Pellet Boiler Windhager BioWin2 262 install

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For the moment, of this initial post, this will be somewhat preliminary with 'more to follow' - I have sent payment paid for the Windhager BioWin2 262 pellet boiler that I will be buying and installing. Marc Caluwe has been terrific to deal with. I have deferred delivery of the Windhager for a bit so I can get more of my existing system out of the way (not a small undertaking, with a near one ton mass of a wood gasification boiler in an old house basement).

Posting here in the Boiler Room rather than over in 'Pellet Mill' since this is going to be boiler-centric and the Boiler Room seems to be center of mass for 'things hydronic.'

I've gotten the Windhager manuals from Marc, following my sending payment, and have begun to avidly read.

I have to say that if it were not strikingly clear that this device is exceptionally well engineered, by what is clearly a very well established company, the level of sophistication would concern me. I live in a house that was automatically "Y2K ready" because everything was (and much still is) so obsolete (gravity-delivered spring for my water, etc.) that "just living" could proceed to some degree if we slid back a century- and that level of accessible, user-fix-able technology is what I am drawn to.

But the manuals for the Windhager (60+ pages for the boiler installation manual and 70 pages for the "smarts" that run it) also show exceptional attention to detail. I have only seen one Windhager in person so far and it was only briefly, but reading the manuals - and the one I saw in person exuded quality of design and construction - if a Porsche and a Pinzgauer had an offspring and it was a boiler, I think it would be a Windhager. I looked into (read detail-level manuals and etc.) of a range of makes and quality levels of pellet boilers, ranging from MBTEK (looks like you might be able to fix it with a hammer, but might need to get out your hammer more than rarely), to Windhager. I have no financial interest, just an owner-to-be. I am _not_ bashing Tarm or any of the other quality options. For me I like that the Windhager's sophistication stops short of an O2 sensor, maybe it's just my vestiges of liking living in an obsolete-ly Y2K ready house.

More to follow as I start to have various componentry, large and small, come in for a landing (including but not only 2 buffer tanks) and start to plan and refine additional details, and then start attaching things together. Not sure of what the precise timing and pace will be, except a very strong goal to be sure by serious need-to-heat-weather that I can be burning pellets, not oil.

 

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Interim report #1: Expansion Tank(s)

I'd been originally thinking I could use a 33 gallon expansion tank with around 12-13 gallons 'acceptance' capacity. Mark C. suggested I go for something in the 40+ gallon range. I'm going to follow that advice.

Boy does the cost climb, fast, in that particular next increment. I found an 81 gallon expansion tank, which I could actually fit in my space, for less cost, delivered, than a 44 gallon tank. I think it was some kind of leftover inventory. But it'd be a beast to move/install [actually, easy, compared to some of what I already have to move, but, I am trying to not expand the big-object-wrangling too much further if I can help it] But I also found a deal, on Zoro.com, for 20 gallon Flexcon tanks, at a price that is actually less, delivered. even multiplied by 3, than a single 33 gallon. I have some vertical space limits but not as many horizontal space limits.

Ordered the 3x 20 gallon Flexcon tanks. So I am going to have a little 3x "tank farm" for my expansion tank. Will probably put valves and unions on each 20 gallon tank, so as to be able to isolate and replace, but keep the overall system going in the meantime, if at any point, I start having issues with any one of the expansion tanks leaking (hopefully, not for a very long time, but not bad to have the option).

I am definitely finding some options to reduce some of the cost of quality components by scouring places like eBay and reputable surplus sources, for things that are actually just a bit larger or 'higher end' than usual residential stuff, which, when up for sale in single units of "open box" are coming in at lower cost than mid-grade residential parts.

 

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Expansion tanks, continued ... Well, that didn't go so well with Zoro. After taking my money over the weekend, for the trio of medium-size expansion tanks, displayed "in stock" at a crazy good price, that I was going to connect, manifold-style, in parallel, to have adequate 'acceptance volume', and, after I passed on a good price on Monday AM on another source/price for a good tank... Zoro sent me a generic email Monday PM, that landed in my spam filter, saying that they can no longer obtain the item. Went looking at lunch today in my email for some indication of whether anything had shipped, and found the "very generic 'you lose' email" in my spam box. I just reverted back to "Plan B" which was something I'd found previously, which is an 81 gallon Flexcon expansion tank with around 33 gallons acceptance volume. Flexcon seems to rate their % acceptance volume more conservatively than some more-publicized makes; they also seem to aim into commercial not consumer channels, hopefully those are favorable indicators. The 81 gallon is at a price, delivered, that is lower than what would be normal pricing for something that would be a lot more mid-scale in volume [but still not negligible cost, and still well more than the plan of the manifold-ed trio from Zoro) Thankfully, horizontal real estate (but not vertical) is pretty unconstrained for my install. I found a place that had two of the 81 gallon size, on hand [but I am only buying one]. I expect that the 81 gallon size is probably way bigger than most residential installs and way below most commercial installs, which seems to explain how the 81 gallon was up for sale at way under the MSRP. I will not have an undersized expansion tank.

PS, Along with Marc offering me abundant information and support 1:1, anytime I email him to learn/plan, he very clearly follows this forum and has made a couple of mentions to me 1:1 even based on my posts here. Cannot ask for product/customer support better than that.

 

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Interim Report #2 - Barometric Damper/ Draft Regulator

Windhager's install literature shows and recommends installation of a Barometric Damper/ Draft Regulator.

With my "past adventures" with a cordwood gasification boiler, I'd used a standard USA-type 'Field Controls' regulator, which was well made, and, for its main function, did what it was supposed to do.

However, the US-style draft regulator's pivoting weighted disc is "very not closed" around its edges (this seems to be the design of any of the US draft regulators I found, not just Field Controls). During certain burn conditions, my gasification boiler would have a periodic 'whoomp' of pressure in the exhaust stack, as the flame caught up with a momentary excess of burnable vapors. Apparently this -not constant but not rare- 'whoomp' 'goes with the territory' with the wood boiler I had (maybe others, not sure). And my gasification boiler also emitted rather major amounts of very fine fly ash into the flue pipe, which kinda hung out in the flue pipe. This added up to those 'whoomp' events being exceptionally effective ejections of highly airborne fly ash around the edges of my barometric damper, causing both the immediate area (to very major extents), and, to some extent, my entire cellar (and even my house) to be a target zone for fine fly ash.

Never, ever, again, was one of the things I decided, even if I have to skip a draft regulator and lose a bit of efficiency by having excess draft under some conditions. Windhager probably is so well controlled it won't do the 'whoomp' ... but ... never again

Thankfully, I found a product designed with this in mind. Theoretically distributed in the USA but I wasn't finding much in the way of actual USA sources.
(broken link removed)

Found some Euro sellers. Pricey, even after subtracting VAT but then adding shipping.

Found a source in Germany, industrial recovery/surplus place, that had them at a good price
(broken link removed to https://www.lagerwerk.com/cn/machinery-parts/parts/21927/kutzner-weber-10034533-z-150-draught-regulator-10-35pa)

Got one. Shipping not as cheap as I wish - but "all in" cost to my door still no worse than what I'd probably pay for a US one that might cause me the dust ejection issues. Arrived rapidly. Elegant design and workmanship and arrived in good condition.

PS, there's a K+W model that is even more deluxe than what I got, with gasketing around the edge of the opening. I am going to hope that this is already so much of an improvement over the usual US type, plus the sophisticated controls of my Windhager, that it will hopefully keep me away from airborne ash

 

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So, there has been a lot of activity since my last post, of sourcing various "ancillary hardware" and moving some big items, but not much time, between those efforts and the 'day job' to post very much here.

Here is the "goodbye" photo for my old cordwood gasifier, which is going to the new home of a friend & neighbor who is an immense help with a lot of what I am doing. For him, it will replace a non-gasification boiler. This boiler I am saying goodbye to is a circa 2008 Econoburn. There are a variety of ways in which I was pleased with and impressed by it, but also a few distinct frustrations. But any of that is a different discussion than what I want to focus on in this Windhager install thread. Getting all 1800 pounds of Econoburn out of my below grade old house cellar was ... an undertaking, and I was very glad for the skillful help from my friend & neighbor.

 

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Here is #2 of two 119 gallon tanks, newly sourced for the Winhager install, moving across the yard, to go "down the hatch" - the next photo, separate post, will be of it going down the hatch. Took _A LOT_ of planning but thanks to the great help of the friend & neighbor, and my wonderfully understanding/enthusiastic/adaptable/helpful girlfriend, pulling the Econoburn and getting the two 119 gallon tanks, unscratched, into my below grade cellar, took only about 3.5 hours of concentrated "do it"

 

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"Down the hatch" onto a waiting pallet jack, of the tank #2 of two, of the 119 gallon tanks. There wasn't much room to to spare in any direction of avoiding something bashing into something pretty severely, but, thanks to sweating a bunch of details in advance and _especially_ some great help from the friend & neighbor, and my girlfriend, there was literally not a scratch on anyone or anything. My house is kind of a relic but thankfully the whole basement has a concrete floor and the area that the Windhager and these two 119 gallon tanks will be installed, also has a poured concrete foundation.

 

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Sourcing of the two 119 gallon tanks:

I checked various makes and suppliers and prices.

Marc Caluwe, as in all my other interactions, was great to deal with about the specs, measurements, and pricing, of 119 gallon tanks that I could potentially get from Marc as the US importer of Windhager.

My install has substantial horizontal real estate but very constrained vertical real estate (both where they need to land/operate, and some space to have to move them through between the outdoor hatch and their final location). Marc's tanks looked superb, and had a lot of really versatile options, and were a good value, but were a height that would be a super close shave and potentially a miss, for squeezing in where I need to work.

So I looked into various makes and various sources. Contacted various places for specific inventory/ delivery time/ price. Lots of people never responded [I have to get quotes on products and deal with suppliers in my day job, so I am familiar with asking clearly]. Some responded but then fell down on ever quoting anything specific on delivery time or freight cost.

One source was rockstar-responsive, which is who I, ultimately, bought my pair of 119 gallon Lochinvar tanks through: Doug Breier at Water Heater Distributors in Pittsburgh. I had a response in literally _six_ minutes from my initial inquiry, verifying that they had the model I was asking about in stock, and giving me a price that was actually better than I was hoping to get (well below even the lowest discount-online-published prices I was finding anywhere else). Had a freight quote for me in less than a day. Very reasonable freight cost for two bulky heavy items., especially reasonable because I also needed a liftgate for taking delivery off the freight truck. Was willing to and did coordiate the delivery date for a day that I could take a day off from work to meet the freight truck.

I don't have any affiliation except as a very pleased customer. I work in sourcing/supply chain topics in my day job, so have a closeup view of just how fouled up inventories and transport are across many products and industries. This was a "better than ever expected" experience. I should make clear that I am speaking solely as me, as an individual, not anything I do for work.

Again, Doug Breier was my specific contact but his company is:

Water Heater Distributors

Water Heater Distributors

waterheaterdistributors.com

Water Heater Distributors
3219 Liberty Ave.
Pittsburgh, Pa 15201
Ph. 412-471-6984 Fax 412-471-6986

 

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Re "redneck reverse engineering" - something I deeply admire when appropriate and I think I've been told I've done more than a little of, with other things. But if you want to reverse engineer, the technology of something like an MBTEK pellet boiler is probably a better target to reverse engineer- it can probably be fixed with a hammer but you might need to keep your hammer handy. I get my Windhager hopefully the end of this week, but I can already see it's way not in the get-r done home replicable category. You can build an awesome 'rat rod' from piles of cast off parts and the right skills, but you could never make that rat rod into a Unimog or a Porsche. The latter two are the echelon that the Windhager engineering and workmanship appears to be in.