All my neighbors own OWB's and they haven't heard of gassification . A few Garn questions ???

[hd28vsb]

Hello , I am new to this forum and having been looking on here for days. The Garn is really getting me excited. Like my title says OWB are the latest craze in my neck of the wood so I can't get any info on gassification boilers from friends and neighbors . I have used the search function on this forum but I still have quite a few questions.

Here is a little info on what I will be heating : 1624 sq. foot home , 28X28 attached garage , 24X32 garage and hot water for the house.(the heat in the garages only need to be heated to 45 F or so to keep the chill off) House was built in 2001 and insulated well.
Heating with forced air gas furnace\heat pump now. I would like to locate the Garn in the 24X32 garage which is about 120 feet from the house

Questions

1. I am thinking of placing the unit in the 24X32 garage that is 120 feet from the house , if I insulate the Garn with a mineral wool style insulation should it be insulated well enough setting out in the garage ? Didnt know if I had to frame in an area of the garage and insulate heavily ?

2. I understand I will need the PEX pipe , heat exchangers , blowers ,and fittings , what other high dollar parts am I overlooking ? Pumps included with Garn or not?

3. Looking purely at the installation side of things other than needing to be inside a building and being insulated are there any other differences in hooking a Garn up vs. hooking up a standard run of the mill OWB ?

Thanks in advance

 

[Rick Stanley]

Hi hd28vsb,

I have a Garn project ongoing. Still learning as I go but here are some short answers.

No pumps or the related relays and controllers come with the Garn. I believe a lot of OWB's come plumbed with pump and wired with controls. Maybe not the best set-up, but they are set up................

Large diameter pipe and fittings are expensive, but deals can be had if you're patient.

If you're in a hurry and are hiring the work done (60-80 bucks an hour in this area), you can spend 5-10 grand easily on near-boiler piping (at the Garn and in each building/house etc) NOT including carpentry, insulating, excavating, wiring...............

Putting any wood burner in a gararge can be a problem, check local codes...................

Insulate to taste........................

Rick

 

[Jim K in PA]

Hello , I am new to this forum and having been looking on here for days. The Garn is really getting me excited. Like my title says OWB are the latest craze in my neck of the wood so I can't get any info on gassification boilers from friends and neighbors . I have used the search function on this forum but I still have quite a few questions.

Welcome to the Boiler Room.

Here is a little info on what I will be heating : 1624 sq. foot home , 28X28 attached garage , 24X32 garage and hot water for the house.(the heat in the garages only need to be heated to 45 F or so to keep the chill off) House was built in 2001 and insulated well.
Heating with forced air gas furnaceheat pump now. I would like to locate the Garn in the 24X32 garage which is about 120 feet from the house

Have you done (or had done) a heat loss calculation? If not that is where you should start, as it will tell you how to size most of the equipment and materials you will need. There are free programs you can download to do the calculation available from Slantfin and others.

Questions

1. I am thinking of placing the unit in the 24X32 garage that is 120 feet from the house , if I insulate the Garn with a mineral wool style insulation should it be insulated well enough setting out in the garage ? Didnt know if I had to frame in an area of the garage and insulate heavily ?

There are lots of ways to enclose the GARN, and you can certainly insulate it in a larger space without building demising walls to do so. It really is up to you. Some like to wall off the GARN within the larger building, while others build seperate structures or sheds to enclose them. Look at some of the posts like "GARN Deluxe" from Heaterman for some free-standing GARNs w/o a dedicated enclosure.

2. I understand I will need the PEX pipe , heat exchangers , blowers ,and fittings , what other high dollar parts am I overlooking ? Pumps included with Garn or not?

As Rick S said, there is no piping, pumps or other distribution equipment included with the GARN from Dectra. Valves and pump controllers will also be needed. The control system can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Obviously more complexity brings more cost, but it also adds control and monitoring as well as opens up other options and configurations, especially with multiple buildings with different types of heat distribution (radiant floor, forced air, baseboards, etc.). Your dealer may be able to provide you with specs or design services to help you along.

3. Looking purely at the installation side of things other than needing to be inside a building and being insulated are there any other differences in hooking a Garn up vs. hooking up a standard run of the mill OWB ?

There are mainly two ways to incorporate an outdoor hydronic appliance into an existing heating system. Your existing system is pressurized, while the GARN and most OWBs are not. IMO, the "best" way to incorporate either a GARN or an OWB into your existing system is via a flat plate heat exchanger, like you mention above. Pipe the existing boiler through the HX on the return leg, and supply hot water from the GARN through the other side of the HX. That is the most common method to keep your house system pressurized.

Hope this helps. Keep reading prior posts, and check out my link in my sig as well as Tattooz great pictures posted here (My GARN barn post).

Also, there is now a GARN dedicated discussion forum over at www.garn.com Sign up.

 

[topofthehil]

I did not build the suggested enclosure with vermiculite insulation for my Garn.
instead, I used a 2" thick high temp, high density wrap with a reflective backing.
it has a rating of 2,000^F.
I have a diff loss of about 1^F from the water temp in the boiler to the temp of the outside of the insulation jacket.
I don't mind the slight heat loss, as that helps keep the chill out of the shop where I have the Garn installed.
my shop is totally insulated and is 32' x 54' with 18' high ceilings.
if I need more heat in the shop, I take some more insulation off the back of the garn.
some day I will hook up my shop heaters, and totally insulate all sides of the garn.
totally insulating the garn will be nice if and when you plan on heating domestic water in the spring and fall ... when you don't need to heat the garage/shop.
but for now, this system of adding and removing insulation works just fine for me.
do check with state codes as well as your insurance company prior to installing the garn in your garage.