Print

[Red_Nek]

Hi guys,
I've been actively looking at the thread for awhile now and need some input. I have just bought a 500 gal. Indoor Carolina Water Stove (used), and am thinking about putting it in my detattched garage. I have plenty of space at the rear of the garage and like the idea of being able to keep the unit out of the elements without having to build a separate shed to cover it. I want to put the unit as close as I can to the  corner of 2 walls but am unsure as to what preparations I need to take before I place the 2,000 lb beast.  Questions:
1) Should I build out a buffer wall where the unit will sit, so that I can keep an air gap between the furnace  and the finished wall?

2)The iwb has a DHW coil that I was thinking of plumbing directly into my water heater. Should this be avoided? I've seen alot of posts on here about using a HX instead of plumbing straight into water heater.

3)I currently have a oil fired water heater/ boiler for the primary heat source for my water base board. Would it be best to plumb directly into that system or look into placing a HX for my existing boiler/ heater?

Thanks in advance for any/ all info that you guys have provided and will provide.

Dave

I've attached a few pics of the unit

[attachment deleted by admin for space issues]

[Rockarosa]

Hello Red Nek, I also have oil fired hot water heat boiler in my house. I used a 50 plate heat exchanger so the OWB and my oil furnace water never mix. The heat exchanger is plumbed into my oil boiler return line. I have a thermostat for my indoor and a thermostat for the outdoor with a relay wired in to run the indoor pumps. I did my own install except for wiring up the new thermostat and relay. It all works well and my old farmhouse is 72 degrees.

[Red_Nek]

Thanks for the input, Rockarosa. Do you have a picture of your setup?

[muffin]

There are recommended standoff spacing for all the sides of an OWB.  You defiantly do not want to put it directly against a wall; that would be really dangerous.  I think it is roughly a couple feet maybe more around the chimney.  As far as the DHW, that is a personal choice and a geographical choice.  If the furnace is far from the centroid of the house, might be a long time before you get hot water to the tap.  Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with them.

[Red_Nek]

muffin,
The owf is approx 50 feet from the house. If I use heat exchangers, then I could eliminate my need to run a DHW loop and a heating loop. If I can consolidate everything into one loop then I can get out of the install a little bit cheaper. I'm planning on at least a 12" air gap between the furnace and any combustible surface. I just didn't know if that was enough room or if I might need to cover the OSB board up with some masonry board or  metal (reflective)sheating. Thanks for the input.

Dave

[muffin]

Based off another thread, might need some sort of exhaust system.  When you open the door you are going to get a lot of smoke, and maybe some flame.  Don't want your garage filling with smoke.

[RSI]

Is this a pressurized boiler? If so, you shouldn't need a heat exchanger between it and your indoor system unless you want to keep the water separated for some reason.

[Red_Nek]

It is a non pressurized system.

[dwneast77]

Since the oil-fired heating system is pressurized and the Carolina Water Stove is non-pressurized then a plate exchanger would be needed and usually installed at or near the oil fired boiler.  For domestic water, given your situation, I would think it would be an economic advantage to set up a Side-Arm Heat exchanger on the side of your water heater, unless you have domestic water coil in your oil-fired boiler, then you would get your domestic water by default.  By Central Boilers specs, you would actually plum through the side-arm first and then through the plate exchanger and back to the Carolina stove in one loop saving you from running 2 sets of pex lines.  If you check out their web site they have some interesting diagrams showing different install types and wiring diagrams too.  Worth looking at.  I soak in any information I can find on the subject.

With regard to smoke in your garage, it could be a real problem.  Maybe not, you did say it was an indoor rated stove.  I have two OWB's inside a shelter.  They are both gassifiers, one with a bypass damper to allow smoke up the chimney when the door was open and the other without bypass damper, but the unit has to be running with the door open.  In both cases the ventilation system was a must and I need to upgrade to a bigger exhaust fan.

Good luck.  Hope this helps some.