I have been checking into the wood boilers for quite awhile now and it seems that there are enough boilers made out there to confuse a person. I'm somewhat familiar with Greenwood, HS Tarm and I just recently found EKO. And here's what I would like to have done by next season. I live in Northeastern Lower Michigan and have a 1248 sq. ft. house with an attached 840 sq. ft. garage. As well as a 1248 sq. ft. basement. I want to put the boiler in the garage and use to heat the garage,and pipe it into my basement to my exsisting ductwork and heat the house and basement. I would just like to hear some suggestions from people that have already done this. And have experience with these different wood boilers and their pros and cons. What their suggestions for a wood boiler would be. I'm not asking for endoresments just what their preferences are. Just to give me a feel for the boiler that I want. Thanks.
Wood Boiler suggestions?
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The first issue you need to research is if your insurance company will insure your house with a solid fuel boiler located in your garage and also if it is locally accepted by code. Solid fuel burning appliances in a garage are restricted by NFPA code. If your garage will no longer be a garage and have no cars, lawn tractors etc in and become a wood storage location that may be a different story. Research this carefully before purchasing.
I would suggest a gassifier . I installed an Econoburn 150 in my basement which is hooked up in a series with my oil boiler. I heat my house 1800 sq. ft. plus the basement 900 sq.ft. , 24 X28 garage. It took me a few weeks to get onto the system but I am very pleased with it. I will burn about 5.5 cords of wood from Oct 15 to April 15. I hope winter is over by then.
I have the EKO40 and don't know enough about the other boilers to endorse or dissuade you in regards to any specific boiler. But get one for your square footage (with you listing the EKO40 would be about the right size) and I would recommend hot water storage as well.
I recently installed a Newmac BC160-O. This is a 160,000 BTU wood oil combination unit. I started burning in October and it does a good job thus far. I plan to add a heat exchanger (water to air) for the front of the house when I find one and have the finances to do so. This should heat all 3,800 square feet of the house even though it is quite drafty. (built in 1795) I have a frined who has two Tarm units and is very happy with those as well. One is an add on unit to an existing Buderus boiler and the other is a wood/oil unit. Both are connected to radiant slab systems and do a great job. From a cost stand point the Tarm is more efficient but more money for the initial purchase. I would recomend either manufacturer.
The boilers that you cited are all pretty good stuff. The gassers are definitely going to be the most thrifty on wood usage. Storage, as noted above, really makes wood burning easy regarding cycle times, especially during the shoulder seasons.
Obviously you need to do a heat loss calc before you size a boiler and storage... but if your house is relatively energy efficient, I think that a smaller boiler in the 100k Btu/hr range should suffice.
I have several customers that have their Econoburn in the garage. This is a no-no with some insurance companies... with others, it's no big deal. So far the insurance companies that my customers have dealt with that didn't like the idea said that if the boiler was to be placed in the garage, a masonry wall would have to be constructed around it with a door accessible only from the outside of the garage. One of my customers started to do that, but then changed insurance companies before he got too far into it.
I can't really offer you any usfull information regarding the manufacturers that you listed... in the event you have a couple questions about the Econoburn boilers, I would be more than happy to address those.
cheers
Obviously you need to do a heat loss calc before you size a boiler and storage... but if your house is relatively energy efficient, I think that a smaller boiler in the 100k Btu/hr range should suffice.
I have several customers that have their Econoburn in the garage. This is a no-no with some insurance companies... with others, it's no big deal. So far the insurance companies that my customers have dealt with that didn't like the idea said that if the boiler was to be placed in the garage, a masonry wall would have to be constructed around it with a door accessible only from the outside of the garage. One of my customers started to do that, but then changed insurance companies before he got too far into it.
I can't really offer you any usfull information regarding the manufacturers that you listed... in the event you have a couple questions about the Econoburn boilers, I would be more than happy to address those.
cheers
I have a friend in the states and he seen my wood boiler Effecta Lambda. It controls the dampers motors by measuring the CO2 with an lambda sensor in the fluegas and always has very high efficiency over 92% all the time. Is there any one who knows if he can buy this boiler in the states or is there any other boiler with an lambda sensor in it? Thank you for you help
If you seriously consider Greenwood, be prepared to be left on your own on Warranty problems unless you get your lawyer involved!! I'm having a tough time with them standing by their quality
Johansson said:
I believe that Bioheat USA is now importing the Froling boilers which use the lambda sensors. Look like nice units, although they are extremely pricey, (about twice the cost of an EKO) One thing that I was wondering about is how reliable / long lasting the sensors are? If they go bad, how much would a replacement cost?
The other question that might also be interesting is whether or not they are something that could be retrofit onto a standard gasifier, i.e. an EKO or equivalent?
Gooserider
Given your location, have you been over to see Dave at Cozy Heat in Indian River yet? I bought my EKO there, and Cozy also carries other brands of boiler as well. Dave can answer a lot of your questions about installation, code, and performance.
I am doing just what you describe - heating my 2400 sf house using a water-air heat exchanger in the furnace plenum, heating DHW with a sidearm heat exchanger and heating my garage with the EKO in the garage. I built a firebreak wall between the car bay and the workshop/boiler room where the EKO is located. The garage and house are 140' apart.
My spring project is installation of 500 gallons of pressurized storage and insulating lines. If the first winter's performance is any indication, I will be enjoying this system for many years.
Good Luck!
I am doing just what you describe - heating my 2400 sf house using a water-air heat exchanger in the furnace plenum, heating DHW with a sidearm heat exchanger and heating my garage with the EKO in the garage. I built a firebreak wall between the car bay and the workshop/boiler room where the EKO is located. The garage and house are 140' apart.
My spring project is installation of 500 gallons of pressurized storage and insulating lines. If the first winter's performance is any indication, I will be enjoying this system for many years.
Good Luck!
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