Outdoor Wood Boiler Question - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

RopeaGoat · 11-01-2007, 03:43 PM

Good Evening Fellas,
I just looked at an outdoor wood boiler piggybacked through a plate exchanger to an older (30 years give or take a decade) steam boiler that's only used for forced hot water currently. The complaint is the wood boiler is not keeping up with the domestic hot water. All the heat zones go through two tankless coils and the DHW comes off the bottom of the steam boiler. I think the tankless coils are scaled (sp?) or rusted up and the heat from the outside boiler is not heating the water in the steam boiler enough. Either that or the four other zones are using too much heat first. My thought is to add another plate exchanger solely for DHW and reconfigure the other zones to hopefull bypass or replace the old steam unit. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

The plumber · 11-01-2007, 09:10 PM

Man, you really shut everyone up with this question. Wish I could help you, but I live in Tx. and I have yet to run into an outdoor wood boiler. I guess it's not cold enough here. 60 degrees and we're wearing coats. Good luck with this question

KillerToiletSpider · 11-01-2007, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RopeaGoat

Good Evening Fellas,
I just looked at an outdoor wood boiler piggybacked through a plate exchanger to an older (30 years give or take a decade) steam boiler that's only used for forced hot water currently. The complaint is the wood boiler is not keeping up with the domestic hot water. All the heat zones go through two tankless coils and the DHW comes off the bottom of the steam boiler. I think the tankless coils are scaled (sp?) or rusted up and the heat from the outside boiler is not heating the water in the steam boiler enough. Either that or the four other zones are using too much heat first. My thought is to add another plate exchanger solely for DHW and reconfigure the other zones to hopefull bypass or replace the old steam unit. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

I would start by parting the two systems, since a steam system usually needs to run at a much higher temp than DHW needs in order to provide heat to the highest level. Combined systems for heating and DHW are better left to buildings with an engineer that can monitor the temps on both sides and adjust the zones accordingly.

RopeaGoat · 11-02-2007, 03:30 PM

Whoa... nothing but crickets...

This is in a 200+ year old farmhouse. The Steam was abandoned and converted to forced hot water. No engineer has approached this place EVER!

Putty Truck · 11-03-2007, 09:39 AM

Rip it all out and start again? When in doubt, rip it out.

Out here, even wood burning fireplaces are frowned on because we got no wind. Smoke justs hangs there for a long time. In fact, there's a ban on all wood burning everything until we get some wind.

Driftwood · 11-03-2007, 11:48 AM

I grew up in Arlington Moved to the cape ,and ended up in N. Ca. Welcome aboard. This Might help I also weld ,and am on the Hobart Weld talk forum.
These setups have been talked about a lot. Do a search. Some very clever folks over there. Good luck

RenaissanceR · 11-03-2007, 04:34 PM

[ deleted ]

BigMikeB · 11-10-2007, 08:17 PM

Can you draw up a sketch of the layout you have and post it?

TimNJ · 11-15-2007, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Putty Truck

Smoke justs hangs there for a long time. In fact, there's a ban on all wood burning everything until we get some wind.

I was in to see the inspector last night in the next town over and a couple comes in rantin' and ravin'. It seems their neighbor put in one of these and since they are about like a large doghouse, the smoke is blowing right in their front door every time the wind blows. Probably not a good idea to have one of these unless you have some acreage to let the smoke disapate. I wonder what the inspector will do in this case? No ordinances saying you can't have a wood burner and it seems nobody thought about having a minimum height for a chimney.

PARA1 · 11-15-2007, 03:10 PM

ARE WE BACK IN 1937 OR WHAT?

RopeaGoat · 11-15-2007, 09:17 PM

Big Mike... I'll try to get a scketch posted.
I'm located in western Massachusetts and these are popping up all over the place. I've heard through the grapevine that Vermont has put the brakes on new installs b/c of smokey fires and the proximity of neighbors.

Putty Truck · 11-15-2007, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimNJ

I was in to see the inspector last night in the next town over and a couple comes in rantin' and ravin'. It seems their neighbor put in one of these and since they are about like a large doghouse, the smoke is blowing right in their front door every time the wind blows. Probably not a good idea to have one of these unless you have some acreage to let the smoke disapate. I wonder what the inspector will do in this case? No ordinances saying you can't have a wood burner and it seems nobody thought about having a minimum height for a chimney.

The EPA could get involved. It is a major problem here and chimenys don't help if there isn't sufficent breeze.

Bjd · 11-16-2007, 05:43 AM

I think the outdoor unit is an open system, right?
And in this you are running it through a plate exchanger to raise the temps on the indoor system, right?

Check the temps on both systems during a high demand call, and just check to see if the outdoor boiler is running higher.
I think your plate exchanger may be sized to small for your applaction.
I have seen this system sold with a " connection kit " that has everything needed for installation, however the guy putting the kit together has no clue as to what it may be connected too.

BJD