Has anyone ever seen one of these ,they are made in NY.someone told me about them at work.www.thermocontrolheating.com,looks like a OWB made for inside although it does have a secondary burn chamber?
THERMO-CONTROL WOOD BOILER
- Thread starter loggie
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
You may want to look here for some recent replies: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/18572/
Yes,
I bought the TC 400 model. It is a forced air furnace with stainless water coils built into the back. I just bought it. It is not a true gasification boiler. it does have an aft chamber that has heated air injected into the smoke. The manage to get a 73% efficiency rating with that configuration.
Mine is connected to an electric water heater that is hooked to my radiant floor system.
the larger boiler units may not have as high a rating. They have a large water jacket. I don’t have that.
I bought the TC 400 model. It is a forced air furnace with stainless water coils built into the back. I just bought it. It is not a true gasification boiler. it does have an aft chamber that has heated air injected into the smoke. The manage to get a 73% efficiency rating with that configuration.
Mine is connected to an electric water heater that is hooked to my radiant floor system.
the larger boiler units may not have as high a rating. They have a large water jacket. I don’t have that.
I would be highly suspect of that 73% efficiency - that is saying that a 1978 designed unit can beat a non-cat stove of today! It just can't! 73% is probably better than most pellet stoves perform in the field.
The combustion design is a cross draft, something like an early Vermont Castings Defiant. I would be surprised if it was 50% efficient in terms of the wood burning and heat transfer (taken together). As you mention, the boilers are probably less than that.
There are not many advanced hot air units on the market - probably because they don't use Hot Air in Europe and most of our newer designs (downdraft forced) come from there.
The combustion design is a cross draft, something like an early Vermont Castings Defiant. I would be surprised if it was 50% efficient in terms of the wood burning and heat transfer (taken together). As you mention, the boilers are probably less than that.
There are not many advanced hot air units on the market - probably because they don't use Hot Air in Europe and most of our newer designs (downdraft forced) come from there.
Loggie,
You will find, on this site, people will think better of you if you have a more expensive boiler. The fact is there is a short list of true gassification boilers. They tend to be expensive, and there ae some big advantages to using a true gassification boiler. Less wood, less smoke ect...
Remember, people who say you get what you pay for ... have nicer stuff.
For me, wood is so much cheaper than oil it would take me years to make up the difference in price of boiler.
You will find, on this site, people will think better of you if you have a more expensive boiler. The fact is there is a short list of true gassification boilers. They tend to be expensive, and there ae some big advantages to using a true gassification boiler. Less wood, less smoke ect...
Remember, people who say you get what you pay for ... have nicer stuff.
For me, wood is so much cheaper than oil it would take me years to make up the difference in price of boiler.
Toast,
It is not a matter of class warfare, but one of knowledge. I have a LOT of Harbor Freight tools myself - but I know what I needed and know what I bought.
We are into education - not into selling more expensive products. In fact, our biggest recommendation is usually for folks to spend money elsewhere (than the hearth industry) and tighten up their house, windows, insulation, etc.
That said, the question was whether this unit has a secondary burn chamber, and by extension whether it has a true working one that squeezes more heat from less wood. Facts are stubborn things, I know....but at the same time it is important that customers know about the additional chimney fire dangers, smoke production and wood use. It is also important for folks to know that such units would not even start to meet current standards for woodstoves or even the OWB EPA regs. So, in effect, it is simple a loophole which allows these units to be sold...one that may be closed if they get popular. The only reason EPA did not include them in regs is that sales were almost non-existent at the time the regs were hashed out.
In the end, I (and we) do not spend peoples money for them....just educate as to the realities. If wood is cheap and the other aspects (chimney fires, etc.) are not important, then the customer can certainly make that determination. BUT, they should not fool themselves as to efficiency and other such matter. One thing for sure, the Thermo-control will last.....so that is not an issue!
Certainly I am personally in favor of cleaner burning - because as wood burning gets more popular, this will allow for all of us to be better neighbors and stewards of the environment. But at the same time, I don't think people should borrow money so they buy a expensive wood burner!
It is not a matter of class warfare, but one of knowledge. I have a LOT of Harbor Freight tools myself - but I know what I needed and know what I bought.
We are into education - not into selling more expensive products. In fact, our biggest recommendation is usually for folks to spend money elsewhere (than the hearth industry) and tighten up their house, windows, insulation, etc.
That said, the question was whether this unit has a secondary burn chamber, and by extension whether it has a true working one that squeezes more heat from less wood. Facts are stubborn things, I know....but at the same time it is important that customers know about the additional chimney fire dangers, smoke production and wood use. It is also important for folks to know that such units would not even start to meet current standards for woodstoves or even the OWB EPA regs. So, in effect, it is simple a loophole which allows these units to be sold...one that may be closed if they get popular. The only reason EPA did not include them in regs is that sales were almost non-existent at the time the regs were hashed out.
In the end, I (and we) do not spend peoples money for them....just educate as to the realities. If wood is cheap and the other aspects (chimney fires, etc.) are not important, then the customer can certainly make that determination. BUT, they should not fool themselves as to efficiency and other such matter. One thing for sure, the Thermo-control will last.....so that is not an issue!
Certainly I am personally in favor of cleaner burning - because as wood burning gets more popular, this will allow for all of us to be better neighbors and stewards of the environment. But at the same time, I don't think people should borrow money so they buy a expensive wood burner!
I'm getting reports that in places like Maine, where there are strong pulpwood and biomass markets competing for less wood (not enough loggers left in business to fill the demand), firewood is getting very expensive and very hard to find. When industrial wood energy catches on in a big way, that will likely be the situation everywhere. And when that happens, people are going to be looking for the most efficient wood burners they can find, or wish they'd bought a more efficient unit when they were still (relatively) cheap. I'm not fearmongering, just giving an informed opinion about future wood supplies.
To put it another way, what happened to oil is going to happen to wood, as we begin to replace oil with wood as a source of fuel. If we knew what oil prices were going to do a few years ago, I bet most of us would have bought more fuel efficient cars and trucks, instead of what we're stuck with now.
To put it another way, what happened to oil is going to happen to wood, as we begin to replace oil with wood as a source of fuel. If we knew what oil prices were going to do a few years ago, I bet most of us would have bought more fuel efficient cars and trucks, instead of what we're stuck with now.
I can certainty understand why the thermocontrol units are around as $ 2000 is alot of money to alot of people in these tough times, a guy I work with is thinking of ordering one and when I tell him about the switzer I have on order and the price his eyes glaze over but in my situation its a good investment and I have made heating my house for next winter a priority and I 'm fortunate to be able to afford it.Some people think nothing of buying a new sled but would not spend the money to have a better boiler, but then to some the thermo is the best they can afford and they seem to get the job done so I bet they will be around for a while.
This Ebay link says in the Q & A section that it is a gasifier???
http://cgi.ebay.com/WOOD-BOILER-IND...ryZ41987QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Is it really?? Are there products that can be called gasifiers that are not in the same league as the Eko's and Tarm's of the world?
http://cgi.ebay.com/WOOD-BOILER-IND...ryZ41987QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Is it really?? Are there products that can be called gasifiers that are not in the same league as the Eko's and Tarm's of the world?
OK...never mind!! I think I found my answer here. Seems they have a secondary burn chamber and most of that heat is transferred to the area that the boiler is in and not back into the intended hydronic system. Guess that would be good to keep my basement warm but not much use if I decide to put it into an outside building.
- Status
Similar threads
