Sending 500 gallon tanks verticle...

[JP11]

i hope i dont see that much, especially since the barn where the foamed tanks will be is uninsulated and its cold to begin with in there. i am doing spray foam because the guy will be here for the trench anyway. i hope 4" is adequate but if it is not i will box them in with foam board.

I told my guy I wanted 5 inches.. so I would get a solid 4. He did close to 8 in places to make sure I got my 5!

After they were foamed... I was still losing a lot of heat around the valves that he had kept the foam off. So I boxed the whole works in with studs and 3/4 inch plywood. Filled the box up with blow in cellulose. I've had to get in to one part to clean my sticky aquastat once.. but it wasn't so bad. I have to replace one temp probe this summer when it gets a bit warmer outside.

Setup is good.. I don't have near the losses you are talking about.

 

[Coal Reaper]

i really dont know how much of a difference diffusers make, especially since i am splitting flow between two parallel tanks. i see some guys really put a lot of thought/time/effort towards them. anyway, i didnt want to be thinking "coulda, woulda, shoulda..." after i got everything welded together so this is what i whipped together to go in the top of the tanks.

 

[avc8130]

Fancy.

 

[Floydian]

Hey Coal Reaper,

Nice looking install you have going!

I can't imagine you would need any kind of diffusion with those tall, skinny tanks with the flow rates you will see through each tank. But it cant hurt as I see it.

Are you using the lk810 loading unit? And are you using your vertical storage as your overheat protection? You have a pretty ideal setup for it, IMO.

That will be a tight little boiler room, what are your plans for make up air?

My wife and I sure are happy with our 37.

Noah

 

[Coal Reaper]

yes to lk810. what flow rate can i expect with this? what setting is yours on?
yes to vertical storage as overheat protection. dean at smokeless said because of the 13' height of tanks i could probably run even without the loading unit circ.
i will put a vent or two through the walls with flappers for make up air.
i gotta get this install moving faster, only about 50 gallons of oil left!

 

[Blue Tornado]

Flow rates to storage appears to be a misunderstood topic. Ewdudley has some good info within the following thread concerning this.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/help-choosing-a-circulator.107039/

 

[Coal Reaper]

yeah, i have been following that thread. as i posted there, it seams most end up on the lowest setting to cycle the water less times. i havent done any research on the loading unit that came with my boiler and was just curious what the velocities being injected into my tanks were.

 

[maple1]

My lk810 is on low speed - it appears to use an ordinary 3 speed Grundfoss 15-58 circ with a gray paint job.

 

[Blue Tornado]

Coal,

You have an awesome system going there, thanks for the postings. I will follow your procedure when prepping tanks; drill hole, insert vacuum, flush and continue. So simple. The only difference being the ceiling height, you have the room to go vertical.

My permanent install will happen this summer and I am hoping that the Taco Bumblebee will be ready for us to use as boiler protection. Meanwhile, plans are to use a Grundfos 15-58 on low to charge storage.

Good luck on getting up before the oil is gone!

 

[Coal Reaper]

Thanks. The flush was an choice. I didnt bother with the second tank, just vacuumed.
Why are you against a loading unit? Price? I did not investigate other options as it was included in my deal.

 

[Blue Tornado]

Yes mostly the price of the loading units. Additionally the consideration of replacement parts as the loading unit consists of a pump, gauges, and valve. Whereas a Danfoss valve is just a Danfoss valve or a Bumblebee is just a Bumblebee. Don't get me wrong, for boiler protection the loading units are a good thing and serve the intended purpose. Some of us are looking for the least expense to the same end is all. If the loaders were say $300 it would be a nobrainer.

 

[Coal Reaper]

I keep justifying expenses of this install with "its just a small percentage of the total budget"

 

[avc8130]

I keep justifying expenses of this install with "its just a small percentage of the total budget"

That logic works until you spend 20% more on a significant portion of the total system and suddenly $10k turns into $12k but you really could only afford $11k.

 

[Blue Tornado]

I keep justifying expenses of this install with "its just a small percentage of the total budget"

Too funny, I understand that part but the snowball rolling down the hill doesn't.

 

[Coal Reaper]

hey, im not saying thats the correct way to go about things. hell, i cant afford any of this. but, its less unaffordable than oil over the next 3 years...

 

[Blue Tornado]

Even if the budget doubles there is still a payoff point. Every summer when the propane supply announced their prices I had an instant attitude. Wood heat will always be considerably less than the other fuels so I feel better about what I am shelling out to complete this system. My budget is also going over its original amount.