Garn Boilers

[samtmc]

What is everyone opinion of these boilers?
GARN® WHS Products - GARN Wood Heating Systems

Everything I read is very positive but very expensive. The rep said they will last 30 plus years (with proper care) and they are willing to help you test the water for free for the first five years.
they claim to be very Efficient. My father has a class a boilers license and said it looks to be legit! they are very expensive 15k to 20k depending on install. I currently have fuel oil with inside wood burning add-a-furnace that I burnt about 11 cord last year and I still managed to use 300 gallons of fuel oil. on top of that we had a chimney fire and now the ins is paying for a new one, we may take the money and put in a garn.
Anybody have opinions or thoughts?

 

[dave1949]

Here is a link to an article which discusses an unusual use of a Garn Boiler. It's near the end of the article so scroll down. Those folks seem to like their Garn boiler.

Clearing the Air: Outdoor Wood Boilers Face Regulation | Northern Woodlands Magazine


11 cords of wood plus oil - what are you heating if I may ask?
Dave.

 

[maine mark]

go to Hearth.com when you get there go to the boiler room.Lots of good info.there on garn and other boilers good stuff,some will need tractors so go forth an save them and thier backs.good luck, you are on the right track.Mark T

 

[WayneB]

samtmc: Just curious as to where you are located? 11 cords is a fair amount of wood! I am assuming you mean full cords? Here in New Hampshire we go through around 7 cord a year and wood is our primary heat source.

Temperatures here will dip below zero several days a year and some years will get as low as 25 degrees F below zero.

 

[Zick]

Garns are top of the line, I almost bought one for our new house but didn't have a decent free source of firewood available which kind of defeated the purpose and extended the payback period alot.
I researched them for about 6 months and could not find anything negative about them except for the price tag. Was quoted $14K just for the boiler itself. Shipping & installation extra.
Garns website has a new forum and the Hearth & Boiler room are also good sources.

I assume your add-on wood burner is not a very efficient unit for burning 11 cords unless you have a huge house. If you get a Garn or any other gasifier you'll probably burn quite a bit less due to their higher efficiency.

Oh and just make sure you have the room for one of these beasts, they are HUGE!

 

[xrjohndeere]

I did alot of research and If I had the extra cash I would have one. Depending on where you are at and your home construction, etc. have you looked at standing column well ground source heat pump? This would supply your water and heating and cooling needs if they are allowed in you area. I have an outdoor heatmor wood furnace. It heats well but smokes alot. I have to shower everytime I load it. I smell like a piece of creasote. But I can not complain about the price. I only have $1600 in the whole setup.

 

[SpringHollow]

We spent 5 years researching what wood boiler to sell. Garn was on the short list. Seems like they know what they are doing and are made well. You do need thermal storage (cost and space), they are expensive, have to be installed inside a building and you have to start a fire each time. We ended up picking Wood Doctor and have been glad we did.

Ken

 

[samtmc]

Sorry all for taking so long to get back to you. I live in MN on about three acres of heavaly wooded land and i have a vintage "monarch add-a furnace" we would only get about 4 hrs of burn time out of it,(all oak and elm dried for about 1 year) our home is about 2700 SQ Feet plus garage (another 500 or so Sq feet) so it was working pretty hard to keep it all heated. It seems everybody is very high on the garns, I have also reserched "central boilers" but I was able to find quite a few negative reviews. Plus I live in a pretty deep valley and do not want to "smoke out" my neighbors. I am in the process of calling my township to see if they will even alow a garn.

 

[POC]

Wondering what/if you have done anymore with this? I'm looking into the Garn myself. I'm using purely electric baseboards right now...killing me on the bill!

 

[Dogballs]

Garn, Eko, and Tarm are all good boilers. They are way more efficient than the outdoor wood boilers, meaning they burn cleaner and use lot's less wood.

They all work better with a water storage tank, most people use 500-1000 gallons depending on heat load. The Garn has integral storage so no additional tank is needed.

Hearth.com - Information on Gas Fireplaces, Wood Stoves, Gas Logs, Pellet Stoves, Fireplaces, Chimneys and Hearth Products has lots of good info.