I am going to purchase an OWB or wood gasifier?.
I have looked at heat-mor, central burner, and many others.
Its seems that the phase II models although more $$ in the begining are more efficient and wil use less wood in the long run and should smoke less.
just as an example:
Look at the evrgreen line from
www.wdheat.com rick is very helpful and will mail all the information about his evergreen boiler line and the others he offers.
I understand that smoke is caused by poor quality fuel, and I have good oak, hickory, locust, and osage orange to burn.
Not always; if a boiler is loaded to the maximum amount it will idle and smoke which wastes fuel. I believe I mentioned filling the firebox 1/2 to 2/3 full of firebrick to create a heat sink which does several things;
1. stores the thermal energy that is created by the fire as it burns minus whatever percentage is lost out the stack.
2. releases the thermal energy stored to keeep the fire box hot and burnn hotter to reduce smoke(which is unburned wood particles)
3. creates a narrow unwasted path for the intake air through a smaller hotter fire which heats the water and the thermal mass of ifre bricks.
a. getting a piece of channel iron the desired length and width to cover the grates and grate mounting frame alows you to shake the grates and keep a hot small fire with fire brick sucking up the heat and storing it.
I am putting it next to my outside chimney and will run a pipe 24' high.
Please avoid that as you will create a huge stress on the chinmney with wind loading, it will weaken the mortar and stress the liner and you will have an issue with down drafts unless you completely seal the chimney with brick and mortar- and if you do not seal the fireplace the liner could, can, and will lwak carbon monoxide- is you rLP heat exhasted out the chimney in a second pathway? , if so thats even more reason to have a stand alone chimney.
OH and most likely your insurer will throw cold water on the idea of having it so close to the home due to sparks and embers possibly finding thier way to the wood and shingles of the home besides being a nice lightning rod as well
Questions: 1. Since the lines will only be in the ground for 10' or less before going into the house, should I still use high dollar PEX insulated-- wouldn't cost that much b/c so short or can I just plumb the whole thing with copper and insulate the trench?
Use the expensive pex ($13 foot), the copper will be attacked by the soil and also be a huge source of heat loss and subject to frost damage and heaving breaking solder joints
2. Do you need a pump for each heat exchanger? I am going to heat my water and a swimming pool.
Pump(s) should be in the basement near the manifolds and heat exhangers as has been mentioned
3. Any brands to stay away from? My father is a metalurgist and says that stainless is NOT the way to go.
Thats an issue you need to deal with your self as there are a lot of available brands; I mentioned that the OWB should be double in size or more of the homes heating system BTU size in use that way you can heat the most water with a small hot hard fire and the heat will also be absorbed by the fire brick so much less is used and burned with much less smoke and higher efficiency.
4. I have not talked to an installer yet because I have 3 people that will help me, one has a OWB, one is a HVAC, and a plumber welder. I do not know if you need the approved installer to get the $1500 tax rebate for the phase II.
Using an energy star qualified installer is the norm if you want the rebate, but you should be able to get a rebate for the purchase of a standard model like the Evergreen brand Sequoia model with almost four hundred gallons of water capacity as it saves you from buying fossil fuels too.
5. I really want to do this right the first time so that I have minimal smoke and so that my wife can also run it.
fill the fire box half or two thirds full of fire brick and it will be easier to manage and burn hotter with less smoke.
Most of the gassifiers would not allow you to fill the firebox with fire brick as the air passages are in the bottom and would be blocked by the fire brick-BUT
the smaller firebox breated by the added brick should not be an issue as the combustion air will simply be forced to move forward and burn in a much more smaller surface area and having boiler plate will not be an issue when stacking fire brick in it to add a heat sink and thermal mass.
6. Should I pay more for a gasifier or use that money for a new
Dolmar ps7900--Joke???
Potato, potatoe;
save your money and buy a 16" Stihl and buy a large standard boiler with shaker grates and fill 1/2 to 2/3 full of fire brick and a piece of chanel iron 12-14 inches wide and one inch tall and be sure to place the channel iron with the edges down to allow the grates to shake properly- the more firebrick the more thermal mass which can absorb the heat generated by a small hot fire.
The return on your investment is the issue period which includes the following;
A temporary blanket homeowners liability rider for the time required for the installation and permiting
boiler cost including freight and parts.
installation cost including materials and excavation cost-dont forget you will not be able to have a shallow burial depth.
permitting-building permit, plumbing permit/inspection of electrical installation prior to finishing installation.
added insurance cost-if your insurer will even permit it due to the potential for sparks and embers.
interest expense
If no one is licensed to do the plumbing and electrical and do not provide proof of same and provide you with workmans compensation insurance with a letter from the insurance carrier you will not be covered by your insurer most likely in the event of a casualty loss due ot the OWB.
you may be out an insurance claim if something happens due to a faulty installation (including set back and space/distance from the primary dwelling and or garage.
Thanks,
R.O.N.
