To the basement, or to the scrapyard? My attempt to resurrect a Tarm Excel 2200 Wood Gasification boiler

[aczlan]

Good idea but I'd use a pressure washer with a narrow tip and do it when it's warm outside so it dries out quickly.

Good idea, but I think I will start with a wide "fan" tip so as to not erode the firebrick.

I have a bunch of extensions for my pressure washer wand so I should be able to get all the way back there.

On drying it out, I have been running a 200w heater in the firebox, once I finish washing out the lower portion I will move it down there.

Started a thread on Firewood Hoarders under 'Gasifcation Boilers'. Lots of member have them on that site. Good folks too.

I will have to wander over there.

Aaron Z

 

[5030]

800 gallons of storage sounds a bit excessive for domestic hot water. 800 gallons for hydronic heating don't. We have forced air on the main furnace and utilize biomass with the forced air (Plus 95 Bryant) as the backup.

If you have forced air (like we do), I'd install a slope coil in the plenum as an HX (which is exactly what I'd do on my shop actually), though the front part is in floor PEX so I'd do a split system, which is exactly what I have now but utilizing a 50 gallon propane fired HWH as the heat source. The back shop has a high mount Reznor hot water fan forced HX on a Honeywell T'stat. Same with the in floor PEX but the front system is an in floor bulb type Honeywell T'stat acting on the feedwater pump.

 

[orezok]

well that's a dirty job

Call Mike Rowe. He’ll do it in a 30 minute show

 

[zzvyb6]

Add fire-brick liner ?

 

[aczlan]

800 gallons of storage sounds a bit excessive for domestic hot water. 800 gallons for hydronic heating don't.

That's for hydronic heating.
Supposedly the DHW coil is plugged, it's on my list to check after I get the leak in the firebox fixed.
I would probably tie it in before the current WH so we have more hot water available.

We have forced air on the main furnace and utilize biomass with the forced air (Plus 95 Bryant) as the backup.
If you have forced air (like we do), I'd install a slope coil in the plenum as an HX (which is exactly what I'd do on my shop actually), though the front part is in floor PEX so I'd do a split system, which is exactly what I have now but utilizing a 50 gallon propane fired HWH as the heat source. The back shop has a high mount Reznor hot water fan forced HX on a Honeywell T'stat. Same with the in floor PEX but the front system is an in floor bulb type Honeywell T'stat acting on the feedwater pump.

We have a mix of cast iron radiators and copper tube baseboard in the house (all in one zone).

I have enough cast iron radiators to replace all the copper tube with cast iron and hope to switch from steel pipe to a manifold and Pex-Al-Pex to split things up a little differently.

We may add floor heat in one of the bathrooms when we redo it.

The other bathroom may end up with heated towel racks (no heat there now).

We currently have a Valliant oil boiler and a Brookwood wood "boiler" (steel box with an L shaped tank on the top/side) to supplement that:

Efficient it is not.

Started a thread on Firewood Hoarders under 'Gasifcation Boilers'. Lots of member have them on that site. Good folks too.

I signed up over there, it's "waiting for admin approval"

Aaron Z

 

[5030]

If you go PEX, make sure you get the oxygen barrier type. Too bad you don't live closer, I have an almost full roll of it in the shop. Typical me, I overbought the stuff.

 

[aczlan]

Add fire-brick liner ?

Where?
The "floor" of the firebox needs some replacement parts (the two big "nozzle" bricks in the "center" are eroded and need to be replaced or have a stainless center section replacement made up).
The rest looks is ok, might need to replace a piece or two, but nothing urgent.

Aaron Z

 

[5030]

I signed up over there, it's "waiting for admin approval"

If they can put up with me, you will get approved. Lots of knowledge on that site I might add. Like this site it's privately owned.

 

[aczlan]

If you go PEX, make sure you get the oxygen barrier type. Too bad you don't live closer, I have an almost full roll of it in the shop. Typical me, I overbought the stuff.

The Al part of Pex-Al-Pex is the oxygen barrier, wouldn't use regular PEX for a heating system.
My brother bought a bunch of it to do his house, someone had 8-10 rolls and didn't want to split them, so he has enough and to spare.

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

If they can put up with me, you will get approved. Lots of knowledge on that site I might add. Like this site it's privately owned.

I figure it's just a matter of time until they have time to approve it.

Aaron Z

 

[TimberFarm]

I had a Tarm in my previous house. It was not duel fuel, just wood.
I replaced all the firebrick lining in it once in 20 years. It cost about $400 back then.
I can't believe somebody let that thing get so blocked up.
I used mine to heat my radiant.
It was two zones, a total of about 1,500 sq. ft. One zone was under ceramic tile in the kitchen and the other was dining living room under carpet.
The kitchen zone I used a 40 gallon Boilermate that the Tarm heated. Then the Boilermate would send the hotwater to that zone.
The livingroom zone ran straight from the Tarm. The Tarm I had held about 40 gallons of water in it.
Best heat. That thing really burned clean too. After the initial lighting of the fire, smoke out of the chimney was next to nothing.

They are odd to get use to since they burn downwards. Learning curve to not get smoked when you are adding wood.

 

[5030]

At one time (not now), I considered building a European style round bale furnace but never did it. You only have to load them about once a month. I always have round bales in the barn. Popular in Europe, not here.

I'll stick with my biomass corn burners in as much as I get free corn.

 

[aczlan]

Took the top cover off of the exhaust area, 1-2" of fine silty ash went right into the vacuum cleaner:

Oil side was a little better:

All nice and clean (still need to clean inside the tubes):

Will need to figure out why this damper sits open a little and replace the lid gasket as it's shot:

All in all, still happy with it, need to get the lower section rinsed out and finish vacuuming out the firebox, but I haven't found any showstoppers yet.

Aaron Z

 

[mike0000]

Interesting project you have going on there, thanks for sharing

Mike

 

[TimberFarm]

Tarm gave three different cleaning brushes for those tubes and to clean the firebox.
Since this is so bad a shape, I imagine the original owners lost them or threw them out.

 

[aczlan]

Tarm gave three different cleaning brushes for those tubes and to clean the firebox.
Since this is so bad a shape, I imagine the original owners lost them or threw them out.

It came with one rectangular brush, haven't tried it yet.

Aaron Z

 

[TimberFarm]

Too bad it wasn't the round one for the tubes.

 

[5030]

Too bad it wasn't the round one for the tubes.

You can purchase the round ones on Amazon I believe. The original owner is or was an idiot.

 

[aczlan]

You can purchase the round ones on Amazon I believe.

Once I get it cleaned out and the leak fixed, I will look at that.

The original owner is or was an idiot.

More clueless about how it worked than an idiot IMO.

Aaron Z

 

[5030]

More clueless about how it worked than an idiot IMO.

Lots of that out there which is why there are actually people that come into homes and clean them (biomass stoves and such) for owners. On the other forum there are some gruesome pictures of clogged up units where the owners cannot figure out why they don't work properly. When I look at them I think... duh.

Have a buddy up your way (New York) that all he does is service biomass and multifuel boilers and he makes a bundle and is booked solid all season.

Think his minimum charge is 125 bucks for a simple service call.

If you are going to have a solid fuel appliance no matter what it is, you need to understand and practice the maintenance part.

With my 2, they get regular cleanings and that includes the exhaust and flue.

Unlike a typical gas or propane furnace, they are not a forget about it appliance, but then neither is a typical conventional furnace, especially a high efficiency unit. Ours get's serviced annually if we use it or not and a filter change at least twice a year on the rentals) on ours it has a Honeywell electrostatic filter and it too needs washed regularly.

People tend to 'forget' about heating appliance (cooling ones too) until they crap out.