Tarm installer Northeastern MA

Talk to Joe Brownian in Northwood NH. His philosophy will probably impress you.
http://www.brownianheating.com

Thanks for the recommendation, Mack. Unfortunately, due to the regulations in Mass, I don't do any work "south of the border." The cost of dealing with all the licensing and other requirements would drive the cost of installations well out of the range that I am willing to charge customers.

I've talked to folks in Mass who are quite literally feeding oil systems that are less than 50% efficient, because even at today's oil prices, replacement is too expensive to justify, given the artificially-high cost of replacement systems.

Joe

BrownianHeatingTech said:

Thanks for the recommendation, Mack. Unfortunately, due to the regulations in Mass, I don't do any work "south of the border." The cost of dealing with all the licensing and other requirements would drive the cost of installations well out of the range that I am willing to charge customers.

I've talked to folks in Mass who are quite literally feeding oil systems that are less than 50% efficient, because even at today's oil prices, replacement is too expensive to justify, given the artificially-high cost of replacement systems.

Joe

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as someone who has worked in government, and with regulatory topics, I find that both sadly entirely plausible, and yet utterly maddening....

while I cannot officially condone or recommend it, it seems like there's room for some carefully-methodically-clandestinely planned and carefully-carried-out guerrilla DIY-ing

AND I'm glad that I live in the relative sticks, where anything that I do within my existing building envelope is solely my own business and risk, and no one else's- and I aim to keep it that way

oilbegone said:

I am also working on a firewood processor, got the plans online at http://www.millerswoodcutting.com should work well once I save up for the motor and hudraulics.

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thanks for posting this- never saw it before, but it is interesting rig!

for your hydraulics, there's a place known as Baum Hydraulics that I found a few years ago, and has a huge array of hydraulic and other drive parts, very competitive prices, and great customer service
www.baumhydraulics.com

for an engine- some interesting stuff comes up on www.surpluscenter.com

good luck

pybyr said:

while I cannot officially condone or recommend it, it seems like there's room for some carefully-methodically-clandestinely planned and carefully-carried-out guerrilla DIY-ing

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Last I checked, even in Mass, homeowners could still do installs in their own homes. It's always wonderful when the system encourages amateurs to do installs that they are not competent to do safely. Not that all amateurs are incompetent to install heating equipment, but that some are, and the system in place is encouraging them to do installs anyway.

Then we end up with some percentage of systems installed with things like cardboard furnace plenums, and other such hazards.

Joe

Unfortunately, due to the regulations in Mass...

Can you be more specific? Someone else posted recently that there weren't even any inspections required for hydronic heating systems in Mass. Which regulations affect what you do?

MrEd said:

Can you be more specific? Someone else posted recently that there weren't even any inspections required for hydronic heating systems in Mass. Which regulations affect what you do?

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Inspection requirements vary by town.

However, to install a heating system in Mass, you need one or two heating licenses, an electrical license, and typically a plumbing license (if a hydronic system).

In product manuals, these days, California has a single short paragraph (just a warning that, like everything else on the planet, CA has determined that heating systems cause cancer), whereas Mass has an entire page of special requirements.

It's just not worth the trouble. The special requirements drive up the price, as do the myriad licenses required (some installs require half a dozen licenses).

I'm working on "kits" to help homeowners install these things safely. Basically, all the major pumps/controls/etc will be supplied and (in some cases) pre-assembled onto panels. That way, I can supply a properly-designed heating system, but on a mail-order basis, avoiding the need to actually install the system down in Mass. Of course, the individual doing the install still needs to have a decent amount of technical skill, in order for it to be feasible.

Joe

I live in MA and my plumbing inspector said that as long as my hydronic install does not alter the connection to the domestic supply or add another connection then he is not going to inspect it. The building inspector gave the same permit that they give for installing a wood stove and he will just be inspecting for the required clearances of both the boiler and the chimney I am adding.