Used HS TARM Solo Plus - Opinions and Installer Help

[burban864]

Good day all. We're looking at purchasing a roughly 10 year old Tarm Solo plus unit. We already have an existing oil fired boiler in the basement feeding two AHU's and some baseboard. I've enjoyed reading the hearth forums for a long time but we're a little nervous about the used Tarm and thought we'd poll the group to see what opinions are on these units. Also, we live in SW CT and are reasonably mechanically inclined to hook most of this up ourselves. We spoke to Tarm and know they can still get parts if needed. We're wondering if there are any seasoned mechanical folks in the southern New England area who may be available to help w/our install. There is no rush w/the install and it was slated for a summer project if we were to even get it. Any feedback from the group would be appreciated. It was sad to learn that Tarm stopped importing to the US a few years back (according to the woodboilers rep in NH).

Thank you in advance

 

[peakbagger]

I have an 8 year old Tarm 40 I bought last fall in the garage. The key thing with a Tarm or any gasifier is you need thermal storage. If its 30, 500 gallons may be enough but more for a 40. Tarm would not guarantee the installation without storage. The one I got did not have storage and my guess is that is why it did not get used much. Down in CT, with a more temperate climate it would be very frustrating to try to operate one without thermal storage. My current wood boiler uses an American Solar Technics non pressurized storage tank but others use modified propane tanks as pressurized tanks.

The expert in hydronic heating John Siegenthaler got paid by New York State to customize a video course on designing and installing biomass boilers. Hard to beat the price, free. https://www.heatspring.com/courses/...ficiency-biomass-boilers-sponsored-by-nyserda

I would suggest once you have decided to buy a thermal storage tank, take a look at John's course and then ask questions.

 

[Bad LP]

If you are not willing to run it with the proper storage requirements then don’t waste your time or money.
During the cold spell of sub zero and single digit temps with the wind blowing like hell I was busy feeding the boiler but now I’m 24-36 hours between firing.
I still wish I was up one size more

 

[pettibone]

Hi, I just joined this site that I've been reading forever, a great site with tons of info. Just wanted to post our experience with a Tarm Solo Plus 40 that was first installed in 05 that I installed last fall so this was the first winter we've had it. It replaced a Tarm that was made in 1979 so I'm hoping for the same longevity. We're heating almost 3200 sq. feet of 1794 farmhouse and the Tarm has done a fantastic job of heating it with no storage, so far we're on the sixth cord of wood which I think is great considering how cold it's been. I agree it probably would be better and easier with storage which is in the plan but I'm very happy of the performance this winter. I've installed both of these myself and they both seemed to do great so it can be done. Only thing I would say is your heat load in Southern Ct is going to be a lot less so you'd have to have smaller fires maybe to keep from constant idling and overheat and maybe be better off with the 30 but just guessing on your heat load. It can be done without storage but if you have it it will be better.

 

[peakbagger]

I ran my Burham for two years without storage, sure it worked and I saved oil but I used it far less. I still used oil. The year I installed storage was the last time I really used oil.

 

[Bad LP]

Real question.

How many times a day did you load it?

 

[pettibone]

Even though we live in a 200+ year old house the people that built it knew about solar heat, the house faces south and is sheltered on the north and west sides so most days if the sun's out I start the fire for a few hours to get house up to temp and then let it go out and then start it late in the afternoon. I know that's probably not the approved method but it works for us. The only time I fill it is when it's going to be below zero and if it's really cold will put wood in once during the night. We haven't burned any oil since we put in the older tarm , 10 or 12 years other than maybe in the spring or fall, and with 5.00 a gallon oil probably will start a fire in our wood stove to warm it up a little. Probably wouldn't work for everybody that thinks it needs to be constant 72 degrees and convenience of not tending the fire but works for us.

 

[peakbagger]

When I ran my Burnham before storage, it was batch burn. I would crank it up at night and overheat the house and let it coast to the AM. Then a relight in the morning if it was cold. i was still burning 200 to 250 gallons of oil with the oil thermostats set at 55 degrees. The key was to get it to the point that it ran out of wood before the air damper closed. Where it really shined was when I house had cooled down when I was a away for few days and then using it to bring the house and its contents back up to temp. With the Burnham there are no coals in the ashes so I need to collect and store lots of kindling as almost every new fire is starting with cold firebox.

 

[salecker]

Thermal gain,if you are getting heat from the sun into your house
you are also losing heat as fast when the sun goes down.

 

[peakbagger]

Thermal gain,if you are getting heat from the sun into your house
you are also losing heat as fast when the sun goes down.

That is actually no longer true with high performance windows. Various films on the surface and interior of the glass units can be tuned to allow solar heat gain in one direction but reduced heat loss in the other direction. Add in double cellular blinds with side tracks and the windo can act more like a wall at night.

 

[Bad LP]

That is actually no longer true with high performance windows. Various films on the surface and interior of the glass units can be tuned to allow solar heat gain in one direction but reduced heat loss in the other direction. Add in double cellular blinds with side tracks and the windo can act more like a wall at night.

Except that every window is still a hole in the building envelope. Might not be a near open hole but it still leaks.

 

[burban864]

This is all great information ...thanks! Question for those that have oil boilers hooked up with their Tarm and also have storage tanks. When you're not home or not using the Tarm does the Oil Boiler also need to heat up the storage tanks or are they only used to provide storage for the wood boiler. I'd be curious to hear how you all have this plumbed?

 

[peakbagger]

I have a somewhat complex system. I use the oil boiler's controls and zone valves to distribute the heat regardless of the source of heat. I have unpressurized storage, so I have a heat transfer coil in the storage tank to pull heat out of it. If the storage tank is above 140 F, the return header from the zones are routed through the coil heating up the return. I have a valve that bypasses the oil burner that opens and routes water around the oil boiler back to the zones. I also have a relay on the oil burner so it does not try to stay warm (its a cold start boiler). If the temp in the storage drops below 140F then the storage coil is bypassed and the valve bypassing the oil boiler closes and the oil boiler runs like it did before I had the wood boiler. The tricky part of my system is if I turn the power off to the wood boiler, all the valves and controls revert back to a regular oil boiler system so any boiler tech can diagnose it.

I use the same coil to heat up the storage tank. It means an automated three way valve and check valve.

I think a lot of people just have manual valves that bypass the oil boiler and have oil boiler switched off so there is no automatic switchover. Its important to get the oil boiler out of the loop as it will gladly pump heat up the chimney if hot water is circulated through it.

 

[Bad LP]

This is all great information ...thanks! Question for those that have oil boilers hooked up with their Tarm and also have storage tanks. When you're not home or not using the Tarm does the Oil Boiler also need to heat up the storage tanks or are they only used to provide storage for the wood boiler. I'd be curious to hear how you all have this plumbed?

The extra short answer is absolutely. 100% seamless operation and no, the oil/gas heating boiler water never sees the storage.

 

[burban864]

Thanks guys. If possible I'd like to integrate the TARM unit into my existing system and not shut down the oil boiler but also not have the oil boiler kick on to charge the storage units. I've combed the TARM site and some other areas online but haven't clearly figured out what would be the best configuration. Any thoughts or pics you all may have that could steer us in the right direction? I figured there's a way to do it I just haven't mapped it out and would guess there are some folks out there that've successfully already figured this out.

 

[salecker]

That is actually no longer true with high performance windows. Various films on the surface and interior of the glass units can be tuned to allow solar heat gain in one direction but reduced heat loss in the other direction. Add in double cellular blinds with side tracks and the windo can act more like a wall at night.

No it is still true with high performance windows
I have the best ones made .Quad pane with all the bells and whistles for coverings
I can leave a chocklet bar on my black stone windowsill in the summer with sunlight steaming through for 12hrs plus and it will not melt.
At -40 C/F i get absolutly zero frost on the window and you can sit on the couch which is right up against the window sill and get no cold on your back.
I don't have window coverings as they are not really needed,i suppose it may keep a bit more heat in,but like our summers which have close to 24 hour daylight there is very little heat comes through.
My house is allways nice and cool in the summer,no curtains.

 

[peakbagger]

Thanks guys. If possible I'd like to integrate the TARM unit into my existing system and not shut down the oil boiler but also not have the oil boiler kick on to charge the storage units. I've combed the TARM site and some other areas online but haven't clearly figured out what would be the best configuration. Any thoughts or pics you all may have that could steer us in the right direction? I figured there's a way to do it I just haven't mapped it out and would guess there are some folks out there that've successfully already figured this out.

Have you spent the time to take the biomass heating course I linked previously? Lots of examples. I also do not think you have replied if you plan to buy and install thermal storage? Someone ultimately needs to do a Sequence of Operations for the system in all of its operating modes and then put in piping and controls to make the system capable of following the sequences.