Well, I have been burning the Varm about a month, and I figured I would post my experiences here.
First thing, which I now realize, is that I really need to get my house weatherstripped...the drafts are killing all of my nice heat. Not related to the boiler, but it does make it seem chilly even when things are going full bore downstiars.
Things I like:
Easy startup. I hit the fan button, load in some splits, a little cardboard, and fill it up with wood. Hit it with the torch, and Im off to the races. My wife has no problem getting it started, which is a big win.
Super easy to clean. Just open the front hatch, pull the turbs out, and use the big brush they give you. Tubes are clean in just a few minutes, and then you sweep the rest of the ash through the hole in the refractory. Rake it all out the bottom and you are done. I have been cleaning the tubes and ashes once a week, seems to work well for me.
Things I dont like:
Dust. Seems like I have a lot of really fine fly ash and dust that has a habit of escaping the boiler on me. I doubt this is the fault of the boiler, but its something Im not thrilled by. I guess thats what I get for putting it in my basement.
How my storage ties into my house. Ill post another thread about that sometime as to whats going on, but basically anything that comes out of my tank gets tempered with the return water from the house. Just makes my tanks less useful for me.
In general, the boiler itself has been working great. You put wood it in, it burns it full out until its gone. You can set a flue gas temp for it to shut down the fan/loading pump, and Im still trying to find the optimal point for that. The weather has been fairly mild here, and I just got my tanks insulated last weekend, so I dont have a really good feel for what my wood usage should be, or how long the storage will last for me yet. I do think that I have some slightly damp wood, since occasionally Ill hear some hissing and see some moisture bubbling out of the wood. I had processed some dry pallets that I think were Oak, and when they were burning this morning I was seeing a 30 degree delta in temp from the return to the supply of the boiler. Usually its not quite that high.
I do have to say, after reading about what some of the other folks here have to go through for cleaning out their boilers, Im happy with my decision.
More updates to come as I figure things out.
First thing, which I now realize, is that I really need to get my house weatherstripped...the drafts are killing all of my nice heat. Not related to the boiler, but it does make it seem chilly even when things are going full bore downstiars.
Things I like:
Easy startup. I hit the fan button, load in some splits, a little cardboard, and fill it up with wood. Hit it with the torch, and Im off to the races. My wife has no problem getting it started, which is a big win.
Super easy to clean. Just open the front hatch, pull the turbs out, and use the big brush they give you. Tubes are clean in just a few minutes, and then you sweep the rest of the ash through the hole in the refractory. Rake it all out the bottom and you are done. I have been cleaning the tubes and ashes once a week, seems to work well for me.
Things I dont like:
Dust. Seems like I have a lot of really fine fly ash and dust that has a habit of escaping the boiler on me. I doubt this is the fault of the boiler, but its something Im not thrilled by. I guess thats what I get for putting it in my basement.
How my storage ties into my house. Ill post another thread about that sometime as to whats going on, but basically anything that comes out of my tank gets tempered with the return water from the house. Just makes my tanks less useful for me.
In general, the boiler itself has been working great. You put wood it in, it burns it full out until its gone. You can set a flue gas temp for it to shut down the fan/loading pump, and Im still trying to find the optimal point for that. The weather has been fairly mild here, and I just got my tanks insulated last weekend, so I dont have a really good feel for what my wood usage should be, or how long the storage will last for me yet. I do think that I have some slightly damp wood, since occasionally Ill hear some hissing and see some moisture bubbling out of the wood. I had processed some dry pallets that I think were Oak, and when they were burning this morning I was seeing a 30 degree delta in temp from the return to the supply of the boiler. Usually its not quite that high.
I do have to say, after reading about what some of the other folks here have to go through for cleaning out their boilers, Im happy with my decision.
More updates to come as I figure things out.