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Topics - Farmer85

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Plumbing / plumbing in a kickplate heater
« on: September 25, 2016, 04:17:44 PM »
I will be adding a kick plate heater in my kitchen and hoping for some advice. It gets a little colder in that part of the house and I just want something to help out a bit. I can tee off my main heat loop which runs right below kitchen floor. I would have to run like 10' total of pipe or less from main loop back. I noticed they make a venturi tube that could be used. I assume these restrict main loop. so to do it right I assume I need to tee in to main line and return tee within 18''? I could add a small circulator and put a line voltage thermostat controlling the little circulator? I have read to install a purge tee and ball valve? could someone walk me through how this should be done. Im in the process of re doing my setup and would like to add this in while my system is drained and down. also the heater I am looking at accepts 1/2'' I believe. so whats the best way to reduce down if I use the circulator? Thanks a lot 

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / hanging heater size
« on: September 25, 2016, 12:19:07 PM »
I have been trying to size the heater for my garage and getting mixed answers. My shop is built on the side of my big barn. It is 18x40 and insulated fairly well on the walls. The ceiling is 12' with open rafters and aluminum backed foam under the tin. so the ceiling isn't the greatest for insulation. 10x10 overhead door insulated. The temps I would heat it down to would be about 10 outside and would like to get it about 60 inside. Normally any hotter and I cant work. Most of the time I just want to keep it above freezing like 50. Right now I have a hot blast indoor forced air stove in there and it will burn the paint off the walls. A small salamander will heat it up in 30 minutes easily from 20 to t shirt. SO the best I can see a 50k btu hanging heater to my stove should get me by? What do you guys think before I pull the trigger

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Plumbing / Piping question
« on: September 24, 2016, 07:33:04 PM »
Hey all, I'm finally making the switch to thermopex before winter. I have found a local dealer that will cut it to length for $11.00/ft. That is the most reasonable I've found so far. Any way my question is my current setup has a 1/2" pex for fill water. I am worried it may freeze where I stub it out of the ground. My plan is to run it next to the thermopex and just above ground tape it to a warm line and insulate it to below grade. Anyone have Any ideas? I realize I could probably order it with my line in it but not for this price. What are guys doing here with your fill lines. Thanks

4
General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Heating my kitchen floor??
« on: January 05, 2016, 05:46:18 PM »
Hey all. Another question. My kitchen is relatively small. Guessing 10x12 floor space inside cabinets with a table in the middle. I have a vent in ceiling but the floor stays cold in the winter. This is because I have a cellar below it. While I've made big changes to the insulation and cellar door it has made a big difference but still not happy with it. My boiler loop goes through my cellar so it would be easy to do something. Should I tear all the insulation out of floor and put in radiant heat, or put in a toe kick heater under the cabinet blowing across the floor? I'm guessing radiant would be my best and most efficient bet. I am concerned once the oven gets turned on and the room gets warmer that my wife might get too hot and melt. Lol. What would you guys do here?

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / garage heat loop
« on: January 04, 2016, 09:41:58 AM »
While I am pondering what to do about my underground lines next summer while I dig in new I would like to add a heat loop to my garage. I would have to dig about 50' and I could dig it up through the edge of the slab and make a chase for it to run up the wall into my rafters to a wta heat exchanger I am wondering what would be my best way? I would like to be able have a separate pump and loop that I could have a line voltage thermostat turn on the fan and pump. I would not use this that much so i have concerns about freezing while not in use. I guess I am thinking if not in use why have water circulate through loop and loose heat? What are some options? I do not run glycol currently in my system. Sometimes it would be nice to leave shop 50* and sometimes 70*. For the most part if I don't have a project going on I just don't need to heat it. Thanks

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / spray foam
« on: December 29, 2015, 06:01:57 PM »
I am considering making my own underground piping for my owb. Now I know this is a wore out subject and apologize in advance. Here is my story. I only wish I would of found this site before buying my 3 wrap underground piping 3 yrs ago that is now water logged. Nothing new here right? And first of all Don't tell me to buy logstor, I know I know. I was thinking about trying to recuperate some of my lost money in my 3 wrap junk and re use my pex. Now, I was thinking about re-digging my ditch and installing a drain tile at the bottom that would daylight out to drain away from everything. Its all down hill from owb to house so this should be easy. Backfilling up 6'' with clean rock. Now I thought of laying in 6'' sdr 35 from end to end. Capping both ends and pressure testing to be positive all joints hold up. I was going to block up pipe every so often to hold it up from the bottom of trench. I can buy closed cell foam to encapsulate entire pipe for about $300. I should have around $300 in pipe. I could wrap all with plastic but don't really see a need. As for the pex I can either leave the foil insulation on or buy foam insulation sticks before pulling in conduit. Once all is good foam up pipe ends to seal from heat loss inside area of pipe. I want to know what you all think about my idea and the closed cell foam? I am already out the money I wasted on 3 wrap, (my bad). I just cant afford the money on logstor or equivalent. My run is about 120' Another reason for my idea is I plan to add on to my house in the next 5-10 and not sure how I will go about using my lines. If I will have a new system I will either have to add bigger lines or add another loop. Currently I have 1'' pex running a total of around 350' round trip. I have a backhoe and drain tile. Can probably even get sdr 35 cheaper. Thinking total cost somewhere between $500-$600. I am questioning how the closed cell is holding up for people as ive read others doing it just not hearing how it has worked out. Thanks

7
Equipment / 4 way wedges
« on: December 31, 2014, 08:45:06 AM »
Hey all. I built a inverted log splitter for my skidsteer and made it to where I can pull a pin and switch out wedges from a single to 4-way. Sorry no pics. Anyway the wedge I built was 3/4 plate 8" deep and 10" tall. It has 2 wings about 5" up that are also 3/4 plate. I have looked at dozens online for sale and this seems to be a pretty common way to do it. Anyway within an hour I had a knotted up piece of white oak that bent the upright wedge. One of the wings caught a knot and twisted the whole plate to the right. I did not have anything else on upright as far as a wedge to beef it up. My question is has anybody built a indestructible 4 way? How did you do it? I split 95% hardwood. Oak,hickory,walnut,etc. thanks

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General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Underground lines waterlogged
« on: January 18, 2014, 06:33:05 PM »
I have a brand new system installed in 10-13. I bought an earth rancher 365 and the pre-made pipe from the dealer. I guess earth makes it? It's on there website. Against my better judgement especially when he unloaded this stuff and I saw how cheap it was really made. I dug the ditch myself and back filled with screenings ( just coarser than sand). I had a bad feeling about this but the ditch was dug and project on its way getting colder by the day. So I just wanted to get on with it. Well needless to say my pipe is now full of ground water and efficiency went way south. 3 months of use for $1200 is about how I figured this would happen!!!  The only good thing is this pipe comes into my crawl space first and I can drain it out. I'm sure the screenings aren't helping this matter but I was extra careful installing. Now my insulation is probably trash. The factory of coarse won't even talk to me about it and now I'm just screwed. If I can keep this drained off and meanwhile the ditch settles and lets more rainwater shed away do you think I will manage?  I think I know the answer just hate to hear it. Any other options?  Let this be a lesson to anyone reading thinking about using the cheaper pre made piping. DON'T !

9
Plumbing / Plate exchanger fittings
« on: September 20, 2013, 10:08:01 AM »
Hi, I thought I would start over on my last post since it got off track a bit. Now that I know how to redo my plate exchanger for my hot water. Can someone show me what is the best fittings to use so it can be removed and cleaned in the future?  It helps to see what others are doing that know best. Thanks.

10
Plumbing / Auto fill good or bad
« on: September 19, 2013, 01:22:46 AM »
Hi I Have an earth rancher 365 new to me. Wondering if anyone has ever added auto fill option to an owb? I guess figuring out how to install float would be hardest thing. I think it's a good idea mainly incase of a leak when not around I assume it would at the very least quench the tank and keep from overheating. Any ideas or does anybody even worry about it.

11
Fire Wood / Burning red cedar
« on: September 18, 2013, 07:05:42 PM »
Hello all, just wondering if anyone has burnt much red cedar in there owb? Here in Missouri I'm all the time clearing a few here and there just to get  them out of the way. I wouldn't be burning all cedar but maybe a few sticks here and there mixed with white oak. I know it seems to burn hot and fast but the only way I've ever burnt was in piles. Thanks

12
Plumbing / 90 fittings restricting flow
« on: September 17, 2013, 09:57:50 PM »
Hello all. I've got a new earth owb I just installed. I have a rancher 365 that's about 150' of total line in 1" pex pipe. It's about 100 from house and the rest is ran inside the house. I used a pre assembled underground pipe that my dealer offered in ground. It has a wilo pump not sure what model but its a single speed. My question is that inside my house where they tied into the heat exchangers they swept the pex up above the water heater exchanger and bent the lines down into it. It looks like junk. I assume they did it to prevent using 90 fittings???  It's a one continuous loop through plate exchanger and through furnace exchanger and back to stove. It would look so much better if I would put 90 fittings in them but the problem is I will have to do 2 in each line. To come up then over then down, or I could turn exchanger on its side and only do one on each line. What are my concerns here? First how much are 90's a concern. Is it hard on pump ? How about performance. And third can you turn a plate style heat exchanger on its side ? Right now it sets on top of water heater with lines coming up and bending back around behind water heater.

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