Print

[mlappin]

So a friend has a 50 FPHE sitting around he was going to use in his dairy to both preheat his water before the hot water heater and while chilling the milk before it goes into the bulk tank, he can't use it though as it's not food grade or something.

I plan on having a waste oil boiler in the shop by this fall and using a het exchanger to hook it to the wood boiler. Should have around 300 gallons of water in the oil burner rated at 140,000 Btu or a little more, have around 250 gallons in the wood boiler.

Question is this, is the 50 plate enough? It's a 5x12 with 1 1/4" fittings. I also plan on using a line aqua stat to shut the pump off that would circulate the water between the oil boiler and the FPHE. Water gets down to around 150 heading back to the wood boiler and pump shuts off to protect the wood boiler.

[RSI]

It should work fine. You might not be able to get the water quite as hot on the secondary side as if you you had one a couple sizes larger but you should be able to run the waste oil boiler a little hotter if needed. Especially if it is pressurized.

[slimjim]

With 1-1/4 ports there should be lots of flow, 50 plates are what I use most and they are heating 5000 foot homes here in Maine with no issues, I do use unions, purge ports and ball valves to isolate the flat plate so it can be cleaned without removal if needed.

[mlappin]

It should work fine. You might not be able to get the water quite as hot on the secondary side as if you you had one a couple sizes larger but you should be able to run the waste oil boiler a little hotter if needed. Especially if it is pressurized.

Not even built yet, going to be simple though. Have a 500 gallon fuel tank that doesn't leak, has removable saddle that it sits in and is clamped to with bands. Plug the fill ports and rotate 180 degrees in case of any thin spots from previous water being in the fuel. Since it is waste oil I was going to have a piece of 14 gauge stainless rolled. Then use 2 1/2" stainless 409 exhaust pipe for the heat exchanger. Come up a foot, have the muffler shop bend a forty five, go another couple of foot, another forty five then to the clean out on front like a GT6000 from Natures Comfort. Figure 8 tubes should be plenty.

With it being waste oil the tubes shouldn't need cleaned that often and when they do with the forty five's I should be able to clean the whole tube from the front.

I have ten foot sections of 1/4" spring steel rods that we use when cleaning drain tiles, once in awhile an end might get snapped off, the stuff is very tough yet very flexible.

[mlappin]

With 1-1/4 ports there should be lots of flow, 50 plates are what I use most and they are heating 5000 foot homes here in Maine with no issues, I do use unions, purge ports and ball valves to isolate the flat plate so it can be cleaned without removal if needed.

Was going to come in the one corner of the shop where an old refrigerator is that we store all the welding rods and wire in, was going to cut a opening in back and mount the FPHE in thru the rear. No point in paying for electric to run the light bulb in it if the heat coming off the HE can be used to keep everything dry.

Someday in my spare time and when I'm flush with cash, farmer speak for most likely never, I'd like to tear the old floor out and install radiant heat in a new floor. But after the hired man and I were looking at everything it could take a week just to clear it out. Have a Bridgeport to be moved, an old lathe that could be used for a boat anchor that was slid into it's current position with come-alongs and spud bars, two drill presses, a press and either shelves or cabinets on every wall. Could take a few hours just to get the bolt bin empty enough to move. Then would have to find a place to put all that stuff while pouring new floor. Then after that still wouldn't have a shop with enough room to work on a 40' planter or enough height to drive one of the combines into to work on inside. Really just need to start over with a new shop.