gasification boiler , If you had to do it again ?

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webie

Minister of Fire
Feb 21, 2009
651
Wisconsin
Here it is ! We all know how hind sight is 20/20 so here we go If you had to do it again what would you change and Y .
this can be anything from different gasification boiler to storage type or size to pumps to zones to any thing just want to know why you would .
Now if you think you have the perfect system let us all know and Y .
I think this can be very informative and educational.
Thanks
Webie
I think all of us boiler tinkerers would like to change something about there system so lets speek out !
 
Ok I will start .
I would have married a rich woman and moved to Hawaii, na I would really miss burning wood .
 
I would have bit the bullet and gone with pressurized storage.
 
When I built my house... i should have put in a wood boiler then and include it in the mortgage. I would have gone with the Garn and added an attached Garn/garage. NO issues here for insurance and codes. Would have built house better than what I have now with better insulation ( Post - Beam and structural insulated panels) instead of drafty log cabin. natural gas as back up. I love my Tarm... it fits with what i have now... but...oh to go back!
 
I like my set up. At first, especially when I started getting the bills from install and stuff, i kinda wondered. It would have been a lot cheaper to go with a New Yorker, and no storage. But it's been just 1 year, and still learning, but i'm glad the way i went. The Garn has me really curious, I didn't really look at it until after mine was on it's way.
I don't really know what I'd change. So far so good. I just bought a tractor with a FEL. Thats gonna make everything easier. palletize my wood right off of the splitter. Whoops, alittle off topic. But overall, like my set up. Maybe if I'd gone with the next bigger unit(w/ bigger firebox), might save an extra trip to the wood shed once in a while.
Once I get off of my lazy azz, and finish putting the staple up rad underneath my 1st floor, this will help me use my storage better.
 
I would have used three speed Grundfos pumps to start with, instead of Taco's.

I would have spent more cashola and picked up a "high end" coil type water/air heat exchanger instead of the run-of-the mill type I have currently.

I might...maybe...possibly....would have considered getting one size larger boiler. With my storage setup a larger boiler would have expedited recharges a touch.
 
I would have looked harder at the garn.

I would have gone with a biomass instead of the eko 60

I would have been better informed and bought 1 1" underground pex and ran a smaller pump.

I would include a set point controller to my system

Rob
 
I'm pretty darn happy with my Econoburn; if I had a situation where an auxiliary building was an option, I'd look very hard at the Garn though. As others have mentioned, pressurized storage gives an option of higher storage temps = more heat stored.
 
I would have looked at a Garn more

I would have installed storage

I would have foamed over the insulated buried pipe to insulate even better

I would have built a larger boiler shed

I would buy a compact tractor with front end loader

I would have unlimited funds to pay for everything
 
I'm happy with my tarm and air handler setup. I would have put temp guages in various places as well as a flow meter. The only other thing I can think of is I wish I would have had at least two years of wood ready to go. The first year was a pain with my not so seasoned wood. This year is better, but I think next year will be smooth sailing.
 
Low temperature heat emitters. Panel radiators, or radiant heat. Low temperature is the key for utilizing storage efficiently.
 
I would change nothing about my choice of combustion unit (GARN WHS200) or my piping design (P/S). Like Chuck, I would have preferred to have switched to lower temp emmitters and a radiant slab in my family room, rather than all finned tube BB. Overall, I am very satisfied with my system, and I am one who always second guesses himself just to make sure I do not repeat mistakes.
 
I would go for a bit more storage, pressurized instead of open. I would have installed radiant at the start, and used better air separators.

If time and cost were no object, I would have designed and built my own gasifier - about 80,000 BTU/hr, but with much more HX tube surface area and a larger firebox than the EKO 25. With a lambda sensor and independent variable speed primary and secondary blowers, of course.
 
I would have installed someone else's boiler and learned what I know now in doing that install -- then done my own to sweet perfection (well, as close as possible). I've already re-done most everything, some more than once, but the two best decisions were buying the Tarm at the get-go, and putting in 1000 gal pressurized storage after my first season with open storage. All my know-how will be put to the ultimate test summer 2010 when I move everything 1-1/2 miles into my new shop, which will have radiant floor. No room for "if only I had done that" this 2nd go 'round.
 
2 X 10 wall on west face and the additional insulation this would accomidate

Viessmann Vitolig 200 in an attached, firewalled room

Something less expensive in the oil side

Solar, solar, solar (DHW and PV)

and I would have done all this sooner :cheese:
 
After losing my shirt , saving absolutely 0 dollars , and donating my hard earned $$ to the Phillip Dougherty retirement fund ; the Adobe disaster led me to the Econoburn. Initially I had thoughts of a Tarm with storage--probably a couple K less than what I've currently got wrapped up in both installs. Shoulda, coulda, woulda....live and learn. I should have gone with my first choice. I cheaped out and paid for it in the end.

Currently no regrets. Would love storage but I've already paid for it previously : i.e. Adobe.........
 
I'll second all of the above...only to add I would make sure my first years wood was properly dried to save myself allot of frustration.
 
In my case it would be to have a basement with good machinery access. When I built the house the foundation was $3000, for another $1000 I could have had a basement!

I checked out the map and see that most folks are east side.

My issue with my hot water system is that system costs are typically too high for west coast users whose annual heating costs are less than $2000 a year.

Other technologies such as gas fired furnaces or electric heaters can be 1/10 that of a hot water system. Folks may pay a lot for their homes in the west side, but the energy costs are low. Many homes have electric heaters that the total system cost is less than $500.

Some of you mention cost, that is the issue for me too. I can't imagine spending even $10K for a heating system. Total system costs need to be $5K or less to compete here.
 
I have to consider myself lucky . My system is going on its 9th year of burning . The only reason I was sold on it was after I had put an addition to my home I needed a bigger boiler because my one I was running wasn't big enough . I started Internet shopping and what sold me was on its claimed efficiency . To heat my current home with my old boiler I used 12 full cord of wood and was continually firing .
There was as far as I know that time only one other in the state that was set up and operational , so off I was half way across the state to look at it . I at first was not going to put in storage but I ended up doing it because I came up with a little extra cash on my tax return and figured I would go with it .
I had sort of a schematic of the piping and took it to a couple of contractors . One wouldn't even give me a bid , another bid this thing so High I dropped my Jaw and the guy that previously had installed my hot water heat and my old wood boiler called me after a week and told me this . I have no clue what you are building at all , you have water going back and forth thru these coils ? in a storage tank and you are planning on doing WHAT ?
To make a long story short we agreed on a price , I payed for the labor cost per hour plus 10% over parts cost and he would have his plumber build me what ever I wanted .
Well the system works , ( yes I am sure it could have improvements ) but it works .
I now burn about 8 cords a year and use it for my domestic hot water all year around , The last time I filled LP was 6 years ago .
 
Solo 60 , 1200 gal unpressurized storage . 5 zones 1 zone is radiant in floor in a 640sg ft sunroom 1 zone water to air hx's same room ( This room is like heating a corn crib ), 1 zone each basement first floor and second floor all of these are baseboard , total heated area with sunroom 3400 sg ft .
One fire per day unless its below zero ,then I am way more efficient just to keep it going . Shoulder season 30-50 degrees about every third day . Its best if I reheat the storage tank when bottom tank temp is between 120 and 130 . It seems at this temp one good load and I pretty much have a full storage tank 170 top and 160-170 bottom.
Summertime DHW I fire about every 7-10 days .
Current project will be to heat hot tub from boiler that should net me another 240-300 saveings per year .
 
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