New guy some questions - thanks in advance

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

donahuej

New Member
Mar 31, 2011
2
NJ
Great site - learned a ton searching here but I have a few questions:

1- Where is everyone getting the urecon, logstor, pex-flex and or therompex from these days. No local dealer here in NJ looking for some recommendations and rough prices.

2- My boiler is 65 feet from my crawl space and another 85 feet to my DHW and my first air handler - Do I need to run the expensive underground insulated pex to the DHW? Or can I come in to the crawl space and insulate regular pex myself? Any opinions experience?

3- does oxygen barrier pex really matter in a non-pressurized OWB?

4- best configuration for heating domestic water - side arm or plate exchanger?

5- when sizing a pump for a zone do you have to consider the round trip distance if I mount the pump at the boiler?

Thanks a ton for the help - I'm sure as I go thru my install I'll have more questions and when I know enough I hope to pass on what I've learned to others here.

Thanks again great site - can't wait to be heatin up some H2O!
 
donahuej said:
Great site - learned a ton searching here but I have a few questions:

1- Where is everyone getting the urecon, logstor, pex-flex and or therompex from these days. No local dealer here in NJ looking for some recommendations and rough prices.

2- My boiler is 65 feet from my crawl space and another 85 feet to my DHW and my first air handler - Do I need to run the expensive underground insulated pex to the DHW? Or can I come in to the crawl space and insulate regular pex myself? Any opinions experience?

3- does oxygen barrier pex really matter in a non-pressurized OWB?

4- best configuration for heating domestic water - side arm or plate exchanger?

5- when sizing a pump for a zone do you have to consider the round trip distance if I mount the pump at the boiler?

Thanks a ton for the help - I'm sure as I go thru my install I'll have more questions and when I know enough I hope to pass on what I've learned to others here.

Thanks again great site - can't wait to be heatin up some H2O!
Click to expand...

I hope some people with remote boilers will chime in, but here's my best understanding. I don't know what I'm talking about, but if I'm wrong someone is certain to jump in.

You don't need the expensive insulated PEX if you're not burying it. Post-install insulation should be fine as long as the insulation is dry and in air rather than dirt.

I don't think there's any benefit to oxygen barrier in an unpressurized system.

Side arm works great during the heating season when hot water is flowing for many hours a day to satisfy other heat loads. No use at all if you need fast recovery, and very inefficient if DHW is your only heat load. Sidearm systems also require a mixing valve to provide safe DHW temps at the tap.

Pump sizing must take into account the total head loss for the entire loop. Almost never a bad idea to go one size larger on the lines from the boiler to the house. Lots of people have regretted saving a couple bucks when they ended up with lines too small to transfer the heat.

Good luck!
 
donahuej said:
Great site - learned a ton searching here but I have a few questions:

1- Where is everyone getting the urecon, logstor, pex-flex and or therompex from these days. No local dealer here in NJ looking for some recommendations and rough prices.

2- My boiler is 65 feet from my crawl space and another 85 feet to my DHW and my first air handler - Do I need to run the expensive underground insulated pex to the DHW? Or can I come in to the crawl space and insulate regular pex myself? Any opinions experience?

3- does oxygen barrier pex really matter in a non-pressurized OWB?

4- best configuration for heating domestic water - side arm or plate exchanger?

5- when sizing a pump for a zone do you have to consider the round trip distance if I mount the pump at the boiler?

Thanks a ton for the help - I'm sure as I go thru my install I'll have more questions and when I know enough I hope to pass on what I've learned to others here.

Thanks again great site - can't wait to be heatin up some H2O!
Click to expand...


Hello, I'll answer what I can and what I have. CB-6048 90' to house craw space, 130' to pole barn garage in 2 seperate, opposite direction runs.

1. I bought my pipe, pumps, HX's and standerd pex tubing from Anderson's Wood Boiler in Wisconsin (once you know what you want, search for best price. Do not forget about e.bay)

2. I ran the expensive underground pipe to the entry in craw space and through the wall of my garage. From there I ran regular pex in a loop approximately 200' in house to all HX's (4 of them). I did use the foam pipe wrap insulation in craw space. In garage, regular pex but only 4' worth.

3. Don't know but I ran all O2 barrier just cause.....

4. I use a flat plate "downstream" of my HWH for instant "on demand" hot water and never run out. I do not heat my tank water at all with OWB. I cannot coment on side arm other than lots of folks seem to like it. I see no need to keep the tank hot.

5. I'm guessing you do. I sent a hand drawn schematic, elevations, length and dia pex to Anderson's who sized my pump and it works perfectly.
 
donahuej said:
3- does oxygen barrier pex really matter in a non-pressurized OWB?
Click to expand...
Your PEX will most likely outlive your OWB. I would go with O2 barrier PEX now, in case you replace your OWB someday with a pressurized boiler.
 
Pete Schiller said:
donahuej said:
3- does oxygen barrier pex really matter in a non-pressurized OWB?
Click to expand...
Your PEX will most likely outlive your OWB. I would go with O2 barrier PEX now, in case you replace your OWB someday with a pressurized boiler.
Click to expand...

I agree as I wish I had done the barrier pex on my system when I installed my orginal OWB.
 
donahuej said:
Great site - learned a ton searching here but I have a few questions:
1- Where is everyone getting the urecon, logstor, pex-flex and or therompex from these days. No local dealer here in NJ looking for some recommendations and rough prices.

Try pex supply, pex universe & other www. sources if you have no local supply.

2- My boiler is 65 feet from my crawl space and another 85 feet to my DHW and my first air handler - Do I need to run the expensive underground insulated pex to the DHW? Or can I come in to the crawl space and insulate regular pex myself? Any opinions experience?

No, once you get above ground or into a conditioned space you can install union/coupler & use normal O2 barrier pipe from there. Think PAP pipe as opposed to the exterior coating stuff that can be scraped off. PAP is 100% resistant to O2 migration/penetration.

3- does oxygen barrier pex really matter in a non-pressurized OWB?

Yes, open systems allow oxygen to enter by design, you need to add chemicals to remove that O2, if you use non barrier pipe you are simply going to need more chemicals to get rid of the extra O2 that non barrier pipe will allow into the system.....so you choose good pipe now or more chemicals for as long as you use the non barrier pipe....third choice is non barrier pipe with no chemicals, that will rot out that OWB even faster than its average 8 year life span....might want to remove that choice from the list.

4- best configuration for heating domestic water - side arm or plate exchanger?

Plate exchanger properly sized hands down. Side arms are for people who want to play at having on demand DHW not for people who actually want on demand DHW. They are however another good example of the engineering misfits promoted by the OWB sales people, which is probably where you were you were told about it.

5- when sizing a pump for a zone do you have to consider the round trip distance if I mount the pump at the boiler?

Yes, plus all the fittings, exchangers & anything else that will create resistance to flow in that zone, in order to arrive at the correct diameter of pipe with the right pump pushing it. All in an effort to keep your wire to water ratio as low as possible & your comfort level as high as possible.

Thanks a ton for the help - I'm sure as I go thru my install I'll have more questions and when I know enough I hope to pass on what I've learned to others here.
Thanks again great site - can't wait to be heatin up some H2O!
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
New guy questions..
Replies
24
Views
1K
The Boiler Room - Wood Boilers and Furnaces
salecker
salecker
G
Furnace works SFB3 - connecting correctly and replacing button style high limit and temp limit switches.
Replies
0
Views
635
The Boiler Room - Wood Boilers and Furnaces
Greenwood1
G
F
Wood boiler HX piping.
Replies
5
Views
727
The Boiler Room - Wood Boilers and Furnaces
chew72
C
N
New set up of an old boiler with storage
Replies
10
Views
2K
The Boiler Room - Wood Boilers and Furnaces
all night moe
A
velvetfoot
Thinking Of Simplifying My Heating System
Replies
8
Views
437
The Inglenook
Prometeo
Prometeo
Top Bottom
Back