The Garn's Final resting place!

After a week of curing, it was time to place the unit. We had to place foam insulation on the floor of the shed to minimize heat loss, and then it was moving time.


Fortunately, our tractor could move the unit pretty easily, so we rigged a weight spreading bar to support the GARN, and we proceeded to work.

There were no real gotchas, everything went smoothly. Now framing the Garn Barn and the underground trench can proceed. We want to wait until the roof is up to insulate the GARN so we can minimize any rain damage. The trench could not be completed until we were able to drive over that area to place the GARN.

Breaking Ground

Finally, by Mid October 2009 we got all of our ducks in a row and we broke ground on the GARN BARN. Our plan is to build a shed for the unit, provide some lean-too storage for wood, and face south for our the addition of Thermal Solar panels for hot water generation in the shoulder seasons and summer.

The shed is 20'x8' and the lean-too is 20'x8. We will have a 110' foot underground run to the house, and a 150' foot underground run to the outbuilding. We are completing only the house run this fall, but we will rough in and plan for the outbuilding to be completed for the heating season of 2010.

The shed portion of the outbuilding has a poured concrete pad that is reinforced with rebar, and a little thicker than required, but a little over design is not a bad idea.

We will insulate below grade with "blue board" to prevent the pad from moving with the freeze and thaw cylcles. The lean-too area will get graded, and filled with modified 2A stone compacted, then 2 stone for drainage.

The day we poured was a beautiful fall day in eastern PA. The leaves were in full color, and it was great to be outside working. Everything went smoothly, we were done, and covering the job with plastic to cure for a week by noon. After the pad is cured we will place the Garn, and build the shed around the boiler.


Done for Now.