Hasn't had a Heating Bill for 40 years.

[@morningstarx5340]

For anyone wondering, his external panels run glycol through them because glycol will not freeze when the temps drop. The warm glycol runs through the heat exchanger which then warms the water to run under the floor. I know that it's probably obvious to most folks who watch these types of videos but hopefully it helps someone understand that otherwise wouldn't. Pretty awesome setup

[@noelburke6224]

No such thing as free energy whether you pay by time or currency it's still not free

[@danamullins2723]

I understood all of that, but wouldn't a larger heat exchanger make it way more efficient and speed ip the process of warming the water to warm the floor faster?

[@johnweir-w2f]

Dumb question: why would you want to avoid using glycol under the floor? I understand by separating the fluid he has greater control over the temperature change, but it's technically not as efficient.

[@jacobs9604]

⁠@@danamullins2723those brazed plate heat exchangers are surprisingly efficient despite their small size. More btus with more water flow needs a larger heat exchanger, but his smaller system doesn’t need many btus. He could gain an advantage with a larger heat exchanger but might be splitting hairs if he sized that one appropriately

[@jacobs9604]

@@johnweir-w2f hundreds of gallons of glycol = $$. Glycol can break down and become corrosive as well. I like water better in my own system also

[@roberttaylor8261]

We built these boilers in 80-81-82 in Up of Michigan The 30” tube an 24” pipe liner tube inside oblonged with only 1” space on bottom! Cold water in bottom an hot out top an circulator pump to move hotwater inside house an garage floor! Only problem was UL approved insurance company’s started crack down! Thus now the outside Burners wich we built many also!

[@krisfitz1235]

I work for UL why did they crack down? Some sort of potential hazard or just a certification issue?

[@davidjoles9737]

​@@krisfitz1235 Live by Gaylord Michigan and would like to learn more.

[@malachibergman902]

When he said he was pretty sure delta T was the technical term or whatever, I knew he was the type of learner that learned because he had to, and I really can appreciate that.

[@BrianBurns-x4r]

He's the kinda learner that had a secret called imagination and good old fashion know-how..... I remember building simple devices in the 70's that worked and it's taken another 50 years before it's almost mainstream.

[@robertharper3114]

​@@BrianBurns-x4rMy dad was the same way. He built race cars. He was so good at what he did but dropped out of school in grade 8. He basically manufactured all kinds of innovative design tweaks to increase speed and lower drag. He ended up having all the rich guys who had more money than know how come to him for advice on how to get their cars going faster. He's gone now but they just don't make 'em like my pop anymore. The academics act pretentious when it was always the guys like my old man who learned things by doing that got us anywhere in this world!

[@janski30]

Just one problem, learned from one of my customers who did similar. He died, and his poor wife had no idea how to get it all going!!!

[@jamesmcdonnell5617]

@@janski30 So did she sell the house and move to Florida?

[@REVNUMANEWBERN]

Yep, too bad he didn't create a simple procedure instructions notebook with pictures, I did such for my wife on how to hook up, crank & use our propane generator

[@Bus2000]

Thats why I still have a gas heater combined with my solar and wood heater. I build the system when the boilers are low on temperature the gas heater can take over without manual switching anything.

[@ArnoldLarsen90]

@@REVNUMANEWBERN How do you know he hasn't done it?

[@snydedon9636]

So what’s the problem?

[@garyjensen3414]

I'm in California where utility bills are soaring...I have solar and a wood burning stove..I am beating their high prices, but I still need to tweak my consumption..Possibly a few more panels, an electric water heater and a convection burner will help..Currently, Gas is the problem ---along with PG&Es prices..I hear others around me are paying ----$600+ per month..

[@tuberNunya]

Your neighbors have voted for that. It's liberal masochism. Kalifornia gets it's gas the same way the rest of us along the west coast do, from a pipeline running from Alaska to San Diego. And I pay just $100 a month to power my home. In fact, the gas lines(there are two) run across my property in Idaho on the way to the People's Republik of Kalifornia.

[@Dragonologist]

You are paying all that extra money to make a political family get rich quick on a new "green" deal plan. After everyone switches to cheaper alternatives, they will flip the script and make gas cheaper and electric more expensive for some nearly arbitrary reason. There will be just enough double speak to make everything sound like a good idea.

[@muziklvr7776]

@@tuberNunya Nothing to do with politics, it's the extreme greed of PG&E.

[@tuberNunya]

@@muziklvr7776 HA HA HA Tell yourself whatever you need to feel better, but PG&E is state controlled, and your buddy Newsom is the one milking it, and using it as a scapegoat for his failure to promote logging.

[@jacoby4838]

@@tuberNunyayou’re sick, please get help before it’s too late. For your families sake

[@17madracki17]

More Tom. Not many guys like him left. We need to learn while we still can.

[@pkane5472]

Amen!

[@OffGridInvestor]

I designed and built a thermal mass heater, first design failed so I modified it and it began to work good. Until the flue started leaking. So I'm changing the design again soon to be a totally sealed system from the firebox. Most of it is all on my KZbin. Made firebrick up and all, the whole thing fits on a base essentially with a layer on firebrick underneath the firebox

[@cosmicallyderived]

Exactly

[@michaelmike5709]

Yep go to homedepot when your bill comes to eleven dollars and forty seven cents and you hand the cashier 21 dollars and forty seven cents. Because you want a ten dollar bill back in return, You will get the complete look of confusion back from the cashier, Need not say more, yes not too many like him around .

[@marcd6897]

no disrespect, this old dude is a smart guy. But he didn’t exactly invent something completely new, he was just brave enough to build this. It’s us, we’re too lazy to change. We just want to push a button and have it warm.

[@johnarizona3820]

Excellent system. The fire box has the exterior air vented into the burn chamber so no sucking outdoor air through doors, windows, etc = genius.

[@kadmow]

- and no losing warmed room air to the fire.

[@roberttammerawitchey4652]

-and no oxygen depletion in the living quarters..@@kadmow

[@branchandfoundry560]

You nailed it. This is the crux of efficient wood burning.

[@kadmow]

@@roberttammerawitchey4652 , yes. That too... (Though ERV/HRV is a smart addition to any tight system- or just one with no pressure differential - leaky openings only leak if there is a pressure difference) ventilation needs air changes - best to engineer this in (even if metered to be in punctuated intervals - depending on use cases (ERV doesn't necessarily "have to" be continuous - a sophisticated system could use moisture levels, dew points, etc - hypothetically..)..

[@danamullins2723]

If it's pulling air from the room where people will be, wouldnt that actually be depleting oxygen from a place where people will be?​@@roberttammerawitchey4652

[@thomasglynn2282]

I learned some great techniques from my first employer who was born in the 1930s. Back in the early 80s in our diesel repair shop we had a wood stove for heat, running with the oil burners, to save on heating cost, but the real trick was getting 3 phase electric to a shop that only had single phase 220 coming in. He rigged up a 220 electric motor in our outside rear shed that he would run when we needed 3 phase power. Once the motor was running it would create the third leg for a 3 phase machine to run on. Simply amazing what that generation of tradesmen could do. We would not only maintain our tools and equipment but also repair it. It is slowly being eroded away by cheap throw away junk.

[@almarkowbender]

Too bad you had all this time but still let things fall apart

[@gargamel3393]

@@almarkowbender Don't be mad because your generation didn't do shit. I'm in my early 30s and know exactly what he's talking about and how to replicate it. Haha

[@almarkowbender]

@@gargamel3393 I'm 26, I own my home and have no debt. I didn't get here by not knowing how to do anything for myself. Most boomers are completely blinded by greed they won't even take care of their family like their parents and grandparents did before them.

[@vaporizer82]

I wonder what you needed 3 phase for. This is one of the least efficient ways of producing 3 phase. It works but I wonder if the losses weren’t more than just working with the 220 straight up in the first olacw

[@coldgarden_]

@@almarkowbender Things didn't fall apart too bad if you are a homeowner with no debt at 26. I am also a homeowner, but realizing the American dream and owning the deed to your house and land is something many people never get to do.

[@TimArsenault]

My hat off to this man and all the people commeting who heat with wood. Whether you're collecting scrap wood or cutting up logs, the year-round effort and time commitment is often under estimated and/or appreciated. My father heated the family home with a Kern wood boiler, and I heated my family home with a wood stove. My siblings and I still talk about how the wood heated us 4 times. 1. Cutting, splitting, and stacking the wood to dry. 2. In the fall, we moved the wood from the backyard to the basement. 3. Burning the wood in the furnace kept us warm. 4. The yearly maintenance to maintain everything that made the burning of the wood possible. Wood preparing equipment, daily ash removal, boiler box cleaning, firebox brick replacement, and yearly chimney maintenance all require a physical effort and time commitment few understand today.

[@dramslife]

thanks for sharing, sir

[@sharit7970]

Yep, I burned wood for several years, it's a LOT of work; it becomes a way of life. Not for lazy people for sure...you'd freeze in a hurry!

[@jayrobertson232]

Thank you

[@robertm5969]

I only clean the ash out once a week or so. Only move it once with a lawn tractor. Split with electric splitter. Work smarter not harder

[@hobopiesforeveryone]

That's a great way to look back and appreciate what your folks did for you. I'd have a beer with you and yours any time.

[@carterjohnson839]

I am a hydronic heating specialist, i appreciate guys like tom. He inspires me to create a heating loop at my own home, for most people the maintenance alone on a system like this would make it impractical. However if done right i think could really save you thousands in the long run

[@evrythingis1]

It will save you thousands as long as you and your life (time) are already worthless.

[@norgeek]

What makes his system so maintenance heavy? Hydronic floor heating as been the default in new buildings Europe for a couple of decades now, and it's pretty much an install-and-forget experience

[@CrAZymAn-Eh]

@@norgeek A gas or electric boiler (as you'd generally see in Europe) would be a far simpler and trouble free experience. Whereas, this gentleman has a complex system using wood and solar heat with valves and pumps to control systems that have been added to and experimented with for many years. You can do the same thing he's doing now with controls and electronic valves but that still requires an amount of saviness that most people don't have or want to deal with. But for those who can, it's cheap heat!

[@phoenixfireclusterbomb]

Poverty doesn’t care much for impracticality, you still need to find a way to stay warm. You’d be surprised what one has to do to stay warm.

[@ehombane]

Yep, he said that he did not paid a bill. But he paid with knowledge and work, and opportunity. All that wood is free because he is doing this alone. If everybody would do it, then there will be no more free wood. And I always dreamed at those vacuum tubes. But I have no idea how efficient they are. I know that in the summer works well. Also fine in spring and autumn. But how much help are in the winter? And my idea was an underground tank to store summer heat. Would the cost of such tank be prohibitive? Anyway, these days with the drop in PV price I assume that electric would be cheaper. I am heating electric now, from the grid, because I have no roof. My roof is other 4 apartments above me. And gas would be three times cheaper, or kerosene ten times cheaper. But initial investment would be a lot more, and with added convenience of electric, this is the best option for me. But solar heating will be so fun to build. This guy is having a lot of fun.

[@rytier07]

I’m a plumber and not only do I agree with this, I actually learned a few things

[@noelburke6224]

This is heating engineering

[@danamullins2723]

​@@noelburke6224yes, I think he's aware of that...and it requires plumbing to set it up...along with some electrician work.

[@rileysenecal8178]

Same lol, this is quite something he has created. I expected to see some geothermal

[@jonothandoeser]

What!?? Where's your pride!??

[@Norwegian733]

As if a simple plumber should know all this 😂

[@upnorthandpersonal]

Very similar in concept to what I have. I use a wood gasification boiler to heat up a 3000L tank for the radiant floor heating. In addition, I have a heat-pump (air to water) which does the same when there is enough sun. I have about 15kW of solar and a 60kWh (soon 100kWh) LFP battery as well. I'm fully off-grid here in Finland.

[@quantummotion]

What's your usage like? I'm just curious how long it takes to fully charge up your 60 kWh battery based on your usage. If you are expanding to 100kWh, again I'm curious what your usage is in order to fully charge the 100kWh system.

[@upnorthandpersonal]

@@quantummotion Usage is quite low, especially in winter. Typically, 5kWh per day. In summer, much more because of the excess power as well: running a food dehydrator 24/7, power tools to prep firewood, etc. Charging really depends. In summer, I can generate 50kWh a day easily. In winter, I won't even make 1 kWh per day. In early spring and autumn when I run the heat pump, I need to be a little careful not to overextend (depends heavily on the weather), but I can typically still allocate 15kWh and more per day for the heat pump alone.

[@gordonliddy9418]

You'll always be on the grid whether you like it or not.

[@upnorthandpersonal]

@@gordonliddy9418 I'm literally not connected to the electricity grid, i.e., off grid.

[@bsod5608]

​@@upnorthandpersonal Sounds a bit like my system. Solar heating, solar pv, a gasification wood boiler, and an air to water heatpump. If electricity is cheap, the heat pump heats the house. If its expensive, the woob boiler keeps the home warm. It works remarably well, and have low running costs. I dont have any batteries (yet) and i am on the grid. My Pv is creating lots of extra electricity in the summer, and usually only cover 2-3% of ny need for electricity in the winter (dec jan). I live in Sweden, so I guess we have similiar climate.

[@kidphillyorg]

This is the kinda old person I’m building to be like. You can walk around his garage and learn what he’s done that’s relevant today. This guy is amazing and energetic because he’s used his mind and hands to survive. Also, I love videos like this where people in the comments share their setups too. It adds to the learning and ideas to build my own system. This is a great science space which is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for this interview and posting this video! Thank you for all the informative comments I’ve read and future ones I will come back for and read!

[@petemcintire4339]

"If they don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

[@evrythingis1]

You want to spend decades slowly figuring out basic crap while you waste huge amounts of money to "save money"?

[@gooburt]

sounds like fun

[@ezzz42]

i dont like it. im going to go watch a welding channel. "I don't want peace. I want problems always"

[@steventhury8366]

​@@evrythingis1What part of "using your own mind" didn't you get?

[@TaintBruiZer]

a minute into the clip and can already see how passionate this guy is about his stuff. damn near running out the door to show you they hydraulic part of heater..

[@cbmck79]

Didn't know that I needed to see a video of this man with his creation but here we are. People like him are a breath of fresh air when you meet them. They make your own projects seem less daunting. Keep up the good work. Subscribed.

[@Dunbardoddy]

I have been operating solar thermal panels for 35 years alongside a multifuel boiler and a gas system boiler for back up . A plumber I ask in to come and move a toilet made the mistake of looking in the cupboard where the heat exchanger and pumps live. he turned to me and said "don't ask me to come and fix this if it ever goes wrong". I smiled but didn't tell him I had done most of it (not the gas boiler) myself.

[@pugnugger4600]

So this dude Tom is a product of "I dont have anything to lose." motto. Ingenuity at its finest. Good for you Tom you're awesome!

[@unclebuck5051]

Yeah, I could hang out with Tom for days. He's a forward thinker and something tell's me he's into a bunch of other cool stuff. Thanks for the video.

[@linkfoodlocally]

I am fortunate to have a Tom in my life. I talk with my Tom most everyday and always learn something now. Hats off to the Toms in life. This video was great thanks!

[@schitthe]

I bought my house 15 years ago and haven’t paid an Euro since then for heating thanks to my wood heater and many sources of wood for free. Lots of work, hauling, cutting, storing, moving wood and so on. But I love it! Cheers from Germany 🔥🪵

[@muskateer12345]

That’s because you didn’t just buy a house.. you bought woodland as well..

[@majestic_irrelevance]

A man who cuts his own firewood warms himself twice

[@charleskutrufis9612]

Thanks for this, I worked on these systems for 30 years, brings back memories. Smart guy with a great deal of time invested. When he goes it will be shut down, no one else will maintain or operate the system. My kind of stuff, love it.

[@nathanclaytor4083]

Same thoughts here. This guy is good,I hope he has like minded sons and daughters with the drive he has. I have spent a lifetime building my tool arsenal with quality old school and modern tools and am afraid when I am not here they won’t be appreciated. I have tried to pass along my knowledge and sense of where we came from to my children as best I can,but it is not easy with the current mindset of the world.

[@charleskutrufis9612]

Nathan, I'm an old guy with a shop full of machines, spent my whole life building and fixing stuff. My old breakfast friends and I joke about how it will all go to the scrapper when I'm gone. I have two whole house generators, a homebuilt diesel and an Onan natural gas powered one. My wife would be challenged to operate either. Just how it is. Thanks for the comment. @@nathanclaytor4083

[@johnslugger]

*Amazing but I totally BELIEVE IT! I use an old STEAM boiler in my cellar and pump hot water (195 F.) through high Temp Sch #40 CPVC pipe (Orange colored Fire Sprinkler Rated Pipe) I heat this boiler with about 50 pounds of wood per day and I can keep our 3000 Sq. Ft. cabin at 76 degrees inside when it's -10 F outside in Alaska. I have about 18,000 feet of 1/2" Pex pipe in the walls and floor of this home for heating AND Cooling. If your a good designer return the warm water to the top of the boiler tank and it will not take much energy to get it back upto full temp again. VERY EFFICIENT!!!!!!.* P.S. If you live in a COLD CLIMATE NEVER use Copper tubing in the walls of your home!!!! Copper tubing is good for making "Moonshine" but not plumbing a Cold Climate home! If your heat or power ever fails PEX pipe will not Burst in the walls of your home from Freezing!!! NEVER USE COPPER!!!!!!!!!

[@roberttammerawitchey4652]

One of my old farm houses is even simpler than that.. It's a pure gravity (hot air rises, cold air sinks) no pumps,or fans req'd. a Early 1900's Lennox No. 1 wood furnace is sitting in the basement, and hot air rises though ductwork up the center of the house, all the way to the 2nd story. Cold air return are just simple open vents along the outer walls, 'dumping' into ductwork below the 1st floor... back to the firebox. Once it's up to temp, the air is moving so fast it'll blow your hair back when standing by one of the registers. The only 'thermostat' is a fancy brass wall mounted lever hooked to a chain that goes to the air door down in the basement. It also had (no longer used) a loop for heating water in an isolated hot water exchange tank. No pumps needed there either. strictly convection powered. All it took was a strong back to keep it fed with firewood LOL

[@justinridlen]

How do you use it for cooling?

[@roberttammerawitchey4652]

old farm house= 'window a/c' LOL. it's heavily shaded by huge trees, so it's not too bad.@@justinridlen

[@robertmcsorley4001]

Never heard that about PEX piping. Very interesting indeed 🤔

[@MrBottlecapBill]

@@robertmcsorley4001 It's not true. Nothing can avoid the laws of physics. Water expands when frozen.......period. PEX piping just has some flex to it so it can expand a bit more before it breaks. It can still break and even if it doesn't it will still cause leaks. You can't let your pipes freeze, it's that simple.

[@Rocksolidhandyman]

When a man runs 5’ to open a door, you know he means business!!! Excellent system! 💪🔥🙌💯

[@MapleJames76]

And he's excited to show it off :) Very smart fella.

[@joshuapatrick682]

me either but that's because I live in Louisiana and in 40 years I've seen snow like 6 times and only 2 of those did it stay on the ground for more than a day and was more than an inch or two.

[@sirich7751]

What's truly interesting and what he glossed over a little is the amount of thermal mass storage he has in both the water tank and the concrete slabs. Takes time to get up to temp but that also means it cools slowly. One question: What is the safety mechanism for the hot water boiler if flow stops? Spring pressure release?

[@portnuefflyer]

Both temp and pressure relief valves

[@lovetofly32]

So cool. My dad had a heating system in his shop similar to that. He would always sya the same thing about needing to have it burning the day before if you want heat the next day.

[@n.elliott9122]

Have him on the show more often. We need him teaching. Those men such as him are few and far between. Also, his fitness is on point. He even said keeping his bike trail clear. Brilliant!

[@soapmact]

Just wait until you find out he’s ripping a 70ish amp hr e-bike snow bike at Mach infinite, to the edge of the battery range. Dude is a legend and about 2 centuries before his time.

[@BenCos2018]

@@soapmact was that a video I'd watch that haha

[@AndrewBrowner]

Bike to this kind of person means a quad.. an atv or side by side, not a thing with peddles

[@AlsanPine]

i built a system very similar to this in the early 00's. it is good to see others doing this. i have not had a heating bill since 2011 when i finished the project and fine tuned it. 🙂

[@00nothingxD]

i know it doesnt matter but "delta T" or ΔT, Δ just means change in, so when you see that symbol next to a variable its just expressing a graph describing the change or shift in the state of something. ΔT is change in temperature in this case, ΔP is typically change in pressure, the variable can mean whatever you want it to, only delta is a constant for the measurement of change in something

[@ReeceLain]

this guy is a genius. love how he explains everything in such a patient and empathic way. it’s awesome. you can tell for him, this all has been a massive headache, but he enjoys the love other people get seeing it for the first time

[@CavanalK5]

I’d love to follow Tom and guys like him around for a week. So much practical knowledge.

[@rockyreynolds4027]

Man I could easily watch a ten hour video of that older guy just because he talks fast and to the point

[@kentkearney6623]

Military Man

[@joycebegnaud9645]

Love watching as well 😊

[@jackrolfson312]

That was very interesting to watch. Thank you for bringing us along.

[@johnfox9780]

I started my career as an apprentice heating engineer and just kept learning & getting quals throughout my career. LOVED this. It's great when people like this guy work all this out. I've built the last two family homes. Dying to build the final home and I'll be having all of this sort of stuff in my final house. Solar panels (PV and Water), solid fuel boiler and stoves (Upstairs in the house working on gravity.....and of course the domestic hot water working on gravity from the solid fuel stoves, but also pumped primaries into the coil from the solar panels). Also quite interested in a thermal store where you keep the excess heat from the solar panels in an underground well insulated tank, could be swimming pool sized, and then use this as a high quality heat source for a water source heat pump. Free heat for the rest of my years.....can't wait!! Thanks for sharing this fabulous information. 🙂

[@Blarrrgum]

The only caviat is probably the part with 2 pump in series to increase flow rate. While practically true it mostly to increase pressure. He can't go to a higher flow that the max of one pump of the same size but it probably permit to be closer to the max of a pump rather lowest flow range at higher pressure.

[@-sensibleChris]

Hat's off to this man. One advantage to living in the country is you don't have to run everything through the city for approval then you are free to do what works for you. That's whatvhe did. He knows how it all works and it's gotten him through 40 years without having to pay for heat.

[@kinte1870]

He pays a costs. Just not to a system and he controls everything.

[@brentdavidson1]

Definitely just jurisdiction dependent unless you’re talking super rural. Lots of unpermitted work in cities too lol

[@kinte1870]

@@brentdavidson1 Do it on the weekend when the inspector isn't at work 🤣🤣

[@kinte1870]

@@brentdavidson1 My pops reroofed his house on a Sunday for that reason. Lol

[@rocksfire4390]

@-sensibleChris the only thing he didn't do was pay a gas bill to produce heat but he still payed for the heat.

[@hjartm123]

As a plumber can’t argue with that system, it’s referred to as a hybrid system both are seen as renewable forms of heat. The layout with the plate heat exchange is a very smart idea. It’s common practice in the commercial and industrial plumbing above 70% of industry in the uk uses a set up like that with a cascaded combi boiler set up. Only think I’d pick on is his pipes aren’t clipped😉. Also pumps in series increase head and pumps in parallel increase flow. Overall absolutely well done hats off to lad there!

[@samchs222]

The heating system in UK homes sucks. I guess the new homes have better heating or is it just the posh new homes?

[@hjartm123]

@@samchs222 Entirely depends how it’s put in, what’s been put in and who’s done it. I’d say there’s a lot the uk needs to catch up on. Heating engineers are going to be under more pressure to design heating systems correctly due to laws changing about any upgrades on heating systems need to be made with heat loss calculations.

[@samchs222]

@@hjartm123 in a lay man's term, what you are saying is that a number of heating engineers suck. It's good that laws are coming in to address this issue.

[@DJ-uk5mm]

I’ve had an underfloor Heating system For 15 years and my annex building water in the floor. . It’s common in Europe . I renovated at 230 year old cottage and installed under floor heating throughout ground floor and first floor (first and second floor in the United States)…. The main thing, though was that I inflated all the external walls and the floor 150 mil Nearly 6 inches…. Hardly need to heat the house at all …

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

insulated

[@anthonyheneghan3137]

They have them systems in Ireland they use wood pellets to heat a two thousand gallon tank which heats the floor tubing... Works awesome.. There usually in bed and breakfasts which is like a small hotel

[@ElectronicMarine]

got the same system build 25 years ago... works a treat! i actually build the solar pannels...

[@ehombane]

How well are they working in the winter? For summer is obvious. Spring and autumn I assume are fine. But what percentage of energy need provide in the winter. Would a underground heat tank would be feasible to store summer heat? Or the recent low PV price makes electric more attractive?

[@ElectronicMarine]

@@ehombane it use to work really well, i,ve used more solar than needed for summer... in summer i use to cover half of the solar colectors... now i live on a boat and the new owner of the home i think switched evertying on electrical solars and lithium batteryes... for me worked fine for almost 15 years..

[@nathanwittman9079]

Now I've put my fair share of hydronic in floor heating in concrete but I've never seen those solar panels on the roof to heat the water, I love that idea, what a brilliant mind to learn from

[@aaronh4963]

The energy this man displays is inspiring!! keep on keepin on sir!

[@tville7043]

Enjoyable to see and hear about Tom's heating system. He's entertaining to watch. The boiler itself would cost a ton to build now with the price of steel so might have to improvise, however I live in the hills in North Ga. so not so cold but sunny so very little wood should be needed. Might be possible to use no wood except in extreme cloudy weather. I appreciate the video and thanks Tom for getting this old man thinking. God Bless. NW ga.

[@peted2770]

I would suggest a drain back system for the solar side. Less headaches with heat dumping and other solar issues in your area.

[@garrettmillard525]

Definitely does not need to be so big!

[@tville7043]

@peted2770 Sound advice thanks. More than likely this is some sort of dream to have a system like this. Have a lot to learn and a short time to make it happen. At one time or another been able to try different heating methods. Coal as a young boy (pot belly). In my current house I've tried wood heater (Ashley), propane space heaters (Atlanta gas light w/ceramic reflectors), electric (heat pump all electric) and at my age the electric is cost effective, clean, easy at least in my area. It's steadily climbing but Ga. is ranked as a lower cost per kilowatt state.

[@415s30]

I worked on solar hot water in Hawaii for a few years with a mad scientist, we made systems with the vacuum tubes and even made water pasteurizers for third world projects he was funding. This all makes perfect sense to me. Hawaii wasn't cold but I have stayed in cabins and thought about how you could use Swedish stoves etc. and cobble together combination systems. This is a pleasant surprise to see. It sure helps if you have free wood available to use if you need it. We used vacuum tubes filled with oil to make a circulating solar cooker and cooked a pot roast with it in Honolulu a few times. That project was for Bangladesh apparently, my boss was building them so people could cook without cutting down trees in villages, the trees were becoming scarce. I'm a stagehand rigger now and the way things are going I doubt I can ever own my own home with the prices, but I would do this kind of thing if I could.

[@brucedeleskey8540]

Very smart man and what he paid to do all this costs the same in 40 years of paying a fuel bill bill so really thare is no savings heat in the long run he's running an old steam engine is the way I would say it at his age today he whount be putting in three foot logs in much longer he's a man whith to much time on his hands he's a hobbyest we Americans like to live life

[@Okiranger]

Tom needs his own youtube channel...

[@anaestereo810]

It's the kinda guy that gets things done...no time for vids.

[@24bidy]

yet the other guy channel use others for money

[@jimmynoleaksboilerman7348]

He's too busy running his heating plant.

[@whatta7793]

@@24bidy and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm sure this old man had a great time sharing his work, and helping others. And I'm sure video uploader enjoyed it as well, and maybe had travel expenses, business expenses to give this video to us as well. So even if he made some money from the video, that's fine. I learned some stuff, I'm sure others did as well, and the old man got to share his wisdom and teach others, which is a valuable feeling within itself. The old man didn't have to do this video, but he probably done it because he was proud of his work and wanted to share and help others. Which some people really enjoy doing just that.

[@YaHsServent]

Guys, Here is our Savior HalleluYAH translates “Praise ye YaH” YaH is The Heavenly Father YaH arrives via the TENT OF MEETING YaH was Who they Crucified for our sins YaH was Crucified on an Almond TREE - Ancient Semitic Cuneiform of Moshe (Moses) - Isa Scroll (The Original Isaiah) Isaiah 42:8 "I am YaH; that is my Name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” Isaiah 43:11 “I am YAH, and there is no other Savior but Me.” Isaiah 45:5 “I am YaH, and there is none else.”

[@mpschaefer1]

Yeah, I like. Mine is way different, outside wood, looped into domestic water and floor through a few plate HE. Endless supply of free wood in Alaska, but mostly I burn scrap pallets just because there is an endless supply, easy to handle and cut. Love your example.✌️

[@stanleyroberts4381]

I use a boiler that I plumbed into my house. Thought about the pex lines under the floor,but just never bothered to do it. My water heater is also on the boiler.

[@thekarmafarmer608]

Proper old school gentleman. Very inspiring to watch and listen to.

[@richardboege91]

Love it, he's talking Delta T, not a " Liensman" ...a true Learner! Respect! Respect!

[@davesmith3529]

My coworker has a shop with with the same setup as this guy, the shop is insanely hot and if you bring a snow covered big rig in the shop, in 10 minutes all the snow will be gone

[@jackjack4412]

So that's basically too hot in there.

[@davesmith3529]

@@jackjack4412 it's actually not that hot to be honest, it's warm don't get me wrong but he has heated floors and it's crazy how fast it heats up

[@jackjack4412]

@@davesmith3529 right on, I've never been in a shop like that. That's good.

[@its9429]

Nothing like warm floors in a house or shop. Hands down the best kind of space heat.

[@redjohnson4859]

Most efficient, too. No hot air up there!

[@rodneylitton638]

Love it when people say I burn wood it’s free Chain saw free Truck to haul wood free Log splitter free Wood burner free Most of the time you can scrounge free logs or trees to cut up but it’s ass busting work so as far as I’m concerned it’s not free Fuel for truck and chainsaw free None of its free it’s inexpensive but definitely not free.

[@roberttammerawitchey4652]

chiropractor bills...free.

[@garny3766]

Well…some of the people that think like this will also pay $10/day for lattes while on their way to a gym where they pay a membership. Also hard to put a price on self sufficiency and price stability. I remember a few years ago winter propane went from $1.90 gallon to $5.50 in a matter of a week. Also folks or in Europe last year just about collapsed due to NG cuts and of course putty blowing up his own pipeline 🤦‍♂️😆

[@roberttammerawitchey4652]

@@garny3766 oh, no doubt. It's the whole 'free' thing that is a little misleading. I"m fortunate to have property that supplies more dead wood than 5 families can burn each year. Let's just say besides the 'teaching moment' to the kids helping gather, split and stack this wood, the lack of having to monitor the propane tank- it's more an 'investment' in a lifestyle that pays dividends... and a middle finger to reliance on outside energy suppliers is kinda fun too. I could've gone solar/wind... for a lot more cash investment..but each place has to be considered. If there wasn't a tree on this place, absolutely.

[@mason5540]

You really think Putin blew up his own pipeline? lol @@garny3766

[@redjohnson4859]

Gym membership.... free

[@Sjalabais]

That's brilliant. It's the kind of thing I can dream of on a slow day, but he's got the competence and guts to build it. Hat's off!

[@anthonyhugger5447]

This system is so cool.. problem is as one ages it could become difficult to impossible to continue to hear this way.. glad he has a back up plan

[@airsickadventures]

Way cool! I am very impressed. Smart man right there 👍 thank you for sharing.

[@JonasMarcinko]

You bet! thanks for watching.

[@robertcorbin2749]

Great educational video. Love the “Back off” mud flaps on his wall.

[@JonasMarcinko]

Thanks 👍

[@Praise___YaH]

Here is the True Savior HalleluYAH translates “Praise ye YaH” YaH is The Heavenly Father YaH arrives via the TENT OF MEETING YaH was Who they Crucified for our sins YaH was Crucified on an Almond TREE Semitic of Moshe (Moses) Isa Scroll (The Original Isaiah) Isaiah 42:8 - I am YaH; that is my Name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. Isaiah 43:11 - I am YAH, and there is no other Savior but Me. Isaiah 45:5 - I am YaH, and there is none else.

[@keithnoneya]

That's pretty cool. I remember the Automotive shop my dad used to work at, RoHo Towing in Meridian Idaho in the 70's. Bruce and Dude had a Duel Barrel wood stove heating the two bays in the middle of winter. Thanks for sharing, might have to do this in Northern Arizona. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@ScottyKushin]

What a great video! Thank you YT for recommending this lovely video this morning.

[@darwinmonzingo9738]

this man is impossible to gauge clever. never seen anything like this ever and I was born in Alaska. we heated our home and water with wood furnace as kids but this is just brilliant

[@jakematijczyk6905]

Classic old school ingenuity .I use some of the same system it works really good

[@JonasMarcinko]

I'm fortunate to have Tom as a friend!

[@dragonsword7370]

My style of "Old school" is stuck in anything up to 1960's commercial tech. So seeing this setup using solar powering in both heat exchanging and electric conversion panels in addition to old school water heating pipes in floors, and a boiler with heat exchanging for water still looks rather hi tech to thine eyes. Matter of fact, the floor heating pipes setup can be traced back all to the way to old Roman systems. Specifically their bath houses. They had pipes in the floors and separate sections for cold zones AND hot or heated zones in the rooms and floors. One of the first things a Legion outpost would do, if it was going to be more than a temporary encampment was start work on a bath house among all the other projects needed for a fort however far out it was. I can see the blend of old and new school here and, it is glorious.

[@YaHsServent]

Guys, Here is our Savior HalleluYAH translates “Praise ye YaH” YaH is The Heavenly Father YaH arrives via the TENT OF MEETING YaH was Who they Crucified for our sins YaH was Crucified on an Almond TREE - Ancient Semitic Cuneiform of Moshe (Moses) - Isa Scroll (The Original Isaiah) Isaiah 42:8 "I am YaH; that is my Name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” Isaiah 43:11 “I am YAH, and there is no other Savior but Me.” Isaiah 45:5 “I am YaH, and there is none else.”

[@mtoto78]

As a professional HVAC tech, I think this is great 👍 sure it could be done in a more "professional" manner but so what?! This guy did great with what he had. Love the engineering of it! 👏👏👏👏

[@geophreigh]

Tom is an old school genius! He reminds me of my dad and that’s a high compliment. Great work!

[@larrycone8821]

I had a 2500 lb 8:34 kewanaee 3 pass boiler in my 2300 square foot house. You could throw three four-foot logs in there and it would burn for about 24 hours. You could walk around in the house and t-shirt and shorts on a 0° day. Of course the house was super insulated with all triple pane windows. The place was so efficient it heated cheaper than my 700 ft² cabin. I eventually switched to a well maclean gas boiler. Lost that house in a divorce I miss it.

[@racer193wr]

A buddy of mine built a similar wood burner/boiler setup to heat his shop. His fire box boiler was a little bigger. His setup used to keep the shop warn four days after the fire went out. Bonus was the firebox worked as an incinerator with liitl to no ash left over..

[@Kntryhart]

Thanks for posting. I have a very similar setup. I can heat my house and domestic hot water via propane, an evacuated heatpipe solar array, or a gasification wood-fired boiler. Each component can work independently or together as a "team." I haven't had a propane delivery for years, but it is there if needed. My "angst" is that I am now an old man and once I am gone, no-one will know (or care) how all the pieces work together! And my "system" is like the one shown here...human interaction is required...the system, as a whole, while GREAT is not automatic; valves need to be repositioned, switches need to me moved. And as he said, if you want heat inside the house tomorrow, you better plan ahead (I have a smaller footprint, so from say 65-degrees it takes about 24-hours to get everything up-to-temp). Regards.

[@ronc9743]

I thought my system was crazy, but he wins. I use a diesel boiler for shop & house as well.

[@jackjack4412]

Does it get too hot?

[@itsumonihon]

Nice system. I have been designing something for our property that's very similar. It baffles me that some people may have told him they don't believe it works?? It's engineering, not wizardry. There's science and mathematics backing everything he does. If his setup is producing adequate heat for his home and shop it's because he designed it to produce adequate heat. We're bombarded with solar radiation every day and barely make proper use of it, this setup shows the power of an eco-friendly heating system. If everyone used a system like this, the energy consumption of households in cold climates would be reduced by nearly half annually. That is a massive impact on energy requirements nationwide. Regarding his comment on efficiency of solar thermal water tubes... they're something like 85-98% efficient which is far better than most other means of heating. The science channel Tech Ingredients has a very detailed video on constructing solar thermal water heater systems - not this complex of a system but they go into the science quite deeply so you can design your own.

[@providacc01]

Respect! This level of thermodynamic clarity is rare to find actually!

[@siberx4]

Pairing a system like this with hydronic floors is a really smart move, because the large surface area means you can get effective heating at very small temperature differentials. A traditional forced air or baseboard system requires much higher output temperatures to keep the space heated, but this system can take advantage of "low quality" heat that's only a small number of degrees warmer than the target temperature for the room. Really cool video, and neat system! That being said, it's almost certainly not worth the complexity to build something like this nowadays with how photovoltaic panels have come down in price and gone up in efficiency. Simpler to just install a bunch of those and use a heat pump, and then the excess energy generated by the panels can go to powering other things than just heat.

[@anthonybranco]

The wood burning is a nice touch for days where not enough solar energy is available.

[@chad2787]

Interesting. My grandfather had something like this he built back in the '60s... Water jacket around a wood stove... He used a regular hot water heat circulator pump to send hot water to the second floor for baseboard radiators. 1st floor got hot from the fire itself. If someone was staying upstairs he went down to the basement and plugged the circulator in.

[@schassis_eddi]

12:37 oof he has a CM Truckbed on his rig, this guy is rad af

[@marcericdavis]

Cool system. An interesting idea would be to use the vacuum tube style solar panels. They work better in cold areas. And the cost is reasonable.

[@pulporock]

Snow can be an issue. They are more effective in colder climates.

[@darrenbeavers8099]

I had a neighbor like this guy when I was a kid. If we needed a wrench or some air in our BmX bikes tire he was always out working in his shop. Smart guy

[@paddyb431]

Hope you are doing well, Tom! Glad to see the boiler Mike Solomon and I made you 20 + years ago is still running strong! I still have a picture of it on my website when we were loading it in your truck to take up to your what place by Pebble Creek. I remember you having me waterjet that elongated slot in the blower tube in the firebox to create that cyclone once the fire got roaring!!. Brilliant idea. Built me a boiler a few years ago and have it on my KZbin channel. I kept you in mind when I was fabricating it. You always had an eye for making things super efficient. Still waterjetting and running Rapid Creek Cutters, just not in Inkom anymore. Pat Burrington-in Montana.

[@portnuefflyer]

Right on Pat, your water jet expertise made it easy. That slotted fresh air intake creates a swirl effect, as I had theorized. Since this video was made, I finally got around to installing a waste oil drip setup, should have done it years ago, it works so well. And for the record, I didn't do ANY critical welding, no need, I know the right people!

[@paddyb431]

Good to hear from ya Tom! When I moved to this shop in Stevensville, MT, I just used the existing stove the last guy had, and I kick myself in the butt everyday because I should have just made a new stove from scratch and I was planning on using the tapered pipe cyclone thing. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say! @@portnuefflyer

[@jamesshupe1248]

Thanks so very much! This is what it is all about!!!😊

[@JonasMarcinko]

You are so welcome!

[@JMC9837]

The only time of the year that my water heated floor isn't nice is in the spring when it's cold then hot then cold. When the floor is hot the shop is way too hot and you can't shut it off. But, the heat is simply amazing having cold feet in the shop sucks

[@redjohnson4859]

Try an outdoor reset control.

[@JMC9837]

@@redjohnson4859 if you stop running the water through the floor the boiler over heats, and the floor is 110 degrees and all that concrete holds it for a long time. If you cooled it with cold water then by night fall you’d wish it was warm again…. I’m just saying where I’m at the Indian summers temps swing so much it’s hard to keep up

[@AD7ZJ]

Very cool system! Love using the free solar energy to save money.

[@diverdown631]

4 decades as a plg& htg tech, I would have to agree with him, that's some nasty looking work,but his fundamentals are fairly sound.

[@emilioestevez3930]

Give me more Tom. What a guy, putting in the effort to learn his own ways, and his own system. I'm so impressed. Probably self learned aswell

[@garny3766]

Tom and I are cut from the same cloth. Homemade 1300 gallon Garn clone boiler, 4- 40yo 4x10 hydronic panels, and 10kW photovoltaic.

[@patrickheavirland3599]

Good morning from Minnesota! He must get enough heat from the panels to keep everything at a reasonable temperature, so that if he goes on vacation, he doesn't need someone to babysit it??

[@pvesely299]

Tom is always fun and interesting.

[@caseymiller6854]

This technology can be called hydronic in slab heating. It's becoming more and more common. I work as a mechanical engineer designing HVAC systems for buildings. I've seen this method used for very large manufacturing buildings. It can also be used on roofs or in parking lots to prevent and/or melt snow

[@maxsmart8786]

Great thinking and job Tom! Thanks for sharing your experience and system design! Steve in Swan Valley, retired NASA engineer..

[@hillbilly4christ638]

Hasn’t paid money to some company. When you break it down, he is ahead, but the fuel source has a cost. I burn wood for heating and it has a cost. My system is not electric and I can heat as much water as I want without electricity. The simpler you can keep things, the better. I just don’t like having a monopoly determining the cost and or supply of what I need to live. There is all together too much of that in this world.

[@joycebegnaud9645]

❤

[@DrakeDealer]

People with land can just go into the backyard for firewood. Realistically tho, firewood is infinitely cheaper than paying for electricity when you have an efficient system.

[@JohnThomas-hv3nd]

wood, in the UK, double glazing ys a big thing, plastic frames etc, when they remove old wood frames etc, they have to pay to dispose of it, i go collect it, cut it up, use it in my wood burner. Costs me about £100 all in per year.. fuel, electricity, blades for chop saw etc.

[@cwid99]

I think he said between his job, something about cranes, and clearing his own trails, he has access to lots of free firewood

[@ThePeacemaker848]

Cost of wood = go harvest/chop wood for 30-60min a day on average and that's your exercise the gym.

[@Spennyman10]

This man is an absolute genius. I'm sure it's a pleasure just to know him.

[@peterectasy2957]

what is GPS coordinates location of his house ?

[@mikhailkalashnikov4599]

This old guy is a genius! I love the sign with the bull on it, "I can make it to the gate in 20 seconds, can you?" lol

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

isnt that a dog?

[@roddydykes7053]

@@Nordic_Mechanicbull meaning dog

[@peterbodelsson156]

This setup he is describing is quite normal here in Sweden. A wood boiler heating up what we call an accumulater tank. That tank then provides both heated water for heating and for the tap. A normal 1500 square feet house should have minimum one or two accumulater tanks of 250 gallons each. Needs to have a fire at least once a day to keep warmth.

[@ReeceSvancara]

I may be wrong but pretty sure this man has use his crane to set trusses where i was working in idaho and hes a legend at that too

[@richardyoung7648]

Very cool! Smart man

[@lpe655]

I want to see how his garage door opens. That looked super unique as well.

[@brettblack7049]

I noticed that too.

[@abundantYOUniverse]

Fantastic thanks!

[@JonasMarcinko]

Glad you liked it!

[@toby-v6i]

indiana here, ya beat me, bin 35 for me :) . at 70 not sure how much long i can do it, hope for 10 but may be 5, but it`ll be what it is. now i got nothing like you have but again, deal with what ya got, my advantage in the land of hardwood indiana. i get mine in the spring before crops go in and after gettin a deer in the fall. 40 more yrs. to ya sir.

[@chillout2109]

I admire his passion and hard work. Seems like a humble guy that people could learn from.

[@ShredPile]

This is a masterclass in systems redundancy. The larger water bath heat exchanger above the wood fired boiler intrigues me. Excellent video Jonas.

[@johnwirk]

Hes using every medium in his arsenal to store heat. Granted, his buildings probably arent what most consider "cozy" but it isnt freezing either. His property probably idles around 55-65 degrees which is perfectly fine. I personally love 55-60 in the winter so as to not sweat in the bed.

[@ShredPile]

Correct. 55-60 is fine considering that much of the time it could be as much as a 75 degreed difference from the outside. The water bath is less about storing heat and more about being a disconnect from the boiler supply and that's the part that's cool to me. It can be a challenge sometimes to not cook yourself out and still keep a fire going. It's just a really neat buffer. @@johnwirk

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

it's called a thermal store

[@corey6393]

Gotta love Idaho.

[@markdixon215]

Very interesting thanks for sharing

[@jnetwork7159]

A friend of mine has a similar glycol setup on his house and it works incredibly well.

[@chippydog2]

How cool! But very confusing