TARM OT 35 Setup

Hi i am a newbie here, not sure this is the proper spot to post this

i have a 3600 sq ft home and 2600 sq ft basement 700 sq ft garage and 15 ft high cathedral ceilings
not tryin to brag. we bought this 4 yr old forclosure a yr ago for much less than it would have cost to build even if i built
it myself. but heating this monster is depressing. there is a 60000 btu nordyne 90 to 95 percent (ya sure it is)
efficient propane hvac furnace in the basement and a 1000 gallon fuel tank buried in the backyard. i knew that we should get a wood stove with 15 acres to harvest wood it just made sense, so i bought the biggest wood stove that i could get from a local dealer and installed it myself in the basement, thinking heat rises, this would give me a nice warm workshop and help heating the main living floor above. ya the basement is very comfortable and the main floor errrrrrrrr that part just ain't helpin i have used 750 gallons of propane since oct 1st at 2.71 per gallon thats getting way too expensive. an all this winter i thought we were conserving, thermastat lowered to 58 at bed time and only 65 during day when home 58 when out.
I just got my used TARM OT 35 this weekend. the wife and i went 100 miles with our util trailer to pick it up. 1600 dollars for a combo wood boiler oil backup unit and a built in domestic hot water section, i am very ecited about this system and plan to install a heat exchanger in the havc plenum and add additional zones for the garage and the basement. i will also move the wood stove up to the living room with the high ceiling., thinkin i may not have to use the upstairs wood stove all that much,i hope. the tarm is rate for 112000 btu on the wood section and the oil section rated 140000. does this make sense to all of you or am i just nuts. thanks ken

Ken in NH wrote:I just got my used TARM OT 35 this weekend. the wife and i went 100 miles with our util trailer to pick it up.
does this make sense to all of you or am i just nuts.

It makes sense even if you are nuts.

Did your OT35 come with coal grates? Some did, I'm not sure if the parts are still available from TARM to do so, you may be out of luck if it doesn't. They burn anthracite well.

Make sure you get the proper heat exchanger, a mistake there will put you behind the eight ball.

just got my used TARM OT 35 this weekend

Ken

I just replaced my older OT-35 with a Tarm 502. MY suggestion to you would be to replace all the seals in this boiler before installing . Especially the 4 Bolt flange seals, Mine started to leak and the insulated cover hid the leak. (It was leaking and then drying up before the water hit the floor). The corner of the boiler delaminated until there was nothing left.



I have many spare parts for the OT-35 including all necessary hardware for the coal grates as well as the original wood grates. I have the doors as well as the oil burner plate.

Regards

Dave
a/k/a Stu Pidasso

thanks coaledsweat, i was thinking of getting a 20" by 20" by 4 inch thick heat exchanger on ebay, one seller has all sizes and has 1 inch pipe going thru. what do you think.?? this will be my first wood boiler add-on conversion. not sure about the coal grate, there is a catch pan on the bottom and just above is a grate with holes thru it looks like cast iron is this for
coal/wood?? thanks Ken.

Hi Dave

thanks for the tip, just how many seals are on this tarm?? my boiler is covered and strapped still sitting on the trailer
going to try to get it in this weekend with a neibors tractor. luckily i have double doors the lead from the garage to the
basement. just what do those coal grate look like? i might be interested in them..my plan was to use wood mostly and have the oil as a third fuel option but coal would give me 4 choices. they say that variety is the spice of life. but i think that has
more to do with woman than fuel choices..should i run a circulator between the domestic hot water coil and my 80 gallon propane hot water tank?? thanks Ken

Ken in NH wrote:Hi Dave

thanks for the tip, just how many seals are on this tarm?? my boiler is covered and strapped still sitting on the trailer
going to try to get it in this weekend with a neibors tractor. luckily i have double doors the lead from the garage to the
basement. just what do those coal grate look like? i might be interested in them..my plan was to use wood mostly and have the oil as a third fuel option but coal would give me 4 choices. they say that variety is the spice of life. but i think that has
more to do with woman than fuel choices..should i run a circulator between the domestic hot water coil and my 80 gallon propane hot water tank?? thanks Ken

KEN,

here is a parts break down of the OT-35 & OT50 that I have attached for your review. you will see on the top of the OT-35's page item # 's 55 (qty 5),64,65 & 68 noted as shaker grates. they can be used with coal and wood without a problem. there are also 2 end pieces not shown to hold 64 & 65 in place. you will also see item # 228 which are the seals for the water inlets. those are the ones that I would replace before installing. I would soak the bolts with WD-40 before trying to loosen them. you may give Tarm USA a call they are now called Bio-Heat at 1.800.782.9927. let me know if you are interested in the grates

Regards

Dave

Hi Dave

Thanks for the attachments on the ot-35 i will call and order those seals
better to be safe than sorry. and its much easyer to do it now when nothing is mounted yet.

yes i may be interested in the grates, how much are you asking for them??

thanks Ken.

[quote="Ken in NH"]Hi Dave

Thanks for the attachments on the ot-35 i will call and order those seals
better to be safe than sorry. and its much easyer to do it now when nothing is mounted yet.

yes i may be interested in the grates, how much are you asking for them??

thanks Ken.[/quote

Ken
Check your private messages.

I wouldn't consider burning wood again compared to burning coal in the Tarm. so much easier, steady heat, no highs and lows

regards
Dave

Is that parts breakdown saying that the 35 and 50 coal grates are the same item? Just curious. Thanks, Bob

cabinover wrote:Is that parts breakdown saying that the 35 and 50 coal grates are the same item? Just curious. Thanks, Bob

KEN

yes the grates are the same on those models

Dave

Hi there. I realize that this is a year-old post, but I stumbled across it in my search for shaker grates for a refurbished TARM OT 35 I bought in the fall. Please let me know if those shaker grates and all of the accessories for using them are still available for sale. I'm located in Montrose, PA. Thanks!