I am planning to build a Garn barn and don't know how big to go. If someone could give me an idea how many cords a Garn 1500 would burn a winter, in southern Missouri, I could could adjust. Or, if there is an average size that most people build them.
garn green (as in don't know enough yet to even be dangerous)
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Frozen Canuck
Minister of Fire
Most will probably say build it with more than just the Garn in mind, ie build a bigger shop that suits your needs/wants & make the Garn area part of that building.
Easy enough to make the Garn area fire resistant according to your local codes.
You will need room for a couple of weeks worth of wood near the Garn so it has time to thaw, so you are not trying to burn frozen wood.
After that your needs/wants will dictate how big the building is.
For me that would be a large shop for farm equipment as well as room to pull wrenches on same.
In the absense of any heatloss calcs for the structure(s) you intend to heat as well as a lot more info on heat distribution system for same we will only be able to guess at your wood needs.
One thing everyone will agree on is that the wood must be dry, 20% MC or less, or you will spend far too much time cleaning those heat exchanger tubes.
BTW read the stickies at the top of the page, plenty of valuable info in there from the been there done that crowd. Learn from the mistakes they have been kind enough to share.
Use the search function, try Garn installs etc & see what others have done. Plenty of info in all these pages in the boiler room.
Be patient the boiler room can be very slow in the summer months. I am sure once the Garn owners here see this thread they will chime in.
Easy enough to make the Garn area fire resistant according to your local codes.
You will need room for a couple of weeks worth of wood near the Garn so it has time to thaw, so you are not trying to burn frozen wood.
After that your needs/wants will dictate how big the building is.
For me that would be a large shop for farm equipment as well as room to pull wrenches on same.
In the absense of any heatloss calcs for the structure(s) you intend to heat as well as a lot more info on heat distribution system for same we will only be able to guess at your wood needs.
One thing everyone will agree on is that the wood must be dry, 20% MC or less, or you will spend far too much time cleaning those heat exchanger tubes.
BTW read the stickies at the top of the page, plenty of valuable info in there from the been there done that crowd. Learn from the mistakes they have been kind enough to share.
Use the search function, try Garn installs etc & see what others have done. Plenty of info in all these pages in the boiler room.
Be patient the boiler room can be very slow in the summer months. I am sure once the Garn owners here see this thread they will chime in.
flyingcow
Minister of Fire
Thank you for your time. Your're right, I'm hurting for tool and other space. What you said made me realize I can get a lot more out of this building if I'll think about it and will be spending a lot more time there, than just loading wood. I didn't know most of what you suggested. Thanks. Regarding the second reply( as you can see I don't know how direct my replys). This is a new unfinished home that has no heat yet so I'm blank about fuel requirements to compare to.
Frozen Canuck
Minister of Fire
Yes for sure leave yourself options with the building rather than closing doors & forcing your choices in one direction only.
Think long term, for me that would be the ability to have a heated woodworking shop for the winter months when I get closer to retiring.
Not sure if you have heated with wood before but getting way ahead on the cutting/splitting/stacking should be near the top of the list.
Most members will say that you need 2 years of drying time to get to the 20% or less MC. Of course that will be somewhat species & location dependant.
Happy reading in the threads & stickies here. Lots of info to absorb.
If you care to post more info about the structure(s) you wish to heat such as size, const type, intended R value etc. I am sure someone will have a go at a basic heatloss calc for you.
With that extra info some members will also give you ideas on a distribution system as well as controls for same.
Plenty of good people here in the boiler room, if you provide the needed info, are patient, I am sure you will find yourself with a mind boggling amount of necessary info to consider.
Enjoy the Garn, the process of doing & learning & have fun. Everything is easier when one remembers to have fun, laugh at yourself etc.
Think long term, for me that would be the ability to have a heated woodworking shop for the winter months when I get closer to retiring.
Not sure if you have heated with wood before but getting way ahead on the cutting/splitting/stacking should be near the top of the list.
Most members will say that you need 2 years of drying time to get to the 20% or less MC. Of course that will be somewhat species & location dependant.
Happy reading in the threads & stickies here. Lots of info to absorb.
If you care to post more info about the structure(s) you wish to heat such as size, const type, intended R value etc. I am sure someone will have a go at a basic heatloss calc for you.
With that extra info some members will also give you ideas on a distribution system as well as controls for same.
Plenty of good people here in the boiler room, if you provide the needed info, are patient, I am sure you will find yourself with a mind boggling amount of necessary info to consider.
Enjoy the Garn, the process of doing & learning & have fun. Everything is easier when one remembers to have fun, laugh at yourself etc.
Jim K in PA
Minister of Fire
Welcome to the Boiler Room!
I dont know of anyone that has complained of a GARN shed/shop that was too big . . .
It will be hard to estimate wood consumption without any prior heat load information. I heat my 3000sf house and the lower level of my garage/shop with about 5 cords of hardwood and 3 cords of pine per season. I am in northeastern PA, and my house is an nearly 200 year old farmhouse with varying levels of tightness and insulation. I suspect in a more temperate climate with a newer/better insulated house I could cut that volume down by a third. The GARN is very efficient in turning wood into heat, for immediate use and storage for later use. The more efficient you can be with your distribution and your losses, the less wood you will burn and the less often you will have to fire the GARN.
Consider radiant panel heating if you are starting with a clean slate on the distribution system. While it does take up a little wall space, it has the adavantage of using low temp water like radiant floor, but with a much faster response time than heated floors. Easier distribution and installation too.
Best of luck with your GARN and your project.
I dont know of anyone that has complained of a GARN shed/shop that was too big . . .
It will be hard to estimate wood consumption without any prior heat load information. I heat my 3000sf house and the lower level of my garage/shop with about 5 cords of hardwood and 3 cords of pine per season. I am in northeastern PA, and my house is an nearly 200 year old farmhouse with varying levels of tightness and insulation. I suspect in a more temperate climate with a newer/better insulated house I could cut that volume down by a third. The GARN is very efficient in turning wood into heat, for immediate use and storage for later use. The more efficient you can be with your distribution and your losses, the less wood you will burn and the less often you will have to fire the GARN.
Consider radiant panel heating if you are starting with a clean slate on the distribution system. While it does take up a little wall space, it has the adavantage of using low temp water like radiant floor, but with a much faster response time than heated floors. Easier distribution and installation too.
Best of luck with your GARN and your project.
Tennman
Minister of Fire
Take a look at my Boiler Barn in the underground sticky. It's about a 2 1/2 car garage wide and I think about 24' deep. Great shop/man cave. The reason I mention it is you can see the shed roof off the back where I store and dry about 2 seasons worth of firewood. The boiler is just on the other side of the wall. Added another shed for storage this summer on another out buiding since I'm working towards getting at least 2 seasons ahead. Dry wood makes a huge difference in these gasser boilers. Maybe the Garn isn't as moisture sensitive, but the output of my BioMass is nite and day depending on moisture content. Enjoy the project!
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