How loud are the gasification boilers

[arngnick]

I took a tour with Dean from Smokeless. That VB50 looks pretty neat. I bet it's REALLY quiet

ac

It is! No fan noises at all just a little rumble when you get a good fire going. I was concerned about the natural draft because my chimney was borderline but I am not sure I would go any other way...if I did I would investigate a lambda boiler that offered a negative draft setup.

 

[avc8130]

It is! No fan noises at all just a little rumble when you get a good fire going. I was concerned about the natural draft because my chimney was borderline but I am not sure I would go any other way...if I did I would investigate a lambda boiler that offered a negative draft setup.

I saw the Lambda in operation in person. Similar noise level to my Wood Gun except every now and then you could hear the stepper motors making minor adjustments to the air intake. Pretty nifty.

ac

 

[Gasifier]

All these different, nice boilers. They are kind of like tractors to me in a way. I wish I could own several different kinds.

 

[arngnick]

All these different, nice boilers. They are kind of like tractors to me in a way. I wish I could own several different kinds.

I agree....but you would still have a favorite

 

[infinitymike]

Here's live footage of a WG in operation and what it sounds like.

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[infinitymike]

You woud add some "exceptions" to that statement if you were in the same room as a Wood Gun.

That's right you would say the exception is that the wood gun is exceptionally quiet

 

[Jake in BC]

Jake, does the 250 have the same fan as the 100?[/quote]


Bob, my fan is, unlike yours, belt driven by a 1/2 HP motor. This must be the reason for the noise level which can be experienced throughout the three story home.

 

[avc8130]

Jake, does the 250 have the same fan as the 100?

Bob, my fan is, unlike yours, belt driven by a 1/2 HP motor. This must be the reason for the noise level which can be experienced throughout the three story home.[/quote]

I'm not sure the belt drive should be louder. When I was shopping for whole house fans (ventilation), the belt drives were marketed as superior since they were quieter.

The 250 is quite the monster. I don't think they usually market that towards residential do they?

ac

 

[muncybob]

Wow! Throughout the entire home??? Has it been that way since day# 1? I guess the direct drive fans are entirely different. The manual says to expct to replace a bearing after 15 cords or so and I keep expecting to hear a tell tale noise warning me to do so, but after nearly 19 cords I'm still runnng the original. I wonder if a direct drive fan can be installed on the 250?

 

[JP11]

I can JUST hear my vigas on the other side of the door from the boiler area. Disclaimer.. it is a regular external door. I can't hear it at all in the room above it.

I can hear the oil boiler if it's running.. It's a beckett AFG.

So my vigas is much quieter than the oil boiler.

JP

 

[muncybob]

Fred, regarding the "underground"....the vast majority of the comments there are just chat about local conditions, weather, trucks, etc. Most of the "issues" have been aired in the open forum so it's not like any situations are being hid from the forum members. While I know you have a fair amount of experience with burning wood it is sometimes irritating when blanket statements are made from former experiences with units that are not the quite the same as today. It appears these aren't your daddy's (or your) Wood Gun.
The vast majority of wood boilers have there own quirks and it would appear that thanks to this forum most of these situations have been worked around to the satisfaction of the unit's owners.

 

[Fred61]

Fred, regarding the "underground"....the vast majority of the comments there are just chat about local conditions, weather, trucks, etc. Most of the "issues" have been aired in the open forum so it's not like any situations are being hid from the forum members. While I know you have a fair amount of experience with burning wood it is sometimes irritating when blanket statements are made from former experiences with units that are not the quite the same as today. It appears these aren't your daddy's (or your) Wood Gun.
The vast majority of wood boilers have there own quirks and it would appear that thanks to this forum most of these situations have been worked around to the satisfaction of the unit's owners.

Up until now my warnings have been quite accurate as to the problems that have been afflicting Wood Gun operators and I hope that for your sake and for the sake of other owners that there are no more problems than the ones that have been experienced so far. The motor on my 140 appeared to be 1/3 larger in diameter than the ones I see in the photos on this site and have caught my attention. I was describing what mine sounded like. I'm not wishing any ill will on the present owners of Wood Guns. After going through hell with mine, I just get a sinking feeling when I hear of another person proposing to purchase and install a new unit. It's seems like alot of money to pay for 20 years of hell. I just want to raise a flag and report my experiences. Perhaps I'm using the wrong word to describe my experiences with the Wood Gun.
I don't know what hell is like. I often think I can find out though. I spend alot of time at the hospital waiting for cancer treatment and when waiting I see mothers pushing crippled children and babies in the mall area. I often think that I could find out what hell is like by just asking one of them. I guess that puts the Wood Gun problems in the "I guess I'm pretty lucky" column.

 

[infinitymike]

I don't know what hell is like. I often think I can find out though. I spend alot of time at the hospital waiting for cancer treatment and when waiting I see mothers pushing crippled children and babies in the mall area. I often think that I could find out what hell is like by just asking one of them. I guess that puts the Wood Gun problems in the "I guess I'm pretty lucky" column.

fred, thank you for sharing what you are going through. I hope you get well and that you can be an inspiration to those still suffering in the hospital.
You are right, ALL of our wood burning issues are just that, issues. They are not life threatening and in the grand scheme of life, meaningless.
Health and Blessings

 

[avc8130]

My Becket oil burner with its gear oil pump is louder than my wood gun electric motor. I realized last night that most of the "noise" I hear from MY Wood Gun is actually the air being sucked into the intake and not the motor or fan.

ac

 

[Jake in BC]

The 250 is quite the monster. I don't think they usually market that towards residential do they?

ac

It is indeed a monster! I needed a back-hoe to unload it (1.4 ton) from the delivery truck and just barely got it through the basement door. The size serves me well, though:

• I like the 46'' long fire box, which means less cuts in a given log, when I'm cutting firewood.
• I only had to run it every second day for three hours this winter. It created enough stored heat for the second day. (My home is well insulated).
• I can also heat a 16' x 40' greenhouse with it.

 

[Jake in BC]

Wow! Throughout the entire home??? Has it been that way since day# 1?

The noise level of the WG 250 was high from day 1. Part of the problem is not the 1/2 HP motor itself. It's the high volume of air which makes the double walled smoke tube vibrate and creates whistling and other sounds.

 

[infinitymike]

46" firebox! Geez Louise!
Do you split them? What type if splitter do you have.
And dang those have to be heavy splits.

It's not reasonable to compare a WG 250 to any other boiler.
It's a commercial sized unit and should be expected to be make a little noise.
I mean c'mon the thing is an incinerator for Gods sake.

 

[Jake in BC]

46" firebox! Geez Louise!
Do you split them? What type if splitter do you have.
And dang those have to be heavy splits.

Small diameter trees and the upper, thinner parts of bigger (dead) trees won't be split. Only big diameter tree parts will be cut shorter. I split them on a electric splitter directly in the basement.
Yes, Mike, you are right, if I wouldn't cut the thicker ones shorter, they would be too heavy!