Gasifier dilemma

[stupe]

mmmm..window...that would be so nice. I'm also constantly looking at the chimney. I see a hint of smoke every once in a while but for the most part there is nothing.

Here's another question...anyone ever burn wood chips in these things? My town has a pile of wood chips the size of my house that they provide to the residents for free (if you come get it). I see it as a big pile of bio-mass. The wood chips are about the size of a half dollar coin and are actually quite clean. Most folks (including me) use the chips for mulch. Is there any reason you couldn't just shovel that crap in? I suppose it would matter if the chips are dry or not. I would think they would dry out rather quickly being all chipped up. Probably more of a hassle then its worth. Just curious...

 

[Tennman]

Yeah, the BioMass 60 has about a 2" diameter glass viewing port right in the middle of the lower door. Since I don't have storage yet and can't run wide open it's invaluable for us "non-lambda" guys to gage the health of the burn.

EBU, My interest in following this post is that frankly you lambda guys seem to be like the Garn folks. Show up, do the research, ask some questions, pick a Garn, Froling, Effecta, Vigas, etc, check in to say all's good and... see ya. Hard to gage the satisfaction level between those examples above for someone who may be considering an upgrade in his future because it appears everyone's happy! To me it reflects a maturing market from when I started my research over 4 years ago. But there is clearly an emerging price/performance/risk strata quite different from just 4-5 years ago when the smart, low-risk choice was the EKO. Cheers

 

[kopeck]

My Tarm has a sight glass in the bottom chamber, that isn't the norm?

I know a lot of guys like to open the door and peak in during gasifcation. I've found that doing that on my boiler tends to disrupt gasifcation. Peak through the sight glass though and the old girl is cranking!

K

 

[maple1]

My Tarm has a sight glass in the bottom chamber, that isn't the norm?

I know a lot of guys like to open the door and peak in during gasifcation. I've found that doing that on my boiler tends to disrupt gasifcation. Peak through the sight glass though and the old girl is cranking!

K

If I shut all the lights off in my basement after dark, mine casts a slight glow on the basement floor via the sight glass (which also doubles as the secondary air adjustment flapper thing).

It really is hypnotizing.

 

[mikefrommaine]

I'm probably one of the few people who have owned and operated both a non-lambda controlled and lambda controlled boiler. My first boiler was an EKO40 which I operated for two years in northern Michigan. My second (and final boiler) is an Effecta Lambda 35kW. I am on my 3rd winter with this boiler and just love it. It is certainly one of the best performing and best looking wood gasification boilers on the market today and would highly recommend anyone looking at purchasing a wood boiler to check these boilers out.

Thats pretty much the sales pitch Id expect considering you sell effecta's.

 

[mikefrommaine]

Yeah, the BioMass 60 has about a 2" diameter glass viewing port right in the middle of the lower door. Since I don't have storage yet and can't run wide open it's invaluable for us "non-lambda" guys to gage the health of the burn.

EBU, My interest in following this post is that frankly you lambda guys seem to be like the Garn folks. Show up, do the research, ask some questions, pick a Garn, Froling, Effecta, Vigas, etc, check in to say all's good and... see ya. Hard to gage the satisfaction level between those examples above for someone who may be considering an upgrade in his future because it appears everyone's happy! To me it reflects a maturing market from when I started my research over 4 years ago. But there is clearly an emerging price/performance/risk strata quite different from just 4-5 years ago when the smart, low-risk choice was the EKO. Cheers

I think it's hard to make judgments about any brand based on the small sample size here. All of hearth.com has ~24k registered users. The majority of which dont post in the boiler room. The pellet pigs have a forum 2x the size of the boiler room. So the sample size is modest.

Not saying its happening here. But it would be very easy for a mfr to create "users" to praise there products or pay for people to post positively about their product. It happened to amazon, Google 'Todd Jason Rutherford'.' People who show up for a short time and post positive reviews are a little suspect to me. Just the nature of the internet. Some of the new dealers would be highly motivated as this forum is a cheap way to get their name out in what is becoming a crowded marketplace.

 

[kopeck]

Thats pretty much the sales pitch Id expect considering you sell effecta's.

Yeah...He does have have the experience with both which is valuable and some what unique but it really did turn into a sales pitch.

That and we all know the Tarm Solo Innova is the best looking boiler on the market. I do wish it had racing stripes though.

K

 

[maineDIY]

Just one more assurance that lighting a gasifier takes very little fuss or time. With forced draft it's really not a problem.

If there's no chance you'll be getting natural gas service, or you're otherwise buying fuel, or you don't think 'free' wood is inexpensive, don't overlook the coal boiler option. A boiler and a full ten year supply of bagged coal would run about $15k. That's all your heating needs out of the way for ten years with no wood to purchase, season, or handle. Bagged coal stores indefinitely, but you do need to keep the plastic bags themselves out of the sun.

Is disposal of the cinders from coal burning a management problem?

 

[nrcrash]

I think it's hard to make judgments about any brand based on the small sample size here. All of hearth.com has ~24k registered users. The majority of which dont post in the boiler room. The pellet pigs have a forum 2x the size of the boiler room. So the sample size is modest.

Not saying its happening here. But it would be very easy for a mfr to create "users" to praise there products or pay for people to post positively about their product. It happened to amazon, Google 'Todd Jason Rutherford'.' People who show up for a short time and post positive reviews are a little suspect to me. Just the nature of the internet. Some of the new dealers would be highly motivated as this forum is a cheap way to get their name out in what is becoming a crowded marketplace.

Even I've been accused of being a Vigas dealer! Guess I just like my boiler too much!

A viewing window would be nice on the Vigas just for my entertainment. But thats about all it would serve as, with the lambda controls if my flue temps are up I know I am gassifing.

 

[mr.fixit]

If I shut all the lights off in my basement after dark, mine casts a slight glow on the basement floor via the sight glass (which also doubles as the secondary air adjustment flapper thing).

It really is hypnotizing.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one sitting alone and watching a wood boiler!

 

[kopeck]

I think it's hard to make judgments about any brand based on the small sample size here. All of hearth.com has ~24k registered users. The majority of which dont post in the boiler room. The pellet pigs have a forum 2x the size of the boiler room. So the sample size is modest.

Not saying its happening here. But it would be very easy for a mfr to create "users" to praise there products or pay for people to post positively about their product. It happened to amazon, Google 'Todd Jason Rutherford'.' People who show up for a short time and post positive reviews are a little suspect to me. Just the nature of the internet. Some of the new dealers would be highly motivated as this forum is a cheap way to get their name out in what is becoming a crowded marketplace.

I think you make a good point here. Ultimately all the gasifcation units talked about on here accomplish the same thing. A boiler is rated at an output at a certain efficiency. It maybe an over simplification on my part but that efficiency = performance, that is how well it turns wood into heat. Every indoor gasser I looked at was 80% efficient or better. The lambda were at the high end for obvious reasons but event then that was around 90%. I also remember reading somewhere that 90% was pretty much the best you could do with wood, no amount of boiler magic is going to get you above that.

As far as plants go on here, maybe who knows. I would kind of doubt it, I mean we have some folks who clearly are dealers but they're pretty easy to pick out.

We can also only really speak about what we know too. You have a Biomass and like it, I have a Tarm and like it, some one else has a Froling or a Vigas. We all picked them for a reason so naturally we're going to support the product we picked that is unless that product let us down. That being said they all have their up and downs but if your house it warm then something is working right!

K

 

[stupe]

I think you make a good point here. Ultimately all the gasifcation units talked about on here accomplish the same thing. A boiler is rated at an output at a certain efficiency. It maybe an over simplification on my part but that efficiency = performance, that is how well it turns wood into heat. Every indoor gasser I looked at was 80% efficient or better. The lambda were at the high end for obvious reasons but event then that was around 90%. I also remember reading somewhere that 90% was pretty much the best you could do with wood, no amount of boiler magic is going to get you above that.

As far as plants go on here, maybe who knows. I would kind of doubt it, I mean we have some folks who clearly are dealers but they're pretty easy to pick out.

We can also only really speak about what we know too. You have a Biomass and like it, I have a Tarm and like it, some one else has a Froling or a Vigas. We all picked them for a reason so naturally we're going to support the product we picked that is unless that product let us down. That being said they all have their up and downs but if your house it warm then something is working right!

K

Your pretty much right. I've been researching indoor wood boilers for about 5 years before I finally pulled the trigger on a Vigas. There were a couple of reasons I went with the Vigas; for one, the design is incredibly simple. Almost every part on the thing (right down to the door hinges) are something you could fabricate yourself or buy at a hardware store. I suppose the control board is unique but I'm sure you could find something similar. The second thing is build quality. It seems second to none.

But the MAIN reason I bought it was because I wanted to buy from a distributer that was somewhat local to my area and had the know-how to provide excellent service and support. I smart enough to know that I don't know! So through the recommendations of some folks on here, I made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Mark's "mad scientist compound" to check out what he's got. Anyone who's been there knows what I mean. The guy is absolutely fascinating to talk to. Anyway, after I left I was ready to buy 3 boilers. I knew I was buying from the right guy. All the gassers work pretty much the same way, and yeah I could have found something cheaper, but at the end of the day you get what you pay for, and that includes service. The Vigas may not look like a fancy new refrigerator like some boilers, but it works.

 

[mikefrommaine]

Yeah...He does have have the experience with both which is valuable and some what unique but it really did turn into a sales pitch.

That and we all know the Tarm Solo Innova is the best looking boiler on the market. I do wish it had racing stripes though.

K

Some dealers are upfront about who they are, others not so much.

Most of these boilers are pretty much the same. Effecta boiler user would probably have a hard time competing with more established brands without his lambda control. So obviously he is going to tout its benifits. The way he does it as a 'user' without making his intent clear is what i find questionable.

 

[JP11]

The way he does it as a 'user' without making his intent clear is what i find questionable.

Don't feel like the lone ranger. I had the same reaction. of COURSE the dealer's got the best thing since sliced bread. I tell people I like what i BOUGHT. I've invited a few to come by and look at it... share the knowledge. I've learned so much from this site. To think of the dumb ideas I had two years ago.

As for chips.. I bet that big pile o chips is REALLY wet chips in the middle. Even if it's clean.. I don't think it would be worth the hassle.

JP

 

[nwomatt]

I just sent a bank draft to a dealer in southern Ontario for the purchase of a Vigas 60. should get it in the next few weeks. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. After reading these comments I feel pretty good about my decision. I to have been reading for years trying to decide. Vigas it is. Will definitely be on here lots from now until fire time.

 

[flyingcow]

I just sent a bank draft to a dealer in southern Ontario for the purchase of a Vigas 60. should get it in the next few weeks. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. After reading these comments I feel pretty good about my decision. I to have been reading for years trying to decide. Vigas it is. Will definitely be on here lots from now until fire time.

You did well. Get ready to rock on in the gasser world. set back and ride.