Hi. I have a gassification boiler that I have been running for about 10 years now. I figured putting some info out there couldn't hurt.
I installed a Tarm wood/oil boiler in 2013. It was new to me and a learning experience. Nothing an engineer couldn't tackle.
I had a plumber do the copper plumbing of the furnace and the 620 gallon thermal storage. It is a bit more complex than your run of the mill oil boiler, but I had it up an running shortly after the plumbers left. I wired everything up myself - doing all the research to ensure I would have a bulletproof design....electrically.
The furnace operated nicely. Dry wood is the key for smooth operation of the gassification boiler. You can use wood that is 'less' dry (>20%), but you'll be fighting the furnace until everything is up to temp and there is a nice coal bed.
After about a year or so of operation, I noticed that the refractory in the firebox was deteriorating. Basically, air blows into channels at the bottom of the firebox and things get HOT...upwards of 2000F. Over time, that heat, generated by the pyrolized wood and air, burns up the refractory. It's unavoidable.
So, I called for a replacement refractory and apparently they had changed the design of the firebox and had another solution where instead of the entire firebox base replacement, you replace what I will call sacrificial refractory sections. This is fine if you have that design upgrade to start with, but changing over to the new design cost (and this is a guess as I don't recall exactly) upwards of $500. OK OK....the cost of running a gassification boiler. I still have a little to go to break even over the cost of the system by burning wood, so that's the way it goes.
The next issue was electronics. A failed flue temp timer....another $50-100? Meh....I'll eat that again. What choice do I have?
The next issue was more refractory. The flame tube that receives all the heat and disperses it under the refractory up through the boiler tubes crumbled. Again....$400 maybe.
So, after 10 years and a system that probably cost me $20K for the furnace, thermal storage and install, I am faced with another gem. The thermal storage heat exchangers (1" diameter corrugated stainless) have pinhole leaks in the coils. Not sure if this is from cathodic reaction. Everytime I fire the furnace, the thermal storage tank overflows. The upside is that I don't have to periodically add water (due to evaporation) to the thermal storage tank (that's not really an upside). New coils will cost me $2500.
Burning wood and heating my home with wood is great. However, the complexity of this particular system leaves a lot to be desired. On the surface, you may think you are saving money, but in the long run you may be losing. There is no such thing as zero maintenance - that is for sure,
Not sure I would do a system like this ever again.
The thing about hitting yourself in the head with a hammer....it feels good when you stop!
I installed a Tarm wood/oil boiler in 2013. It was new to me and a learning experience. Nothing an engineer couldn't tackle.
I had a plumber do the copper plumbing of the furnace and the 620 gallon thermal storage. It is a bit more complex than your run of the mill oil boiler, but I had it up an running shortly after the plumbers left. I wired everything up myself - doing all the research to ensure I would have a bulletproof design....electrically.
The furnace operated nicely. Dry wood is the key for smooth operation of the gassification boiler. You can use wood that is 'less' dry (>20%), but you'll be fighting the furnace until everything is up to temp and there is a nice coal bed.
After about a year or so of operation, I noticed that the refractory in the firebox was deteriorating. Basically, air blows into channels at the bottom of the firebox and things get HOT...upwards of 2000F. Over time, that heat, generated by the pyrolized wood and air, burns up the refractory. It's unavoidable.
So, I called for a replacement refractory and apparently they had changed the design of the firebox and had another solution where instead of the entire firebox base replacement, you replace what I will call sacrificial refractory sections. This is fine if you have that design upgrade to start with, but changing over to the new design cost (and this is a guess as I don't recall exactly) upwards of $500. OK OK....the cost of running a gassification boiler. I still have a little to go to break even over the cost of the system by burning wood, so that's the way it goes.
The next issue was electronics. A failed flue temp timer....another $50-100? Meh....I'll eat that again. What choice do I have?
The next issue was more refractory. The flame tube that receives all the heat and disperses it under the refractory up through the boiler tubes crumbled. Again....$400 maybe.
So, after 10 years and a system that probably cost me $20K for the furnace, thermal storage and install, I am faced with another gem. The thermal storage heat exchangers (1" diameter corrugated stainless) have pinhole leaks in the coils. Not sure if this is from cathodic reaction. Everytime I fire the furnace, the thermal storage tank overflows. The upside is that I don't have to periodically add water (due to evaporation) to the thermal storage tank (that's not really an upside). New coils will cost me $2500.
Burning wood and heating my home with wood is great. However, the complexity of this particular system leaves a lot to be desired. On the surface, you may think you are saving money, but in the long run you may be losing. There is no such thing as zero maintenance - that is for sure,
Not sure I would do a system like this ever again.
The thing about hitting yourself in the head with a hammer....it feels good when you stop!
