Older hs tarm ot 35 worth its weight in scrap $.40/lb?

[Clydeburner]

I can't seem to find any recent post.....so....

I came across a CL ad looking to get rid of an older HS Tarm ot 35(1100lbs) , the boiler is still operating, now with a converted beckett waste oil burner (seller has original beckett), the seller bought it 4 yrs ago from a guy who refurbs/test them in NH I think and burned wood the first 3 yrs before the switch to waste oil.
The boiler was at 200°f and 20 psi and in pretty good shape for a late 70s early 80s keeping his 3000sqft house warm .
The visible gaskets(supply/return/domestic tank-(not in use)) and flanges all look good with no rust.
The plan is to get it removed and to my house this month, I am looking to put it in my uninsulated attached garage and poke it through the wall to my existing Weil McLain 68 series boiler (5ft-10ft away) with 3 zone baseboard and 40 gallon indirect water tank OR replace the stand alone Oil boiler with the combo. I will have to install a new class A chimney either through wall or ceiling-roof if I tie them together.

The house is a bi-level built 1985 2400sqft

I am looking for suggestions about the boiler, the installation-parallel or series piping, return protection, chimney benefits (wall or ceiling-roof).

I understand the benefits of storage, but it's not in the budget at this time so this will be an initial start up for me to make improvements along the way and eventually upgrade to a gasser. Thanks

 

[maple1]

First things first - make sure your insurance company is OK with a wood boiler in your garage.

 

[Clydeburner]

I will have to verify codes and insurance coverage but....
Could it be a better option to put the boiler in a shed and pipe it to the existing Oil boiler like an OWB? I could eventually remove one of my oil tanks in the garage and put the storage in it place.

I dont want to rush this and it may be somethingI need to think more about as I've read and read... and read...
Another note, is it still worth picking up this tarm for under $500 to have when the project can get under way? My wife is not fully on board at the moment and see this as a toy for me to play with more then the benefit of the systems operation... I may have to agree just a little, it the pyro in me and the adventure of building the system

 

[woodsmaster]

Time for a new wife. bahahaha

 

[Clydeburner]

I would agree with that if ones wife was totally against wood, but she is actually pretty good with the whole process from felling to stove. She is just satisfied with the current set up and doesn't see the need for the boiler.... yet

 

[maple1]

I will have to verify codes and insurance coverage but....
Could it be a better option to put the boiler in a shed and pipe it to the existing Oil boiler like an OWB? I could eventually remove one of my oil tanks in the garage and put the storage in it place.

I dont want to rush this and it may be somethingI need to think more about as I've read and read... and read...
Another note, is it still worth picking up this tarm for under $500 to have when the project can get under way? My wife is not fully on board at the moment and see this as a toy for me to play with more then the benefit of the systems operation... I may have to agree just a little, it the pyro in me and the adventure of building the system

Maybe.

Then you're into underground piping, which has to be done right with the right (pricey) stuff. So that would need to be factored in. That is vs. the cost/hassle of retrofitting a chimney to your garage.

If I was going to put in a boiler outside my house, it would be an indoor boiler in a shed/'shop', that was big enough to hold the boiler and the entire winters wood. Plus extra room for 'play' space - that would be warm all winter. With storage in the basement.

The attached garage would likely be more convenient but that would all come down to your insurance guy. You don't want to upset anything there. Is the garage still used as a garage? If not you could maybe turn it into a boiler room. With insurance guy guidance/input.

And if you can get storage in by taking an oil tank out, I would do that. For sure. (You have more than one tank?). Storage is the game changer as far as efficiency goes. It does require one change in burning practice that some might not take to very fast - you would be lighting a new fire every day. But the payoff is worth it, IMO.

 

[Clydeburner]

The garage is out of the question in NJ I have to find out about puttng the tarm in the laundry room, moving the oil fired boiler to the garage enclosed with a fresh air intake.

No one has input as to if this boiler is worth picking up...? Anyone still running an older tarm or have any advise. I hope someone will chime in before I get it

 

[woodsmaster]

Anything is worth its weight in scrap. If you don't like it or it starts leaking, scrap it. I don't think price of scrap is going to go down any.

 

[maple1]

A boiler in a laundry room?

Your laundry room must be different than what I am accustomed to.

 

[Clydeburner]

My current Oil boiler is in the laundry room now, not my first choice, but without a basement I am limited in options. My wife will most likely be against the combo being in there also, that's where a small outbuilding would work the best.
I am not enthusiastic about having to go outside to load it and she more then likely will never load it, plus the wasted btus not in the house.

 

[leon]

Hello Clydeburner,

The laundry room is out due to combustion clearances and the lack there of.
All that is needed is a vessel pressure test to be sure its still good.

If I remember correctly the boiler has to hold 65 PSI for 45-60 minutes to be sure its still sound.

An insulated shed is going to be your best option if your going to burn wood.
I quit burning wood after 33 years of it and I replaced two boilers with single dual fuel
Keystoker KAA-4-1 that can burn oil, natural gas or propain.

You can use your existing burner in dual fuel boiler when burning wood or coal too.

 

[maple1]

My current Oil boiler is in the laundry room now, not my first choice, but without a basement I am limited in options. My wife will most likely be against the combo being in there also, that's where a small outbuilding would work the best.
I am not enthusiastic about having to go outside to load it and she more then likely will never load it, plus the wasted btus not in the house.View attachment 178602

There is no way I would put a wood burner in a room like that. Smoke & ash spillage will end up in your clean clothes, for starters.

If you can make use of the outbuilding for other things, it won't be wasted heat. Even if it's only for your winters wood, your wood will be much happier being in a warm place all winter. Another thing to factor, is with storage done right you won't have a fire going all the time. I only actually have a fire burning about 6 hours per day in the winter. Which means only a couple of trips per day to the boiler, about 3-4 hours apart. You can flex your burning to when those hours are most convenient. For me, I light late afternoon & re-load early evening.

Is your garage actually still used as a garage? Or has it become just a storage spot, more or less?

 

[Clydeburner]

I agree, putting it in the laundry room would not be too smart. My wife parks her truck in the garage and I I have the other half as storage and work space, she would never go for parking her truck outside ha ha. I may look into swapping the garage around and building a room to house the boiler and make that side closed off from the parking side of the garage with its own access from outside. It may still be easier and possibly cheaper or close to same price to just put it in a shed of sorts outside not too far away. I'll have to get drawing up some ideas. I appreciate all the input and knowledge from everyone on this site- thank you. I hope I can come up with something to keep everyone happy (wife,insur co.,town, and myself ha)

 

[maple1]

I may look into swapping the garage around and building a room to house the boiler and make that side closed off from the parking side of the garage with its own access from outside.

That might well be the best solution. If you wall it off from the parking space part & put a smaller door on it (that you can't drive a vehicle through), it might get the OK from insurance. But make sure you get the Ok from them first. Preferably in writing or an email.

If that won't fly, I'd do another outbuilding. You might find all kinds of uses for a heated outbuilding in winter, once you have it.

 

[mike van]

A little confused by the title of this thread, as scrap is not .40 cents/ lb - Right now prepared steel is .07 / lb, Thats steel less than 3 ft long & thicker than sheet metal. If that boiler weighed 500 lbs, it'd be worth about 35.00.

 

[Clydeburner]

A little confused by the title of this thread, as scrap is not .40 cents/ lb - Right now prepared steel is .07 / lb, Thats steel less than 3 ft long & thicker than sheet metal. If that boiler weighed 500 lbs, it'd be worth about 35.00.

That would be a better deal for me, when I called our local scrap yard, told them what it was and was told $.30-.40/lb. I know when we bring cast iron boiler we get around the $35 mark, will double check before I pick this 1100lb beast up

 

[Highbeam]

Super low steel prices now. Penny a pound for the huge pile of barbed wire I brought in last weekend. I was happy to get that actually.

 

[Clydeburner]

I talked to the town inspector and was told the garage install would be okay as long as I was 18" off the floor, so I went and picked the beast up tonight and got her set in my garage, still have a lot of work as far as cleaning her up, making a few upgrades and piping her in but am excited to have her home, the Mrs turned out to be okay with the adventure being the boiler is free thanks to scrap copper... sounds like a win in every direction, I will post updates as they take place.
Thanks to all for your input , if anyone has any advice I have open ears as this will be first venture in the woos boiler world....

 

[maple1]

I would make sure that's OK with your insurance people too before going any further.