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[mlappin]

So, after getting good and lubed up with some Preparation H I bought 250 foot of Logstor today. Going to replace the run to the house and install a new run to the shop. The waste oil boiler in the shop is almost done, plan on using a 50 plate HX between the wood and waste oil boiler. I picked up the 50 plate for next to nothing, a buddy was going to use it in his new parlor to pre cool milk and preheat his water heading to the water heater, problem is wouldn't pass inspection as it can't be disassembled for cleaning. Traded two round bales of hay for it. Is a 5x12 with 1 1/4 fittings.

Is this HX large enough and what kind of flow should I be looking for when I size my pumps? I'll re-run my numbers to be sure but of the top of my head I had less than 15 foot of head on each run.

Plan was this time of year run just the waste oil boiler to preheat all the water, then in the dead of winter run either just the wood boiler or both to heat the shop.

[slimjim]

You will be fine with the plate exchanger, as soon as you transition from the Logstor,go directly to 1 1/4 piping. How many BTU's is the waste oil  boiler and did it do a good job for you heat wise?

[mlappin]

You will be fine with the plate exchanger, as soon as you transition from the Logstor,go directly to 1 1/4 piping. How many BTU's is the waste oil  boiler and did it do a good job for you heat wise?

Waste oil boiler is new, same burner unit though as was in my wood stove converted to waste oil stove. The waste oil stove did just fine unless it was approaching zero, I expect the boiler to be much more efficient than the air to air heat exchanger the stove use.

[LittleJohn]

I an pretty sure that your 50 plate will transfer more heat than your OWB or distribution piping could put off in an hour.
If you are running 1 1/4" pipe at (4ft/s, generally about as fast as you want to push water thru a radiant system -> faster and it can cause issue with metal fittings) you will be around 11-12 gallons a minute, with delta T of 20f, you are looking at about 110-120k btu/hr.

I have a 20 plate (4x10 with 3/4 ports and its rated for 60k btu/hr) at home for DHW

[mlappin]

Waste oil burner is actually rate at 180,000 btu at a gallon and a quarter burn rate per hour, normally I only run about a gallon an hour though.

The 11-12 gallon per minute is what I was shooting for when I sized the line and pumps.

[Sloppy_Snood]

mlappin - forgive my ignorance but your waste oil burner,,, are those usually jsut found on farms,etc. ?  I guess what I mean is this: does your farm generate enough constant supply of waste oil to burn an oil burner through and entire winter,,, maybe even longer? 

Just Curious George-ing about waster oil burners. 

[mlappin]

mlappin - forgive my ignorance but your waste oil burner,,, are those usually jsut found on farms,etc. ?  I guess what I mean is this: does your farm generate enough constant supply of waste oil to burn an oil burner through and entire winter,,, maybe even longer? 

Just Curious George-ing about waster oil burners. 

WE generate quite a bit of waste oil, when the big tractor or the semi tractor need an oil change you don't mess around with the drain pan, jus get several empty five gallon buckets as you'll need em once you pull the plug in the pan. I also refill them the same way using five gallon buckets. The one model tractor when it's time to change the hydraulic oil the front transmission holds like 24 gallons and the back transmission holds 30 gallons, we have two of those that almost takes a 55 gallon drum to change. Then all the other tractors hold at least a few gallons on motor oil.

Then the neighbors and friends know I take waste oil so they usually drop it off in 2 1/2 gallon jugs. Have another private mechanic that usually gets me a 55 gallon drum a year, then have 500 gallons the next town over to go get one of these days, etc.

Have a 250 gallon tank overhead in the shop that's going to be plumbed to a 500 gallon LP tank that sits outside. When I'm low on oil in the shop pressurize the LP tank and force the oil back into the 250 gallon drum.

A lot of heavy truck shops and equipment dealers also use their waste oil for heat.

[Sloppy_Snood]

That explains a lot!