Thermal loading units with pump, mixing valve, check valves, all in 1 unit seem hard to find now. Have they fallen out of favor?
Have thermal loading units fallen out of favor?
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It's basically the cost of the all-in-one units that is to high.
A simple anti-condense mixing valve with TACO circulator is less than half the cost.
A simple anti-condense mixing valve with TACO circulator is less than half the cost.
I was wondering if that was the reason. I have plenty of space for plumbing each item separately, it just seemed like an "easy button" solution so I was looking into them. I'm nearing the install (self-install) of an Econoburn EWB200 that I got from my father. I have 1,000 gal pressurized storage (LP tanks) and I'm about to break ground on an addition to my garage that will house the boiler and hold 1 or 2 IBC crates of wood at a time. Hoping to create the "ultimate" wood fired heat system. I currently have around 25 full cords of wood stored up, under roof, just waiting for this boiler to operational (no, I don't anticipate using that quickly).
If the thermal loading unit is for boiler protection...
Econoburn recommends the near boiler pump to handle that task.
Mine is working great.
I did my own install, built my complete heating system in a separate building to get away from fire concerns and the fact that you have to be a red seal certified HVAC to work on heating systems in a residence.
Econoburn recommends the near boiler pump to handle that task.
Mine is working great.
I did my own install, built my complete heating system in a separate building to get away from fire concerns and the fact that you have to be a red seal certified HVAC to work on heating systems in a residence.
I would get that in writing from your insurance company that a DIY wood boiler install won't void your insurance. In my area in the last fifteen years a lot of wood stoves have come out because of insurance company's. My insurance company told me there would be no more wood burning in my building after the Garn was gone. I was paying a higher rate because of the Garn.
My agent said I pay ~$50/yr more for having a wood burner...but I pay that if actually heating with wood, or not, as we have a built in masonry fireplace, so automatically hit with the upcharge.
Even so, they still wanted pics, measurements, and MFR clearance specs of the wood furnace install before taking the policy.
Even so, they still wanted pics, measurements, and MFR clearance specs of the wood furnace install before taking the policy.
It's been a few years but my agent said no issues last time. I will double check but we are a very rural area, still a LOT of people heating with wood, so the insurance stupidity hasn't made it to us yet.
I will take another look at the manual, I thought it was required to keep boiler inlet temp up. Are you saying they want a thermal mixing valve plus the boiler circulation pump to handle that?
It's a separate room attached to the garage. I wasn't planning to have a door in the entry but I can add one to appease insurance if that comes up.
I'm not new to burning wood in high efficiency biomass burners. I had an EPA rated stove at my old place (installed myself and kept a 4,000 s.f. house warm every winter for 8 years before we moved). I have one in my shop now. The house has needed a wood-burner for a while now but no easy place to put anything inside and I refuse to do an outdoor burner (I want to load it in my pajamas if I don't feel like getting dressed). Dry wood is in abundance here! I have some black locust and hedge that I moved from the old house 10 years ago bc I wasn't going to let that stay! I use some of that occasionally in the shop but I look forward to using those on the bitter cold days of winter in the boiler too!
ins want owb's 10- 15 ft from dwelling for the most part. enclosing but attached to dwelling might not fly . Not so much the ins as the underwriters. Mention garage and any type of heating unit in the same sentence and it needs to be hung from the ceiling. used to be you could get away with 4 ft above floor.
