Print

[Sloppy_Snood]

  

Good advice and information Yoder! 

[browncty]

I hired a person who has installed boilers professionally and he recommended we install the pump inside the house as he has done on all his installs. There was room in the back of the stove I choose to install it in the house. I'm sorry about my lazy comment, as it was my opinion. Boy if I knew people where so sensitive on this site I would have choose my words more wisely. Also, I have several friends with stoves and their main circulation pump is located inside the home. I look at each system is unique. I don't worry about the pump going out I had one that was defective right out of the box when we installed the system. So now I tell people keep a backup.

[willieG]

yes..there are reasons for installing at the stove as cited, but if conditions are right, in the house is fine as well. i can not say with any certainy but my taco 11 has been in the house since i installed my stove. this pump is on its 14th season and i see so many guys have pumps fail in a year or two? is it just good luck or is my pump running at its sweetest spot? my pipes are 1 inch logstor and the stove is 250 feet from the house. every fall when i "hit the switch" i fully expect to have a dead pump but so far it has worked flawlessly and when it fails i will not be upset in the least

[slimjim]

OH I don't think it's that we are really that sensitive but we all do want you to do it right and there are sooooo many variables that you are the only one who can make the decisions on, this is one of those areas that good dealer support makes a big difference on, a good dealer will guide you all the way and take the time to explain why it should be done in a particular way, in other words a good dealer has a passion for making the whole system work, there are lots of good dealers right here that donate their time to see it through without any compensation at all.

[browncty]

OK, so there are some dealers out there that know what they are doing. My experience with email, in person and on the phone was very unhelpful, like they enjoyed having a stock of boilers on hand as they really didn't want to sell them. Some were almost like they purchased some boilers and where there to just make some money, no service. I'm coming from an example of a poor experience with them. As I stated in a post a yesterday, some people need help purchasing things from a dealer. I'm just stating my experience and if people don't like it I guess I'll live with it.

[slimjim]

So far here in THESE UNITED STATES, the first amendment has not been abolished, by all means we want to hear what you have to say about your experience however some of us intend to fight for our individuality and will not sit still to be lumped into a category of useless thieving dealers.

[yoderheating]

OH I don't think it's that we are really that sensitive but we all do want you to do it right and there are sooooo many variables that you are the only one who can make the decisions on, this is one of those areas that good dealer support makes a big difference on, a good dealer will guide you all the way and take the time to explain why it should be done in a particular way, in other words a good dealer has a passion for making the whole system work, there are lots of good dealers right here that donate their time to see it through without any compensation at all.

  No hard feelings or anything like that. I just want to be sure prospective new owners don't get the idea that there is only one way to do it. It really irritates me when I'm out doing a job and the homeowner rattles off some misinformation they have heard somewhere. Never understood why some people seem to believe what they read online more often than the word of the experienced guy standing in front of them.
 I had one job I'm glad I didn't get, another dealer told the home owner he could run 10 separate infloor heat zones plus a flat plate for hot water and a coil in the heat pump all with the small pump on the furnace. I refused to price the job like that because they wouldn't get enough water flow if many zones opened at one time and because I would have put mixing valves on all the radiant heat loops in his concrete floor. So my furnace was $2000 less but my installation was about that much higher. The guy just knew I was ripping him off so he went the other way. Hope it works for him but I'm fairly sure he will have problems.
  As in any occupation there are different ways of doing something and reasons for doing each way. A good dealer should be able to explain why one way works for your application and why another would not. For example I did a commercial job this winter that required several types. One loop was pumped from the back of the furnace and another was pumped from the building. 

[rt014]

Thanks for all the responses.  Seems like maybe a Central E-Classic 2400 or 3200 might be the way to go since my options are already limited by the state.  If anyone has experiences with either of these I'd like to hear it.  Also which may be better for heating two buildings totaling about 5000 sq ft?

Do these systems usually contain an antifreeze to prevent damage if the system goes out/off during the winter?  Or are they all made to run continuously?  In other words, if my friend doesn't get there to load it and it goes out am I doomed?

[Sprinter]

Antifreeze or back up fuel source if freeze is a risk. Adding antifreeze also reduces the boiler total output cause antifreeze doesn't transfer heat as well as straight water. There are charts for calculating this, and also requires a larger circulator.

This isn't a concern with indoor models, or where the unit is installed in all conditioned space and might take days before freeze is a risk. Multi fuel options could include a pellet gun or wood chip loader.

If the system is installed properly, a circulator can be installed anywhere.