old question { i`m sure. }read & read & still don`t know.

Sounds like you're going to have a pretty good sized load. Have you considered putting a unit like a Garn in your pole barn to service both the barn and your house? If not a Garn perhaps one of the larger indoor units (such as an EKO 80) would also work. I think you'd be wise to look at high efficiency units vs traditional OWB's for long-run happiness and performance.

Also - step one should be to estimate your heat load. This is the only way you can really know which boiler will work. Google "slantfin heatloss"...it's free.

What Stee said, Dont put in the traditional smoke dragon. Do a heat loss calc. & get a gasser. This sure seems like a job for a Garn as mentioned, Randy

herman said:

thanks guys for the info. went o slantfin, don`t know which one to click on. ?? computer savy i am not.

what is a gasser. ??

herman

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I'm computor illiterate also so can't help with the Slant Fin. Gasser is gasification boiler & if you seach that term on Hearth here you will find lots of info. I think the traditional OWB is just about obsolete although they aren't going down without a fight from what I have read. Look into the Garn & other large gassers. Part of the beauty of the Garn is the storage is already there, no need to buy it or plumb it up. This is a big investment, if you have free fuel as mentioned though, it can pay for itself reasonably soon, Randy

I have a Greenwood (out of business right after I bought) in my 24x72 garage/shop. It pretty much heats my house and hot water and the residual heat from the unit keeps my shop warm. It does take up space and is messy.(smoke,wood chips,dirt) I would look at an Econoburn inside or exterior stove. Portage and Main makes an impressive unit. The Garn and other units mentioned also should be considered. Be advised, if your wood consumption is 6-8 cords per year, it will take a considerable amount of time to put up wood. I enjoy the whole process, but half of my weekends are spent gathering wood.
Doug

http://www.pvsullivan.com/Downloads.html

The Slant Fin is no longer on their site.

For a quick and dirty guide:

http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/BTUCalculator.aspx

There are quite a few others around.

herman said:

someone has had to have been in a similar situation, can you help me. ?

we just bought a 25 acre farm { wood no problem } the home was constructed in 08 on full basement {total} st. ft. to heat is
3700..
we also want to build a pole barn to be used for two vehicles, tractor, implements, workshop & so on. i`ll partition of some areas, insulation in the roof only.
50x70 barn 3500 sq. ft. & i want to heat it also, i know that without insulation all around i can`t keep it toasty. for now dirt, gravel floor
there will be a lot of plumbing, wiring & trenching to do, i can do this i will not have to hire it done.

there are so many owb`s out there how do i narrow it down to what size & type of unit will do the job. i had thought about getting two wood add on furnaces, but owb may be a better chioice.

want to heat domestic water for the house & the barn as well.
if i did not provide enough info. tell me

please help me figure out what units to consider. ??

thanks, herman

o.w.b. is all new to me. `m in east ohio if that helps.

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AFA a heatloss calc is concerned there is a link to one in the stickies at the top of the Boiler Room page resources for central heating stickie IIRC, believe it is from build it solar. I ran it for my place & it was very close. Doing a heatloss calc(s) will get you started as you will then have a better idea of your load (how much heat you need to generate to stay warm) during the coldest weather where you live. Recommend you read the stickies through as there are many links in there that will help in your heating system design/build as well.

AFA unit selection you will need a larger one for sure with the area you intend to heat, your heatloss calcs will help you determine how many btu/hr (firing rate of boiler) you require. You will need to buy a unit in excess of this as I will assume that you will require some sleep as opposed to feeding wood 24/7 when it is cold. AFA you getting a break from feeding wood, that is where storage (excess water capacity) comes in. Storage will allow you to build fires when it suits you & your schedule, then your buildings will use the heat in that storage when they need it (same principal as a battery) energy stored for later use.

What others have said about not buying an OWB is correct, (plenty of members here who have owned an OWB & now have a good quality Gasser & will tell you that they would never go back) they (OWB's) are the dinosaurs of the wood heating industry in North America & if the regulators get their way soon to be extinct as well. Add to that they consume 2-4 times as much wood or more than any quality gassification unit & you begin to see why someone who has used both would never recommend an OWB. The OWB has lost it's major advantage (price) as many of them are now as much or more $$$ than a gasser of the same size (output). Real world numbers, not factory hype.

The OWB co's are trying to build gassification units however they are in the early stages & have about 40 years of catch up to accomplish. So far most are having troubles with design/build issues such as fire box warping, fire brick being destoyed by the high temp-in excess of 2000 F flame, etc. I think once you have done your due dilligence on the OWB's you will discard that choice & narrow your search to quality gassers with a proven track record, that can handle the heatload of your buildings. Which BTW is going to be large indeed. Garn as well as the larger models of other's with storage added is likely where you will do most of your research.

Great bunch of experienced (been there done that) folks here, so keep asking those questions.

I don't think 25 acres of mixed hardwood will supply enough wood for an OWB to heat the load you describe for many years.

Rule of thumb is somewhere between between 1/2 cord and 1 cord per acre, depending.

Como said:

Rule of thumb is somewhere between between 1/2 cord and 1 cord per acre, depending.

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Exactly! Depending on the size of your thumb. I was always told that you could harvest 1 cord per acre but in reality it worked out differently for me.