Hi all — First time posting. Hoping to tap into the collective experience here before I start buying parts.
Current setup:
What I'm planning:
Questions:
Appreciate any input — trying to get the design right before I start buying pipe and pumps.
Current setup:
- House built 2023, well-insulated, radiant floor heat via Warmboard panels
- Existing boiler: Lochinvar, 74,000 BTU, originally natural gas, converted to propane
- Located in northern Minnesota (Cass County, MN) — real winters, so this isn't a mild-climate install
What I'm planning:
- Adding an Econoburn EBW-100 as a wood-fired backup/supplement, not a replacement — want the propane Lochinvar to stay in place and kick in automatically if I'm not tending the fire or the wood boiler can't keep up
- Leaning toward 300-500 gallons of thermal storage rather than a bigger tank, since my heat load is modest (74k BTU) and Warmboard runs low water temps (~100-120°F) compared to baseboard
- DIY install — I'm a general contractor by trade, comfortable with the construction/plumbing side, but this is my first wood gasification boiler integration specifically
Questions:
- For a load this size, does 300-500 gallons of storage sound right paired with an EBW-100, or am I underestimating what the boiler needs to avoid short-cycling?
- What's the standard approach for the auto-switchover to the Lochinvar — aquastat-controlled wrap-around pump, or is there a better/more current method people are using now?
- Since Warmboard runs such low supply temps, do I need anything special for the mixing valve setup, or is this a fairly standard low-temp radiant tie-in?
- Any gotchas specific to pairing Econoburn with Warmboard specifically, or is it really just "another low-temp radiant system" from the boiler's perspective?
- Anyone integrated an EBW-100 into an existing Lochinvar system who's willing to share how they wired the aquastat/controls?
Appreciate any input — trying to get the design right before I start buying pipe and pumps.
