i am running out of options. my basement cieling is only 62 inches high. does anyone know of a furnace or boiler that will clear this? i have looked at furnaces and none that i have seen will work. i dont even know where to begin with a boiler. at this point i think i would perfer a boiler since from what i have read they are more efficient. im not looking too spend a ton of money either. my house is fairly small 14-16 sqft i dont remember exactly. thanks for any help i get
a new boiler for a tight space?
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5'2" ceiling height...how about access to the basement? Isn't the smaller EKO25 shorter than this? But there might be clearance issues in cleaning as well. But with only 14-16 sqft, it won't take much to heat! 
Obvioulssy you mean 1600 sqft. Many have the boiler outside in a shed and bring the hot water inside through burried, insulated lines. Of course that all adds cost, but it also keeps ALL the mess outside...any bugs, any smoke, etc. And with wood, there's always the general "mess". How's your entryway to bring wood into the basement? That would be a key aspect to think about as well. I think most have their boiler outside in a shed, even if it is a "indoor" rated unit.
I know the Empyre line of gassifying boilers are lower than 5' tall....but again, it seems like you would be happier in the long run with the mess outside. But, indeed, it is an investment. By the time you are done, you will be over $10K I'd predict....boiler, building, chimney, tubing, pumps, controls, etc. Maybe some folks have been able to do for less...but it would be tough I'd think.
Obvioulssy you mean 1600 sqft. Many have the boiler outside in a shed and bring the hot water inside through burried, insulated lines. Of course that all adds cost, but it also keeps ALL the mess outside...any bugs, any smoke, etc. And with wood, there's always the general "mess". How's your entryway to bring wood into the basement? That would be a key aspect to think about as well. I think most have their boiler outside in a shed, even if it is a "indoor" rated unit.I know the Empyre line of gassifying boilers are lower than 5' tall....but again, it seems like you would be happier in the long run with the mess outside. But, indeed, it is an investment. By the time you are done, you will be over $10K I'd predict....boiler, building, chimney, tubing, pumps, controls, etc. Maybe some folks have been able to do for less...but it would be tough I'd think.
im not worried about the mess. and yes i meant 16k, sorry. i have a stair way with metal doors that enter the basement, very easy access. i already have a chimney it is and 8 inch flue, must of what i have seen require a 6 inch sooo i am assume i will need a liner. i dont want to spend 10k on this but i refuse to buy 1 more gallon of oil.(oil furnace that produces steam) i have 5 cords waiting to be burned with plenty more to be had. wood supply is not an issue. i am dead set on wood. i currently have a fireplace and a cheapo stove that just pump heat out of the chimney. i would like to have just one central unit taking care of all of my heat. i would prefer to have the unit inside, unless it was in my detached garage. i dont want a separate building for this. it would be pretty nice to have some heat in the garage(my man crave).
Are you saying you currently have a steam system? If so, I believe that eliminates a lot of your choices. How about a modern cat wook stove - if centrally located, it could easily heat your 16K sf. Good luck with it in any case.
i do have a steam system that i would be very happy with never using again. i want the oil burner gone. i dont even have it hooked up right now and the tanks are empty. my house is a two story home so i have a hard time believing a stove will heat the bedrooms on the second floor. if it would that would save me a ton of money and i would buy the best one i could find.
muncybob
Minister of Fire
Part of the reason we bought the Wood Gun is size restrictions...not so much in height, although we do have low ceiling clearnace, but our basement entry. The E-100 is 58"h X 24" wide X 44" deep. You'll need some clearance for piping which may be a problem for you?
In order to replace your current steam system, you would need to replace the steam pipes (or just add in) something else (BB, radient, panel rads, FHA) - big $$. Or you could try to find to find a residential wood steam boiler - I don't know how many of those are made today - maybe others know of some. Many years ago I heated a very old, 22K sf colonial with a big (very non-cat) Ashley wood stove. It heated the entire house (both floors), even in -15. But the key was it was centrally located, and all of the heat flowed well, with the help of just a couple small corner fans. How does you current stove do? If it can't come close to heating the house, do you think it's a heat-flow issue, or just that the stove can't produce?mike8937 said:
maple1
Minister of Fire
I don't blame you for swearing off the oil. Given how late in the year it is, and the issues your facing (head room, steam system compatibility), I'd think about upgrading the stove & maybe also doing an insert or putting one in front of the fireplace for this winter at least. That is, considering that you have the wood on hand already - and also that you haven't mentioned needing to heat DHW with it too. I'm sure you could come up with something for a central unit, but it would take time to sort everything out and come up with something that you'll be happy down the road. A stove is easy to undo, a furnace & system changes not quite so much. I'm also not sure you'd need to do anything to your chinmey based on size alone - a 6in should be able to be thimbled to an 8in chimney. As long as the chimney is otherwise sound, that is.
Natural Gas, propane or oil fired?
I wouldn't see a problem to fit more any boiler in your crawl space. The natural gas one for my garage and house is maybe 3.5' tall.
I wouldn't see a problem to fit more any boiler in your crawl space. The natural gas one for my garage and house is maybe 3.5' tall.
North of 60
Minister of Fire
I don't know how you could do a boiler and keep it below 6-8K....especially given the piping it sounds like you'd need to convert the steam system. How is your insulation? I'd think a wood stove could heat your 1600 sq ft. Could you possibly cut access "registers" between the second floor and downstairs? If you can provide a way for the heat to go upstairs, it should readily do so. I had a 1200 sq ft. house that was about 150 years old, no insulation, a real dump....but I heated it warmer than anyone in town with a woodstove. An air tight woodstove can be quite efficient these days, and can really crank out heat. I can heat my current 2500 sq ft easily with the Lopi Liberty. I would be surprised if you couldn't get a wood stove to "blow your doors off".
Oh I see. OP provided very little info so I didn't even think of that. When I think of boiler I don't think of a wood powered one.
north of 60 said:
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