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Advice on replacing a TARM Solo Plus 40

Started by Zach Hoyt, July 10, 2012, 10:00:40 PM

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Zach Hoyt

We have a ~20 year old SP40 that developed a pinhole leak in a weld on a stay in the water jacket, had it welded and now that one is good but the next stay over has developed 2 pinhole leaks in the welding process and we have decided it is probably time to replace it.  We burn it year round to heat a 3 story converted barn and for domestic hot water.  We have no external water storage, just the SP40 and a Utica oil boiler of the same vintage.  It has run fine through the summer loading twice daily, the fan shuts off when the water hits 200 and then comes on again as needed.  There are a lot of options in the indoor wood gasification market and I am not sure what to do.  We have been happy with the TARM but it is the only one I have ever used so I have no basis of comparison.  I am also wondering if the water storage tank helps the boiler to last longer or work better or if it is more of a convenience thing.  We would have to make room for one somehow and I would rather save the expense, but if it would make the boiler life longer it might be worth it.  I have been reading old posts on this forum about boilers, there is a lot of good information here.  Any advice will be very much appreciated.
Zach

Holmes

 Welcome to the Forestry Forum Zack Hoyt.  I assume your Tarm had the tankless heating coil in it to make domestic hot water.  A new gasifying boiler boiler and an indirect water heater would be the way to go. A 60 or 80 gallon indirect water heater could make it so you will only need to fire the boiler up once a day or every other day if you do not have a high hot water demand. I prefer the stainless steel indirect water heaters ,less worry of tank failure.   Holmes
Think like a farmer.

Zach Hoyt

Thank you very much for the advice.  We have a Boiler Mate, which I think is similar to what you are describing.  As I understand the setup (which I didn't put in, it was here when we came) the hot water coil in the boiler feeds into the tank of the water heater, acting as a preheat device, and the boiler also sends hot water through the coil in the water heater to heat the water to the desired temperature.  I assume it was set up in this way so that the oil burner could provide hot water when the wood burner was not in use.  I do not think our water heater is that big, I am guessing maybe it holds 30 or 40 gallons, depending on how thick the walls are.  It sounds from what you said like we don't need the thermal storage tank, which is a great relief.  Thank you.
Zach

Holmes

  Your boiler mate is an indirect water heater { usually 40 gallons}. I am recommending a larger indirect water heater with  more capacity.
  The thermal storage tank would allow you to store more btu's and fire the boiler less often.  You may need the thermal storage if the boiler will not deliver enough btu;s thru a long night to heat the building.
Think like a farmer.

Zach Hoyt

Thank you very much.  We only need to add more wood to the firebox on winter nights below 15 degrees Farenheit, so that is not too bad.  I will definitely look into a larger indirect water heater, thank you for the recommendation.
Zach

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