Who's using their gasifier in the shoulder season? Does a natural draft, fan draft, or lambda sensor impact shoulder season burning in any way?
Do you use your Gasifier in the shoulder season?
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I use my EKO 25 year round,thats one of the great benefits of storage.
I fired up my boiler in the first week of oct and just pull the heat from my storage tanks when I need it. I probably wouldn't have lot it till nov without the storage. I don't think the lambda control make any difference in the shoulder seasons that they do not make during the heating season.
infinitymike
Minister of Fire
I'm using my Wood Gun E100 year round, without storage. I believe with storage I would burn more efficiently and I would burn a lot less often.
I have hopes and dreams to put in storage in the near future.
But for now I have gotten into a comfortable routine and its all good.
I have no fancy controls to speak of and I do small batch fires for the summer dhw.
Right now I am only burning in the morning to heat the house.
It takes the night chill out and gets the house to 70* then I only burn when needed for dhw during the day.
I have hopes and dreams to put in storage in the near future.
But for now I have gotten into a comfortable routine and its all good.
I have no fancy controls to speak of and I do small batch fires for the summer dhw.
Right now I am only burning in the morning to heat the house.
It takes the night chill out and gets the house to 70* then I only burn when needed for dhw during the day.
maple1
Minister of Fire
Yes, absolutely.
My annual routine: burn every day all winter (heating season), every other day earlier spring & later fall (shoulder season), every 3-4 days late spring/early summer & late summer/early fall (non-heating seaon), and don't burn at all mid-summer (just too dang hot out for heat radiating off pipes in the house).
(EDIT: Just last night I adjusted all my thermostats for heating seaon, and think I just moved to daily burns).
Storage is a must though. (EDIT: for my boiler at least).
On the draft, mine is natural - I have all my turbs in in the winter, pull a couple out for the rest of the times.
My annual routine: burn every day all winter (heating season), every other day earlier spring & later fall (shoulder season), every 3-4 days late spring/early summer & late summer/early fall (non-heating seaon), and don't burn at all mid-summer (just too dang hot out for heat radiating off pipes in the house).
(EDIT: Just last night I adjusted all my thermostats for heating seaon, and think I just moved to daily burns).
Storage is a must though. (EDIT: for my boiler at least).
On the draft, mine is natural - I have all my turbs in in the winter, pull a couple out for the rest of the times.
I don't, once the oil boiler starts running regularly then I'll switch over. It's still warm enough during the day that once the sun comes up I'm more or less set.
That and I always want to make sure I have enough wood for the time I really need it. I always do but I guess you have to worry about something...
K
That and I always want to make sure I have enough wood for the time I really need it. I always do but I guess you have to worry about something...
K
Burning year round.
I can make DHW with two gallons of twigs and small branches.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/twigs-for-dhw.108749/
Did get one instance of what they call puffing with a load of all really small very dry twigs. Just once. It burned perfectly cleanly, no smoke, but sounded like a freight train rolling through the basement. Mixing the twigs and splitter sweepings with a few 2" to 3" branches works perfectly with timing of the DHW draws.
Have plans to add the buffer tank and when I do, the controls will prioritize it for DHW. Only DHW will draw from the tank on the controls when the boiler if off. If the boiler is firing, it will load the tank and the slabs seasonally.
I can make DHW with two gallons of twigs and small branches.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/twigs-for-dhw.108749/
Did get one instance of what they call puffing with a load of all really small very dry twigs. Just once. It burned perfectly cleanly, no smoke, but sounded like a freight train rolling through the basement. Mixing the twigs and splitter sweepings with a few 2" to 3" branches works perfectly with timing of the DHW draws.
Have plans to add the buffer tank and when I do, the controls will prioritize it for DHW. Only DHW will draw from the tank on the controls when the boiler if off. If the boiler is firing, it will load the tank and the slabs seasonally.
maple1
Minister of Fire
Alan - I am constantly amazed at how long you can go between burns doing DHW. I know you use a lot less than we do, which plays a very large part, and I think you have more storage, but I have only been able to regularly go 4 days here. Once in a while I could get 5. I know I have some work to do to improve my situation and I have some parts on standby to swap in to do that and am looking for one more before I do - but realistically don't think I could go any more than a week at the very most. You're at about 1.5 to 2 weeks - that's pretty darn good.
I use my Wood Gun in the "shoulder" season as it is the only heat I have hooked up.
If the weather is 30F/50F night/day I might just fire in the evening/through the night and let the boiler go out during the day. Or I might run off the cycle timer. All depends on how I feel.
ac
If the weather is 30F/50F night/day I might just fire in the evening/through the night and let the boiler go out during the day. Or I might run off the cycle timer. All depends on how I feel.
ac
hiker88
Burning Hunk
I burn year round as well. Once a day during the real heating season. Every seven days for dhw in the summer. 2 adults and one 5 year old that gets a full bath tub every night.
Just started burning again for the season last week. One fire a day in the evenings carries through the night and the next day. Since I'm home then I can burn up my uglies/oddities that were all over the wood stacks. Have to feed a little more often which kills the efficiency some, but does use up all the little wood bits, so Im happy.
Before that we would cycle the oil boiler to take off the chill in the AM. Wishing I had a wood stove upstairs to use instead for those chilly mornings or damp fall days.
Before that we would cycle the oil boiler to take off the chill in the AM. Wishing I had a wood stove upstairs to use instead for those chilly mornings or damp fall days.
BoilerMan
Minister of Fire
I just started burning and turned the heat pump water heater off. One fire every other day with the weather staying below freezing all day now. I'll still use the wood stove in the LR on the odd days is I so fancy (or the wife does). As we get into snow season I'll burn every day in the boiler and the LR stove is just for special occasions/ambiance.
TS
TS
Year 'round as well. I'll be lighting two fires a day during the coldest months. I will add that a tiny Jotul 602 in the living room does wonders for creating a cozy space with very little wood.
I'm in New Haven county struggling to find a chimney solution so I can join the goodness of gasifying!
Fired the boiler up on Sat. Before that there was enough heat in the sun to take care of the needs for DHW and space heating. Now I'll burn some small fires to get us though. Typically light it at night and let it burn out mid morning.
Installed and first fired the Garn on 17NOV 2010. Haven't burned a drop of oil to heat anything since then. Summer time is one fire every 4 days. We have a family of 5 who take no less than 7 showers a day and 2 loads of laundry a day. No lack of hot water use. Shoulder seasons (like now) I burn every other day it seems to heat the house and DHW. Once a day in the winter. Absolutely love it. In fact, my 400 gallons of heating oil are likely starting to turn!
Same thing, I burn year round with only DHW in the summer. Last few days I built a fire when I got home, ran the tank up to 170 then coasted on the stored heat until the next evening. Last night it got warm and I didn't even build a fire. Hopefully the solar panels will pickup the load when I get them finished, I'm almost done but they probably won't produce until next spring. I think they'll save me a cord of wood over the spring/summer/fall.
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Gasifier
Minister of Fire
I have a 400 gallon buffer tank that works well for the shoulder seasons and for the summer. I have burned one summer with the Wood Gun and 400 gallon tank. This past summer I did not burn wood, I had too much going on and it was just easier to not. I started burning September 2nd this year. I am still burning two quick fires a day. Length of burn depends on temperatures outside of course. But I burn for a while in the morning and a while in the evening.
Do you do two fires for efficiency or does the 400 gallon storage not get you threw the day ?
Gasifier
Minister of Fire
That all depends on the temperatures outside of course. How much heat demand there is from heat zones and the zone for DHW indirect tank. I seem to have just gravitated towards doing two fires a day because it is a simple process at those times of the day. And the fires don't have to be very long at two times instead of one. Just reheating the boiler and tank from 160-170 to 190. So somewhat of a convenience of those times of the day. The 400 gallons will get us by longer on one fire if it is just for DHW, or for DHW with very little heat demand. But when we start getting a little heat demand then the 400 gallons won't get us through. The thing I have to remember though is that the wood gun is radiating off a lot of heat whenever the circulation pump is running. Whenever boiler is above 170. So that radiant heat is keeping my basement warm and that warm air is rising up into the house slowly. So it is keeping the heating demand off from the basement zone and zone on main level of house. So the house is nice and cozy.
Wow, just had to say wow.
Just swapped over to three barrels of dried two year old oak branch rounds, 3" to 6". Took seven days of burning to empty the three barrels. Sunday to Sunday.
On a coal bed I can only put three 6" rounds on at a time. I am already overheating the house now. Need to let the small fire burn down and out to coals, then add three 6" rounds. So, that's roughly my fuel consumption during the burn, one 6" dried oak round every hour, making a fire every three hours with three rounds.
Right now I brought in this huge nasty, dried two year old oak knot. Long and barely fit into the door on the Froling. I'm reducing its size slowly by throwing in 3 or 4, 3" rounds every three hours, poking the coal bed.
Someone posted earlier about the power of gasification with dried oak. The heat is tremendous, effortless with a small amount of wood.
Just swapped over to three barrels of dried two year old oak branch rounds, 3" to 6". Took seven days of burning to empty the three barrels. Sunday to Sunday.
On a coal bed I can only put three 6" rounds on at a time. I am already overheating the house now. Need to let the small fire burn down and out to coals, then add three 6" rounds. So, that's roughly my fuel consumption during the burn, one 6" dried oak round every hour, making a fire every three hours with three rounds.
Right now I brought in this huge nasty, dried two year old oak knot. Long and barely fit into the door on the Froling. I'm reducing its size slowly by throwing in 3 or 4, 3" rounds every three hours, poking the coal bed.
Someone posted earlier about the power of gasification with dried oak. The heat is tremendous, effortless with a small amount of wood.
Gasifier
Minister of Fire
_dan,
That sounds sweet. I don't have any oak on my property that I know of. But I think I may buy some that is cut and split already and get it up to dry for the 16/17 season. If I get about 2 or 3 cord that I could use in the middle of the winter when the cold stuff comes in Jan. / Feb. it would be worth it.
That sounds sweet. I don't have any oak on my property that I know of. But I think I may buy some that is cut and split already and get it up to dry for the 16/17 season. If I get about 2 or 3 cord that I could use in the middle of the winter when the cold stuff comes in Jan. / Feb. it would be worth it.
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