Took the plunge.

[Nushagak]

We received our new Tarm Solo 60 yesterday, along with a gallon of Vermont Maple Syrup from the folks at Tarm. Going to start on the install in a couple of weeks, thanks to all who helped with the decision on the purchase.
Nushagak.

 

[Nofossil]

We received our new Tarm Solo 60 yesterday, along with a gallon of Vermont Maple Syrup from the folks at Tarm. Going to start on the install in a couple of weeks, thanks to all who helped with the decision on the purchase.
Nushagak.

Great! Congratulations and best of luck with the install.

Does it say who in Vermont made the syrup? I have a bunch of friends and acquaintances with sugarhouses.

 

[DenaliChuck]

Congrats Nushagak!

We're just about to dive in too. Saw a Solo 60 with 1,000 gallons of non-pressurized storage in operation in Talkeetna last weekend and it was slick. The house was around 1,800 sq ft, well insulated and they were cold two winters ago burning 6 cord of birch in a Blaze King. This winter they had the thermostat at 70*, had all the hot water they could use (family of 3) and still only used 6 cord of birch.

How much was the shipping to FBX and who did you use?

How is your fuel oil boiler plumbed to supply your radiant and baseboard? Primary/Secondary?

DenaliChuck

 

[Nushagak]

Congrats Nushagak!

We're just about to dive in too. Saw a Solo 60 with 1,000 gallons of non-pressurized storage in operation in Talkeetna last weekend and it was slick. The house was around 1,800 sq ft, well insulated and they were cold two winters ago burning 6 cord of birch in a Blaze King. This winter they had the thermostat at 70*, had all the hot water they could use (family of 3) and still only used 6 cord of birch.

How much was the shipping to FBX and who did you use?

How is your fuel oil boiler plumbed to supply your radiant and baseboard? Primary/Secondary?

DenaliChuck

Chuck,
We bought during the spring sale from TARM USA and they paid shipping to Seattle. We shipped via Carlile from Seattle to Fairbanks total cost for shipping was $461.00.
We currently have about 50/50 baseboard and radiant slab heat in our home, running off 2 Burnham LE low mass boilers, plumbed in series. I was afraid, one boiler at -50 or below would not carry our heat demands. The BTU's for what we require and what the LE series provided were very close. I keep one boiler offline during most of the year except during periods of intense cold, nice to have a back up as well. About every 6 months I switch the lead boiler to keep about the same amount of time on the units. Working on cutting wood now, hope to have about 25 cords put up by fall, several years supply by TARMS standard.
Nushagak.

 

[DenaliChuck]

I'm surprised and happy at the shipping, I was thinking it would be more.

What is your estimated total cost of install?

Where do you cut? I have to go to Skinny Dick's for wood...this year I'm going to buy a log truck load to get ahead of the curve.

Are you going to do your install? I heard from the guy I saw in Talkeetna that the paper gaskets on the Termovar valves are strange to work with. Can't really pressure check the system before charging it since the paper gaskets need fluid to swell and seal. That's all the advice I know. Keep me posted on the progress if you would since I'll be around 3 months behind you in the process.

Chuck

 

[Nushagak]

PM Sent.
Nushagak

 

[canyon]

I thought Skinny Dicks Halfway Inn shut down? Are they in the firewood business now? I'm sure I'm just confused being a banana belt dweller but with all you Alaskans on this thread I thought I'd say hi from Homer.

 

[jebatty]

I heard from the guy I saw in Talkeetna that the paper gaskets on the Termovar valves are strange to work with. Can’t really pressure check the system before charging it since the paper gaskets need fluid to swell and seal.

Only too true. One of mine leaked, and I made a new one from heavy paper gasket material, much better than what came with the Termovar.

Another place where you likely will need replacement gaskets is on the sight glass on the gasification chamber. If you really want to use it, it clouds up after almost every burn and you have to un-screw the cap and clean the glass (lacquer thinner works great). It's got a paper gasket on each side; they get hot, deteriorate and break. Easy to make your own from paper gasket material, and if you use heavy gasket material, they last a long time.

Reminds me of about this time when I bought the Solo Plus 40, did the install over the summer, and first fired it up in September. Not a day of regret since.

 

[Nushagak]

Skinny Dicks was is a bar, the wood cutting area is across the road from there.
Nushagak

 

[Birdman]

Dude's...this is my first post. I just put a down payment on a Tarm Solo 40. Should have it in my basement by July 1. I currently have an oil boiler down there and two 250 oil tanks. I used 800 gallons of oil last year for heat and hot water. I also have an efficient woodstove in the living area. I have a log cabin, logs cut on 3 sides, that we built 10 years ago. About 2000 sq ft of living space. Cathedral ceiling, 3 bedrooms and a bit drafty. However... low mortgage since we built ourselves and used our own logs. Pride ourselves on being as self sufficient as we can. Hence the Tarm investment. Our wood is ours for the taking.. plenty of it. Estimate oil to be 4 a gallon this year... so 3200 per year. Invest in Tarm and begin pocketing that money in 4 years max. I will use it this year without storage. Drove to Lyme NH taled for an hour... good people.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Welcome to the Boiler Room, Birdman.

 

[Birdman]

Hello Eric. I have read many of your posts. If it was not for this site... I may have ended up buying an OWB instead of my Tarm... which would have been too bad. A question for you. Why is the gasification technology such a secret? I had never heard a word about it until I stumbled across it it on the Internet while researching OWB. I have never seen any advertising in newspapers...etc.

 

[Tree farmer]

This is only my second post but gotta tell ya I have been sifting through sites for the past month researching and figuring out what my ideal system would be for the amount of cash I am willing to put on the line. Seems like a flock of people doing the same. Always burned wood -12 cd as a kid split by hand and I guess the torment wasn't enough as I now work in the woods everyday and am always running a chainsaw around the house working my wife into a frenzy about all the trees I have down.
Anyhow, thanks for all the posts and info everyone contributes it sure helps make decisions a little easier. Ordered an EKO 25 today, without storage for now and hope to upgrade to buried storage next year. Anyone have buried water storage tanks? How does one insulate the converted LP tanks? I was thinking if I buried them to have them spray foamed not sure if that is water proof though. Just don't have the room for huge tanks taking up space - thats my workshop.