Print

[FrozenMongrel]

So I finally got around to starting a thread to document my G200 install. I've been working with Slimjim since I put a deposit on a G200 at the Fryeburg fair this year. So far I've gotten the old boiler removed and today he dropped off the new Logstor pipe for the runs to the house and barn. The old stuff was simply pex wrapped in black foam insulation like you can get at any hardware store then stuck through 4" PVC pipe. The pipe was never sealed so there was a lot of ground water that got into it. Last year was the 1st year I owned this house and without heating the barn I went through over 9 cords of wood. Lots of it was pine as I didn't have much time before winter when I moved into the house. Melted a good portion of the snow where the underground lines were.

The house came with an old Shaver boiler and this summer I knew that I was going to have an issue with is as all of the water leaked out of it at some point. Unfortunately I didn't catch it until later in the summer as I work tons of hours and have side jobs that fill up pretty much all my free time. Once I started looking into it I discovered that the entire bottom of the Shaver was rusted through like Swiss cheese. I do metal fabrication work and welding, so I was very tempted to just fix it until I figured out that the entire water jacket would pretty much have to be rebuilt. All that effort and time for a very inefficient boiler really didn't make sense and so that's what started me looking at the alternatives. Selected a G200 after doing lots of research. I live about 10 min away from Slimjim, so it made the choice even easier. I removed the old boiler and dug the lines out last Saturday and today Slimjim came over with the bus and trailer to get me the Logstor pipe I needed. The old concrete pad from the Shaver had a couple of 5" diameter holes that the PVC had been fed through and I was able to get the Logstor fed through those and into the barn and basement of the house. Here are a few pictures of the old boiler and then of the trench and new Logstor pipe. My property has an extremely high water table, so when I was digging the trench I actually ran into ground water less than 2' down. I tried pumping it out and had drained it almost completely last night, but today when I was running the Logstor there was almost 2' of water in the bottom of the trenches.

This is an overview of the old system after I had started taking it apart to inspect for leaks






The old plumbing coming into the walk out basement and connecting to a water to water HX



Starting digging out the old pipes and trenching for the Logstor



You can see how high the water is in the trench. I was watching it flow in from the sides of the trenches as I was digging it. Not much I can do about it and with the Logstor it shouldn't be an issue






Cut the old water jacket off the Shaver with my plasma cutter to see how bad the sludge buildup really was. There was about 5" of sludge in the bottom and numerous places that it had rusted through.






The new Logstor pipe




short run into the barn


both runs fed through the existing holes in the concrete pad


Can't really see it, but the logstor is starting to be back filled here


Barn end of the logstor. This will eventually get connected to a retrofitted mobile home furnace for heat.


Plenty of Logstor run into the house to plumb into the hydronic system

[mlappin]

Nice job so far, you’ll like the Logstor and you’re right, the high water table won’t bother it.

WE farm some ground like yours, years ago somebody thought  they were going to build a house on it, they dug a basement and by the next day it was completely full of water, so they tried pumping it out, no sooner than they shut the pumps off it would fill again, whole thing turned into a quicksand mess. Who ever did it never backfilled the hole, took us about five years before it ever settled and packed back down enough to actually farm across without the worry of getting hung up.

[slimjim]

Nice pics, does this new development mean that you will also be changing your screen name as well.

[FrozenMongrel]

Nice pics, does this new development mean that you will also be changing your screen name as well.

The screen name is based on my side job. Frozen Mongrel Fabrication. I modify vehicles, usually for off road use, but I've done several street vehicles as well. I've been doing it for several years and chose the name a few years ago.

[FrozenMongrel]

Got the major grading done this afternoon after work.

[FrozenMongrel]

Got the pvc conduit buried this afternoon and was able to finish back filling the trenches.

[FrozenMongrel]

Was supposed to be delivered today, but Richard was delayed at a job in VT. Hopefully it'll be delivered tomorrow. Spent 4 hours pulling copper pipe and plumbing parts from a friend's basement. He switched from hydronic oil to natural gas monitor heaters. Gave me anything I wanted to take. 5 circ pumps, 6 zone controller, misc fittings/valves and tons of 3/4 and 1" copper pipe. I left a bit more 1" and lots of 3/4". I can always go get it later. The system has been off for a couple of years and it was never drained, so most of the time I was there was simply draining the system. Large 3 unit building, probably somewhere around 100 gal in the heating system.

[slimjim]

Load the shotgun, if the wrong people see all that, they won't be knocking when they come in to get it!

[slimjim]

Great pics Matt, I'll be over today with your 200, here is a few pics of the one we just did in St Johnsbury VT. Bill if you are reading this, Thanks for the hospitality and letting us do the whole job the way we wanted to!

[FrozenMongrel]

It's in place  Lots of plumbing to do now, but it feels good to have it in place.

[mf40diesel]

So far our new G-200 is kicking butt!  Once its going good with a good coal bed... not even a hint of smoke!

Richard,  miss you and Mikey B!  Might have to make another trip down to the shop.

Thanks

[slimjim]

 Thank You, You are more than welcome any time and don't be alarmed if you wake up some morning and find that there's a bus parked in your drive. I bet it's cold up there on the hill this morning?

[mf40diesel]

Im actually back at work, but mum reported that it was 28 I think, and we got a few inches of snow!

[FrozenMongrel]

Spent a couple hours tonight after putting the kids to bed working on plumbing and running power to the boiler
Got the basement end of the pipe cut back and the adapter fittings installed. I am actually surprised how small the inner diameter of the fittings is, it almost looks like the equivalent of 3/4" copper.


Bought some 1 1/4" copper unions and adapters. Gotta love how expensive it is. Going to run the unions to the threaded heat exchanger ports then run 1 1/4" tee's that have 3/4" nptf for hose bibs to allow draining/purging/cleaning then adapt down to 1" ball valves and long sweep 90's to the connections from the underground pipe. Should flow really well without having to use any bullnose tees.


The threaded ports will get temp gauges so I can tell what the return water temperature is. Full port 1" ball valves and full port shutoff flanges for the circulation pumps. All copper or stainless fittings

[FrozenMongrel]

Got the back of the boiler plumbing done tonight. I also got a temp loop in the barn of heater hose looped from the supply to the return pex, but not really anything there worthy of a picture. Forgot to get some fittings for installing the basement plumbing and bought a couple of things that were not what I actually need, so I'll have to pick up the rest of what I need on Friday. Happy Thanksgiving to anyone reading this thread!




House circuit


Barn circuit