Help me decide. Boiler location basement or garage.

Where should i put my coal boiler.

Basement.
14
78%
Pole barn garage.
4
22%
 
Total votes: 18

 
lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 1:54 pm

Steve has a efm plate boiler for me and i am preparing for the pole barn garage to be built.

trying to decide on where to put the boiler, in the basement or the garage.

details on the basement.
cons:
it's damp and water comes in.
6' ceiling.
bilco door to get ash out, ceiling is low at the door i am 5'7 but i still bump my head.
pros:
existing chimney.
oil tank is in the basement if i go duel fuel.
would keep the basement dry.
i already have a coal bin that holds over 5 tons.
fresh water piping is already where the boiler will be located.

details on the garage to be built.
cons:
only two bays...30x32.
coal bin and boiler and plumbing is going to take up garage space.
need 4 line underground pex from the house vs 2 line if the boiler was in the house.
coal dirt on the cars from the boiler.
would need an oil tank in the garage if i were to go with dual fuel. that takes up space.

pros:
easier to service.
easier to take ash out.
easier for a relative to tend to if i was unable to (my cousins kid burns coal and will tend my boiler if i can't but he is like 6'3 lol he hates my basement lol)

i'm not sure what the heck to do. bit overwhelmed by all this stuff.


 
Den034071
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Post by Den034071 » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 2:56 pm

Linc at my dads house where I was born we had a block foundation no water infiltration But Man Basement was Warm .Floors were warm .We had a round door E F M . We had bilco door an low headroom above bilco . Your chimney is a plus . Your age is a factor comparing the basement an ashes versus your garage .My vote basement . jack

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 4:07 pm

Years ago I would of said basement but my vote is with the garage.
lincolnmania wrote:
Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 1:54 pm
coal dirt on the cars from the boiler.
You are keeping the dirt out of the basement and the house. Wall the bin off completely and seal it up with caulking. Put in an exhaust fan that comes on with the light.

Make sure you put in coal delivery access if you have the coal delivered, going through the garage door even if the bin is directly adjacent to the door is a PITA.

 
lzaharis
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Post by lzaharis » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 4:24 pm

The garage would be the best place only because you will have the headroom you need to plumb the circulator coming off the top of the boiler to pump away from the boiler.

I eliminated the need for an air scoop and automatic air bleeders as the automatic air bleeders fail and at $10.00 each they are an expensive hobby.

The use of an in line air separator is a very easy way to get rid of air in a heating system as it employs the use of a steel compression tank to add 10+ plus gallons of water to a heating system and with steel compression tank you can run very low pressures in your system(with my system I am pumping away from my from my boiler and I have a vacuum gauge in the inlet side of the circulator and a pressure gauge on the outflow side of the circulator to oversee the circulator and its condition.

I have no need to have the auto fill valve open on my system to add water as the steel compression tank maintains the balance needed with the 54 gallons of water in my system.

The issue with the garage will be that you will need to install a block wall to separate the boiler from the garage and also install a double layer of fire resistant sheet rock in the ceiling of the boiler room along with a steel door to meet the fire code in order to make your insurance people happy.

Adding a lean too to your garage presents the same issues as you need a block wall to separate it from the garage



Have you thought of using a hoop shed to install the boiler on a concrete pad and also have a coal bin to feed the stoker in the shed as well?

 
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franpipeman
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Post by franpipeman » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 4:44 pm

If you are having your building inspected by any construction agency or authority I think flame making devices may have to be 18 inches above the floor in case of gasoline fumes lingering at the level from the vehicles that could be subject to ignition hazard and the cure could be all that Izaharis stated above . Easy enough to do with a hot water heater but a boiler is a bit different A separate room meeting space and ventilation requirements for pressure vessels (which a boiler is as are the compression tanks). the Wall separates it from the garage work area. .

Do you have a building permit. A project as large as this it may be better to get one to prevent after constructed issues both technical with issues like soil compaction and regulatory like open flames units in a gasoline vapor area . sorry but all worth considering .

 
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Post by PolarLight » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 8:21 pm

Depending how much available room you have in both garage and basement. Also important if you have one easy access for incoming trucks with a coal load.
Good that you've got a chimney. Only check if your existing chimney meets all boiler's requirements

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 8:45 pm

A wet basement is a deal breaker any day of the week...even *scrapper23_jr* wouldn't be able to repair how rotted that boiler would be...


 
memco man
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Post by memco man » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 8:47 pm

Good evening lincolnmania I think that it might be best to keep it in the basement you have most of the stuff already there ( coal bin piping ) the big plus is the it will keep your basement and floors warm I would also think that it might be cheaper to install not having to run the new piping and wiring.

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 8:53 pm

Garage...
Add a bump-out separate space...
Clean dry no bumped noggins...
friendly to others when helping out...
Lots of hot water in the barn for washing stuff...

 
lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Mon. Mar. 25, 2019 9:33 pm

yes i have a building permit applied for.
i stated in the permit application that i am putting the pex in the floor but the heating system will come in the future as funding allows. as far as they know it could be a 240V water heater and a circulator pump right?

building a cement block room in the garage for the boiler is not something i wanted to do.

basement water gets pumped out as fast as it comes in, should have stated that i am not done waterproofing either. the walls need to be fixed inside on 2 walls and grading the ground outside and getting the downspout water away from the house. the outside upgrades are being done very soon. the inside stuff i hope to complete this year.

the house has a better chimney. it is 8" chimney block all i have set aside for the garage is 6" class A pipe which i was told by steve would be fine to use but would it pass an inspection? the efm won't be running at full throttle.

another outbuilding for the boiler is not an option right now either. the new shed might work but that will be 90 foot from the house and 50 foot from the garage. that's a lot of insulated pipe, i would need 120 foot to get to the basement of the house from the shed.

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Tue. Mar. 26, 2019 1:15 am

So put enough pipe and conduit in the ground to do it either way...
An attached space to the barn would be my choice...
But ya gotta do what ya gotta do...
Stuff can always be moved...
Just put enough pipe in the trench to do it in either location...
Yo were running water to the barn anyway correct...
So no extra pipe needed to install at either location...
Two insulated pex for boiler water...
110/240 for power...
Domestic cold water no need for insulation if it is deep enough...
One conduit for low voltage thermostat...
One more conduit for data and video...

 
lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Tue. Mar. 26, 2019 2:40 am

i wouldn't mind a sink in the garage but i'm afraid my sewer pipe is not deep enough to do that. it's not 42" at the house, heck it's more like 18" We used to have a septic tank 10 foot from the house. (original tank was 3' from the house lol) mom and dad hooked into the sewer like 10 yrs ago....that cost a small fortune! double what dad paid for the house.
not sure if i'm allowed to pump up into the sewer pipe.

we will find out how deep the main sewer line is when they dig over there for the trench to the garage.

 
lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Tue. Mar. 26, 2019 2:43 am

i remember when that septic tank was installed in 1991, they went as deep with it as they could but the shale is so hard here that it is almost impossible to dig below 8' deep with a backhoe. anything below 4' is a real pain in the ass!

 
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Post by Rob R. » Tue. Mar. 26, 2019 6:31 am

If you are on a tight budget, put the boiler in the basement. That will allow you to make use of the existing chimney, and you won't be sacrificing any shop space for the boiler.

That underground pex you are planning to run from the house to the shop will work both ways - if you want to move the boiler to the shop at a later date, you can use the same pex to the heat the house. As for the basement being wet, there is a difference between being wet and damp. You need to make sure the boiler is on a pad or blocks so it can't get wet. I would plan on running the boiler 8-9 months per year, and putting a small electric heater in the base when not in use.

 
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Post by DooHicky » Tue. Mar. 26, 2019 9:26 am

Vote for garage...but build room onto garage for furnace room coal bin.....only con I see is not getting the radiant heat from the furnace in the house....

When I get home from work I'll take some pics and show what I had done


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