We have ignition! Tarm running at long last!

[Bad Wolf]

I finished up the wiring last night but was too tired to stay up and light a fire so it had to wait until I got home from work today. I had my first sustainable fire at 8:03 this evening! It took an hour or so before there was enough heat to operate the heating zones and I had to redo some of my wiring but we now have heat!! The wife has been real good about things but we haven't had heat or hot water since the first of November. Shes been going over to a neighbors to take showers.

The storage tank is beginning to heat up but the top is still only 62 degrees (up from 55) its a 1150 gallon tank so its going to take a while. I told them they might have luke warm water in the morning.

Tarm told me not to have big fires for the first 10 or so. So I'm feeding it every couple of hours and only stoking it about a third full.

Thank to everyone on this board you offered advice or encouragement, its been a long haul but I think it will be worth it. Of coarse my neighbour just bought oil for $2.49 which kills my payback schedule.
Oh well I'm sure it will go back up.

Now I just have to post some pics!

Greg H

 

[jebatty]

Congratulations! Probably a few bugs will crop up, solve them one by one, and all the way you will be enjoying the fruit of a really great investment.

 

[NHFarmer]

Congratulations,That first hot shower will be fantastic.

 

[Bad Wolf]

Called Tarm for some help yesterday, and we tweaked the sytem. I purged the last heating line and got allof the air out, now when a zone calls for heat the pipes heat up fast.

Insulated the tank last night. Six layers of 1.5 inch insulation. Should be about R-26. The tank was warming up to where I thought heat loss was going to be a problem. Got the tank up to 135 degrees last night before I went to bed. The tank was at 137 this morning with 3 zones calling for heat and the fire almost out. Furnace was at 150, and lit right up again. Plenty of hot water for showers, the wife and my son were very pleased! When the house isn't calling for heat everything gets dumped into the tank and it shoots up fast.

The tempering valve for DHW is supposed to go up to 120 but I can only get 114 turned all the way to hot. Thats hot enough I guess.
I'm starting to build bigger fires now, and I think I'll put in the turbulators this weekend. Tarm had said to leave them out until I got going, but I think I'm ready for the next step.

Now for the little niceities, like a wood box and a light to shine on the wood pile.

Greg H

 

[Justburnit]

Did the turbulators come with the boiler or bought separate?

 

[Bad Wolf]

I ordered them from Tarm when I bought the controls and ash box.

 

[Justburnit]

Thanks, cause mine needs them.

 

[jebatty]

Do a search on "chain turbulators" before you buy, FYI.

 

[DenaliChuck]

Greg H

Did you plumb to Tarm's plan, or your own?

DC

 

[Bad Wolf]

I used Tarms plan "E". It was pretty straight forward, plus I talked to the Tarm guys extensivly and they were able to explain it to me.