504 Tarm Boiler

Well I will try this again I had written a story about how I lucked out a picked up a tarm 504 for $800.00 dollars and how lucky I was to get it I went out on a road call in a part of the state that I had never been in and found this boiler sitting 10 feet from the road in a three sided shead and that it had been there for about 10 years and that I started to restore it. Then I got kicked off line and lost it
So to make a long story short I have started to restore it and have gotten a lot of help from HS Tarm they let me come in a mesure the back and bottom plates for burnung coal which I thought was really nice of them because the plates would have cost me 600.00 dollars I still have to get the grates and the DHW coil then clean and paint
Here is some pictures
I also want to thank McGiever for all his help last winter with the memco boiler and Whistlenut for his advise and confirming my suspicions that the boiler that I had was a big P.O.S

It's been a while since I've seen one, but I did know a guy that used one to heat hos big ol' house for years and years with one. He just burned wood though. Best of luck in your rebuild.

Not far from you are the USA distributors for Tarm products in Lyme, NH, just across the river from Fairlee, VT. Their basement has the full Tarm line...500, 750,1000 gallon storage tanks, Tarm Pellet Boilers, wood boilers, hand feds, etc.
The Nichols family....been at it about 40 years it seems....nice folks. Remember VT used to be the Saab and Volvo capital for the universe......Swwwwweeeeeedish meatball heads!!!!!!!!!! Drive one; park 6 old ones for parts.... no offense to all you VT folks who still drive them.........................born from jets......rides like a buckboard with a 'dead axle'.....ignition key is where? between the seats? Hmmmmmm....
Thought that was the key to the ejection seat!

Tarm USA, INC
5 Main St
Lyme, NH, 03768-3500
Phone: 603-795-2214
Website: http://www.tarmusa.com

Good luck on your 504 rebuild/investment.

I installed my 202 in 82 and it has paid for itself many times over.

I’m installing a LL WL110K boiler but the 202 will remain plumbed in parallel with WL110K. Hope you enjoy next heating season with your 504..........Dick

Enjoy the journey on the rebuilt...the destination will give much rewards.

I came across this literature for all to review and learn more about what *Memco Man* will be working with as he is moving along on this project.
I see the 504 requires a 8"x12" chimney flue and a Optional Coal Baffle Plate installed for coal burning.

I talked to tarm about the chimney and the said that my 8x8 should work alright with the coal set up if not I should be able to put a draft inducer on the pipe time will tell worst case I will have to build a new chimney here is what the back plates look like for the coal. one is the bottom plate as well

If you used that chimney for a wood burner previously it would be a good idea to have it swept before the Tarm comes online. Coal smoke dries out old creosote deposits and it will start peeling off the inside of the flue.

Thank you Rob for the advise I will do that

Do you need hernia surgery after moving that beast? 1200 lbs was a number I remember hearing. Now all you need to do is retrofit an inclined grate stoker...say 120K, and life will not only be GREAT, but effortless!

As the days get longer, spend the spare time getting her ready for fall duty, perhaps domestic hot water for the summer. Hint: pressure test her before going nuts fixing things. I know you have welding skills, so we are on the same page......I'll stop over in a couple weeks....if the black flies are gone! Need any parts, let me know, I'll bring them with me!

Thanks so far things are good I did in fact do a pressure test the min.I got it out of the truck and onto the shop floor the vessel it self checked out good, but the DWH. did not do so good it turns out that the coil is full of pin holes I askes HSTarm what would cause that and they really didn't know but said they see it all the time I don't know if it was caused by electrolysis or maybe old age I don't know either
And yes that is a good ideal about putting a stoker in it I had not really thought about it at this point but you got the wheels turning now the boiler is still in Montpiler in the shop it easer for me to work on it there that is where all my tools are overhead cranes and yes you were right it a beast acording to the manual that I have it weights over 1800lbs
Doug any time you want to stop buy come on over, I will show you where you can find all the sabbs and volvos.

Bill

I'm all set with the Saab's and Volvo's...and now Subaru's......Stuff a little 120K stoker in one of the openings.....change occurs when someone sees the next step.
If Tarm is like Saab and Volvo part costs, you might want to add an indirect water heater to replace the tankless...... 1800 lbs.....WOW! I'd love to see McGilla the Gorilla sliding that down the cellar stairs....
Right nut goes POW!...soon followed by the left one.......

An indirect is a nice way to make use of separate boilers, especially if one is solid fuel and the other is oil or gas.

I hope you have plans for a big expansion tank and a dump zone, that is one serious hand-fed boiler! 70+ gallons of water in the pressure vessel, and I bet the firebox holds over 100 lbs of coal.

Edit: Did your Tarm come with the thermostatic draft control still intact? It is the device that lifts/lowers the chain attached to the air-inlet damper.

The boiler is going into the wood shead that is in between both houses it is exactly in the middle of both houses, it is two big and too heavy for the basement and Whistlenut is right the boys, would neaver survive the trip down to the basement. Rob it dose have a samson controler that controls the lower draft, I also think that I read some where that it would hold 210lbs of coal but don't hold me to that, on a warm day it will go for 24hrs. and on a cold day it would burn for 12hrs. but don't hold me to that one either.
I think that whistlenut is right about putting a stoker into it you could pull the oil burner out of it and put a plate in the middle of the heat exchanger and put the exhaust where the oil burner was and now you have a down draft boiler the only thing that I have not figued out is how to light it because if you put that stoker in where the door is you could not access the stoker because of the hopper, and on the sides you have a water jacket he is also right about replacement cost kinda of pricey.

memco,
Since it will go in a shed between the 2 houses, the indirect DHW would be the better option than the tankless. You would need to draw a lot of water before it turned hot coming all the way from the shed.

Oh, BTW, there is a member here that makes a lot of the older grates.

See this post and maybe PM him...
New Old Style Coal Furnace? Heather Furnace

Design a dump zone method carefully. These boilers do not like to idle at no or small loads. My dump zone consists of overriding the house thermostat and dumping to my house.

I found that with my house, I could not fire the boiler until the outside air temperature was at leat below 40-45 degrees for an extended period of time.