Wood Gasifier ??? Help with idea's and suggestions

[ktm010]

I just built a detached 30 x 40 garage, exterior is complete the interior is not. I'am thinking of possibly installing a wood boiler either in the garage or in the basement. A lot of thought went into the garage to build it to fit my needs, so far I'am very happy with it. When the trench was open for the utilities 48" deep, I purchased some 4" pipe with two 1" pex lines wrapped in bubble/foil, non oxygen barrier !! type and layed it down 70' total. Yes !!, I did not do my home work, I messed up. This pipe was suggested by a friend who has a OWB. If I installed the boiler in the garage I would like the storage to be in the basement of the house to save on floor space. The house is 2400 sqft, with some under floor radiant, and radiant baseboard, the garage floor has 1200' 1/2" oxygen barrier pex. From info I have gatherd it will cost me around 1000$ to heat the garage to about 55 degrees if I go the propane route, and the house is using 800-850 gallons of oil a year. And I do have basement access. Interested in peoples thoughts on this. Thanks

 

[BoilerMan]

One suggestion, is if you go LP for the garage is to go LP for the house as well, more volume saves $$$ on the cost/gallon and may work out cheaper than oil to heat house.
Boiler question: You'll need oxygen barrior pex, unless you go with an open design like an Empyre or similar. I'll let others who have first hand expierence talk about the foil insualtion.

TS

 

[ktm010]

One suggestion, is if you go LP for the garage is to go LP for the house as well, more volume saves $$$ on the cost/gallon and may work out cheaper than oil to heat house.
Boiler question: You'll need oxygen barrior pex, unless you go with an open design like an Empyre or similar. I'll let others who have first hand expierence talk about the foil insualtion.

TS

The wife says no propane in the house, she said I can blow up the garage but not her house

 

[BoilerMan]

LOL!!

 

[stee6043]

Your wife thinks propane is more dangerous than heating oil? Interesting. I hope she stays away from those pesky electrical outlets as well!

First thought - read up around here on boilers in garages. Wood burning appliances in garages will typically never pass code without the construction of a wall and addition of a new exterior door which prevents the wood boiler from being accessed through the garage itself.

Second thought - not only does the non-O2 barrier pex need to be replaced with proper tubing but I'd also suggest you increase the size (if you go the boiler in garage route). If you plan to heat both your garage and home through those lines I think you'll find 1" to be undersized for anything sub-supersonic in terms of pump flow. Double 1" lines may do the trick nicely.

If I were in your shoes I'd put the boiler and storage in the basement of your home and send an extra zone out to the garage with your existing pex. I think you can buy fittings and an HX that can tolerate the oxygen so long as you isolate it from the business end of the system in the house. This, however, will depend entirely on what types of material you have in the garage and whether or not the existing material can handle oxygen.

 

[BoilerMan]

Stee's idea of HX and using the lines to heat the garage from the house would also be very conducive to glycol in the garage circuit only. Would work nicely.

TS

 

[ktm010]

Stee's idea of HX and using the lines to heat the garage from the house would also be very conducive to glycol in the garage circuit only. Would work nicely.

TS

why would the Empyer 100 be less prone to corrosion

 

[BoilerMan]

I think what we meant was with non-barrior tubing then a water treatment would have to be used, and the Empyre is an open system (non pressureized) so treatment is needed and oxygen barriors are not needed.

TS

 

[ktm010]

I think what we meant was with non-barrior tubing then a water treatment would have to be used, and the Empyre is an open system (non pressureized) so treatment is needed and oxygen barriors are not needed.

TS

Would it be possibe to put a heat exchanger in the garage at the boiler, then inside so the non barrier pex would be isolated. The extra cost would be one H/E and a extra circulator ??. And why would the water treatment not work on a pressurized system. My thought was a boiler in the garage would give me the heat I want for the garage, the mess stays out of the house, safety concern and smoke issues. The wood shed is just outside of the garage so wood could be palletized and placed inside with a tractor, big benifit as I get older. I would hate to give up after such a dumb mistake , I used oxygen barrier pex 25 yrs ago in the house heat system, can I blame age for this mistake.

 

[BoilerMan]

I mean only one HX in the house so you can connect the open system and antifreeze/corrosion treatment with your closed and pressureized house.

TS

 

[Gasifier]

used oxygen barrier pex 25 yrs ago in the house heat system, can I blame age for this mistake. Sure. We'll let that slide.

800 gallons of oil a year at 3.75/gallon = $3000 for the house. Plus another $1000 for the propane for garage. That's $4000/year. Now if you go with a nice pressurized gasser with storage and heat both and also heat your domestic hot water for everything from showers to dishes and laundry you would be stylin!
I heat my house, garage, and hot water all year round with wood. If you saved $3000/year, cut and split some of your own wood and bought a good portion of it as well you would pay for the boiler and storage in 4 years if you spent 12,000 on system. If you are paying someone to install it all and you spend 15,000 then maybe you would be looking at a 5 year return. If you burn for another 15 years after that then you have 45000 you did not give to the oil/gas man and the physical work helped to keep you in shape.

How much room do you have left in that pipe? Would you be able to remove the wrong stuff okay and replace with the right stuff?

 

[ktm010]

used oxygen barrier pex 25 yrs ago in the house heat system, can I blame age for this mistake. Sure. We'll let that slide.

800 gallons of oil a year at 3.75/gallon = $3000 for the house. Plus another $1000 for the propane for garage. That's $4000/year. Now if you go with a nice pressurized gasser with storage and heat both and also heat your domestic hot water for everything from showers to dishes and laundry you would be stylin!
I heat my house, garage, and hot water all year round with wood. If you saved $3000/year, cut and split some of your own wood and bought a good portion of it as well you would pay for the boiler and storage in 4 years if you spent 12,000 on system. If you are paying someone to install it all and you spend 15,000 then maybe you would be looking at a 5 year return. If you burn for another 15 years after that then you have 45000 you did not give to the oil/gas man and the physical work helped to keep you in shape.

How much room do you have left in that pipe? Would you be able to remove the wrong stuff okay and replace with the right stuff?

I could dig up some of the pipe 35' the remainder 35' is now under concrete and a sidewalk. so I could replace the pex but the pipe would not be insulated under the slab. I might be able to use 1.25 pex also but they would be pulled thru without insulation. I'am sure pulling thru the corragated 4" wouldn't be fun.