Tell me what you recommend??

So you have a propane furnance? So hot air is pushed through the basement and middle floor? How about a wood stove insert in your fireplace? Would that work? Wood is A LOT of work....if you don't enjoy it, you'll likely not use it. Pellets are often used becuase people dont want to do the wood work.

If you wanted to go the boiler route, you can insert a water to air HX in your plenum above the furnace and provide heat that way. Most certainly more expensive than a wood stove insert in your fireplace...though you have the advantage of keep the mess of the wood someplace else (maybe basement, maybe outside)....but there are issues to be sure.

Around here, we are big proponents of gasifiying boilers....these are more efficient than a "smoke dragon", old style wood burner. Even better, is a gasifying burner with storage. Storage is, say, a 1000 gallon tank of water that when the house isn't calling for heat, you dump all the heat from the boiler into storage, i.e. heating up that 1000 gallon tank. Then you can draw from this tank as you need heat....letting the fire go out. When storage gets low, you fire up again. Many of us have one fire a day, last a few hours, and that's it. This is both convienent AND very efficient...as it allows you to burn the wood fast and hot....which is most efficient. Systems without storage inevitably end up "idling", i.e. the air to the fire is removed, and the fire smolders. This creates lots of smoke and creosote, is inefficient, and can be dangerous (creosote = chimney fire at some point if not cleaned).

So, the easiest way to get into wood would be an insert in your fireplace....but be honest with yourself about the wood work....there's lots of stacking, hauling, and mess....even if you pick up the phone and order your wood. Is your house upstairs at all open? Open areas are heated well with wood. Boxy types of places can be tough...as the air doesn't move naturally around to push the heat. Folks use fans for this purpose...and can work well. A wood stove in the basement can help...if you have a natural good way for the warm air to head upstairs.....

But whatever you do, if using wood, start collecting early! Wood needs to be dry...at least a year for most species, two for oaks (minimum)....no matter which wood burning route you go.

Hope this gives you some ideas.....Welcome to the forum! Keep reading....there's an enormous amount of info, and willing helpers to spend your money, here.

I am guessing that if you have duct work that you have forced hot air in the main body of the house with electric radiators on top floor. With that said it sounds like you could use a water/air heat exchanger in conjunction with the duct work and use fans to get the heat to the top floor. If your buying wood this will significantly slow down pay back. That is if you don't mind signing up for the wood burning lifestyle. Wood is alot of work and a boiler is a very large investment. If you have more money than time there are pellet boilers coming on line. Again expensive and you have to buy pellets, but they are clean and need less daily attention. Just a thought.

Do you have space restrictions inside/outside for boiler, heat storeage, wood storeage? Do you have experience with wood prep and use? What are the local regulations like?

Inemup. What is your budget for your new heating system? This was a mild winter. If you did not like the cost of propane this winter, you really won't like when we have a colder one. A gassification boiler with storage and all the stuff you would have to add would run you a lot of money. Depends on how much of the work you could do youself. You could be anywhere from 10-20 thousand dollars. If you have the time for all the work for processing wood, you can save a ton of money with a gassification boiler w/storage heating system. You can even heat your domestic hot water (DHW) for all your showers, dishes, laundry, etc. Year round with storage. Make your return back faster. In your warmer climate than the northern states I would say storage would be a must.

Another route would be a forced air wood burning furnace. You can buy one and hook it directly into your existing ductwork. That would be simple for you, and cost you much less up front. Here is a link to one kind. http://www.lamppakuuma.com/Vapor Fire 100.html
I have no experience with them. I have a gassification boiler with storage and an indirect hot water tank so I can heat my DHW with wood as well.

Gassifier,

That looks like quite a stove. I had not seen one like that before. It seems that if would fit this application quite well. Good call.

Noggah said:

Gassifier,

That looks like quite a stove. I had not seen one like that before. It seems that if would fit this application quite well. Good call.

Click to expand...

A few threads on that stove on this site.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/234693-wood-burning-insurance-policy-2.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/232941-how-much-do-you-value.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/229489-saving-energy-wood-burning-vs.html

A pellet burner would be nice if you do not want the mess, and it is a lot less work. Nothing wrong with that.

Wood is a lot cheaper though. Especially if you can scrounge and cut it yourself. If you are not good at that and don't have the time or desire for a lot of work, you can still buy it cut/split/delivered cheaper than pellets. Just need to plan ahead and get it stacked right and time for it to season well. Try to get ahead and stay at least one, but better two or three years ahead.

As far as getting wood into your basement. What is your basement like? For instance, I have a large sliding window that I can slide open and stack the wood right on the window sill that I protect with a piece of plywood. Then I come down inside the basement and carry about 10 feet over to where I stack it. Even if you have a small window, you can open it once or twice a year and have a shoot that you build to set your wood on and slide it down into your basement. But I do not know what you have for space, openings etc. I have seen some really cool wood shoots, for lack of a better term, right here on hearth.com. I have seen a few people around where I live who did not have a window available, or in the right area. They went as far as to take a few blocks/stones out of their wall and make an opening for wood. Sort of like the old houses had a coal shoot or opening.

A few things for you to think about. I do not know the prices on the Vapors. They look like a nice furnace though.

I think Gasifier means a wood CHUTE, but a wood shoot sounds like a lot of fun too.

$400 sounds like a lot of propane for a mild month, so the first place to start is sealing and insulating. Then I'd look at a ground source heat pump. If you DIY, you could do it cheaper and easier than a boiler, maybe even cheaper than a pellet stove. A heat pump can run off of a well if you have a place to dump a huge amount of water, or preferably a ground loop if you have the land to tear up to bury a huge amount of plastic tubing. They can heat, cool and make hot water, cheaper all the way around.

I think Gasifier means a wood CHUTE, but a wood shoot sounds like a lot of fun too.

No! That is not what I meant benjamin. You set the wood on the ledge of whatever opening you have in your basement. Then, you shoot it with your gun and it sends it into your basement all split and ready to burn! Sighting your 50 cal. in at the same time. What did you not understand?

:red:

Professional chuter. Do not attempt.

I do not approve any message in this thread.

A 50 cal wood splitter (shredder) would certainly take out any monotony that existed while completing this chore.

If your using that much propane on a mild month, I agree with insulation or at least air-sealing. I think the Kuuma is a nice furnace, or has a good track record but I don't think it's large enough for your home. We heat with a Caddy woodfurnace that's EPA certified. While it's too small for your home, the Max Caddy it's big brother I think may be a better option. You have ductwork in place, so your good there. The Max Caddy is one of the largest furnaces that I know of that is a clean burner. The blower modulates off of plenum temperatures, and has many options. In order to get a good match for the home, I would try to get a heat loss calc done on the home. Maybe even invest in an energy audit.

Max Caddy is a great idea if you want to deal with wood. A Pellet furnace, like a Pinnacle or Harman (Harmans only go to 105K btu I think though, maybe a tad small), a great idea. If you want to burn something cheaper than pellets, with less drama without going thru the wood hassle, you could look at a coal stoker boiler. A few brands make them. I think Keystoker makes a good one and Leisure Line makes a 110K Btu and 220K btu.

Noggah said:

A 50 cal wood splitter (shredder) would certainly take out any monotony that existed while completing this chore.

Click to expand...

It'd be a tad bit tough on the shoulder after 20 cords though........

You can't dry your wood any faster. ;-P

lnemup,

Sorry about changing your thread up with the attempt at comedy. How are you coming along with your decision? This is a good time in the process. It is fun to look at all the options out there. And it is also fun to have a brand new unit heating your home. Did you decide on what type of fuel you will burn yet? Pellets, wood, campaign pamphlets?