Indoor or Outdoor Boiler to Heat Garage?

[dook]

The garage and house will be off grid solar PV with backup generator. There isn't much sunshine in Western Montana in the winter, I'm still evaluating the feasibility of passive solar heat, but so far it doesn't look good. Maybe 30 or 40 hours a month sunshine Dec thru Feb.
At my current place, I made shop windows by taking a 4' x 8' x 1/8" clear acrylic sheet and cutting it in 3 equal pieces 1" space in between to make a triple pane window . Works a lot better than glass windows but may not last as long.

 

[StihlHead]

Thanks, Stihlhead,
If I can't find a good used boiler when I get ready to do this, I just might go that route. When you say I shouldn't need more than 150 gallons, do you mean not including a storage tank?

Yes. Most OWBs have water storage in the boiler itself, and typically it is above the firebox. One advantage (or disadvantage, depending on how you look at them) is that the typical OWB does not require a separate water storage tank. The indoor Eko gasser that was priced above requires a separate water storage tank (Eko sells a 490 gallon steel tank for $3k). The CB priced above does not need a separate water storage tank and it holds 150 gallons in the boiler. There are a variety of designs for these systems though. Many types of gasifiers and OWBs have a water tank local to the boiler and a copper coil loop inside filled with a separate water supply loop to/from the area being heated. The CBs do not have a copper coil in them and the boiler water is cycled through the outside loop. They can be set up to either pump the boiler water to heat a separate hydronic floor loop through a Hx, or they can be set up to pump the boiler water directly into the hydronic floor loop using a mixing valve to temper the heat.

 

[maple1]

I'm pretty sure the Ekos are being run without storage by some people, and used propane tanks make very economical storage in various sizes. Attacks are also quite economical, not much more than the Ekos, and they are also being run without storage.

I'll defer to Eko & Attack owners though if they want to chime in...

 

[flyingcow]

Tarm, econoburn,vigas, woodgun,Eko,etc. There are a lot of units that don't need storage when they burn. Some specific units require storage, but I think most do not. Storage is more for convince than anything else. Helps efficiency a few % points. It's all a learning curve as how to burn properly, no mater what you have for a boiler.

 

[goosegunner]

Yes. Most OWBs have water storage in the boiler itself, and typically it is above the firebox. One advantage (or disadvantage, depending on how you look at them) is that the typical OWB does not require a separate water storage tank. The indoor Eko gasser that was priced above requires a separate water storage tank (Eko sells a 490 gallon steel tank for $3k). The CB priced above does not need a separate water storage tank and it holds 150 gallons in the boiler. There are a variety of designs for these systems though. Many types of gasifiers and OWBs have a water tank local to the boiler and a copper coil loop inside filled with a separate water supply loop to/from the area being heated. The CBs do not have a copper coil in them and the boiler water is cycled through the outside loop. They can be set up to either pump the boiler water to heat a separate hydronic floor loop through a Hx, or they can be set up to pump the boiler water directly into the hydronic floor loop using a mixing valve to temper the heat.

You wouldn't happen to sell OWB's would you? Seems like most of your postings are written to tell how great they are compared to indoor boilers. With a lot of miss information about how indoor boilers function.

I ran my Econoburn without storage for the first year. It worked well during the bulk of the winter. I would load with amount of wood I needed and it will idle on and off. During the shoulder season creosote will build more easily.

I now run with storage. I can run it in the summer the same as the winter. It burns everything to a fine ash, creosote is not an issue. I use it to heat my pool in the summer, it burns smoke free.

I had a Taylor 450 OWB. It was fine but smoked a lot except when down to coals. It was embarrassing the amount of smoke it would produce at times in the sky. Did not bother distant neighbors but I did not like it. The country side here has many owb's. The valleys many times will have a nice blue smoke haze, brand does not seem to matter.

gg

 

[StihlHead]

Why is it here that any time I post ANYTHING about ANYTHING, everyone thinks I am a salesman or somehow involved in the products I post about here? Be is a chainsaw, a BBQ grill, OWB, or whatever? I mean, what is it with you people that everything and anything is somehow construed to be a giant conspiracy??? I am NOT a salesman for any type of OWB, or wood heating appliance. I do not even have an OWB any more. If you read my byline, you will see that I had an OWB at my ex's place and I have 2 wood stoves here.

I have an OPINION....the OP asked questions about this stuff, and I answered. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I must either be completely wrong about everything, or I am a salesman, or otherwise invested in selling some product that I happen to post about here.

I give up. The anti-OWB paradigm is just too strong in this place, and if you wanna talk about dis-information, then just look at the many posts made by the state of New York or New England environmental agencies. Or the EPA... As I am obviously wrong about everything, and I must be getting paid to waste my time responding to posts like this.

What a joke...

 

[flyingcow]

Why is it here that any time I post ANYTHING about ANYTHING, everyone thinks I am a salesman or somehow involved in the products I post about here? Be is a chainsaw, a BBQ grill, OWB, or whatever? I mean, what is it with you people that everything and anything is somehow construed to be a giant conspiracy??? I am NOT a salesman for any type of OWB, or wood heating appliance. I do not even have an OWB any more. If you read my byline, you will see that I had an OWB at my ex's place and I have 2 wood stoves here.

I have an OPINION....the OP asked questions about this stuff, and I answered. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I must either be completely wrong about everything, or I am a salesman, or otherwise invested in selling some product that I happen to post about here.

I give up. The anti-OWB paradigm is just too strong in this place, and if you wanna talk about dis-information, then just look at the many posts made by the state of New York or New England environmental agencies. Or the EPA... As I am obviously wrong about everything, and I must be getting paid to waste my time responding to posts like this.

What a joke...

Statements like this makes us wonder......The indoor Eko gasser that was priced above requires a separate water storage tank (Eko sells a 490 gallon steel tank for $3k). The CB priced above does not need a separate water storage tank and it holds 150 gallons in the boiler.

Eko.....has never needed storage.

 

[maple1]

I don't really see anything wrong with people supplying information in one post to correct misinformation in another. That's kind of a part of what makes this place so good - a big learning experience. I've been corrected many times and don't think I've ever felt like melting down about it.

(Also seemed pretty apparent to me the salesman comment was a joke).

 

[Como]

I think it is is to fair to say that any wood burning Boiler system works better with storage.