Acquiring a new wood heating appliance for your business is a big decision. There are a lot of options, and it’s important to make the right choice, as the unit you select will likely heat your business for decades to come.
At HY-C, we manufacture one such option: the GARN GN2000 wood boiler. Unlike other commercial wood heating solutions, the GARN boiler’s fire isn’t modulated. Instead, the unit operates by batch burning an entire wood load at once at a very high temperature.
The result is a very clean and highly efficient burn that requires less wood and less work than other comparable units. It also produces less smoke, resulting in a more environmentally friendly solution.
But how can that be? What makes the GARN boiler so efficient? How does it burn so cleanly? And how does it produce less smoke?
That’s exactly what we’re going to explain here.
In this guide, we’ll cover how the GARN GN2000 wood boiler works, all the way from the initial intake of fresh air to the very last ember burnt. After you learn the process, you’ll be ready to decide whether or not a GARN Wood Heating System is the right choice for you and your business.
Discover the GARN GN2000 Wood Boiler
Note: GARN Wood Heating Systems are approved for commercial use only in the United States and all applications in Canada.
At its core, the GARN GN2000 is merely a big tank of water. That water is heated, and the resulting energy is stored and used throughout the day to heat your business.
The water doesn’t just heat itself, though. There are a few design components that work in tandem to produce an adequate amount of heat.
So, before diving into the combustion process, first, it’s a good idea to take a peek at the major parts and components that make up a GARN boiler. We’ll do this by looking at the boiler from three different angles:
Looking at the GARN boiler from the front, there are 8 key components to consider:
We’ll see how these vital components work together to create heat in a bit.
The back of the GARN boiler has 4 key components to look at:
As you can tell, the ports on the back of the unit are there to accommodate pipes and ducting that allow the unit to work.
On the top of the GARN boiler, there are 2 key components to know about:
While there aren’t many components on top of the unit, the two that are there are vitally important to the boiler’s operation and maintenance.
Now that you’re familiar with all the important pieces that make a GARN boiler tick, it’s time to see how they work together to produce heat. The process can essentially be broken down into 7 steps:
Let’s see the process in action step by step.
To start with, air makes its way into the GARN boiler through the 7” fresh air intake on the back of the unit. Pulling in air from the outside of the building not only helps to maintain a constant supply of oxygen, but it also avoids using any already-heated air from inside the building.
As the air works its way toward the air collar, it moves through the intake tubes on the interior of the boiler. These tubes are surrounded by the water that fills the unit through the manway cover on the top (and we’ll see the effects of this in a few steps).
When the air reaches the end of the fresh air intake tube, it arrives at the air collar — an area of open space between the intake tube and the firebox. Air circulates around the air collar, keeping it relatively cool.
Eventually, two openings in the air collar — one at the top and one on the bottom — allow fresh air to flow into the firebox.
As the fire burns in the firebox, the smoke and exhaust from the fire then enter into the insulated reaction chamber. Air from the air collar mixes in as well, resulting in a high-temperature secondary combustion called gasification.
Gasification is essentially the process of burning smoke and other gasses produced by the wood fuel. Gasification not only provides more heat for the building, but it also virtually eliminates smoke by burning it away, resulting in a very clean, efficient burn.
After exiting the insulated reaction chamber, the clean exhaust travels through 30 feet of tubing. While it’s in these tubes, the exhaust transfers its heat into the water inside the boiler. After it’s heated, the water can be used to warm your business in a few different ways:
After the exhaust transfers its heat to the water in the boiler, it’s vented out of the building. To vent the exhaust gasses, the GARN boiler offers two options:
The connection style you use depends on a number of factors, such as the layout of your building and the location of your boiler (among others). Your hydronic heating contractor can help you determine which method is right for your installation.
After the combustion process is complete, the draft blower shuts off until you’re ready to burn again. The GARN boiler stores the heat from the wood fuel until you’re ready to use it.
Depending on how much heat you use and the outside temperature in your area, you may need to burn a new load of wood anywhere from every 12 hours to every 48 hours.
And that’s the magic behind the GARN GN2000 wood boiler! It’s a relatively simple machine that burns cleanly, efficiently, and effectively.
But how do you add one to your business?
It all starts by reaching out to HY-C. Let us know that you’re interested in a GARN unit, and we’ll be happy to talk to you about the steps involved in the purchasing process.
And while you’re at it, be sure to read up on the rest of our commercial wood heat offering. In addition to the GARN boiler, we also offer two wood burning furnaces — one indoor and one outdoor — as part of our commercial wood heating package.