New forum user

[Tarmsolo60]

Hi everyone,
Just got done installing the equipment listed below. Just waiting for an aquastat for auto change over to back up system. I found this forum the other day while doing some research about my system. Thought I might keep an eye on the forum and maybe be of help to some people. I'm heating a 2800 sq ft house with radiant, my basement is another 2100 sq ft radiant zone and I use that for a overheat dump zone which never really happens now that I'm figuring this system out. My next project is hooking up the radiant in my shop and garage. Anyhow Hello

 

[Eric Johnson]

Welcome to the Boiler Room, Tarmsolo60. That's a nice looking setup you've got. It's nice to have some Tarm owners represented here. We have a couple already. The more the merrier.

I've found that overheating fears appear to be overrated. My system is less efficient without the tank, but it never overheats--it just idles. And it does that pretty well.

What diameter are your coils?

 

[Tarmsolo60]

my coils are 3/4". I should have bought them when I bought the boiler in july 05. I am a plumber so I figured I would make them myself. I got the boiler online in January of 06 with no storage (needed oil and didn't want to buy it). I had the tank from the beginning but procratinated for quite a while until I finally got it online yesterday. I bought the copper for the heating coils around last spring(OUCH) and made them. My dhw coil is 3/4" type k and only 120' because I made it out of scraps of new pipe from water mains I had replaced for customers. It seems to provide enough hot water so far, but I did leave my indirect hot just in case my wife started screaming this morning. luckily it wasn't needed.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I've been running mine since October, but I'm still finishing the tank. Actually, the tank's all built and I'm putting the finishing touches on the hx units. The last fittings I need should be here any day now. Then I'll put it all together and take a pic. Then it goes into the tank, hopefully never to be seen again.

I've got a sidearm attached to my electric water heater that provides an endless supply of very hot water.

 

[Nofossil]

Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to your participation and input on a bunch of topics. Still plenty of things we haven't figured out, as you can see from the various threads here.

Sounds like you've got a great setup. Of course, fine-tuning is half the fun. I have a similar configuration, though I only have a 50' coil for the DHW. Should have been longer.

I have an indirect hot water tank, and I set it up with a pair of tempering valves so that I can overheat it when the wood boiler is running, thereby extending the time before I hear screams from the shower - it's usually good for three days.

I did a description on my web site - don't know if any parts of it might be of interest, but feel free to poke around.

 

[Tarmsolo60]

will you install a dhw coil in your storage tank? the only reason I did so is i could fire my boiler in the summer and have dhw. They say 4-7 days worth from 1 firing. My oil setup is horrible with the indirect in the summer. Just running your electric in the summer wouldn't be too bad though. If I find the dhw coil not worth the bother in the summer I might just add an electric. Then my boy would know what it is like to run out of hot water.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I can't see the reason for a DHW coil in the tank. If I pump hot water through the sidearm, I get hot water in the water heater through convection. In the summer, I'll just pump water between the tank and the sidearm hx. That's the plan anyway.

 

[Nofossil]

I put a DHW coil in my storage tank for a few reasons, none of which may apply in your case:

1) During the summer, I heat the storage tank with solar.
2) It extends the useful life of a tank of DHW
3) Even if the storage tank isn't hot enough, it's still warmer than well water, so it reduces the oil I need to burn to heat hot water when the wood boiler isn't in use

If I could start over with a blank sheet of paper, I'd have mounted the DHW tank above the storage tank so that it would heat via thermosiphoning.

 

[Tarmsolo60]

I can't see the reason for a DHW coil in the tank. If I pump hot water through the sidearm, I get hot water in the water heater through convection. In the summer, I'll just pump water between the tank and the sidearm hx. That's the plan anyway.

When I was doing mine I had the extra copper and thought it would be more efficient than pumping to my indirect as it is 25 feet away from my storage tank. The nice thing about your setup is if you don't make a fire you still have hot water automatically.

 

[Tarmsolo60]

If I could start over with a blank sheet of paper, I'd have mounted the DHW tank above the storage tank so that it would heat via thermosiphoning.

Thats a good idea...I wonder if my wife would let me move my indirect into the living room. I don't even know how I would start that discussion!

 

[bbb123]

I put a DHW coil in my storage tank for a few reasons, none of which may apply in your case:

1) During the summer, I heat the storage tank with solar.
2) It extends the useful life of a tank of DHW
3) Even if the storage tank isn't hot enough, it's still warmer than well water, so it reduces the oil I need to burn to heat hot water when the wood boiler isn't in use

If I could start over with a blank sheet of paper, I'd have mounted the DHW tank above the storage tank so that it would heat via thermosiphoning.

I did this also but I didn't do the solar how does that work. I get 5-7 days out of storage in summer (days=water temp+wife bitchin). I think all 3 of my coils are 3/4 x 180'

 

[Nofossil]

I did this also but I didn't do the solar how does that work. I get 5-7 days out of storage in summer (days=water temp+wife bitchin). I think all 3 of my coils are 3/4 x 180'

More than you'd ever want to know on my site. This link is to the solar page - there are other pages that get into the overall plumbing, controls, and so on.

 

[bbb123]

wow nofossil thx for the info