Your right, it's not what we wanted, lol... A few more days, lol......

JA - Glad to read the success - Hope you enjoy your new Munchkin for many years

Hat's off to you, JA. The family will be warm for Christmas. The rest can be sorted out in due course.

I have to write that I admire your new appliance. Its extraordinary and a admirable how you succeeded in all this with bad weather and limited resources

NOW, not to rain or your success - want to point out to the folks at home that they do not need to shell out 4K for a new NG boiler - a box fresh natural draft spark ignition appliance can be had and installed as a backup for far less.

Boiler efficiency, in the simplest terms, represents the difference between the energy input and energy output. A typical boiler will consume many times the initial capital expense in fuel usage annually. Consequently, a difference of just a few percentage points in boiler efficiency between units can translate into substantial savings. The efficiency data used for comparison between boilers must be based on proven performance to produce an accurate comparison of fuel usage. However, over the years, efficiency has been represented in confusing terms or in ways where the efficiency value did not accurately represent proven fuel usage values. Sometimes the representation of "boiler efficiency" does not truly represent the comparison of energy input and energy output of the equipment.

Remember, the initial cost of a boiler is the lowest portion of your boiler investment. Fuel costs and maintenance costs represent the largest portion of your boiler equipment investment. Not all boilers are created equal. Some basic design differences can reveal variations in expected efficiency performance levels. Evaluating these design differences can provide insight into what efficiency value and resulting operating costs you can expect.

However, every boiler operates under the same fundamental thermodynamic principles. Therefore, a maximum theoretical efficiency can be calculated for a given boiler design. The maximum value represents the highest available efficiency of the unit. If you are evaluating a boiler where the stated efficiencies are higher than the theoretical efficiency value, watch out! The efficiency value you are utilizing may not truly represent the fuel usage of the unit.

In the end efficiency comes down to value. The value of the boiler. The value of the burner. The value of the support provided throughout the life of the equipment.

A typical residential boiler as you installed can be rated at 95% efficient - while a far less expensive natural draft spark ignition appliance may only be 80% - yet you paid over 4K when other opportunities could have been had for 75% less.

Factor in that the more expensive option now is saving you 15% fuel input a year (that's if nothing else is changed) your $3000.00 upgrade is saving you about 200 bucks a year in today's cost of NG fuel input - and when it fails the parts are really expensive.



Look - THIS IS NOT an attack on your fine new appliance or all your hard work putting it in under great duress - Its simply a plea to others that may be considering a back up to their Traeger - It doesn't have to cost this much to build a safe reliable and cost effective backup. That extra 3K would have gone a long way to conservation in you house with zoning, system balance, further insulation and cost of fire tube repair ob the poor old Traeger.

All said and done I covet your new boiler and would have been better off today had I installed a similar unit (even when corn was 60 to 70 a ton) vs adding the used baby boiler to my system.

Still hoping the fire tube repair is going well

Kind Regards
Sting

Thank you Sting. I appreciated the advice all through the decision making and purchase process.

Yes, I did weight that some, and I agree. Cheaper backup boilers can be had. I did want the efficiency though. I try to be a good environmentalist. I feel quite proud about the fact that we put out our 33 gallon garbage container every Wednesday morning with its two small bags. I look across the street at the Republicans and they roll out two 50 gallon containers. Both of them with their lids propped open.

So I try to be good. But, at the same time I know I get caught up in the Prius Syndrome. You see it takes more energy, causes the most harm to the environment, and puts out the most greenhouse gas emissions to manufacture a car than it does to drive it for its entire life. So, if I really, really want to do something good for the environment, I don't buy that electric powered Prius. What I should do is drive the old junker for seven more years.

I have the money to buy good things that last a long time, and are energy efficient as my way to do my share. Finding that line between money wasted for little good, is the trick.

In your blog - you chat about converting the appliance to 12 volt for fault tolerance during power failure!

That's all well and good - but how will you circulate energy away from the appliance and out to the load?

Consider a NG fueled gen set and a hook up for it to power just heating and refrigeration. You can grill and use flashlights while your stay warm and dry and comfortable.

What about the 12 volt pumps idea?

lots to consider

The Primary control will need 120 regardless - yes you could use a small converter

but there are other parts of the heating system now that are 120 volt systems - example = Thermostat transformers will need 120 to signal the converted system to function.

Without doing a Sherlock Holmes on the complete signal and electrical supply system my list is conjecture. So Ill fall back to plan a - it carries more benefits for the family safety.

Maybe this should break off to a separate topic -- but your the mayor.

Ahhh, I see your point. I guess that isn't going to be as simple as what I thought. I know one of the freestanding stoves (Harmon?) runs on 12 volts. So you plug it in with an oversized wall dongle, or it has battery terminals. But a freestanding stove is a bunch different than a boiler.

I am a total sucker for stuff like this though. The power hasn't gone out for more than an hour in seven years we have lived in this house, but I *always* lust over battery/solar/alternative backup power.

I've been reading along and I see both sides to this backup plan thinking. But I'm going to side with sting i'd just get a genset. If you want to feel better about the enviroment buy a used one a gov't auction and your still recycling. I have a slightly related question how big is the exchanger on the boiler your trying to get fixed. Just curious thinking about building something like that and that looks about the size I was thinking. My corn burner is set to hook up to my genset if we loose power just throw the cord through the hole we use to suck the corn in and as Jim Carey said "if you want to start me up just set the choke and pull the rope"