Was offered a free tasso, cant find it on google...

[MwCrf450r]

So my wife and I bought our first house with 41 acres. 1200sq ft ranch with a full basement and wood stove in the basement. I have hot water baseboard heat/hot water as well as a wood stove in the basement and a pet stove upstairs. I mentioned to my cousin I wanted a wood boiler and he said he had one in his basement I could have for a days labor. He has never used it and knows nothing about it. I tried Google g some info on the tag he sent me a pic of and can't find anything anywhere. Anyone know anything about this model? He's a couple hours away so I'd rather know if it's worth it before I drive across the state haha. I'd love to save as much on oil as I can this winter so this would be great if it worked out. Thanks!

 

[salecker]

That looks like it was used on the ark
I doubt you can legally hook that back up if you have insurance.
The only thing free is the old stove,and the value of of wouldn't cover you gas if you tried to sell it.
IMHO

 

[gthomas785]

There are a few older threads on here with people asking for info about this boiler. Seems like there is not much info available because it was not sold in the US for very long.

Given its apparent age I would assume it is like many wood boilers from its era and can do an ok job of heating water with wood, but perhaps not with the efficiency and performance that we have come to expect today. It's not EPA certified, so any installation you do would be off the books and could get you dropped off your insurance.

If you are serious about installing a wood boiler system, this could be a potential starter boiler that you could replace with a newer one in the future. But before you go to the work of moving and installing it, be sure to check over very carefully for cracked welds, rusted out tubes, etc. Especially if it has been drained for a while, it could be in rough shape.

If you do some more reading on this site you will become aware that the most effective way to use a wood boiler is to incorporate a large capacity thermal storage tank, and then periodically "charge" the storage by running the boiler wide open rather than trying to moderate the output from the boiler. This approach requires an investment in storage tanks (you may be able to use an old propane tank), controls, plumbing, etc...

Of course you can use the boiler without storage but you will get mediocre results at best. Cutting the air back to control heat output in a beast like this will cause the fire to smolder and generate creosote, and waste wood.

How's your wood supply?

 

[peakbagger]

I have similar vintage Burnham. I also have been doing some work on another one of similar vintage. Without storage they are not worth spending much money on them. They are by nature a creosote producer, when you do not need heat, they crank down the air to make the fire smoulder and that generates creosote. Eventually they dump the excess heat into the house via a dump loop but unless you have a full time boiler tender chained to the boiler, its going to go from too cold to too hot to smoulder. The only time this type of boiler would work well would be in very cold weather or if you have been away from the house with the heat turned down. You then can probably keep it running in the zone of not to hot or too cold. I redid the controls on my Burnham and put in 550 gallons of storage and its works well, no creosote and i went five years without buying oil. I got the boiler for free but probably have 5 K in the storage and the new controls and piping.

The other big issue is does it have a third party certification label?. If not good luck finding an insurance company to insure it.

My guess is its time for the scrap yard.

 

[MwCrf450r]

There are a few older threads on here with people asking for info about this boiler. Seems like there is not much info available because it was not sold in the US for very long.

Given its apparent age I would assume it is like many wood boilers from its era and can do an ok job of heating water with wood, but perhaps not with the efficiency and performance that we have come to expect today. It's not EPA certified, so any installation you do would be off the books and could get you dropped off your insurance.

If you are serious about installing a wood boiler system, this could be a potential starter boiler that you could replace with a newer one in the future. But before you go to the work of moving and installing it, be sure to check over very carefully for cracked welds, rusted out tubes, etc. Especially if it has been drained for a while, it could be in rough shape.

If you do some more reading on this site you will become aware that the most effective way to use a wood boiler is to incorporate a large capacity thermal storage tank, and then periodically "charge" the storage by running the boiler wide open rather than trying to moderate the output from the boiler. This approach requires an investment in storage tanks (you may be able to use an old propane tank), controls, plumbing, etc...

Of course you can use the boiler without storage but you will get mediocre results at best. Cutting the air back to control heat output in a beast like this will cause the fire to smolder and generate creosote, and waste wood.

How's your wood supply?

I have 41acres with a lot of pine, maple, birch, poplar and some cedar. I also have about 2 or 3 cords of 1 year seasoned ash I have to go pick up from my mother's house I cut up last spring. Judging by the responses I'm getting I'm thinking I may be better saving for a newer setup.. if I'm gonna go through the effort of a new install I don't really feel like setting it up around something that's getting the negative reviews this one seems to be getting haha. When I saw the pictures of it he sent me I got kind of worried haha. I have adecent wood stove in the basement I'll try running this winter but it doesn't seem to throw enough heat to make a huge difference. Granted the 2 times I tried it early spring I was using what seems to be extremely overly dried wood and I couldn't shut it down enough to have it last as much as an hour.

 

[gthomas785]

Granted the 2 times I tried it early spring I was using what seems to be extremely overly dried wood and I couldn't shut it down enough to have it last as much as an hour.

I have 2 comments. 1. Unless your basement walls and floor are well insulated, you are wasting a ton of heat by heating the basement with a stove. 2. We can help with the short burn times, head over to the hearth forum with a few more details about your issue and you will get some good answers. With a basement flue you may have tall chimney giving excessive draft, but that's just a guess without knowing more.

 

[MwCrf450r]

I have 2 comments. 1. Unless your basement walls and floor are well insulated, you are wasting a ton of heat by heating the basement with a stove. 2. We can help with the short burn times, head over to the hearth forum with a few more details about your issue and you will get some good answers. With a basement flue you may have tall chimney giving excessive draft, but that's just a guess without knowing more.

Good to know! We just bought this house in February and didn't move in till April so I hadn't played around much with it but was really looking forward to saving a bit of money on oil with a wood stove. Never had wood heat before. I'll go check that out thanks!

 

[Bad LP]

Look at it this way.

You will likely need storage anyway for any indoor boiler so do you have the floor space to accommodate that?
You could set up your storage with controls and run the free boiler. Save up and buy a replacement boiler as a second step.

Just be warned its not a cheap project.

 

[Bad LP]

I have similar vintage Burnham. I also have been doing some work on another one of similar vintage. Without storage they are not worth spending much money on them. They are by nature a creosote producer, when you do not need heat, they crank down the air to make the fire smoulder and that generates creosote. Eventually they dump the excess heat into the house via a dump loop but unless you have a full time boiler tender chained to the boiler, its going to go from too cold to too hot to smoulder. The only time this type of boiler would work well would be in very cold weather or if you have been away from the house with the heat turned down. You then can probably keep it running in the zone of not to hot or too cold. I redid the controls on my Burnham and put in 550 gallons of storage and its works well, no creosote and i went five years without buying oil. I got the boiler for free but probably have 5 K in the storage and the new controls and piping.

The other big issue is does it have a third party certification label?. If not good luck finding an insurance company to insure it.

My guess is its time for the scrap yard.

My insurance company never asked about a single detail on the wood boiler and yes, they were told.

 

[maple1]

My insurance company never asked about a single detail on the wood boiler and yes, they were told.

Mine required a CSA sticker.

 

[hobbyheater]

In the early 80's we owned this model Tasso an upside down burner designed to burn wood not coal !Without storage it burned 16 cords a year, when storage was added it burnt 10 cords a year , a gasification boiler with the same storage burns 4 cords a year ! Without storage it ran liquid creosote out onto the floor below and with storage it put creosote up the chimney that would turn the flu brush into a gooy ball , the only way to keep the chimney clean was to have a weekly chimney fire ! Mistakes made with this boiler , burning less than dry wood, no boiler protection with storage as this was a gravity system with no circulator . In the early 80's boiler protection and storage were unheard off . The unit was also CSA approved .

 

[MwCrf450r]

Look at it this way.

You will likely need storage anyway for any indoor boiler so do you have the floor space to accommodate that?
You could set up your storage with controls and run the free boiler. Save up and buy a replacement boiler as a second step.

Just be warned its not a cheap project.

I already have a decent wood stove in the basement so I'm going to invest in insulating the basement and try saving some money up for a nice outdoor wood boiler! We have a pool table in the basement and the wife doesn't want to lose the recreational space in the basement with big storage tanks. plus the free boiler hasn't been run in at least the 7 years my cousins owned the house so who knows if it even works.

 

[peakbagger]

Since you in Maine, do your research on OWBs. There are restrictions on using older ones and minimum setback requirements. OWBs owners usually use 1.5 to 2 times the amount of wood as indoor wood boilers and have the same limitations that they do not have adequate thermal storage.

Wood Combustion and Outdoor Wood Boilers, Bureau of Air Quality, Dept. of Environmental Protection

www.maine.gov

 

[MwCrf450r]

Since you in Maine, do your research on OWBs. There are restrictions on using older ones and minimum setback requirements. OWBs owners usually use 1.5 to 2 times the amount of wood as OWBs have the same limitations that they do not have adequate thermal storage.

Wood Combustion and Outdoor Wood Boilers, Bureau of Air Quality, Dept. of Environmental Protection

www.maine.gov

I definitely have a lot of research to do before hand but I'm hoping to buy a new one in a few years so I'll have plenty of time to figure it out

 

[gthomas785]

a nice outdoor wood boiler!

Make sure you read the sticky about insulating undergound lines

 

[Bad LP]

Make sure you read the sticky about insulating undergound lines

And buy a good cold weather outfit to load up the boiler that you won't care if it gets a burn or three in it. LOL

 

[salecker]

And buy a good cold weather outfit to load up the boiler that you won't care if it gets a burn or three in it. LOL

I built a dedicated building for my outdoor wood boiler,my 1000 gals of storage and my backup oil boiler is in the same building. 125' walk one way.
Even at -40 i don't mind going to load the boiler.
I have a work space in the boiler building that is heated 24/7 which is a great luxury in the winter.
I have zero chance of dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.My risk of a house fire is pretty much eliminated.No bugs,ash or smoke to worry about in my house.
I live in a small rural town with a volunteer fire department,so insurance company's don't recognize volunteer fire departments and charge accordingly.
My system in it's design is my fire insurance.If for some reason my boiler building were to burn down i would not be out a home. A quick hook up to the underground lines with any kind of heat system and i will be back in business.

 

[MwCrf450r]

I built a dedicated building for my outdoor wood boiler,my 1000 gals of storage and my backup oil boiler is in the same building. 125' walk one way.
Even at -40 i don't mind going to load the boiler.
I have a work space in the boiler building that is heated 24/7 which is a great luxury in the winter.
I have zero chance of dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.My risk of a house fire is pretty much eliminated.No bugs,ash or smoke to worry about in my house.
I live in a small rural town with a volunteer fire department,so insurance company's don't recognize volunteer fire departments and charge accordingly.
My system in it's design is my fire insurance.If for some reason my boiler building were to burn down i would not be out a home. A quick hook up to the underground lines with any kind of heat system and i will be back in business.

This is exactly what I hope to do.