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[Roger2561]

Hi all, it's getting that time of year where I'm getting my wood supply under cover for the winter and I noticed when walking behind my OWB that the ground must have heaved a bit this winter.  There is now a gap between the ground the horizontal support piece approx. 1 1/2 inches.  This heaving has got to be putting stress on the underground piping especially at the point where it transitions from horizontal to vertical position.  I do not have time nor the desire to dig up the ground this year so I'm wondering, is there something like an expansion pipe that will expand and contract something like PVC piping for electrical conduit?  My thinking is this will allow the ground to move but protect the underground piping from undo stress.  My fear is that the pipe will crack and allow for water to saturate the insulation and/or drain the OWB of the water.  If this is clear as mud, please, let me know and I retype this when I'm not as tired.  If you know of anything else that may work, please, let me know, I'm all ears.   Thanks, Roger

[hoardac]

I do not know of any expansion piping. I made sure there was some extra piping above ground to the wood boiler for any frost movement. I guess maybe a 3 or 4 inch excess not enough to stress the fittings because it is to bowed but enough to give me a little wiggle room. Not sure how your setup is but can you splice the line and allow for some movement? The ground always like to move here in northern Maine.

[slimjim]

I always put a swing joint in when installing the lines for this reason, it is as simple as coming up into the boiler with your vertical pipe and going horizontal  to the fittings on the opposite side of the boiler with your pex, if you do not have fittings on both sides to connect to then step off with a threaded 90 and go about a foot then another 90 going down to your pex, the threaded 90's will turn at least 1/4 turn without leaking giving you the swing joint you require

[Roger2561]

hoardac and slimjm, my lines come up straight out of the ground and into the OWB.  The feed to the house is higher than the return, both are perhaps a foot and a half from the ground; maybe more.  The circulator pump is outdoors at the OWB with shut offs above and below it.  There is a shut off on the return too just before the OWB.  This will keep my water in the OWB when I decide to cut into the lines to make up something like a swingjoint (thanks for the idea, Slimjim).  Roger

[slimjim]

Hey Hoardac, I'm here at the Presque-Isle fair showing my Optimizer 250 gassifier and Enviro 500 wood chip boiler, come on in and say Hi.

[hoardac]

I will be up Saturday if you will still be there.

[slimjim]

So did you make it up and not introduce yourself or what, I'm back in Brewer now and will be doing some site visits and demo's in the area out towards Ellsworth in the morning on tuesday.

[hoardac]

Sorry was looking forward to meeting you but I had to pull an extra night shift and was rather tired Saturday, 5 nights is hard on the old body. I live in Houlton and my parents live up there had to wait and visit them today.