Hydro to Heat Convertor wood boiler on eBay

[Burn-1]

I think Eric Johnson had mentioned these some time ago. They're basically woodstoves with a heat exchanger. One is up on eBay right now in MA and is listed as an unused floor model. Current bidding is significantly off retail. There's about one day left in the auction.

Hydro to Heat convertor boiler auction

 

[webbie]

Looks like a good deal for someone who wants this specific type of unit...I suspect the importer has been unable to sell their inventory and is either overstocked or possibly closing down.

There are some good deals out there this spring!

 

[Eric Johnson]

Yes, that's what I was talking about. I saw one at a trade show, but have never seen one in operation. I think they claimed something like 150,000 btu/hr output, but all it had for heat transfer was some 1/2 or 3/4-inch copper coil in the firebox, as I recall. European design and mfg. Like Craig says, probably great for a specific situation, but I'd need to know a lot more about how it works before making a commitment. The website linked in the Ebay listing has some really nice photos, but is a little short on specifics, such as emissions data. If their 93% efficiency (they don't say if that's just combustion efficiency or heat transfer efficiency or the combined total) claims are to be believed, then it ought to burn pretty clean.

European technology can be deceiving. I've found there's usually a lot more there than meets the eye in terms of technology and engineering. To the untrained American eye, this looks like a wood stove with a heat exchanger built in. I'm guessing it's more than that.

 

[laynes69]

I think its pretty neat, but not sure exactly how it works. The thing burns alot of different fuel, but the grates from what I see is the first coil of tubing on the bottom. Then it goes into the top of the stove. I considered putting a water coil in my furnace at one time, but I have heard that it cools the temps of the firebox. It would be nice to know the size of tubing. So I take it it puts out radiant heat and puts out heat through water. If its cooler water going through the pipes , I would think that would cool the secondary air quite a bit.

 

[Eric Johnson]

That's the problem with boilers, laynes--you can't get the heat in the firebox high enough to get a decent secondary burn. At least I've never been able to. Unlike a conventional boiler, however, this doesn't appear to have a water jacket--just the coils. That might be the key. The downside to not having 30 or 40 gallons of water around the firebox, on the other hand, is that you're going to be putting some pretty cool water through that piping in the firebox--unless you have a lot of hot water storage close at hand. I think that's what they're getting at with the water heater, but it still wouldn't be enough to do much good, IMO. Not for 190K btu, anyway--not even close.