professional help.... where to turn?

[Chris S.]

I know I might get tarred and feathered for saying this here, but I am in need of professional design assistance for a wood gassification/storage/radiant system. Can anyone recommend a professional design consultant? I know there are many many experts on this forum- I have learned a tremendous amount reading and asking questions here. But the more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know, and I feel like I need someone who knows plumbing and iis really into the wood gassification/storage arena to help point the way. With a young family, small business and a house to build I just don't think I can learn all the plumbing knowledge necessary to pull this off.

I've got a Tarm with storage in my office/shop- installed by a local plumber. This was the first system he had done of this type and he did a decent job, everything works. But the nuances were lost on him and I didn't know enough to guide him and ensure I got the final product I wanted.

I'm currently designing an off the grid home for myself, and need to look closely not just at the plumbing but also the electrical loads of fans and pumps. System efficiency and simplicity are paramount. While I really want to do another gassification/storage/radiant system, I need to do my home work and make sure this is practical (physically and economically) on a photovoltaic based system.

So here I am- knowing just enough to be dangerous, but definitely in need of help getting the details right.

Any suggestions on who I should talk to? Or does the level of interest and passion found on this forum only exist in people doing things for themselves?

 

[Nofossil]

I think the problem is that there are very few people who have all of the knowledge and experience to be able to do a truly professional job of this sort with confidence.

For my part. I think there's a big difference between offering generic advice as opposed to doing work for which I would be professionally liable. I'm egotistical enough to think that I'm a pretty good engineer and systems guy, but I'm no plumber. There's a lot of important knowledge and experience that I don't have, so any specific plumbing advice that I might give could well be wrong or even dangerous.

 

[Couderay80]

The best thing to do in my opinion is to hire a mechanical engineer to design your system. That way if it fails you have some recorse. Yes that means to PAY someone to design your system tailored to your specs. and satisfaction. Being a pipefitter for over 20 years I can install anything but to design especially for someone else is to big liability to take on.

 

[TCaldwell]

cjs, try joe kohler at kohler & lewis, 27 mechanic st keene new hampshire, he is a stand-up individual having helped me many times

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I bet that Tarm gets questions on that all the time. Call and ask if they can suggest someone.