What would recommend

how many different fires do you want to play with throughout the day?

Keeping two stoves going is a LOT of work. Much more than double, in fact, as you're always running between the two while trying to get ready for work in the morning, or get dinner going in the evening. If they're on separate floors... even more fun.

hard to heat a ranch with one fireplace/stove. and the basement will likely overheat with a stove down there trying to heat the first floor.
if you want something in basement, be ready to get creative about getting wood down there if you dont have a walkout.
assuming that since you mentioned wood furnace that you have forced hot air system. can pop one of those wood furnaces (kuhma comes up often) in the basement and tie it into your ductwork and be done. you will have a fire going constantly.
can use a water-to-air heat exchanger with a wood boiler, better yet with storage. wont always have a fire going. flexability on when you can burn. limited by min supply temp so keep that in mind. also use for DHW. any heat loss from system remains in the house.
then theres arguably the best option of putting wood boiler and storage in an outbuilding. keep all the wood mess outside, room to store a winters worth of wood, and not take up space in the house. gotta insulate well tho and pay extra care to underground lines. you already have your man cave in basement so there may not be a need for another heated space in an outbuilding tho.
for the price of an OWB, you can heat more with less wood in an IWB and not worry about regulations that continue to get more and more strict.

Electric B said:

.
. From what I am reading they are the Cookie Monster of wood.LOL
.

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Our first boiler was one of these, the basics of an OWB without the cute little house around it. You are right - a wood Cookie Monster at 22 cords per year.


Our Jetstream Gasification boiler with storage 4 1/2 cords per year.
This was one of the first successful gasification boilers (1981)


Recommend a Garn Junior, certified for a horizontal flue, simple in operation and efficient.



This is a bigger model of the Garn but the principal of operation is the same.

absolutly! but without storage i would compare it to just using a wood furnace and see how each stacks up. can you cross off the option for storge in the basement or might that be possible? if you do a boiler w/o storage, look to woodgun. but again, why not just a furnace at that point? price out both options and weigh that against ease of installation.

http://www.lamppakuuma.com/kuuma-vapor-fire-200-high-efficiency-wood-gasification-furnace.html

With your hot air duct work this gasification furnace should be given consideration!

I love my furnace in the man cave. Two walls of wood stacks and the 3rd is the futon, 4th is the furnace and big screen,Basement is not insulated so I don't keep it heated. I made a manual vent off the supply, so when its time to go down open it up and it blows right at the futon. Toasty in no time, and when winter comes there is no starting fires.

I'll second the "keep it out of the basement" group here.

We've seen so many people go that route with a stove, furnace or boiler and find out it is more headache than it's worth.........

The wood burning group that we find to be the happiest with their set up are the people with a wood shed/boiler room detached from the building(s) being heated. That method eliminates a lot of issues ranging from house insurance to ease of access.

heaterman said:

The wood burning group that we find to be the happiest with their set up are the people with a wood shed/boiler room detached from the building(s) being heated. That method eliminates a lot of issues ranging from house insurance to ease of access.

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I'm not sure I'd say folks that have to go outdoors to load their boiler in the snow and cold are happier than those with the pretty fire view and toasty comfort of a woodstove in their living room.

House too big for one stove? Run two, or three.

heaterman said:

I'll second the "keep it out of the basement" group here.

We've seen so many people go that route with a stove, furnace or boiler and find out it is more headache than it's worth.........

The wood burning group that we find to be the happiest with their set up are the people with a wood shed/boiler room detached from the building(s) being heated. That method eliminates a lot of issues ranging from house insurance to ease of access.

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Objection.

Joful said:

I'm not sure I'd say folks that have to go outdoors to load their boiler in the snow and cold are happier than those with the pretty fire view and toasty comfort of a woodstove in their living room.

House too big for one stove? Run two, or three.

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i would certainly say that. you arent "out in the cold and snow". you are walking through the cold and snow to an enclosure that even gives off enough heat to keep itself warm. i think most of us here brave the elements at least twice a day whether its to just go to work or even shovel some of that snow in the cold. just load it up then. thats what is even nicer about storage. load it up when it is convienient for you. heck, its an excuse to get out of the house and tinker with something in your barn/cave while you are out there. for me at least, neither home insurance or taxes or building permits mattered since it was in an outbuilding. all your mess is outside. and as tidy as you are there is still mess. i even bring a winters worth of wood into the barn so i am not moving it around in that cold and snow. its great. pesonally, i park my truck in the barn so i am in there twice a day anyway and only on occasion i need to make a third trip before bed to reload.
keep your stove/fireplace if you want somehting pretty and dont mind lugging wood in the house. yes, a basement install gives off heat to the living space. but how many of you wouldnt want a heating room disconnected from the house itself?
running multiple stove is not enjoyable.
different strokes for different folks. explore all these options and try to descide what will work best for you.

maple1 said:

Objection.

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might be hard to get 30'+ chimney off of most barns, but im sure it can be done..

I'll "third" the "keep it out of the basement" approach. Freedom from the occasional smoke, frequent ash/dust, carefree wood handling, convenience of re-splitting/wood stacks near the boiler, and worry free from fires are priceless to us. We gladly give up efficiency (burn somewhat more wood) for piece of mind. I'd love having our storage tanks in the house, but that's impossible for us. There are strong advocates for "in-house" and "out-of-house" IWB installations, both are right. Pick you priorities. We have forced air with several long duct runs from the HX/blower. When water temps get much below 150F the kitchen and family room gets cool, two most used downstairs rooms in winter. Take your time and enjoy the research. You've found the right place.

With all the heat (pun intended) the outdoor folks get these days I'm surprised more people don't cite that as support for bringing the boiler inside the home. Alas, perhaps that is neither here nor there. But it might make sense to make sure OWB's are considered different animals than any other wood burner housed in a shed/barn. OWB's are under attack from many angles. Their long term viability may be questionable (my opinion only).

I personally do not have the option to run a wood burner outside. My lot is too small to comply with local regs regarding distance to other homes, lot lines, public places of worship, etc. Even if I did have the room I'd still have put the boiler in my basement. To each their own indeed. I've got quite a system down these days that involves a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, a pair of flip flops (boiler room floor is unfinished) and a cold beer most every day after work in the winter. I have a leather chair situated directly across from my boiler. The time it takes to start the fire, watch flue temps rise and hit "go" is approximately one beer. A great time to catch up on the days events on the old iPad...

maple1 said:

Objection.

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...happy basement dweller as well.

stee6043 said:

With all the heat (pun intended) the outdoor folks get these days I'm surprised more people don't cite that as support for bringing the boiler inside the home. Alas, perhaps that is neither here nor there. But it might make sense to make sure OWB's are considered different animals than any other wood burner housed in a shed/barn. OWB's are under attack from many angles. Their long term viability may be questionable (my opinion only).

I personally do not have the option to run a wood burner outside. My lot is too small to comply with local regs regarding distance to other homes, lot lines, public places of worship, etc. Even if I did have the room I'd still have put the boiler in my basement. To each their own indeed. I've got quite a system down these days that involves a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, a pair of flip flops (boiler room floor is unfinished) and a cold beer most every day after work in the winter. I have a leather chair situated directly across from my boiler. The time it takes to start the fire, watch flue temps rise and hit "go" is approximately one beer. A great time to catch up on the days events on the old iPad...

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Well said!! I thoroughly enjoy my 15' startup down in my "mole hole" each evening. Helps me unwind after work!

Electric B said:

Do you have a forced air unit?

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I have a water-to-air heat exchanger in my forced air furnace. My boiler is hot water but my distribution system is forced air...