Coming to the USA this year

[heaterman]

Froeling says they will have their product available here mid summer. Their wood and pellet boilers are top notch stuff and they are the biggest manufacturer of bio-mass burning equipment in Europe. Things are going to get interesting with players like them and Viessmann (if Viessmann ever gets off their collective duff) entering the US market.

http://www.froeling.com/pub/prospekte/20080430_info_40400.pdf

 

[taxidermist]

Heaterman,

Are you looking at being a dealer for this boiler? Also check your PM box.


Thank you,
Rob

 

[webbie]

Keep in mind that there is a big difference between jumping on the bandwagon when things are good (now) in the biomass central biz - and the LONG TERM commitment that is needed to assure owners and dealers of these products that parts, service and warranty work will be available in the FAR future. As a for instance, you can call Tarm in NH right now and get a lot of parts for boilers 20-30 years old. Not pushing one brand here, just commenting that these companies have to commit if they expect to prosper.

 

[heaterman]

Keep in mind that there is a big difference between jumping on the bandwagon when things are good (now) in the biomass central biz - and the LONG TERM commitment that is needed to assure owners and dealers of these products that parts, service and warranty work will be available in the FAR future. As a for instance, you can call Tarm in NH right now and get a lot of parts for boilers 20-30 years old. Not pushing one brand here, just commenting that these companies have to commit if they expect to prosper.

That is indeed a good point Craig. These manufacturers from across the pond need to realize that getting in the US market requires more than just getting your toes wet one at a time. They need to dive in and do it right, sink or swim.
Brings to mind the fiasco we had in the gas and oil fired end of things when Vaillant came here and then left. At the time they were, and maybe still are, the largest boiler manufacturer in Euroland. They still maintain parts inventory here in the US though after all these years. Sad to say that some of the US manufacturers in the HVAC biz are pretty poor in the parts area even though the company is alive and well. I needed a specific part for a piece of Rheem equipment last week and finally after about 3 hours on the phone was told that it was not available through Rheem or the OEM any more. The unit was only 9 years old and at this point has to be completely re-wired to work with standard parts or else scrapped. Not good either way.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Ain't that the truth, Heaterman!...I sold a LOT of Vaillants when I had my biz, still service a couple of them. A lot of their features wound up being incorporated into U.S. made boilers. It would drive me nuts if I were still in it just running parts!

 

[EricV]

Keep in mind that there is a big difference between jumping on the bandwagon when things are good (now) in the biomass central biz - and the LONG TERM commitment that is needed to assure owners and dealers of these products that parts, service and warranty work will be available in the FAR future. As a for instance, you can call Tarm in NH right now and get a lot of parts for boilers 20-30 years old. Not pushing one brand here, just commenting that these companies have to commit if they expect to prosper.

Excellent point. One of the biggest reasons I went with Tarm. 80 plus years in business (Baxi-Tarm) means alot to me. The longevity issue is important to remember.

 

[Burn-1]

Heaterman what's the MSRP on that going to be?

 

[heaterman]

Heaterman what's the MSRP on that going to be?

No idea at all but I would guess they'll be at the top end for that kind of equipment. Pretty sophisticated stuff compared to what is available here currently. I haven't heard any details regarding anything but the fact that they are expanding into the North American market.

I would love to get my hands on a couple of those for some field testing.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Heaterman, have them ship the North American test unit to 41 Fountain St., Clinton, NY.

 

[Burn-1]

4,000 Euros used, ($6183) would suggest it should be a pretty high price.

However, after watching the "In the Hotspot" movie, (lower right of the page), one is nothing short of inspired. Pretty good production values for product film. The boilers look like they can make copies too.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Wow.

 

[Willman]

Awesome looking unit. Seems to be out in front with technology. I like the Turbomatic pellet boiler. It can be converted to round wood burning with a grate change. The Euros had to figure this stuff out before us due to high energy prices compared to ours. Who is going to carry them ? I put in an email inquiry to the company. Too bad the exchange rate is so bad. Although this might be the incentive they need to come over.
Willman

 

[muncybob]

I also sent them an email with questions. Will be interesting to see what reply we get! Interesting equipment for sure!

 

[rod67]

According to this - 4000 pounds. I assume that's new.
http://www.highlandwoodenergy.co.uk/pdf/Seafield Farm Cottages Case Study.pdf

 

[Burn-1]

Well if so that would be just shy of $8,000. I think in this case the Clear Skies grant probably only paid for a portion because I think that the two storage tanks probably cost that much alone.

One thing I am impressed with is the 91.8% boiler efficiency. I would be putting a wood boiler in my basement where I have an open flue and liked NoFossil's comments about getting some heat from the boiler to that space but that unit doesn't look like it gives up much at all except from maybe the exhaust pipe. With the lambda sensor controlled combustion it's almost like the boiler is running like a real gas boiler.