Used Tarm
- Thread starter SolarAndWood
- Start date
-
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
So there seem to be a lot of these around:
http://cgi.ebay.com/HS-TARM-Wood-Co...86.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo=LVI&itu=UCI&otn=4&ps=63
(very good condition 1979 MB55 asking 2K)
How much less efficient are they than the current models especially if you are running it with storage? My BILs smokes like crazy but the saw is barely through the wood before it gets tossed in.
http://cgi.ebay.com/HS-TARM-Wood-Co...86.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo=LVI&itu=UCI&otn=4&ps=63
(very good condition 1979 MB55 asking 2K)
How much less efficient are they than the current models especially if you are running it with storage? My BILs smokes like crazy but the saw is barely through the wood before it gets tossed in.
Used boilers are a real crap shoot. Of any, however, Tarm is probably your best bet. The manufacturing and materials standards are way above average. But with any used boiler--unlike a hot air furnace--you really can't tell by looking if there are any serious corrosion problems. Efficiency really doesn't diminish with age, however. Older models tend to be less efficient, but no less efficient than they were when new. It's just that the technology has improved.
2K is way too much to pay for a circa '79 boiler, IMO. That's a lotta miles.
2K is way too much to pay for a circa '79 boiler, IMO. That's a lotta miles.
Definitely agree that 2K is way too much...thinking more like a quarter of that. I have seen 60% efficiency thrown around for tarms of that vintage and 80% for current. That sound right? If so, everything else held constant, do these numbers directly correlate to the amount of wood consumed or is there more to it?
Don't believe efficiency numbers. They're usually way high. And don't get hung up on them--it's really not a big deal. What counts is getting the heat you need out of the boiler with the wood you have at your disposal. I don't think I'd pay more than $500 for a boiler that old. Maybe less.
Efficiency is directly related to wood consumption. But it is what it is, all things considered. The important thing to remember about wood, of course, is that it needs to be dry for max efficiency. Beyond that, you pays your money and you takes your chances. It's hard to predict what any given installation will yield. There are too many variables for my feeble mind to sort out.
Efficiency is directly related to wood consumption. But it is what it is, all things considered. The important thing to remember about wood, of course, is that it needs to be dry for max efficiency. Beyond that, you pays your money and you takes your chances. It's hard to predict what any given installation will yield. There are too many variables for my feeble mind to sort out.
I installed a 1981 model MB55 in my old shack this past summer with 250 gal storage. I found they do like wood(and alot of it) but the house stays 68-70 all the time wich is 1 million time better than just my englander 28-3500. A gentleman from Bioheat said it should be around 60% efficient with the storage. Although i have more wood than i can cut in my lifetime, i would still rather have the effeciency.
The big question in my mind is are you burning 1/3 more wood to get the same heat out as if you had put a new unit in? Then, the more personal question, does whatever the actual efficiency gain actually is justify the additional carrying cost of a new unit? My 30 year old Ford tractor does everything a new one does and came without a payment book. It just looks like its been around the block a few times.
I suppose the other part of this is that if on any given day the Ford breaks down, it isn't the end of the world as I don't rely on it to make a living. Same would be true of the boiler as my stove has no problem keeping the house warm.
I would say as a possible consideration is that if going with a way old boiler, that it might well be good to go w/ non-pressurized storage rather than pressurized - reduce the flooding potential if something in the old unit does let go...
Gooserider
Gooserider
Lots of hot water and steam is no fun- years ago I saw an early Tarm blow out a rubber gasket on the DHW coil panel, and it was not a pretty scene...
My boiler room is going in the lower level of the house with a dedicated exterior door, floor drain and all masonry surfaces. My thought for this was to aid in keeping it clean and confined but I suppose disaster containment is also a good reason.
- Status
Similar threads
