Wood boiler / High water temp

Montanaheat

This is my first time posting on this platform. 

I am a heating contractor and I have a customer that is doing his own radiant system and using a wood boiler. His thoughts on things are ones that go against everything I know on the subject. 

ie: He has the wood boiler some 50 yards away from the home and then the main lines run another 30’ inside the home. He is not planning on adding any pumps inside the home and is only wanting to use the wood boilers pump. At this time I don’t know what size that pump is. He also is not planning on doing any zoning (valves or pumps) and is planning on using his balancing manifolds to “reduce flow” to the “rooms demand” and just let it run. And on top of all this wants to push 180 degree water through it all.  My question is this: for the homeowner that won’t listen to professional advice; is there a place (website) to send him to for learning purposes? Something they can read and have an understanding of how things work? I’m totally lost on his concept and have denied helping on any of the install. 

hot_rod

My experience with most of the OWF manufacturers is they are not very hydronic savvy.
A boiler, 1” Pex is all they think systems need.

I like to see a flat plate heat exchanger separate the OWF from all the system piping. That solves the biggest issue with open system designs and allows for proper piping of the heating part.

This Idronics issue, while not entirely on OWF, has some piping ideas and logic.

Assuming you have an open type OWF


If they don’t want to take best practice piping advice, wish them well and stay away from the project😳


https://www.caleffi.com/sites/default/files/media/external-file/Idronics_10_NA_Hydronics for wood-fired heat sources.pdf

leonz

Welcome,

UUUGGGGHHHH, he cannot overrule thermodynamics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If he is willing to buy and read any of Mr. Holohan's books about hot water heating from the heating help bookstore he will learn something as he is in for a world of hurt a cold home and damaged flooring.

I certainly hope you did not sell him a forest eater, as he will sue you simply because he refused to be beaten with his ignorance about hot water heating, resistance to flow, head pressure and thermodynamics.

Just walk away please.

GroundUp

Customers like this are the ones you have to simply walk away from. I run an OWB group on Facebook and the people who get ideas like this in their head will stop at nothing to blame everybody else when things don't work properly, but refuse to listen to reason. If it's a forced air system, then sure- one circ at the OWB with constant flow though a w2a exchanger with a thermostatically controlled fan is typical. If the system is hydronic, there will always be trouble. Just be firm and say that you're not willing to do the work unless it's done to your specifications.