Best shower of my life!!!

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hiker88

Burning Hunk
Aug 3, 2011
239
Central Maine
Ha ha, hope that's not too much information for everyone.

I plumbed in my dhw coil Wednesday night and just wanted to share. Thursday morning I got up and started a fire. After an hour or so, the tank was about 70c so I decided to take my first shower at the house not provided via oil.

I honestly had no idea what to expect but I was really happy with the results. I thought maybe I would have hot water, but maybe it wouldn't last like the oil furnace. I don't know what my hang up was, but I just didn't know what to expect and it's been in the back of my mind during this whole project.

Well, after 20 minutes of not running out of hot water I gave up (this from a guy who likes to keep showers around 5 minutes usually). When I came down stairs, the tank was actually hotter than when I started.

I think I'm really going to enjoy being a part of the gasser club. And hey, if any of you are reading this that have helped me out with my questions over the last year or so since I joined the forum - a special thanks to you.
 
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congratulations newbie gasser
 
I gotta get coils to install under the shields on my stove. After reading this, I must say I'm a bit jealous!

congrats on getting just a tad bit more independent.......every cent you save helps in the long run!
 
It's wonderful knowing that you are showering in wood, much better than smelly old oil. LOL, don't let a piece of wood bonk you in the head in the shower.

TS
 
It sure is a great feeling knowing you are showering with a system you built. Now you need a cast iron radiator plumbed in for a towel warmer :)
 
Excellent. Congratulations. When you say tank do you mean the unpressurized storage tank or a indirect DHW tank?
 
I love those "wood powered" showers. When the gasser is really humping along I'll do laundry and dishes too. I know it's dumb.. because it's all going to storage.. But I like doing it during the burn.

JP
 
Hey whats going on in this thread? All this talk about hot showers, with wood and wine and humping, if I didn't know any better I wouldn't think I was on hearth:eek:
 
Sorry guy's but the best thing is when the wife thinks that is the best hot shower she has ever had! 4 years ago when I convinced my wife to ditch the oil and for me to install a gasser and storage lets say she was skeptical. She saw the checks going out, the endless trips to get supplies well you know the deal. She is happy to see the boiler started and sad when it is time to put it to bed for the summer and 3 weeks ago when I started up the boiler for the season she came up to me with a big hug and told me she loved the sound of the boiler "humping" along.

we all know if mother isn't happy....nobody is happy. We are all happy in Hill, NH.
 
hiker88- I've got the same tank and coils. I assumed you're using Tom's HX's? as long as the tank on the upper end of the temp's, we have run both upstairs and downstairs showers at the same time. Never could do that with oil w/boilermate.
 
Excellent. Congratulations. When you say tank do you mean the unpressurized storage tank or a indirect DHW tank?

Hey Mike, I've always enjoyed your posts - I think you and I came on here about the same time. I have an 820 gallon unpressurized tank with a dhw exchanger in it.
 
Just noticed you got the Froling'. Jealous....

Yea; I am a major gadget geek so I knew I had to have it. It is pretty neat to watch.

The first day I did my first major burn it was slumbering on me a bit but the tank was still about 20 degrees cooler than the boiler. I had the boiler set for 90c as the set point. The boiler will never allow itself to go to more than 93c before it slumbers.

Well, I talked to Tom and he thought I might have had my circulator pump set too low - so I bumped it up. Then it was really neat to watch the boiler. I could see it modulating the fan speed down from about 85% to about 67% or so as the primary and secondary air inlets kept adjusting themselves as well. The boiler came down off of 93c and I could watch it sit there flickering in between 89-90c and it kept itself right there on the "ragged edge" so to say as the tank started coming up again.
 
Just to hear that story makes me jealous..... LOL

TS
 
Nice ! now for a towel warmer by the shower. I couldn't live without mine after having one.
 
Ha ha, hope that's not too much information for everyone.

I plumbed in my dhw coil Wednesday night and just wanted to share. Thursday morning I got up and started a fire. After an hour or so, the tank was about 70c so I decided to take my first shower at the house not provided via oil.

I honestly had no idea what to expect but I was really happy with the results. I thought maybe I would have hot water, but maybe it wouldn't last like the oil furnace. I don't know what my hang up was, but I just didn't know what to expect and it's been in the back of my mind during this whole project.

Well, after 20 minutes of not running out of hot water I gave up (this from a guy who likes to keep showers around 5 minutes usually). When I came down stairs, the tank was actually hotter than when I started.

I think I'm really going to enjoy being a part of the gasser club. And hey, if any of you are reading this that have helped me out with my questions over the last year or so since I joined the forum - a special thanks to you.


CONGRATS...
Great feeling...

The wife and my two children take baths and showers after coming in form the barn....yesterday they lasted 3 quarters of a football game...how I gauge time on Sundays!

We also time laundry day and the froling is fired up throughout..great feeling indeed!!!

Glad to see you up and gassifying....Congrats again!!

Scott
 
Yea; I am a major gadget geek so I knew I had to have it. It is pretty neat to watch.

The first day I did my first major burn it was slumbering on me a bit but the tank was still about 20 degrees cooler than the boiler. I had the boiler set for 90c as the set point. The boiler will never allow itself to go to more than 93c before it slumbers.

Well, I talked to Tom and he thought I might have had my circulator pump set too low - so I bumped it up. Then it was really neat to watch the boiler. I could see it modulating the fan speed down from about 85% to about 67% or so as the primary and secondary air inlets kept adjusting themselves as well. The boiler came down off of 93c and I could watch it sit there flickering in between 89-90c and it kept itself right there on the "ragged edge" so to say as the tank started coming up again.



WOW up to 93c...high set-point..for mine I keep it at 87c.
I tend to avoid any slumbering possibilities...thus far in 545 hrs of use I only logged 12 hrs of slumber. High set-point may lead to an STL emergency shutdown and then possible slumber(did it once or twice).

Be careful not too watch that little screen too much....it may get addicting.

Scott
 
WOW up to 93c...high set-point..for mine I keep it at 87c.
I tend to avoid any slumbering possibilities...thus far in 545 hrs of use I only logged 12 hrs of slumber. High set-point may lead to an STL emergency shutdown and then possible slumber(did it once or twice).

Be careful not too watch that little screen too much....it may get addicting.

Scott

That's a good point. I understand that the unit won't let itself get above 93c, but that if you set a lower set point you can adjust how many degrees above the setpoint the unit will go before it slumbers. I think 5c is pretty common? Is that why you go with 87 (87+5=93c)?

Do you have any other tips?

Also if you don't mind - any concern about wearing out those buttons? Seriously, I often find myself going enter, enter, enter, enter to check the boiler temp top and bottom. I'm wondering if I could wear things out and maybe should put in an electronic temp probe in the tank itself? One of those battery driven deals?
 
That's a good point. I understand that the unit won't let itself get above 93c, but that if you set a lower set point you can adjust how many degrees above the setpoint the unit will go before it slumbers. I think 5c is pretty common? Is that why you go with 87 (87+5=93c)?

Do you have any other tips?

Also if you don't mind - any concern about wearing out those buttons? Seriously, I often find myself going enter, enter, enter, enter to check the boiler temp top and bottom. I'm wondering if I could wear things out and maybe should put in an electronic temp probe in the tank itself? One of those battery driven deals?


The unit will STL at 93(I have to chk the manual)and also you may have the additional shutdown from the sensor in the boiler well. I may be too cautious, but I do not want any smoldering in the boiler, so any type of shutdown of slumber, I try to avoid. Having the setpoint at 87c, I see it fluctuating up to 92c or so, especially right after the boiler shuts down. I get my tanks to 195f t/190f b or so and I find that sufficient.
I am still learning and experimenting and when I am down there moving wood inside, I try to chk the parameters of the pr/sec and o2 levels based on time and type of fuel.

I installed dial temp gauges on the tank inlets and outlets, so I can visually chk the tanks that way.
Maybe a good idea to run a couple of sensors and wire them to a panel....remember seeing a couple of great posts here regarding this...some sharp looking LED panels.

Scott
 
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