Biomass Boilers for Floor Heat...

[Bubbles Galore]

Looking into this option for quite a while now and it seems to hold traction. I have looked at the pros and cons, but I want a second opinion. I can't think of a better place to get opinions than here

I am not too worried about keeping the boiler loaded with fuel since I am at the wash a minimum of once per day. Essentially the difficult part of the system taken care of, it's just a matter of getting and keeping the solution heated, right?

How many btu's would I need to have to be able to heat roughly 3600 sq ft?

I am sure that there will be some naysayers out there that will say this is a bad idea or what have you. That's fine and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I would like to get some good dialogue started as to the realistic obstacles (if any) that a project like this might face.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

You might have stumped some of us, Does Biomass mean the garbage at the wash, or like wood. My one wash has 4800 sq ft, and we heat with 190K nat gas boiler, but with garage doors, we are heating a different type of Installation.
I'm sure it will go up in price but nat. gas is priced at .31 a therm down from $1.21 a therm last winter. we spent over $2k per wash a month to heat last year, as we are in a severely cold climate . Many large churches and bulidings in the area are going to ground source heat pumps and the savings are just amazing. The initial cost can be high. Please tells us more about the heater

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Here is a link to a pretty decent site that will help to explain what a biomass boiler is. After surviving 2 winters with gas bills over $3k, it was time to look into some different options.

They all seem pretty viable and the "green advertising" will be a nice addition.

I am also in a pretty cold climate and there are a few different boiler setups that will allow me to also heat my water (through the use of 2 different manifolds) with this boiler in the winter so that I don't have to run my production boiler also.

What do you think?

 

[Turbo]

Here is a link to a pretty decent site that will help to explain what a biomass boiler is. After surviving 2 winters with gas bills over $3k, it was time to look into some different options.

They all seem pretty viable and the "green advertising" will be a nice addition.

I am also in a pretty cold climate and there are a few different boiler setups that will allow me to also heat my water (through the use of 2 different manifolds) with this boiler in the winter so that I don't have to run my production boiler also.

What do you think?

Have you considered used vegetable oil? You can get it from restaurants (barter car washs if you need to), filter it and burn it. INOV8 is one company that sells boilers specific for this use. I have a 15 year old CLEAN BURN used motor oil burning furnace and plan on burning a mix of motor oil and vegetable oil (Any used motor oil I displace with waste vegetable oil I sell to a recycler).

I mixed WMO (waste motor oil) and WVO (waste vegetable oil) in a jar for a month and they did not seperate. I just bought a DIESELCRAFT centrifuge to clean the vegetable oil before dumping into WMO tank. I will also be making BIODIESEL at $.75/gallon for my 2006 Sprinter, my dad's 1999 F250 and my brother's 1987 Mercedes Benz 300SDL. This is legal.

If this all works out I will be looking to do something with a boiler next fall as well as getting my wife, mother and sister-in-law and manager diesels. Google any of the words in CAPS and you will find a lot of information on this.

As I was writing this a school teacher came by to discuss me presenting BIODIESEL/WVO/WMO with her students. Should help with PR.

Thanks

TURBO

Karl Krutsch
Jiffy Lube and Car Wash
2940 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
773-490-9726