Heat storage tank dimensions/space

[Adios Pantalones]

Thinking about wood boilers and heat storage tanks. I see a lot of common sizes for Tarms etc- like 822 gal.

How much storage do I need- 1600 sq ft, 2 story log home in S. NH, 2 people running DW. Forced hot water heat on 2 loops.
How much space does that take up (and don't say 822 gal, ya wise@$$- LOL)

Including pipes etc- height, diameter with insulation, etc, thanks.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Sorry- I realize this may go better in the boiler room...

 

[begreen]

And here you are

 

[free75degrees]

There are a number of ways to think about it. You need to take into account your boiler as well as your house's heating demands. One important number is the heat output of the boiler that you want to get. I think an important goal should be to be able to light a boiler with a full load of wood and be able to have the entire load burn at bull output until it is gone. This requires enough storage to hold any excess output that does not go to the heating the house and DHW. So you need to know how many btus your boiler will give during a full burn, how much heat your house and DHW will take during that time, and then size the tank to be able to handle the rest.

An easy way to get your house's heating needs is to look at how much oil or gas you burn per month, get the btu content of that fuel and calculate the btus per day. For the boiler, you can get those numbers from the boiler's web site.