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[Critrgitr]

Hey all,
I'll start off by saying that you've got a great site and forum here. I've been snooping around the past week or so and have found some really great information just about everywhere I've looked. I won't pretend to know much about outdoor boilers, because I don't. I have worked at a coal fired power plant the last 15 years of my life so I do have some genereal knowledge when it comes to heating water. I came across a used "homeade" version of a Wood Doctor boiler from a gentlemen not far from my home and decided to buy it. I currently burn wood in an add-on furnace in the basement and have decided that I don't want to deal with the mess or the threat of a fire in the house anymore. I'm not rich by any means, so my invenstments will not be top of the line, or even new for that matter. I've got about a 100' from the area where I want the boiler to the house. I would like to use corrugated plastic drain tile as the sheath, and then wrap the two 1" OB pex lines with Prodex. I plan on trenching at least 3 foot. I know it's not going to be the most efficient route, but I think I can get it done for around $400 dollars. I'm not sure about the H/X yet.......I'm actually wondering if I should just build an additional plenum onto the existing ductwork and install the H/X there with a different fan. Cutting into my current LP furnace seems like a pain and there isn't much room to work with. I'd also like to heat my water heater, but I haven't really researched it much on here yet. My plan is to get the pipe in the ground before it freezes and go from there. Anyway, once again this is a great site and I'm glad it's available to knuckleheads like myself. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.
Critter

[willieG]

scrimp everywhere you can to save money..but NOT on your underground lines. in that 100 feet you propose to set your boiler at ...improperly installed,poorly insulated lines could end up costing you 1/2 a years (or more) wood supply

there are many on the forum taht have "built their own undergroun lines" and have had success, and done it at a reasonable cost. others (like me) have learned from past experience that what they thought was the best on the market, simply, was not. and some of us (a lot of us) have bit the bullet and bought the what we hope is the best on the market.

i can tell you taht when i installed my pipe (first time) 11 years ago it worked good for a few years, tehn it got water logged and i could see  my trench from the boiler to the house in mid january..a 2 to 3 foot wide thawed line in the yard..thats right, completely thawed..there was in a year (compared to last year with new pipe) a loss of at least 4 cords of wood

please heed my warning..if you build your own or buy it...make sure it is good....the ground is a heat sinc that can cost you plenty and make your OWBb experience, a nightmare instead of a dream

[Scott7m]

 

Willie is telling you right, owb's aren't something you can just kinda cut corners with, they quickly turn into nightmares as willie is saying.  If installed correctly, an owb "if efficient" can be one of the greatest investments you'll ever make. 

Prodex is good insulation but I reallly would just buy the best I could afford.  Getting the pex through the tile can be s night mare, and if you've never tried to straighten 1" pex out of a rolled coil, ohhh boy!  It's a fight

[Critrgitr]

I could use 4" PVC instead of the drain tile but I figured the tile would be more "water proof", but maybe I'm better off using the PVC and ensuring the connections are sealed well?

[Scott7m]

If I were making my own it would be PVC, much easier to slide 10 ft sections on vs pulling it through a tile.  If you could even pull it through the chances of damaging the insulation with the very unfriendly pex lines would be very likely.

If you go the DIY route be sure to get several wraps around the lines, id go 4-5 wraps

[ijon]

Please take their advice and get the Thermopex. The first time I put my line in I or the dealer didn't know any better. The second time I thought I could save money. Then I put in Thermopex in this summer. I just looked out this morning after the snow and there is no sign of where the lines run. It just depends what you want to heat the ground or your house.

[jerkash]

Tie into your existing trunk line and use your existing heating system fan.  I cut out about a 12 inch section of mine and carried it along with my heat exchanger to a guy who does duct work.  He made me a whole new piece about 20 inches long with the heat exchanger built in.  I split the corners so i could slide it over my existing duct work and taped and insulated it good and added a few braces to it.  It was very easy.

[Ridgekid]

Willie is right! When my CB dealer sold us our unit he said don't skimp on that underground line. Why? He did a few years earlier and ended up replacing his. Lessons learned!

[jrider]

I am new to the OWB life as well but my dealer and a friend who has one said don't go cheap on the underground pipe.  I bit the bullet and paid for the insulated pex tubing and so far its working great.  I have a thermometer on the pipe inside my basement just a few feet before it enters my stove and I am only losing 1 degree between my the thermometer on my boiler and that one in the basement.

[Scott7m]

Folks, you do not have to spend 15 bucks a foot to not melt snow in your yard. Properly installing a good triple wrap or 5 wrap pipe is hard to beat and especially at 1/3 the cost.  I've installed triple wrap on top of the ground in the dead of winter and snow would lay on the pipe and not offer to melt at all

If you truly want like the best money could possibly buy you need to look at logstor pipe, it is the best of the best but I can't justify it

In regards to the line I use i sell it for 6 bucks a foot and it loses less than 1 degree in a 75ft run

[Critrgitr]

I'm hard headed and stubborn........and usually have to learn the hard way, but I went ahead and ordered the Prodex and my pex line to wrap and place in PVC. Are there any "tricks to the trade" as far as wrapping it goes? I've got a 100' run so I ordered the 4' X 175' roll of Prodex......any that's left over I can use in different areas around the house.

[willieG]

i am sure many here on the forum that have, and still do use this type of pipe will be able to assist you in the best way to install it

Good luck with your project  welcome agian to the site, visit often and tell us how your install goes (pictures are good too