Ok, this is a dumb question but here goes. Hows does a wood-fired boiler or furnace operate? What is this storage I keep reading about? Storage of wood? Storage of heat? Water?
My idea of a natural gas or propane fired furnace or water heater is that there is a pilot light that is constantly on and then when the water or air is to be heated, the full burner kicks on automatically. How does a wood-fired boiler work? Do I need to be constantly checking, every 6 - 8 hours that I have wood in the boiler? When I need hot water and my hot water tank is empty, how do I get more hot water? What if there was no wood in the boiler? To me, a wood-fired boiler will require constant attention like my wood-stove does. Well, maybe not as much but I still need to always check it. And, what happens when I go on a 1 or 2 or 3 week vacation> How do I prevent my pipes from freezing or keep the house at a decent temperature? Do I need to have a neighbor stop in daily to add wood to my boiler? Sorry to be so dumb....
My idea of a natural gas or propane fired furnace or water heater is that there is a pilot light that is constantly on and then when the water or air is to be heated, the full burner kicks on automatically. How does a wood-fired boiler work? Do I need to be constantly checking, every 6 - 8 hours that I have wood in the boiler? When I need hot water and my hot water tank is empty, how do I get more hot water? What if there was no wood in the boiler? To me, a wood-fired boiler will require constant attention like my wood-stove does. Well, maybe not as much but I still need to always check it. And, what happens when I go on a 1 or 2 or 3 week vacation> How do I prevent my pipes from freezing or keep the house at a decent temperature? Do I need to have a neighbor stop in daily to add wood to my boiler? Sorry to be so dumb....