Looking at purchasing an Indoor Wood Boiler

[RobC]

Let's all try to play nice the sand box isn't that big......
Rob

 

[Bill1472]

Where do you get a propane tank,and about how much? in northern michigan .Do you know the size off hand?

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

Bill; They seem to run from about $200.00 to $500.00. Most members use the 500 gallon size. If you are able to stand them upright so much the better, they work well horizontal too, Randy

 

[WoodNotOil]

Where do you get a propane tank,and about how much? in northern michigan .Do you know the size off hand?

Try contacting your local propane dealers and salvage yard to find them. There are a few heating companies that will sell them already modified for use in heating systems. AHONA is one, Smokeless Heat does too. I am sure there are others as well. A propane tank will need some modifications to be used as storage, so weight the cost of buying and modifying yourself against buying one that is already modified. Either way it is still way less money than buying the commercial storage options...

 

[Hunderliggur]

Bill - I seriously considred one of the flexible tanks or building my own until I looked at the life expectancy of the liners at high (>180F) temps. I think my steel propane tanks will well outlive any liner tank. I had not thought of vertical mounting, just make it is securd VERY well. 2 tons of water in a tank falling over will cause damage.

 

[Northwoodsman]

Where do you get a propane tank,and about how much? in northern michigan .Do you know the size off hand?

Bill,

These tanks are readily available in northern MI.

Please call me at 231-342-3271 for more info.

Thanks,

NWM

 

[muncybob]

How many contributors to this forum have 10 years experience operating a Wood Gun? I'm not a guy that's running on autopilot, not aware of what's going on around me. I do analyze problems and make corrections when I'm able to do so.
As far a I can see, there have been no appreciable design changes in the Wood Gun since I bought mine. The air leaks came from the door gaskets which were continually eroding and were almost impossible to keep up with.
It's interesting that when I was replacing center bricks, they were $200.00. It was reported recently that they are now selling for $134.00 and now I see above that they are $100.00. Pretty soon they'll be giving them away.

10 years on the WG post improvements??? Not possible since the improvements are less than 10 yrs old, but I would like to know how often you went through door gaskets. Also interested to know if you have first hand knowledge of the new & improved WG. I'm not doubting anything that's been said by anybody here, just trying to put things into context. For instance, if anybody based their thoughts on the Eko boilers from the gasket problem era you would think it's a boiler to steer clear of but knowing from many users that the gaskets are "new & improved" should keep that boiler on anybody's short list?
It does not matter to me what anybody purchases but it should be clear if comments made on current design/materials are derived from current owners/usage.

 

[Bill1472]

do any of the boilers have issues when loading wood being positive pressure,
do they smoke when the door is opened, do the fans shut down when the door is opened a little
is there any issue with smoke at any time, door seals, are there any issues with the refrectory tubes on the econoburn
i know that they need to be replaced every so often, how much are they, how hard are they to change. Once a year/five years?

 

[Fred61]

How many contributors to this forum have 10 years experience operating a Wood Gun? I'm not a guy that's running on autopilot, not aware of what's going on around me. I do analyze problems and make corrections when I'm able to do so.
As far a I can see, there have been no appreciable design changes in the Wood Gun since I bought mine. The air leaks came from the door gaskets which were continually eroding and were almost impossible to keep up with.
It's interesting that when I was replacing center bricks, they were $200.00. It was reported recently that they are now selling for $134.00 and now I see above that they are $100.00. Pretty soon they'll be giving them away.

10 years on the WG post improvements??? Not possible since the improvements are less than 10 yrs old, but I would like to know how often you went through door gaskets. Also interested to know if you have first hand knowledge of the new & improved WG. I'm not doubting anything that's been said by anybody here, just trying to put things into context. For instance, if anybody based their thoughts on the Eko boilers from the gasket problem era you would think it's a boiler to steer clear of but knowing from many users that the gaskets are "new & improved" should keep that boiler on anybody's short list?
It does not matter to me what anybody purchases but it should be clear if comments made on current design/materials are derived from current owners/usage.

No, my Wood Gun would have had old door gasketing. I'm not familiar with the door gasket improvements so I must apologize for my statement that there have been no improvements. My door gaskets had a fiber material with a thick overlay of high temperature silicone rubber which would continually erode. I had the 140 model which meant that I had a few more inches of gasket than you have on the 100. The only place the gaskets didn't erode was behind the smoke plate. How are the gaskets made now?
I have an Eko from the gasket problem era but I don't have leaks. I believe the design of the doors provides a labyrinth that protects the door gasket from direct heat whereas my Wood Gun had flat poured refractory at the same level as the gasket. Also I believe the doors were a direct target for the the hot flame. The experiences I have posted about my adventures with the wood gun were posted to help any potential buyers. If the sales people can convince a customer that the improvements have solved past problems that's fine.

 

[Bill1472]

does anyone have the dimensions of a 500gal propane tank?

 

[leaddog]

does anyone have the dimensions of a 500gal propane tank?

Most 500gal tanks are 37in x 10ft.
There are a few that are about 44x8ft but they are hard to come by.
I have several 500gal for sale here in west mich.
leaddog

 

[muncybob]

Fred, I'm not sure what has changed on the gaskets as your description seems to fit what are on the doors now(5/8 inch high density fiberglass rope). I don't recall exactly what they said they had changed in that area. The doors are adjustable. I can only speak from a relatively short time but so far so good. The air inlet flap was improved and as long as you keep the gasket clean(part of the weekly cleaning routine with a little soap & water) it seems to work fine. I am impressed with the efficiency though as our temps have been below average this winter and I've used less wood than I expected esp. since some of the oak was not as seasoned (30%)as I had hoped.

Bill, regarding smoke on the WG: I removed the smoke shield as it seemed to get in the way of loading. With it reinstalled I rarely get smoke out the door when loading. It also helps to only load wood when it's basically just hot coals(part of the "learning curve"). The fan on the WG runs continually while in burn mode and shuts off once up to operating temp. The only other smoke issue I had was before I sealed all the seams on the flu pipes. We no longer have any smoke smell in the house...and only a faint smell in the basement where the boiler is located.

 

[Andrey]

Hi, I’m new to gasification (I have fireplace insert in my house) and my house is split level (4 levels) and with insert, I have 80 degree in kitchen but 65 in my master bedroom. So I start looking into gasification boilers (have free wood) and find one person locally selling new Greenwood 100 for $3500 and 200 model for $4500. I have 4000 sq ft house.
Is $3500 are good price for the 100 model unit or I should go to Tarm or EKO?
Thanks.

 

[WoodNotOil]

Andrey

I would do a little more reading here before taking the plunge. I think Greenwood went out of business and if I'm not mistaken they are just a copy of a Seton anyway. Both are built in a different way from downdraft gasifiers like the Tarm and Eko. To size your boiler you will need to do a heatloss calc (http://www.builditsolar.com/References/Calculators/HeatLoss/HeatLoss.htm) and then determine whether you want storage right off or not. If you plan to do storage now or in the future, it is a good idea to oversize the boiler just a little so that you would be able to meet demand and charge storage at the same time. Another way to determine size of boiler and storage is to figure out how much time per day you want to spend burning wood and size both to be the most convenient for you time. There are some here that have several thousand gallons of storage and can light fires whenever their time allows. I would suggest doing the heatloss calc, reading more threads, and then posting your own thread with the information about your situation and ask for suggestions then. Good luck!