike from Advanced Radiant Design putting the boiler together. some pics of the new pex run to the house .
 

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This was the tank I purchased from Mark Schoellig at AHONA, he truly is a super nice guy to deal with. The tractor was a little undersized for the job but did finally drag it off
 

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This past weekend I put 2" foam board behind where the tank will go. Also tried spray foam on the back side of the tank cause I won't have access to it later. Then wrestled the tank to it's final resting place.
 

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You will be very happy with STORAGE! Have you considered making a plywood "box" around the tank about a foot bigger than the tank and filling it with blown-in (cellulose) insulation?

TS
 
I'am sure I'll be happy with storage, but not too happy with the price of 220' of copper plus fittings ;sick made me sick. And I will be foaming the rest of the tank plus 2" foamboard around the rest when done. I think maintaining the heat in the tank is worth anything spent on insulation within reason.
 
Wow - where is all the copper going?

I used a mix of copper & black iron, as much black iron as I could do without getting into threading my own pipe. It's a LOT cheaper - just make sure to use big pipe wrenches & lots of thread & dope.
 
Copper Copper Copper! I love beautiful copper! Show us more pics.

TS
 
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1.5 inch copper. cool to see get assembled. SUCKS to pay for. You sure don't want em to cut one you won't end up needing.

JP
 
copper, copper, copper, beautiful copper,,,,then we cover it....:eek:...could not do it to the manifold wall:p
design, revise, redesign 10 times, so you can cut once and done==c

good luck

Scott
 

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Have you purchased all that copper already? I had 140 feet to plumb with 1-1/2" pipe on our installation. The cost of all that copper pipe and fittings was shocking. So much so, I took a chance on black iron, even though I'd never threaded any pipe before.

I purchased a vintage threading machine on Craigslist and figured out how to use it. I was concerned the threading job on all the pipes would not be good enough, and that joints would leak. But as it turned out, there was only one leak. I used Rectorseal #5 on all the joints. If I could do this as an amateur, I'm sure anyone could, and save a considerable sum in the process.

However, I am jealous of your Fröling and all that copper. Best of luck with your project. Should be a first class installation.

Mike
 
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skfire yours looks very nice:) And the pipe is being deliverd in the morning.

thank you.....just make sure you do not cut that pipe until all the design, layouts and take outs are set 100%.

sk
 
looking good! i took my tanks off trailer with an engine hoist and one other guy. then stood up with a winch and 3/4" bars to roll into position. got er done!
 

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Some progress, Garage manifold installed. Pex entry into garage, copper heading towards the wood boiler. Then Pex entry into house heading toward the 1000 gal storage tank, two expansion tanks installed. And that's about it for now.DSC03342.JPG DSC03343.JPG DSC03344.JPG DSC03345.JPG DSC03346.JPG DSC03347.JPG DSC03348.JPG
 
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Hello copper heads !! finished storage tank tie in, and boiler tie in, and started garage boiler work.
 

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Look at all that copper! Very nice work!

K
 
Finally all the copper is in, except the future modine heater. Started the electrical work. It has been quite the project so far, a little overwhelming. Lots of help from Mark Schoellig from AHONA I can't believe he hasn't changed his phone number yet;lol. Also the people from Tarm biomass have been great also. Been learning a lot never ran emt before, lots of soldering. My friend is a pipe fitter by trade as you can see he lays out all the work for me, now I see where the word "craftsperson" comes from.
 

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Finally all the copper is in, except the future modine heater. Started the electrical work. It has been quite the project so far, a little overwhelming. Lots of help from Mark Schoellig from AHONA I can't believe he hasn't changed his phone number yet;lol. Also the people from Tarm biomass have been great also. Been learning a lot never ran emt before, lots of soldering. My friend is a pipe fitter by trade as you can see he lays out all the work for me, now I see where the word "craftsperson" comes from.

Exactly, the work is something to derive pride and enjoyment from. That is evident in the pictures. Money well spent.

That third picture is a nice how to shot of the near boiler piping, pumped bypass with the Termovar. Thanks for the pictures.

You're gonna love putting wood in that thing.
 
Finally all the copper is in, except the future modine heater. Started the electrical work. It has been quite the project so far, a little overwhelming. Lots of help from Mark Schoellig from AHONA I can't believe he hasn't changed his phone number yet;lol. Also the people from Tarm biomass have been great also. Been learning a lot never ran emt before, lots of soldering. My friend is a pipe fitter by trade as you can see he lays out all the work for me, now I see where the word "craftsperson" comes from.

That is a nice setup, is the 2nd pump at the boiler 12Vdc? that your emengency/power outage pump?
 
Yes a sense of pride, but that doesn't mean much if it doesn't work as expected. And the 2nd pump is the emergency/power outage pump 12Vdc
 
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