new OWB owner questions

[prollynotjeff]

I am purchasing a log home with a central boiler and the guy just cuts wood as he needs it. I am looking to find out about how much wood a year I will need so I can get cutting as soon as I move in next month. I didnt get the model # but I remmeber him telling me you could fit about a 40inch log in the bottom.

Info I know
40ish inch log in the bottom
boiler is about 30ft from the house garage is about 10 feet on the other side of the house
1500sq ft main floor hot water baseboard whole house and radiant heat in select rooms
1500sq ft unfinished basement
loft area and 1 room upstairs aprox 700sq ft total upstairs
The heat also runs out to the garage which is roughly 30x40. He only uses the heat when he works out there and I plan to do the same

I know that i cant get an exact number unless you know all the factors like wood quality ect but I am just trying to get an idea.

also does a programable thermostat help with wood consumption like it does with natural gas?

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[Gary_602z]

WAG? 7-10 full cord. There are to many variables even if we know most of them.

Gary

 

[Kawliga]

WAG? 7-10 full cord. There are to many variables even if we know most of them.

Gary

Prolly not too far off IMO....bank on 10 cord, full....depends how much you use the garage....strange that the old owner couldnt give you at least an idea

M

 

[goosegunner]

Too many variables to give an accurate prediction, but last year I used a Taylor 450 at my house in southern WI. It is 13 years old, 1600 sq ft main with about 1250 sq ft finished basement.

From Jan 1st to March 15th

I used about 5 cords of red oak. I didn't get it hooked up until Jan 1 and I was careful to feed it small loads when I was home. Only load heavy overnight or if you are going to be gone for a while.

We get pretty cold weather from Nov 15 and the month of December, so my wood use would have be significantly higher if I used it the whole season.

This year I upgraded to a Econoburn 200.

gg

 

[goosegunner]

WAG? 7-10 full cord. There are to many variables even if we know most of them.

Gary

Prolly not too far off IMO....bank on 10 cord, full....depends how much you use the garage....strange that the old owner couldnt give you at least an idea

M

He was probably afraid to say how much he used. Especially if he was cutting wood as he burned it nice and wet. I did that some last year. Cut standing dead red oak. Bark was off the tree, unbelievable amount of water in the trunk when split open.

gg

 

[Reggie Dunlap]

Take whatever the seller says he burned and double it...

 

[RobC]

Ditto GG's comment....OWB's will burn damp, green or whatever wood but you will burn 2X(?) the amount. I used to have OWB and never worried about seasoning wood etc and I use to go through to much to believe.
I would try to get a head with seasoned wood.
Welcome to the Forum.

 

[JustWood]

Cut him a face cord of wood and ask him to see how long it lasts.

 

[smokinj]

WAG? 7-10 full cord. There are to many variables even if we know most of them.

Gary

Prolly not too far off IMO....bank on 10 cord, full....depends how much you use the garage....strange that the old owner couldnt give you at least an idea

M

10-12 would be my guess. Seasoned hardwoods maybe 7-8.

 

[prollynotjeff]

Thanks for everyones input so far. He said "if i had to guess, 24 face" but i wasnt sure how you could guess if you just cut as you go. Ive been looking around on the forum and see that the CBs dont seem to be that well liked. Does it matter if you pack them full or just feed them a little at a time, either way help wood consumption?

 

[salecker]

Hi
You should use the fact that he has a CB to lower the price of the house purchase.Tell him that you need 20K off the price so you can upgrade the CB to a gasifier type boiler.Try to get the discount so you can change befor you spend all your free time feeding the CB.
Good Luck
Thomas

 

[barkeatr]

Thanks for everyones input so far. He said "if i had to guess, 24 face" but i wasnt sure how you could guess if you just cut as you go. Ive been looking around on the forum and see that the CBs dont seem to be that well liked. Does it matter if you pack them full or just feed them a little at a time, either way help wood consumption?

i JUST LOst my CB ( the smallest one) to a accident, i was burning 45 face cord...24-28" lengths...to fully heat my home, no fuel oil used. this is with a fairly well insulated house...but a long buried line and some other inefficienies. That amoutn of face cord must translate into 10 full cord, im not sure. Im in a very cold climate, upstate ny.

log cabins are leaky as far as air infiltration. They are wonderfull just the same.

barkeater

 

[barkeatr]

one more comment from barkeater, I will say that my last year, to cut split and stack 35 face cord of my wood lot..well, it was too much. My first years with the OWB/CB i was cutting as I went and there is a good chance he is cutting as he goes because the wood consumption is so high he cannot get ahead of it. I got ahead this summer, with 35 face cord stacked, some split, and stored and I was learning that i was going to be six weeks short in wood supply..and then last week I lost the boiler to a chimney fire ( it caught my storage building on fire and burned both down). Im loooking at a gassifyer to replace the OWB. Im looking at my first 100 galllons of fuel in six years and the almost 300 bucks to pay for it is particularly painfull.

in defence of the OWB/CBthe CB saved me 3-5,000 per year for six years...so overall, financialyi it was a good thing and IM glad we did it but IM ready for a more refined solution.

I just found this forum and isnt it a great place!

 

[goosegunner]

Thanks for everyones input so far. He said "if i had to guess, 24 face" but i wasnt sure how you could guess if you just cut as you go. Ive been looking around on the forum and see that the CBs dont seem to be that well liked. Does it matter if you pack them full or just feed them a little at a time, either way help wood consumption?

Is that 24 face at 16" long pieces or closer to fire box length?

If he was cutting them close to firebox length that is a lot more wood.

With my Taylor 450 I found it would burn what you put in it. If you packed it full it still seem to consume a fair amount of wood while smoldering. During the Day I would just throw in 3 or 4 pieces and it seemed to work better. It depended on, coal bed, Sun and outside Temp. The Taylor also had 360 gallon water Jacket which I think helped a lot.

gg

 

[firecaptain]

my 2 cents. i opted to buy an empyre pro series outdoor gasser for these reasons. a good friend of mine has a CB and is burning 12- 14 cords a year. thats a lot of wood i looked at the central boiler outdoor gassers, and read some post on here about all the problems they have had. didnt want to take the chance. was considering a "conventional" CB then found the empyre pro series.
so far, since october 15th, this year i have burned about 2 to 2 1/2 cords in mine, whereas my friend has burned 8-9 cords.
so if your looking for an amount to cut i would go with 10 -12 cords to start off with. as someone had mentioned before, maybe have them lower the sale price to replace the CB with an outdoor gasser. they use a lot less wood.

 

[barkeatr]

Firecaptain.

HOw much was your empyre series 200 outdoor unit? just the unit, not the install or pipes.

thanks

Barkeater

 

[prollynotjeff]

The price is already set were getting a pretty fair deal on the house. I will go through next winter and see how it goes and I can decide from there, plus that will give me time to learn about replacments if this turns out to be a pain. Any sites or post you guys could link me to about using programable t-stats to save on wood consumption? Ive been ready lots of post but until im actually using it not many of them make full sense to me.

 

[JustWood]

My dad has the CB 5036. Heating a massive old farm house. My mom refuses to close off part of the house so they go through prolly 40-45 ton of wood a winter. I supply all their wood so I know weight wise more than cord wise what they consume. They could make it a little more efficient with a few simple tweaks but you can't teach an old dog new tricks.I'd like to see them burn alot less wood but only because it wood make the OWB last longer. It's pretty much labor free to supply their wood and their set up involves a gantry crane so that they can load some massive logs into it without busting a nut.
It sounds like that unit might be the 5036 if it takes 40" wood. You're prolly looking at burning at least 10 cord even with a well insulated house.

 

[laynes69]

I'm not sure what model my buddy has, but he has a Central Boiler. He just heats his water and a 1700 Sq.Ft. house. Last year, he used at least 32 full sized, heaped and stacked truck loads of wood. I figured somewhere around 16-18+ cords. Our house is much bigger and older than his, but its insulated better and we used 6.5 cords.

 

[prollynotjeff]

Its a newer cabin about 10 years old and it was kiln dried before assembly, the logs are T&G with caulk and tape on the Toungues. Windows and doors are all anderson, block basement that stays dry all year. We were there on a cold windy day and didnt find it drafty, of course things can change after we spend more time. thanks for all the estimates guys!

Was asking around and found a local mill that sells the cut offs and slabs for 25 a pickup load.

 

[prollynotjeff]

well after about 3 weeks of running the OWB all is well other than wood consumption. Just got my first 20ton of logs dropped off. My boiler is currently set to run between 175-185 does it need to be set that high? The home has baseboard and some raidiant floor heat.

 

[Kawliga]

well after about 3 weeks of running the OWB all is well other than wood consumption. Just got my first 20ton of logs dropped off. My boiler is currently set to run between 175-185 does it need to be set that high? The home has baseboard and some raidiant floor heat.

Jeff, depends on if it is producing the capacity you require....if it is idling lots, (up to the preset temp), than lower it ....if you are not getting what you need raise the set point. On super cold nites, < than 130 celcius i turn mine to 190 or even 195....on warmer days I keep it at 175...

185 is the recommended setting by CB

Mike

 

[garz]

20 yr old CL-17 Central Boiler 30 ft from house
Poorly insulated 1700 sq ft A-frame
PEX only 6" deep
also heating DHW
8 to 8-1/2 cords per year average last 5 years