Help! Newbie wants an econoburn but has no bulk head.

[shepherdmoon]

Hello. I am new to this site. My husband and I have been researching for months for wood boilers and have decided to go with Econoburn. we just took out a loan to pay for the boiler and new windows, both of which we have yet to order. We were talking with our heating guy, who also has an econoburn, and he asked how we were going to get the boiler in the basement. YIKES! I assumed they came in two pieces, silly me. Never assume anything. So at, roughly, 1500 pounds I am not sure how to get it into our house and down the basement stairs, which would probably crumble under the weight.

The side of our basement which the boiler would go in is small and I only have a one flue chimney which currently has an oil boiler hooked up to it. I live in Maine so I will either have to install another chimney or power vent the oil boiler. I am not sure how I am going to fit both boilers and water storage.

After months of researching boilers and signing on a home equity loan today I am feeling bummed. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great. Is it possible to install an econoburn in a garage or shed ( I don't have either, we live in town, but perhaps we could build one if it would make sense.)

Thanks.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Welcome to the Boiler Room, frugalzealot.

Let's see, you've presented several serious, but not uncommon--nor insurmountable--problems. I have a couple of questions:

1.) What kind of chimney are we talking about? Is it lined with clay or stainless steel? What's the diameter or dimensions?

2.) Are you only concerned with weight, or are you afraid that you won't be able to physically get the boiler into your basement?

Getting heavy appliances into old basements is a time-honored tradition in this country, and you'd be surprised at some of the stuff that winds up in cellars accessible only by a rickety staircase. If the boiler will fit through the door, then you can find somebody (a piano moving company, rigger, etc.) who can do the job. And probably relatively cheap, if you shop around.

You can certainly put an Econoburn or any other gasifier into an outbuilding, but you're going to run into money and code issues, and it will be less efficient. Putting a gasifier into an outbuilding is a good option if you already have one, but starting from scratch adds a lot to the complexity and cost of the installation.

 

[webbie]

I have put MANY a boiler into a basement from inside the house!

Now, it is not for the faint of heart - but we did dozens this way and I know of hundreds of Tarms that were done this way. In most cases we were working with 1200 lbs - although there are some heavier models. Here are some guidelines to get started...

1. Never have anyone attempt this unless they have done "rigging" or similar work before.
2. Look, measure, plan as below....

Look at the basement stairway - is it very rigid? 1500 lbs might sound heavy, but the weight is spread out. Most stairs can handle this if spread out on boards.....

Consider the way from the house entrance to the top of the stairway - in other words, can the boiler be brought in a door and rolled to the to top of the basement stairway? You can make a template the size of the boiler base if needed - out of a piece of 1/4 plywood and use it to see if you can turn corners, etc. - When the boiler guy delivers it, they will roll it on pipes and/or dollies on top of thin metal sheets or something like that across your floors.

OK, so if the boiler can make it to the top of the stairs, we have to think about going down the stairs - questions include whether the house is one story or two. If the house is one story, that is an advantage because the main concern is HOLDING BACK the boiler from going down the stairs too quickly! This can be done in two ways (at least)....

First, we would set up the stairs with two 1x10 Oak boards laying over them. We would also have some thin sheets of metal - fairly heavy - maybe 1/8"

If the house is one story or under construction, we would often break a hole in the ceiling right inside the basement stairway and pass a chain up through the hole and wrap the chain around a 4x4 or 2 laid sideways in the attic or 2nd floor. Then we would hang a chain hoist from that. The boilers usually have a lifting hook on top, so we would hook up the boiler and slowly crank upward until it actually moved toward the steps and then actually hung in the air! We would then start letting down slowly, until the boiler angled downward and was on the planks covered by metal. After that, it was a matter of letting a few inches off the chain hoist and then usually pushing on the boiler (it often does not want to slide down without help).

Another way to do this is if there is a door way or a window opposite the basement door - heavy timbers can span the door or window and the chain hoist can be tied back to that.

This is just for general reference. Obviously this is not a DIY project! But it can be done, and relatively easily by an experienced rigger. Such a job would usually take me about 90 minutes.

If your boiler guy or no one else knows what they are doing, ask around about "riggers" - these are guys who often move machinery around factories, etc.

Notes - we sometimes used two chain hoists - one hanging from the ceiling and one back to a doorway or window - for more control.
Make sure there is not a wall just ahead at bottom of basement steps! If there is, there are ways around this. In fact, if there is a good place to hang a chain hoist from (one story or no stairs above it), you can remove the stairs, hang and lower the boiler, and then put the stairs back.

Good Luck!