Some days I just shake my head and walk away

mtfallsmikey

Even though it's an ignorant decision, they saw the dollars involved and went with the less efficient but cheaper option, as many consumers routinely do. Steve, I know you chastised me in the wood boiler thread about my "sticker shock" comment whilst I was pricing gasification boilers, but I also have to look at the initial expense vs. payback factor. I'm going to go with a gasification unit, but not pay $13K for one.Maybe I'm a bonehead, who knows?

Steve Ebels_3

Another outdoor wood burner fiasco

I have been talking with a person who is on a community center board for a couple months about what wood fired boiler should be used in their building. He's a younger guy that has taken the time to sort through all the hype surrounding most of the outdoor wood boilers on the market. He knows that gasification type units are vastly different than the typical ice shanty boilers sold far and wide and has been trying to push the center's board in that direction. I called him to see what the status of the project was and he informed me that a couple of the board members swung the vote in favor of a typical OWB.....

I asked him what kind of efficiency and emission numbers the salesman was claiming and what testing he could show to back himself up.

This is the part where I just shake my head in dismay.

The sales guy told the board, and this is a direct quote, "We don't need any testing. You can see from the flame coming out of the chimney that our boiler runs at over 90% efficient".


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh.........!!!!!!!!!


I can't believe that the board believes him. How can they be so astoundingly ignorant, so utterly without common sense? PT Barnum was right, there is a sucker born every minute.

The other thing I can't believe is the salesman. He is either the best liar in the world, or else he is so monumentally stupid that he believes it himself. He has to be one or the other in order to make that statement with a straight face.

I can see the late 70's early 80's wood scenario happening again due to the high fuel prices. People just accept whatever is being sold and run with it. Never giving a thought to "what if".......or....."how come"........
I guess it's just a whole new batch of people who have to learn the hard way.

Just had to vent guys............I had put a lot of time into this project trying to help these folks out. Their fuel bill for the old school building/community center was over $15,000 last year and they really needed to make a wise choice........ It just frustrates the heck out of me.

Bruce M

Bruce M

Funny that


not really though.

Does it make any sense to promote an alternative energy source and then promote using it less efficiently???

No brainer.............which is hotter(AKA BTU's)???? A smoldering "fire" or a RAGING fire???

Go ask the fire fighters that just finished fighting the BLAZES in California.

When was the last time you saw this headline???

"Fire fighters battle smoldering embers.....pictures at 11"

Physics 101.

Mark H

Dave Yates (GrandPAH)_2

Folks will believe

whatever it is they want to hear. I feel your pain & I've been there - too many times.

As Ahnold might say - "They'll be back."

Flames coming out of the chimney?!? Ain't gotta be unburnt fuel you fuel??? Oh well, you can lead a horse to water, but there's no guarantee which end you'll be trying to convince to drink(G). Sounds like it'd be a sitz bath in this case.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

I'll opt for the "monumentally stupid" salesman option. Met one myself at a county fair.

Was looking at his outdoor wood boiler (and you know they do look rather like ice shantys) and he was spouting statements like 95% efficient and better than those 90% efficient ones because of a rather simple baffle arrangement leading to a big gaping flue.

Told me "it wouldn't have any problem heating that building over there" (solid uninsulated concrete walls--about say 30,000 sq.ft. with a half-cylinder uninsulated ceiling about 60' at the highest) but it "won't be too large for your house".

Steve Ebels_3

It wasn't even the price difference

My price was within their budget from what I was told and the other company was not much less. Both boilers were less than 50% of the total job cost. The thing that just floors me is that the people obviously went for the other guys BS hook line and sinker. Absolutely inconceivable to me. Can't comprehend it.

Some mornings it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.

Weezbo

though i have never met either of you,

What Steve said makes sence to me. i have noticed that sometimes people hear what they want to hear ,on further reasearch they find what you thought you heard them say was not what was said at all. i am intrigued by OWB that claim 90% efficentcy and gasification and show a picture with yellow and red flames ripping out of the Stack. and another that claims top quality construction and looks like it might pass as an incinerator. i have to think that Steve is right in what he is saying perhaps these are two completely distant alternatives within the OWB 's general description...

a company that has spent mucho dinero to get very specific certifications just might have spent an equivalent amount on R&D and Manufacturing quality control.

Wood pellet burner/boilers are sort of interesting did you look into any of them?