Nature's comfort NCB 250 with storage -how to plumb

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sixmenn

Member
Feb 3, 2012
11
West Michigan
Hello all!

In a few days I hope to connect a 2 year old Nature's Comfort NCB250 to my house and end the onslaught of high heating bills. I have some questions for you veterans of wood boilers.

I have a 3600 square foot 2 story house with an unfinished basement which, if finished, would add another 1500 square feet. I have two forced air furnaces: the upstairs one is a propane furnace, and the furnace that services the main and basement floors is an open-loop geothermal unit. We never use the propane furnace (too $$$), so the geothermal unit does the whole job, but costs us in the neighborhood of $400 in electricity per month during the winter.

My questions:

I want to plumb the hot water to both furnaces and a sidearm for DHW. The distance between the two furnaces is approx 15-18 feet, one directly two floors above the other. The water heater (with extra buffer tank) is located in the same room as the lower furnace.

1. What would the path be for the water to and from the OWB?
2. Would I need to add a pump somewhere in order to move the water to the upper floor?
3. I have 2@ 120 gallon propane tanks that I hope to use for extra storage. How would the plumbing work in this mix as well?

Thanks!
 
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