Woodgun E155 SS?

[john84]

Anyone have experience with these units?

WG says they do not need storage which I like, anyone agree?

it would be heating a 2,400 sqft house plus a 26x26 garage built in 2010 located in Massachusetts. Plus DHW during the heating season.

 

[Drewby]

I have a unit just like yours that I found used and it’s 10 years old. While I have not hooked it up yet the previous owner said it worked great for him and was heating just about what you will be doing.
I'm pretty sure those units have been around for 30+ years and most of those years the industry was not much into thermal storage like it is now. They will send creosote up the stack until they warm up from an idle period causing a need to clean once in awhile.

 

[john84]

Thanks for the information, I have not made a purchase yet.

 

[jebatty]

I have had extensive experience with a WG E500. External storage also was not required, but on/off burning was not a pleasant experience. Serious huffing, more like an explosion, when the accumulated gases ignited at the commencement of a burn after an idle period. After storage was added (4000 gallons for this big boiler), the E500 purrs like a kitten, operates at high burn until the load is consumed.

 

[maple1]

May not 'need' it (get by without it?), but would work better with it. And be more efficient.

 

[Mike Fromme]

Stainless steal would not be my first choice for a wood boiler.

 

[john84]

Stainless steal would not be my first choice for a wood boiler.

Any recommendations? I am looking for a unit to be installed in a room built off the back of my garage.

 

[Mike Fromme]

Any recommendations? I am looking for a unit to be installed in a room built off the back of my garage.

The most important thing to me is storage...if woodgun get the CS version and spend the savings on storage.

Or plenty of people are happy with the garn, econoburn, hs tarm, eko or biomass etc.

 

[john84]

Would 500 gallons of storage be sufficient? Anyone have experience with the boilers or storage tanks on smokelessheat.com?

 

[maple1]

Would 500 gallons of storage be sufficient? Anyone have experience with the boilers or storage tanks on smokelessheat.com?

Boilers, yes . That's where mine came from. Highly recommended, IMO. My boiler was at the end of my driveway before my money got there, great service even from another country & 20 some hours away. Sourced my tanks local (used LP tanks). But if I was within a reasonable driving distance would have considered one or two or their tanks also. Varms are also the easiest to clean on the market - or at least I have not seen any yet that would be easier. That will be appreciated when it comes to actually living with one. I also am into heating season 8, with all original refractories still in place & no repairs needed yet & no chimney sweeping.

Storage should be sized based on how long you want to go between burns & how much flexibility you want. Which comes down primarily to your heat load. The minimum size it should be is likely to be big enough to hold the heat from a full boiler firebox. I have 660 gallons, would really like 1000 but my space is limited. So available space & access to it is another consideration.

 

[muncybob]

7+ years and never cleaned the chimney?

 

[maple1]

7+ years and never cleaned the chimney?

Yes.

The stovepipe comes off the back of the boiler once a year so I can get the fly ash out of the horizontal sections where some settles before hitting the bottom of the chimney. But I have not had a brush in my chimney since the summer of 2012.

 

[john84]

That’s impressive. I also like the looks of the effecta 40 smart boiler.

 

[john84]

Are EKO boilers still being made? The few sites I come across say discontinued.

 

[3fordasho]

Are EKO boilers still being made? The few sites I come across say discontinued.

As far as I can tell they are still being made. Only source I've seen in the US is newhorizonstore.com
Like a lot of the euro downdraft gasser manufacturers they don't see enough US sales to justify going after the new EPA certification for residential use and are thus limited to commercial use.

 

[salecker]

7+ years and never cleaned the chimney?

Going on 10 years since i had to clean,i mean since i cleaned the chimany.The only reasone i cleaned it was i was using a elcheapo wood stove to heat my boiler building while i built my system.It was using the chimany for the boiler till the boiler was operational. Since the Econoburn Boiler has been in use,no cleaning required.I do have to clen the ash out of the down pipe a couple times a year,but the chimany remains clean.

 

[john84]

I have a few emails into a few companies trying to get some information prices etc... I am far from knowledgeable on boilers trying to do as much research as possible, but Econoburn has been great so far with Communication and information.
They do seem a little more affordable.

 

[john84]

Any opinions on the Econoburn Ebw-150? Current price is $8,000

 

[maple1]

Where will you be putting it?

I don't think I would want a forced draft unit in my house, and I think both the WG & the EB are forced draft.

 

[john84]

I plan on building a room off the back of my attached garage.

 

[Drewby]

Where will you be putting it?

I don't think I would want a forced draft unit in my house, and I think both the WG & the EB are forced draft.

What’s wrong with forced draft units In a house?

 

[maple1]

They have a propensity to spill smoke. Generally speaking.

Some do it and are happy with them, but just not for me.

 

[salecker]

I am very happy with my Econoburn.
-40 ish for the last 3 day and will continue for at least three more.Yesterday the fire was started at 4 PM and my tanks were full and the house toasty at Midnight.
I have 4" longer wood this year and the 25% extra lenght has mad a big difference in loading times.
I would buy one again.Great customer support and service.
I have spent 4 hours on a phone this week dealing with a company that sent us a laptop without a hard drive.That sucks,something that is not my fault is wasting my time,plus with the 10 or so differant people i have talked to,none were English as a first language people.That sucks
So Ecocnoburn really does have great customer support and service,plus build a boiler that is like a tank.
Best part is it is made in North America And that is very important these days.

 

[muncybob]

You can get the exhaust fan for the WG,,,,,mounts above the firebox door. Solved the smoke for us.

 

[john84]

From a money and efficiency standpoint, how does something like a Froling or Effecta smart boiler with 1000 gallons of storage compare to an Econoburn,woodgun etc with 1000 gallons of storage.

I understand the up front cost will be more for a Lambda controlled boiler.