just got my oil boiler ripped out today

[Richardin52]

Now I know some of you are going to say oh you should have left it in just in case, here’s why I don't agree.

First I heated with a wood boiler with no back up from 1989 until 3 years ago. Then I got the bright idea when I found a "deal" on a used Burnham oil boiler.

Of course about a year after it's in oil starts going up so I have never run the thing and it just took up room. Now I have installed a small pellet stove that runs off a thermostat in the house. Both my wife and I love the thing, nice fire to look at, automatic, something to back up to when you come in from the cold etc. etc.

The only thing oil had going for it was price, now that’s no longer true unless it gets down somewhere around $1.50 gal. Now with everything else coming down the pike it won't be long before automatic heating systems that use other fuels will make oil heat go the same place the Doe Doe bird went. Good riddance

Are there any other purists out there that have cut the cord?

 

[trehugr]

No, I am a true believer in redundancy.

 

[Tony H]

How do you work it when you go out of town for a few days ?

 

[Richardin52]

My son lives near by. He filled the boiler in the past. Now he can do that or fill the pellet stove, both will heat the house. When he's gone somewhere I keep his stove going for him.

My wife and I have gone to Cancun and Irland a couple times and my son and his wife have gone to South America and on bicycle trips out West in the past and this was a whole lot cheaper way to heat while we were gone.

If he weren't around I have a neighbor that would do it too.

 

[drizler]

Better hope you don't all want to go on vacation together. I believe in backups for my backups.

 

[Richardin52]

If you think about it I'm really doing what a lot of people did in the past. Family helping family and neighbor helping neighbor. Most people don't even know their neighbors today.

If you really want back up plans then you better get an automatic start up generator too. At least if you live in the country like I do.

I use a 500 watt Honda to run the circulator on the wood boiler when the power goes out. It uses about a qt. of gas in an hour and a half. I guess I could use it on the pellet stove too. Couldn't use it on the oil burner though. I ran the wood boiler for 7 days once when we had a big ice storm and power was out.

My father in law is 82 years old and has never heated with anything but wood (no backup). He has the wood delivered now but still piles it himself. Just started doing that a couple years ago. He logged it out himself until he was 74 years old. He's a tuff old bird but he's starting to slow down a little. I think working his own wood gives him something to do and keeps him active.

Anyway there are back up plans and then there are back up plans. Mine work well, I hope yours do too.

 

[stee6043]

I wish more of us had (or were) neighbors like you! I'm in the polar opposite of your situation. Instead of neighbors helping neighbors I'm waiting for someone to complain about my woodpiles. I went with a gassifer so they wouldn't complain about the smoke.

Maybe a really bad economy will actually strengthen this country and it's ideas of what is most important...